scholarly journals Human-Agent Knowledge Cartography for e-Science: NASA Field Trials at the Mars Desert Research Station

Author(s):  
Maarten Sierhuis ◽  
Simon Buckingham Shum
1969 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 361-367 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. H. Fahmy ◽  
E. Salah E. Galal ◽  
Y. S. Ghanem ◽  
S. S. Khishin

SUMMARYRecords on 695 lambs were collected over a period of 5 years from 1961/62 to 1965/66, at Ras El-Hekma Desert Research Station, 230 km west of Alexandria. The characters studied were birth, weaning and yearling body weights, pre- and post-weaning daily gains and greasy fleece weight.Birth, 120-day and 365-day body weights were 3·4, 18·2 and 33·4 kg respectively. Greasy fleece weight at 16 months of age was 3·29 kg. Heritability estimates of birth, weaning, yearling weights, pre- and post-weaning daily gains and greasy fleece weight were 0·22, 0·45, 0·41,0·45 and 0·29 respectively. Genetic and phenotypic correlations between birth, weaning and yearling weights were all positive and significant. Genetic correlations between fleece weight and body characteristics were negative and low.


2000 ◽  
Vol 90 (4) ◽  
pp. 365-371 ◽  
Author(s):  
P.B. Tanzubil ◽  
G.W.K. Mensah ◽  
A.R. McCaffery

The role of the host plant in the development of larval diapause in the millet stem borer, Coniesta ignefusalis (Hampson) was investigated in northern Ghana in 1996 and 1997. Surveys conducted in farmers' fields in the Guinea and Sudan savannah revealed that of all the upland cereals grown, the insect survived the dry season only in stalks and stubble of pearl millet, Pennisetum glaucum and late sorghum, Sorghum bicolor. This observation was confirmed by results from field trials conducted at the Manga Research Station. In these studies, C. ignefusalis larvae entered diapause only in late millet and late sorghum, with a higher incidence in the former. The insect neither attacked nor entered diapause in maize planted during the same period as the other crops. Results from controlled experiments showed that diapause incidence in the preferred host, millet, was higher in older than in younger plants, suggesting that host plant maturation is a key factor influencing the development of larval diapause in C. ignefusalis.


2011 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 269-289 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carol R. Stoker ◽  
Jonathan Clarke ◽  
Susana O.L. Direito ◽  
David Blake ◽  
Kevin R. Martin ◽  
...  

AbstractWe collected and analysed soil cores from four geologic units surrounding Mars Desert Research Station (MDRS) Utah, USA, including Mancos Shale, Dakota Sandstone, Morrison formation (Brushy Basin member) and Summerville formation. The area is an important geochemical and morphological analogue to terrains on Mars. Soils were analysed for mineralogy by a Terra X-ray diffractometer (XRD), a field version of the CheMin instrument on the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) mission (2012 landing). Soluble ion chemistry, total organic content and identity and distribution of microbial populations were also determined. The Terra data reveal that Mancos and Morrison soils are rich in phyllosilicates similar to those observed on Mars from orbital measurements (montmorillonite, nontronite and illite). Evaporite minerals observed include gypsum, thenardite, polyhalite and calcite. Soil chemical analysis shows sulfate the dominant anion in all soils and SO4>>CO3, as on Mars. The cation pattern Na>Ca>Mg is seen in all soils except for the Summerville where Ca>Na. In all soils, SO4correlates with Na, suggesting sodium sulfates are the dominant phase. Oxidizable organics are low in all soils and range from a high of 0.7% in the Mancos samples to undetectable at a detection limit of 0.1% in the Morrison soils. Minerals rich in chromium and vanadium were identified in Morrison soils that result from diagenetic replacement of organic compounds. Depositional environment, geologic history and mineralogy all affect the ability to preserve and detect organic compounds. Subsurface biosphere populations were revealed to contain organisms from all three domains (Archaea, Bacteria and Eukarya) with cell density between 3.0×106and 1.8×107cells ml−1at the deepest depth. These measurements are analogous to data that could be obtained on future robotic or human Mars missions and results are relevant to the MSL mission that will investigate phyllosilicates on Mars.


1946 ◽  
Vol 44 (4) ◽  
pp. 294-306 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. J. Craufurd-Benson ◽  
J. MacLeod

1. The problem of louse control by powders has been shown to be twofold, namely (a) to kill the lice present on a verminous person at the time of treatment, and (b) to prevent reinfestation of a deloused person or infestation of a clean person. In these experiments no single insecticide was found that would fulfil both functions.2. The work shows the necessity of using laboratory tests (‘cell tests’) in conjunction with insecticide tests on the parasite living under natural conditions (‘field trials’).3. The technique and results of the cell tests and the field trials are described in detail. In the field trials naturally louse-infested persons living in verminous surroundings were treated and examined daily to observe the true insecticidal value of each preparation.4. Naphthalene was found to be the most effective insecticide for killing body lice quickly. It failed to give any protection against reinfestation.5. The vegetable insecticides, derris and pyrethrum, were found to be toxic to Pediculns humanus corporis, but either alone or in combination with each other they were inferior to other combinations of insecticides.6. The combination of high-boiling tar acids and derris resulted in the combined chemicals being more toxic to lice than either alone. This proved an activation effect, and the theory of activation is discussed.7. Activated derris, while slow in killing lice, was shown to be the best preparation which gave protection against reinfestation.8. The preparation referred to as A.L. 63 was outstanding as the best preparation that controlled body lice and which fulfilled the original conditions stipulated for a successful louse powder for human use. The formula is:H.B.T.A. 2 %Derris root 14·3 % giving 1 % rotenone and a minimum of 3 % extract in the final productNaphthalene 50·0 %China clay 33·7 %The nature of each chemical in this formula is defined.9. A.L. 63, when applied to the clothing of a verminous person, killed 95% of all lice on the treated garment in 24 hr., and gave complete protection against reinfestation for an average of 5 days, and partial protection for 8 days. When applied to clean garments as a prophylactic measure, A.L. 63 gave complete protection for an average of 7…8 days, and partial protection for approximately 16 days.10. Patients living in a verminous environment were made to wear one shirt continuously for a month without washing it. Even under these conditions they were protected from infestation by treatment of the inside of the shirt, at 8-day intervals, with A.L. 63.11. A short history is given of the use of A.L. 63 in the British army from 1940 to 1944.During this work we have had much help and sympathy from many people, but we would like to place on record our especial thanks to the following: Prof. P. A. Buxton, of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, for supplying us with the original material for establishing a louse colony, and for his great interest and encouragement during the work; Dr W. E. Parry, the Divisional Police Surgeon at Spitalfields, for his kindness in describing the best areas to search for suitable patients, and his assistance in finding suitable accommodation for establishing the ‘clinic’; those numerous volunteers, within the Cooper, McDougall and Robertson organization, who offered to feed lice when the colony was being maintained at the Research Station, and suffered much discomfort while doing so.


2014 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
pp. 166 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. M. Sani ◽  
I. U. Abubakar ◽  
A. M. Falaki ◽  
H. Mani ◽  
M. M. Jaliya

An experiment was conducted to assess the yield and yield components of QPM genotypes to plant population under irrigated conditions in a semi arid ecology of Northern Nigeria. Field trials were conducted at the Irrigation Research Station, Institute for Agricultural Research, Kadawa (11° 39'N, 08° 20'E) and 500 m above sea level) during dry seasons 2007, 2008 and 2009 to study the effect of (Zea mays L.) genotypes (TZE-W Pop X 1368, EV-DT W99 STR and DMR-ESRW), four plant population (33333, 44444, 55555 and 66666 plants ha-1) and three irrigation scheduling (40, 60 and 80 centibars soil moisture tension) on the growth and yield of quality protein maize. A split plot design was used with combinations of genotypes and irrigation regimes assigned to the main plot and plant population assigned to the sub-plot. The treatments were replicated three times. The study revealed that genotype EV-DT W99 STR had significantly higher weight of ears per plant, cob length, cob diameter, number of rows per cob, 100 grain weight, grain yield, shelling percentage and harvest index than the other two genotypes used in the trial. Irrigating at 40 and 60 centibars significantly increased weight of ears per plant, while delayed irrigation significantly depressed total dry matter production. Based on the results obtained in this study, it can be concluded that the use of genotype EV-DT W99 STR, at 60 centibars irrigation scheduling and population of 55,555 plants ha-1 had resulted in good agro-physiological characters of QPM at Kadawa.


Work ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 41 ◽  
pp. 5481-5484 ◽  
Author(s):  
Benjamin D. Sawyer ◽  
P.A. Hancock ◽  
John Deaton ◽  
Peter Suedfeld

2014 ◽  
Vol 2014 ◽  
pp. 1-5 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nader Soltani ◽  
Lynette R. Brown ◽  
Todd Cowan ◽  
Peter H. Sikkema

A limited number of preplant (PP) herbicides are available for spring seeded cereals in Ontario. Six field trials were conducted at the Huron Research Station, Exeter, Ontario, over a two-year period (Exeter, 2010 and 2011) to evaluate glyphosate, prosulfuron, and glyphosate plus prosulfuron applied PP for weed management in spring seeded no-till barley, oats, and wheat. There was no injury in barley, oats, and wheat with glyphosate, prosulfuron, and glyphosate plus prosulfuron applied preplant at the rates evaluated at 1, 2, and 4 weeks after crop emergence. Prosulfuron provided 49–99% control of AMBEL, 28% or less control of CONAR, 31–94% control of POLCO, 49–98% control of SINAR, and 46–79% control of SONAR. Prosulfuron in combination with glyphosate provided 73–98% control of AMBEL, less than 43% control of CONAR, 39–94% control of POLCO, 63–98% control of SINAR, and 60–85% control of SONAR. Prosulfuron reduced density of AMBEL 76% and SINAR 93% but had no significant effect on density of CONAR, POLCO, or SONAR. Prosulfuron in combination with glyphosate reduced biomass of AMBEL as much as 96% and SINAR 98% but had no significant effect on biomass of CONAR, POLCO, or SONAR. Yield of barley, oats, and wheat was not affected with glyphosate, prosulfuron, and glyphosate plus prosulfuron at the rates evaluated.


2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 117-121
Author(s):  
M. Manikandan ◽  
G. Thiyagarajan ◽  
S. Thenmozhi ◽  
S.K. Natarajan ◽  
J. Bhuvaneswari ◽  
...  

Sustainable Sugarcane Initiative (SSI) under Sub Surface Drip Irrigation (SSDI) is gaining momentum among the farmers because of more output with less input. Even though the benefits of SSI under SSDI are realized by farmers, development of optimal irrigation and fertigation schedule is need of the hour for Western Agro-climatic zone of Tamil Nadu. Field trials were carried out at Agricultural Research Station, Bhavanisagar from 2014 to 2017 to develop an optimal irrigation and fertigation schedule for SSI for Western Agro-climatic zone. The experiment was taken in a randomized block design with three replications. The experiment consisted of eight treatments of which six treatments comprised of SSDI with three irrigation regimes of 100, 80 and 60 percent pan evaporation and two fertigation levels of 100 and 75 percent of recommended N & K and two treatments in surface drip irrigation (SDI) with 100 percent pan evaporation (PE) + 100 percent RD and 100 percent PE + 75 percent RD of N&K through fertigation. The results of this study revealed that SSDI with 60 per cent PE + 100 per cent RD of N&K through fertigation recorded lower water use (1004 mm) and higher WUE (113 kg/ha-mm). However, significantly higher and comparable yield of sugarcane (148 t/ha) was recorded in SSDI with 100 per cent PE + 100 per cent RD of N&K through fertigation and surface drip irrigation with 100 per cent PE + 100 per cent RD of N&K through fertigation. The net return (Rs. 2,09,405 per ha) and B:C ratio (2.6) was higher in SSDI with 100per cent PE + 100 per cent RD of N&K through fertigation treatment.


HortScience ◽  
1992 ◽  
Vol 27 (6) ◽  
pp. 592a-592
Author(s):  
V.E. Emongor ◽  
D.P. Murr ◽  
J.T.A Proctor ◽  
E.C. Lougheed

Field trials at Cambridge Research Station, Ontario, Canada, studied the thinning effect of benzyladenine (BA) on eighteen-year-old “Empire” apple trees. At 16 days after full bloom (fruit diameter 12.87 mm) whole trees were hand sprayed to drip point with BA (0, 100, or 200 mg.1-1). Untreated control trees were compared with treated and hand thinned trees. BA significantly reduced crop load on “Empire”. The thinning response to BA was linear, with recommended thinning occurring at 200 mg.1-1. At harvest, fruit weight, size (diameter and length), flesh firmness and soluble solids concentration, chlorophyll and anthocyanin contents, and seed number were increased by BA treatments. BA had no effect on fruit L:D ratio, internal ethylene concentration, maturity, and the onset of the respiratory climacteric, but significantly reduced respiration at harvest. BA also reduced ethylene production and ACC content at harvest, though the reduction was not significant. Although firmness of BA-treated fruit was significantly higher at harvest, upon storage for 1 month at 0-0.5°C and 90-95% RH the firmness advantage was lost BA shows potential as a thinner of “Empire” apple and has advantage of increasing fruit weight and size, since “Empire” is a relatively small apple compared to other commercial cultivars.


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