Coal-Ash Effects on Fuelwood Production and Runoff Water Quality

1984 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 99-101 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hans Riekerk

Abstract The poorly-drained sandy soil of a small watershed in north-central Florida was amended with 56 dry tons/acre of coal-ash, bedded at 6-foot spacing, and planted to seedlings at 3-foot intervals. First-year growth of Casuarina cunninghamiana or Australian pine was better than on the nonamended control. The exceptional freeze of the winter of 1982 killed about 70 percent of the trees, but surviving individuals continued significantly improved growth rates as compared to the control. Replanting with Eucalyptus viminalis showed no better growth than the control. Dissolution of bases from the ash neutralized the normally acid soil and runoff water. As a consequence, concentrations of heavy metals in runoff were diminished.

1998 ◽  
Vol 22 (2) ◽  
pp. 111-116 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kris M. Irwin ◽  
Mary L. Duryea ◽  
Earl L. Stone

Abstract This study examined the effects of supplemental nitrogen (N) applied to slash pine (Pinus elliottii var. elliottii [Engelm.]) seedlings in a north central Florida nursery. Treatments were applied during a 4 wk period during November and December, 1989, as follows: control (no fall fertilization—current nursery practice); low N (one application of NH4NO3 at 57 kg N/ha); and high N (three applications at the same rate). At time of lifting and outplanting, there were no significant morphological differences among the treatments, but foliar N concentration increased significantly in accord with treatment. Field performance was evaluated at five site-prepared locations. First-year survival of high N and low N treatments were 15 and 12% greater, respectively, than unfertilized seedlings. First-year heights of the high and low N treatments were 15 and 7% greater, respectively, than the control. South. J. Appl. For. 22(2):111-116.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew Mwila

BACKGROUND The Copperbelt University is the second public University in Zambia. The School of Medicine has four major programs namely; Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery, Bachelor of Dental Surgery, Bachelor of Clinical Medicine and Bachelor of Biomedical sciences. The Copperbelt University School of Medicine runs a five-year training program for both the BDS and the MBCHB programs. Students are admitted into the Medical school after successfully completing their first year at the Main campus in the School of Natural Sciences with an average of 4 B grades or higher (B grade is a mark of 65 to 74%). OBJECTIVE The study was done to determine the association between admission criteria and academic performance among preclinical students. Hence, the study compares the academic performance among preclinical students admitted into the Bachelor of Dental Surgery and Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery at the Copperbelt University School of Medicine. METHODS This is a retrospective cohort study conducted at Michael Chilufya Sata School of medicine Campus. A pilot study was conducted with 30 BDS and 30 MBCHB students and the obtained information helped determine the sample size. SPSS was used to analyze the data. The study period lasted approximately 7 weeks at a cost of K1621. RESULTS In 2014, there was an improvement in average performance between 2nd and 3rd year for each program. An average score of 15.4 (SD 4.2) was obtained in 3rd year compared to 12.8 (SD 4.9) in 2nd year (p<0.001). Meanwhile, 3rd MB ChB mean score was 12.6 (SD 3.7) compared to 10.7 (SD 3.6) in 2nd years (p<0.05). However, in 2016, both programs, 3rd year mean scores were lower than 2nd year (MB ChB 2nd year mean score was 12.0 (SD 4.3) compared to 3rd year with a mean score of 9.5 (SD 4.5), p<0.001; BDS 2nd year mean score was 10.6 (SD 4.0) compared to 3rd year mean score of 8.2 (SD 3.4), p<0.01. On average MB ChB students performed better than BDS students in all the years (p<0.05), except in 2016 when the results were comparable. CONCLUSIONS Results from the study shows that entry criteria has a correlation to academic performance as students admitted with higher grades perform much better than those with lower grades.


2021 ◽  
Vol 49 (1) ◽  
pp. 030006052098284
Author(s):  
Tingting Qiao ◽  
Simin Liu ◽  
Zhijun Cui ◽  
Xiaqing Yu ◽  
Haidong Cai ◽  
...  

Objective To construct deep learning (DL) models to improve the accuracy and efficiency of thyroid disease diagnosis by thyroid scintigraphy. Methods We constructed DL models with AlexNet, VGGNet, and ResNet. The models were trained separately with transfer learning. We measured each model’s performance with six indicators: recall, precision, negative predictive value (NPV), specificity, accuracy, and F1-score. We also compared the diagnostic performances of first- and third-year nuclear medicine (NM) residents with assistance from the best-performing DL-based model. The Kappa coefficient and average classification time of each model were compared with those of two NM residents. Results The recall, precision, NPV, specificity, accuracy, and F1-score of the three models ranged from 73.33% to 97.00%. The Kappa coefficient of all three models was >0.710. All models performed better than the first-year NM resident but not as well as the third-year NM resident in terms of diagnostic ability. However, the ResNet model provided “diagnostic assistance” to the NM residents. The models provided results at speeds 400 to 600 times faster than the NM residents. Conclusion DL-based models perform well in diagnostic assessment by thyroid scintigraphy. These models may serve as tools for NM residents in the diagnosis of Graves’ disease and subacute thyroiditis.


Genus ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 77 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrea Priulla ◽  
Nicoletta D’Angelo ◽  
Massimo Attanasio

AbstractThis paper investigates gender differences in university performances in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) courses in Italy, proposing a novel application through the segmented regression models. The analysis concerns freshmen students enrolled at a 3-year STEM degree in Italian universities in the last decade, with a focus on the relationship between the number of university credits earned during the first year (a good predictor of the regularity of the career) and the probability of getting the bachelor degree within 4 years. Data is provided by the Italian Ministry of University and Research (MIUR). Our analysis confirms that first-year performance is strongly correlated to obtaining a degree within 4 years. Furthermore, our findings show that gender differences vary among STEM courses, in accordance with the care-oriented and technical-oriented dichotomy. Males outperform females in mathematics, physics, chemistry and computer science, while females are slightly better than males in biology. In engineering, female performance seems to follow the male stream. Finally, accounting for other important covariates regarding students, we point out the importance of high school background and students’ demographic characteristics.


1980 ◽  
Vol 87 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 337-348 ◽  
Author(s):  
John Sivinski ◽  
Mark Stowe

Spiders and their webs are predictable sources of insect cadavers. A small number of animals regularly exploit this resource, either as kleptoparasites or commensals, depending on whether symbionts compete for the same prey (see Robinson and Robinson, 1977, for more detailed terminology). Among the thieves are specialized spiders (citations in Vollrath 1979a, 1979b), mature male and juvenile spiders (Stowe 1978, citations in Nyffeler and Benz 1980), Hemiptera (Davis and Russell 1969), a hummingbird (takes webbing in addition to small insects, Young 1971), panorpid scorpion-flies (Thornhill 1975), Lepidoptera larvae (Robinson 1978), wasps (Jeanne 1972), damselflies (Vollrath 1977), and a handful of flies (reviews in Knab 1915; Bristowe 1931, 1941; Lindner 1937; Richards 1953; Robinson and Robinson 1977). Only a few of the reports on Diptera kleptoparasites originate from North America (McCook 1889, Frost 1913, Downes and Smith 1969). With a single exception (Downes and Smith 1969), all of the previously described kleptoparasitic flies belong to the Brachycera and Cyclorrhapha. We report here on a surprisingly diverse kleptoparasitic Diptera fauna in north central Florida with a cecidomyiid (Nematocera) as its dominant member.


1965 ◽  
Vol 45 (3) ◽  
pp. 229-237 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. R. Kilcher ◽  
S. Smoliak ◽  
W. A. Hubbard ◽  
A. Johnston ◽  
A. T. H. Gross ◽  
...  

N, P, and N + P at 60, 26, and 60 + 26 lb per acre were applied on native grass sites during three successive years at seven, locations in Western Canada. Single applications of the N fertilizer resulted in 3- or 4-year total yield increases of 300 to 600 lb per acre at six locations. At Summerland the 3-year increase was nearly 1400 lb. Phosphorus fertilizer by itself provided very little yield increase. N + P gave yield increases that were only slightly better than those from N alone.Residual responses to fertilizer were important, especially in the 12- to 16-in. rainfall locations. Only about one-third of the total yield increase occurred in the first year, with the remainder coming in the subsequent seasons.Weeds, where present, showed a marked response to fertilizer N in the first season; in subsequent years the response largely disappeared.


2012 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 13-35
Author(s):  
Robin Poynor

Ògún, the Yorùbá god of iron, is venerated throughout the Atlantic world. While many African-based religions coexist in Florida, the shrines discussed here were developed by individuals connected with Oyotunji Village in South Carolina. South Florida's urban shrines differ remarkably from north central Florida's rural shrines. I suggest several factors determine this variation: changing characteristics of Ògún, differing circumstances of the shrines' creators, the environment in which the owners work, and whether the setting is urban or rural. Urban shrines reflect religious competition where many manifestations of òrìṣà worship coexist but are not in agreement. In these shrines, Ògún is vengeful protector. The urban shrines tend to be visually strident, filled with jagged forms of protective weapons. In rural north central Florida, Ògún is clearer of the way, a builder, and reflects the personalities of those who venerate him. These shrines are less harsh and are filled with tools.


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