Durably reducing transphobia: A field experiment on door-to-door canvassing.

The role of husks in maize (Zea mays L.) grain development is unclear. Field experiments were conducted in 1984 and 1985 to determine the effect of husk removal on grain yield and yield components. Treatments consisted of a control, an intact ear covered with a paper bag, and ears with the husks peeled down and left down, husks removed entirely from the ear and shank, husks removed from the ear only, and husks peeled down and immediately replaced around the ear. The treatments were imposed at 15 d after pollination and all ears on which husks were manipulated were covered with paper bags for protection. All treatments involving husk manipulation resulted in decreased grain yields; the average decrease was 14.3%. Treatments in which husks remained on the ear after peeling decreased yield less (8.6%) than did those in which husks were removed entirely (17.7%). Among the husk manipulation treatments, replacing husks immediately after peeling them did not decrease kernel weight as much as did the other treatments. Kernel number per ear was reduced equally by all husk manipulation treatments. The importance of husks in the maintenance of an adequate moisture and temperature environment for the developing ear and as storage organs for remobilizable assimilate is demonstrated by the fact that husk removal reduced grain yield much more than can be accounted for by the loss of husk photosynthesis.

Field experiments were conducted to test the influence of two types of anionic polyacrylamide (PAM) on soil erosion and runoff of sloping land in Jordan under natural rainfall conditions. The two PAMs used in this study, Superfloc A-836 and Superfloc A-870, varied widely in molecular weight ranging qualitatively from high, 15 Mg/mol, to very low and surface charge from 20% to 70%, respectively. Fourteen 2-m × 10-m field plots with a 12% slope gradient were constructed in the field. Collection barrels were installed at the end of plots to monitor the amount of runoff and sediment loss after each storm. The PAMs were applied at two rates of 10 and 30 kg/ha plus a control. The experimental design includes seven treatments with two replicates. Experimental results showed that PAM was effective in reducing runoff and soil loss at the two application rates. Application of A-836 reduced runoff and sediment loss by 23% and 35%, respectively, compared to control and the corresponding average decrease in runoff and soil loss for A-870 were 16% and 8%, respectively. Differences in runoff among PAM-treated plots at 10 and 30 kg/ha were negligible, but soil loss was slightly lower in the 30 kg/ha PAM-treated plots. Polyacrylamide application increased dry matter crop yield, and the application rate seemed to have a greater influence than the PAM type. The average dry matter yield for both PAMs at 30 kg/ha and 10 kg/ha increased by 56% and 35%, respectively, compared to control.

A field experiment with 3 cultivars of each of 4 winter cereals (wheat, rye, triticale and barley), sown at about 320 plants/msuperscript 2, was conducted on a fertile clay soil in the central Netherlands. The N fertilizer was split-dressed: 120 kg/ha in total for wheat and triticale, and 60 kg/ha for rye and barley. The fewest shoots/msuperscript 2 were found in triticale (828/msuperscript 2), and the most in barley (1477/msuperscript 2). The average decrease in number of shoots during shoot/ear development was 51% in wheat, 54% in rye, 49% in triticale and 67% in barley. The rate of crop development was largest in rye and barley; they flowered and matured earlier than wheat and triticale. Rye was the first to attain a closed canopy (LAI >3), and had the lowest maximum LAI and shortest leaf area duration. Wheat and triticale stayed green longest. Average specific leaf weight was 4.3 mg/cmsuperscript 2 in wheat and triticale, and 3.7 mg/cmsuperscript 2 in rye and barley. The growth rate of the grains at the linear stage was fastest in barley (1.89 mg grain-1 d-1) and slowest in rye (0.89 mg grain-1 d-1). Total aboveground DM production was 18 790 kg/ha in wheat, 15 230 kg/ha in rye, 18 300 kg/ha in triticale and 12 460 kg/ha in barley. Grain yields (t/ha) were 8.74 (wheat), 6.64 (rye), 8.20 (triticale) and 6.62 (barley). Cultivar differences in grain yield and in yield components were mostly smaller in wheat and rye than in triticale and barley. The harvest index was highest in barley (53.3%) and lowest in rye (43.7%); in some plant species there were marked differences between cultivars, but in others there were not.

Effect of Lupin Extract and Nitrogen Fertilization on Yield Quality of Celeriac The results of a study on possibilities of utilization of lupin extract are presented. The extract was a waste material from the de-bittering process of bitter lupin seeds and might affect yield and chemical composition of celeriac. Type of nitrogen fertilizer (pure ammonium nitrate or its form supplemented with molybdenum and magnesium) was another factor tested. The study, based on field experiments, was conducted in the years 1999-2001. It was found that fertilization with ammonium nitrate, and especially with its form enriched in magnesium and molybdenum, was a factor significantly affecting yield of celeriac. After use of lupin seed extract slight increase in yield and total nitrogen content as well as evident reduction in nitrates content in celeriac were observed. Average decrease in content of this nitrogen form in roots and leaves was 14.8% and 29.6%, respectively, as compared to control. Tested factors did not influence significantly potassium and sodium contents in leaves and roots of celeriac.

Impact of crayfish densities on wet seeded rice and the inefficiency of a non-ionic surfactant as an ecotechnological solution

The purpose of this paper is to examine method, motivation, and individual difference variables as they impact the effectiveness of a diversity training program in a field setting. We conducted a longitudinal field experiment in which participants (N = 118) were randomly assigned to participate in one of three diversity training methods (perspective taking vs. goal setting vs. stereotype discrediting). Eight months after training, dependent measures on diversity-related motivations, attitudes and behaviors were collected. Results suggest the effectiveness of diversity training can be enhanced by increasing motivation in carefully framed and designed programs. Specifically, self-reported behaviors toward LGB individuals were positively impacted by perspective taking. Training effects were mediated by internal motivation to respond without prejudice, and the model was moderated by trainee empathy. These findings serve to demonstrate that diversity training participants react differently to certain training methods. Additionally, this study indicates that taking the perspective of others may have a lasting positive effect on diversity-related outcomes by increasing individuals’ internal motivation to respond without prejudice. These effects may be particularly powerful for training participants who are low in dispositional empathy. This study is among the first to examine trainee reactions to diversity training exercises focused on different targets using different training methods. Additionally, we identify an important mediator (internal motivation to respond without prejudice) and boundary condition (trainee empathy) for examining diversity training effectiveness.

Indices of recruitment are often derived from trap surveys. If legal-sized lobsters inhibit smaller ones from entering traps, the overall catch-rate may depend on population composition and not just on overall abundance, and recruitment strength can be overestimated as average length decreases in a population. A controlled field experiment was used to examine whether trapping inhibition of Jasus edwardsii occurred during spring (November) or summer (February) in south-eastern Tasmania. Four treatments were applied. Baited traps were seeded with either: one large female, one large male or two sublegal-sized female lobsters. Baited traps with no seed were used as a control. Seeded traps always caught fewer sublegal-sized lobsters than control traps. When catches in both seasons were examined by sex of entrants, seeded traps caught fewer small lobsters than control traps in 11 of 12 comparisons. However, a strong inhibitory effect was observed only for female-seeded traps during summer. The data obtained in the present study suggest that sublegal-sized indices of recruitment are likely to be influenced in summer by the number of large females present. Spring trials suggest that corrections to a sublegal-catch index may be unnecessary during this season, but more work is required in order to better understand the complex, sex-specific and seasonal patterns of interactions of this species.

(1) Gutters containing natural substrata colonized by benthic macroinvertebrates were exposed in streams in the Ivory Coast (West Africa) and drifting organisms were captured in 790 samples over a period of more than 600 h. (2) Drift was related to density and to abiotic factors for instars of the hydropsychid caddis Cheumatopsychefalcifera (Ulmer), of which about 55 000 were caught. (3) Drift of larvae peaked at different times at night. Emerging adults and pupal exuviae appeared briefly after sunset. Exuviae of larval instars I-IV were present throughout 24 h. (4) The relationship of drift (y: drift out of 0.1 m2 per unit time or individuals per 1 m3) of a larval instar to its own benthic density (x) differed in its significance at various times and between larval instars. (5) No consistent relationship was found in instar I. In later instars it was best described by y = a + blxb2x4 (instar II); y = axb (instar III); y = aebx (instars IV and V). Since instars IV and V predominated in our trials, an exponential relationship was also found for total larvae of the species. (6) Self-regulation of an upper benthic density by emigration through drift was statistically not evident. (7) Models based on benthic densities explained up to 99% of the variation in the drift; the drift of a larval instar was often defined more precisely by the benthic density of another instar than its own. (8) We conclude that a net of behavioural interactions in the benthic population had a large effect on the loss of individuals through drift. (9) Drift increased with increasing water temperature and velocity in the gutter; moonlight had no depressant effect on the drift. (10) Minor manipulations of the gutter, less drastic than in laboratory experiments, resulted in artifacts in the drift. (11) The average percentage decrease of density through drift over 24 h was 5.6, 9.9, 17-0, 14-3. 5.1, and 9.2 in instars I, II, III, IV, V, and total larvae. (12) Moulting rates, estimated from larval exuvial drift, indicated that the development period for the instars I-IV took more than a month. (13) Drift was reduced in some cases in streams previously treated with insecticides. Drift as determined in the West African Onchocerciasis Control Programme to monitor

This study aimed to evaluate the efficiency of the Earth Water Pipe Heat Exchanger (EWPHE) system in Bangladesh through simulation and experimental work carried out at Joypurhat in Bangladesh during the coldest period of the year, January. Additionally, the study sought to establish the method for selecting optimal installation parameters of EWPHE to increase performance and efficiency. A simulation model was made in the TRNSYS (v16.0) platform to determine the optimum values of design parameters. The simulation was run by altering its operating parameters, such as the rate of water flow, length of the pipe, built materials of the pipe, and the diameter of the underground pipeline. According to the findings, pipe burial can be done to a depth of 3.5 meters to achieve optimal output. The results of comparing four distinct materials, namely GI, Steel, PVC, and HDPE, show that these materials' characteristics do not significantly affect how well the systems perform. Additionally, as the water flow rate is increased, it is shown that the EWPHE performance is declining. According to the simulation results, it is concluded that a pipe with a length of 50 meters would be sufficient in the proposed EWPHE system to reach an average temperature decrease from 35 °C to 27 °C. Subsequently, in the field experiment, the EWPHE system had an average efficacy of 55% throughout January, which is quite promising. Journal of Engineering Science 14(2), 2023, 79-88

Exercise has been shown to improve physical function in frail older adults; however, the effects of exercise may vary with degree of frailty, the format and intensity of the exercise intervention, and level of supervision. This cohort study describes the effects of participation in a 6-week home-based exercise program on measures of physical function as well as exercise-related beliefs, including exercise self-efficacy and outcomes expectation, in frail older adults. Participants were 72 frail older adults who participated in a 6-week home-based exercise program supervised by graduate physical therapy students. Individualized home-based exercises targeted strength, flexibility, balance, gait, and cardiovascular fitness. Physical function was measured at baseline and after completion of the 6-week exercise program using the Functional Fitness Test (Biceps Curl, Chair Stand, 8-Foot Up and Go) and velocity on a 4-m walk. Measures of exercise-related beliefs included the Self-Rated Abilities for Health Practices Scale and Exercise Outcome Expectations. Participation in the 6-week home-based exercise program was associated with improvements in measures of physical function, including an average increase of 3 repetitions (35%) on the biceps curl, 2.4 repetitions (59%) on the chair stand, and an average increase of 0.17 m/s (33%) in gait velocity. Average decrease in Timed Up and Go test scores was 5.7 seconds (26%). Scores for exercise-related beliefs also improved (self-efficacy average increase was 7 points [40%], and average increase in outcome expectations was 3 [47%]). A supervised 6-week, multidimensional home-based exercise program was safe and associated with improvements in physical and exercise-related belief outcome measures in this cohort study of frail older adults.

Several sets of soil samples were chosen to demonstrate the applicability of the Mehlich 3 extractant for the determination of sulphur (S) in soils. Archived samples from 139 basal soil monitoring plots (BSMS) sampled in 1995 and 2013, samples from eleven long-term field trials sampled in 1981 and 2017, 1167 soil samples from the areas vulnerable to S losses and 720 samples from the non-vulnerable areas sampled in 2010 were chosen for the experiments. Mehlich 3 clearly showed a statistically highly significant decrease in the soil S content caused by reduction of SO<sub>2</sub> emissions in the long-term field experiments from 33 mg/kg in 1981 to 8 mg/kg in 2017 for the median of the untreated controls. Similar results were obtained for BSMS samples, where an average decrease from 26 mg/kg in 1995 to 17 mg/kg in 2013 was found. Mehlich 3 also showed that more than 52% of samples from the areas vulnerable to S losses were in a very low content category in contrast to only 3% of soils from the other areas. Mehlich 3 clearly proved the capacity to distinguish changes in the content of soil S in all studied cases.

The Bois noir (BN) disease induced by ‘Candidatus Phytoplasma solani’ (CPs) is common in European vineyards. Its damage has not been fully investigated, especially with regards to wine attributes. The impact of BN on yield, berry composition and wine characteristics of Vitis vinifera L. cv. ‘Chardonnay’ was therefore comprehensively characterized in a 3-year field experiment in Hungary, Eger winegrowing region. Additionally, the bindweed-related tuf-b1 genotype was identified to be involved in the BN pathosystem in the experimental vineyard. Infection of CPs tuf-b1 genotype resulted in severe yield loss, the average decrease in number of bunches and total yield per vine was 56.7% and 68.4%, respectively. Analyses of wines produced from grapes of BN infected vines revealed decreased alcohol, epicatechin and iron contents; and increased organic acids, titratable acidity, catechin and calcium contents. Sensory evaluation of these wines confirmed unfavourable characteristics, i.e. higher acidity, bitterness, and usually pinkish discolouration. Negative impact on berry composition and wine quality were pronounced in the vintage with favourable weather conditions for grapevine production, whereas the negative effects of BN infection were less prominent, even masked, in the vintages with unfavourable weather (wet and cool). To reduce BN-caused damage, the need for improved preventative and curative measures for BN disease is highlighted.

Mechanisms by which an introduced container-dwelling mosquito, Aedes albopictus, may cause declines in a resident container-dwelling mosquito, Aedes aegypti, in South Florida were tested using a combination of field experiments and field observations. Field experiment 1 tested which species has a competitive advantage as larvae developing in water-filled tires. Densities and availability of resources (leaf litter, which is a substrate for microorganisms fed upon by larvae) were manipulated in a factorial design. Contrary to previous laboratory experiments, A. albopictus was clearly the superior competitor in this tire environment, maintaining positive population growth at higher combined density and lower per capita resource availability than did A. aegypti. The primary determinant of success in this experiment was survivorship to adulthood, and A. aegypti only survived well in this environment when raised alone at low density, with high resource availability. Field experiment 2 tested whether this advantage for A. albopictus resulted from apparent competition mediated by shared protozoan parasites in the genus Ascogregarina. In field experiment 2, A. albopictus larvae had moderate to high levels of parasitism, but A. aegypti larvae were virtually free from Ascogregarina in all experimental tires, implying that Ascogregarina played little or no role in producing the advantage for A. albopictus in field experiment 1. Thus, apparent competition does not appear to be necessary to account for the replacement of A. aegypti by A. albopictus. As a first step toward understanding variation in the outcome of this invasion, numbers of Aedes immatures and masses of adults from field collected pupae (indicators of the intensity of competition) were compared for three sites with known histories of invasion by A. albopictus and decline of A. aegypti. Differences among sites in both number of Aedes per container and masses of adults of both species were consistent with the hypothesis that intensity of competition varies among sites, and suggest that A. aegypti persists only at sites where interspecific competition is less intense. Resource competition among larvae appears to be sufficient to account for replacement of A. aegypti by A. albopictus in suburban and rural areas of South Florida, which may have been marginal habitats for A. aegypti.

Argillaceous rocks are considered in Switzerland and in other countries as potential host rocks for the deep geologic disposal of radioactive waste. Opalinus Clay, a formation of Jurassic age, is at present the most favored candidate in Switzerland. It has a low hydraulic conductivity, no or only few active fractures, and a large retention capacity for sorbing solutes, which make this sediment well suited as an additional barrier for the spreading of contaminants. Transport through Opalinus Clay is typically dominated by diffusion. Accordingly, the diffusion of tracers through this material is intensively studied. In the underground research facility at Mont Terri in Switzerland, field experiments are performed that aim at investigating the diffusion and retention of sorbing tracers at intermediate scales and under relevant in-situ conditions. The field experiments use a borehole, from which tracers diffuse into the surrounding rock. The tracer cocktail in the borehole is continuously circulated, which allows to monitor the tracer decrease over time. When modeling these experiments, care has to be taken to correctly represent the inlet system. In this paper, it is shown how the numerical representation of the borehole and inlet system and the spatial discretization affect the simulation results of mobile and sorbing tracers. For mobile tracers, it is generally sufficient to use an effective diffusion coefficient for the circulated fluid about 30 times larger than that in the rock to mimic the continuous mixing. In contrast, for sorbing tracers even a 7000 times larger diffusion coefficient may, at early times, not lead to homogeneous borehole concentrations. This is because the equilibrium sorption on the rock quickly and drastically reduces the tracer concentrations at the interface. As a consequence, the simulated flux into the rock becomes too small, and the calculated average decrease of the borehole concentration is much too slow even for larger times. The slow decrease can be similar to that simulated for a much less sorbing solute, which of course would critically affect parameter estimation when fitting the model to observed data. Increasing the borehole diffusion coefficient to very large values to obtain a complete mixing can lead to a too fast simulated concentration decrease, if the spatial discretization is insufficient. Thus, a careful checking of the numerical results is required for the strongly sorbing tracers.

We provide evidence from a field experiment in all 50 states on age discrimination in hiring for retail sales jobs. We relate measured age discrimination -the difference in callback rates between old and young applicants -to state variation in anti-discrimination laws protecting older workers. Anti-discrimination laws could boost hiring, although they could have the unintended consequence of deterring hiring if their main effect is to increase termination costs. We find some evidence that there is less discrimination against older men and women in states where age discrimination law allows larger damages, and some evidence that there is lower discrimination against older women in states where disability discrimination law allows larger damages. But this evidence is not robust to all of the estimations we consider. However, we reach a robust conclusion that stronger or broader laws protecting older workers from discrimination do not have the unintended consequence of deterring their hiring.