scholarly journals Sustainable Agriculture—Another Method of Attracting Highquality Students

HortScience ◽  
1997 ◽  
Vol 32 (3) ◽  
pp. 554B-554
Author(s):  
N.G. Creamer
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Agriculture ◽  
Graduate Programs ◽  
Animal Husbandry ◽  
Land Grant Universities ◽  
Delaware Valley ◽  
Area Of Interest ◽  
Hands On ◽  
Regenerative Agriculture ◽  
Student Demand ◽  
The Impact

While enrollment is dropping in many commodity-based curriculums, one key program area of interest to many students is sustainable agriculture. Some land-grant universities are initiating undergraduate and graduate programs, or concentrations in Sustainable Agriculture, to meet this student demand. Many smaller colleges (for example, Delaware Valley College, Slippery Rock Univ., and Warren Wilson College) are also offering a focus in this area as well. These programs often include an experiential learning component through internships and other hands-on activities. Examples of some of the courses being offered include Principles and Practices of Sustainable Agriculture, Agricultural Ecosystems, Sustainable Agriculture Processes in Plant Horticulture and Animal Husbandry, and Fertility Considerations in Regenerative Agriculture. In this presentation, I summarize ongoing programs nationwide, and discuss the impact these programs are having on student enrollment.

scholarly journals Smartsurfaces: A Multidisciplinary, Hands -on Think Tank

2011 ◽  
Author(s):  
John Marshall ◽  
◽  
Max Shtein ◽  
Karl Daubmann ◽  
◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Graduate Programs ◽  
Institutional Constraints ◽  
Habits Of Mind ◽  
Think Tank ◽  
Educational Models ◽  
Interdisciplinary Learning ◽  
Disciplinary Boundaries ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Hands On ◽  
The Impact

New design practices are emerging that span multiple traditional disciplinary boundaries. As these new models of practice manifest, new pedagogies also become necessary, often challenging both existing educational models and institutional constraints as a result. Gibbons, et al1 questioned the adequacy of traditional disciplinary structures within universities in the context of broader social, technological and economic contexts. The Association of American Colleges and Universities have argued that universities need to change their practices to develop students as “…integrative thinkers who can see connections in seemingly disparate information and draw on a wide range of knowledge to make decisions.”2 The National Academies have recommended, “…students should seek out interdisciplinary experiences, such as courses at the interfaces of traditional disciplines…”3 and that “…schools introduce interdisciplinary learning in the undergraduate environment, rather than having it as an exclusive feature of the graduate programs.”4 As indicated above, there has been much calling for cross-disciplinarity in education but to date there has been little investigation on the impact of cross-disciplinary courses on learning, especially in comparison to teaching that is more discipline-specific. For educators a central question arises: How do we prepare students to be extra-disciplinary thinkers and doers with “habits of mind”5 that prepare them to make the sort of hybrid responses that complex performance problems demand?

scholarly journals Response of altitudinal vegetation belts of the Tianshan Mountains in northwestern China to climate change during 1989–2015

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yong Zhang ◽  
Lu-yu Liu ◽  
Yi Liu ◽  
Man Zhang ◽  
Cheng-bang An
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Global Climate Change ◽  
Global Climate ◽  
Animal Husbandry ◽  
Forest Tree ◽  
Tianshan Mountains ◽  
Northwestern China ◽  
Temperature And Precipitation ◽  
Altitudinal Belts ◽  
The Impact

AbstractWithin the mountain altitudinal vegetation belts, the shift of forest tree lines and subalpine steppe belts to high altitudes constitutes an obvious response to global climate change. However, whether or not similar changes occur in steppe belts (low altitude) and nival belts in different areas within mountain systems remain undetermined. It is also unknown if these, responses to climate change are consistent. Here, using Landsat remote sensing images from 1989 to 2015, we obtained the spatial distribution of altitudinal vegetation belts in different periods of the Tianshan Mountains in Northwestern China. We suggest that the responses from different altitudinal vegetation belts to global climate change are different. The changes in the vegetation belts at low altitudes are spatially different. In high-altitude regions (higher than the forest belts), however, the trend of different altitudinal belts is consistent. Specifically, we focused on analyses of the impact of changes in temperature and precipitation on the nival belts, desert steppe belts, and montane steppe belts. The results demonstrated that the temperature in the study area exhibited an increasing trend, and is the main factor of altitudinal vegetation belts change in the Tianshan Mountains. In the context of a significant increase in temperature, the upper limit of the montane steppe in the eastern and central parts will shift to lower altitudes, which may limit the development of local animal husbandry. The montane steppe in the west, however, exhibits the opposite trend, which may augment the carrying capacity of pastures and promote the development of local animal husbandry. The lower limit of the nival belt will further increase in all studied areas, which may lead to an increase in surface runoff in the central and western regions.

An improved de Laval nozzle experiment

2021 ◽  
pp. 030641902110341
Author(s):  
Nicholas Goodman ◽  
Brian J Leege ◽  
Peter E Johnson
Keyword(s):  
Data Acquisition ◽  
Laval Nozzle ◽  
Flow Characteristics ◽  
Data Acquisition System ◽  
Isentropic Flow ◽  
Hands On ◽  
De Laval Nozzle ◽  
Physical Phenomena ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Relationship

Exposing students to hands-on experiments has been a common approach to illustrating complex physical phenomena that have been otherwise modelled solely mathematically. Compressible, isentropic flow in a duct is an example of such a phenomenon, and it is often demonstrated via a de Laval nozzle experiment. We have improved an existing converging/diverging nozzle experiment so that students can modify the location of the normal shock that develops in the diverging portion to better understand the relationship between the shock and the pressure. We have also improved the data acquisition system for this experiment and explained how visualisation of the standing shock is now possible. The results of the updated system demonstrate that the accuracy of the isentropic flow characteristics has not been lost. Through pre- and post-laboratory quizzes, we show the impact on student learning as well.

scholarly journals Functional ANOVA approaches for detecting changes in air pollution during the COVID-19 pandemic

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christian Acal ◽  
Ana M. Aguilera ◽  
Annalina Sarra ◽  
Adelia Evangelista ◽  
Tonio Di Battista ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Air Pollution ◽  
Air Quality ◽  
Functional Data ◽  
Central Italy ◽  
Principal Component ◽  
Functional Principal Component Analysis ◽  
Area Of Interest ◽  
Pm 10 ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Monitoring Stations

AbstractFaced with novel coronavirus outbreak, the most hard-hit countries adopted a lockdown strategy to contrast the spread of virus. Many studies have already documented that the COVID-19 control actions have resulted in improved air quality locally and around the world. Following these lines of research, we focus on air quality changes in the urban territory of Chieti-Pescara (Central Italy), identified as an area of criticality in terms of air pollution. Concentrations of $$\hbox {NO}_{{2}}$$ NO 2 , $$\hbox {PM}_{{10}}$$ PM 10 , $$\hbox {PM}_{2.5}$$ PM 2.5 and benzene are used to evaluate air pollution changes in this Region. Data were measured by several monitoring stations over two specific periods: from 1st February to 10 th March 2020 (before lockdown period) and from 11st March 2020 to 18 th April 2020 (during lockdown period). The impact of lockdown on air quality is assessed through functional data analysis. Our work makes an important contribution to the analysis of variance for functional data (FANOVA). Specifically, a novel approach based on multivariate functional principal component analysis is introduced to tackle the multivariate FANOVA problem for independent measures, which is reduced to test multivariate homogeneity on the vectors of the most explicative principal components scores. Results of the present study suggest that the level of each pollutant changed during the confinement. Additionally, the differences in the mean functions of all pollutants according to the location and type of monitoring stations (background vs traffic), are ascribable to the $$\hbox {PM}_{{10}}$$ PM 10 and benzene concentrations for pre-lockdown and during-lockdown tenure, respectively. FANOVA has proven to be beneficial to monitoring the evolution of air quality in both periods of time. This can help environmental protection agencies in drawing a more holistic picture of air quality status in the area of interest.

scholarly journals A routing-benefited deployment approach combining static and dynamic layouts for underwater optical wireless networks

2021 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 155014772199961
Author(s):  
Zhongwei Shen ◽  
Hongxi Yin ◽  
Yanjun Liang ◽  
Rigele Maao ◽  
Lianyou Jing
Keyword(s):  
Optical Communication ◽  
Loss Rate ◽  
Communication Model ◽  
Optical Wireless ◽  
Wireless Optical Communication ◽  
Area Of Interest ◽  
Virtual Force ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Term Monitoring

A routing-benefited deployment algorithm combining static and dynamic layouts is proposed, and its comprehensive performance evaluation is given in this article. The proposed routing-benefited deployment algorithm is intended to provide a suitable network deployment and subsequent data transmission approach for underwater optical networking and communication. Static nodes are anchored for long-term monitoring, and movable nodes can adjust their depths based on the virtual force and move with the variation of area-of-interest changing. Then, nodes begin to collect data that they can monitor and transmit to sink nodes. Here, the underwater wireless optical communication model is described to actualize the real environment, and the vector-based forwarding protocol is particularly considered to compare the impact of different deployment algorithms on routing. It is shown by simulation experiment results that routing-benefited deployment algorithm outperforms several existing traditional virtual force deployment algorithms in terms of coverage, lifetime, energy consumption balance, packet-loss rate, and time-delay.

scholarly journals Clinical and Educational Outcomes of an Integrated Inpatient Quality Improvement Curriculum for Internal Medicine Residents

2016 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 563-568 ◽  
Author(s):  
Greg Ogrinc ◽  
Emily S. Cohen ◽  
Robertus van Aalst ◽  
Beth Harwood ◽  
Ellyn Ercolano ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Internal Medicine ◽  
Quality Improvement ◽  
Self Efficacy ◽  
Intervention Group ◽  
Educational Outcome ◽  
Free Text ◽  
Internal Medicine Residents ◽  
Late Intervention ◽  
Hands On ◽  
The Impact

ABSTRACT Background  Integrating teaching and hands-on experience in quality improvement (QI) may increase the learning and the impact of resident QI work. Objective  We sought to determine the clinical and educational impact of an integrated QI curriculum. Methods  This clustered, randomized trial with early and late intervention groups used mixed methods evaluation. For almost 2 years, internal medicine residents from Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center on the inpatient teams at the White River Junction VA participated in the QI curriculum. QI project effectiveness was assessed using statistical process control. Learning outcomes were assessed with the Quality Improvement Knowledge Application Tool–Revised (QIKAT-R) and through self-efficacy, interprofessional care attitudes, and satisfaction of learners. Free text responses by residents and a focus group of nurses who worked with the residents provided information about the acceptability of the intervention. Results  The QI projects improved many clinical processes and outcomes, but not all led to improvements. Educational outcome response rates were 65% (68 of 105) at baseline, 50% (18 of 36) for the early intervention group at midpoint, 67% (24 of 36) for the control group at midpoint, and 53% (42 of 80) for the late intervention group. Composite QIKAT-R scores (range, 0–27) increased from 13.3 at baseline to 15.3 at end point (P < .01), as did the self-efficacy composite score (P < .05). Satisfaction with the curriculum was rated highly by all participants. Conclusions  Learning and participating in hands-on QI can be integrated into the usual inpatient work of resident physicians.

scholarly journals THE ECONOMIC PAMPHLETEER: Realities of regenerative agriculture

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-4
Author(s):  
John Ikerd
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Agriculture ◽  
Agricultural Sustainability ◽  
Industrial Agriculture ◽  
Regenerative Agriculture

Regenerative agriculture is the latest phrase in the sustainable agriculture movement (Mer­field, 2019). Many early advocates have become disenchanted with the concept of sustainable agri­culture. Some claim it has been co-opted, misused, and essentially made useless by the defenders of industrial agriculture. However, regenerative agri­culture faces the same risks if it is not defined in terms that ensure agricultural sustainability.

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