Central Missouri Research Articles

Tillage, Cover Crop and Crop Rotation Effects on Selected Soil Chemical Properties

Research results still vary, especially between locations, on the effects of agricultural practices on soil chemical properties and crop yield, and not all reasons for the variation are fully understood. Thus, this study investigated the influence of tillage, cover crop and crop rotation management practices on selected soil chemical properties. The study was conducted on a silt-loam soil in central Missouri during the 2011 to 2013 growing seasons. The soil was managed by moldboard plow tillage at two levels (tillage [till] vs. no-tillage [NT]). Cover crop management included cereal rye (Secale cereale) at two levels (cover crop [CC] vs. no cover crop [NC]). The main crops that were grown were a corn (Zea mays L.) and soybean (Glycine max L.) rotation. The soil samples were collected each year at 0–10 cm, 10–20 cm, 20–40 cm and 40–60 cm depths for the analysis of soil chemical properties. The results showed that after 3 years of study, the relative increase in percent soil organic matter (OM) was 4% under the no-till management as compared with moldboard plow tillage. In addition, the relative change in the percentage of OM was 8% greater in the CC management compared with NC. Furthermore, the results show a significant improvement (p = 0.0304) in total carbon with a combination of no-till management and a corn/soybean rotation as compared with continuous corn and soybean. The interaction effects of the management practices on the soil chemical properties were difficult to predict throughout the study.

A long-term precision agriculture system sustains grain profitability

After two decades of availability of grain yield-mapping technology, long-term trends in field-scale profitability for precision agriculture (PA) systems and conservation practices can now be assessed. Field-scale profitability of a conventional or ‘business-as-usual’ system with an annual corn (Zea mays L.)-soybean (Glycine max [L.]) rotation and annual tillage was assessed for 11 years on a 36 ha field in central Missouri during 1993 to 2003. Following this, a ‘precision agriculture system’ (PAS) with conservation practices was implemented for the next 11 years to address production, profit and environmental concerns. The PAS was multifaceted and temporally dynamic. It included no-till, cover crops, crop rotation changes, site-specific N and variable-rate or zonal P, K and lime. Following a recent evaluation of differences in yield and yield variability, this research compared profitability of the two systems. Results indicated that PAS sustained profits in the majority (97%) of the field without subsidies for cover crops or payments for enhanced environmental protection. Profit was only lower with PAS in a drainage channel where no-till sometimes hindered soybean stands and wet soils caused wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) disease. Although profit gains were not realized after 11 years of PA and conservation practices, this system sustained profits. These results should help growers gain confidence that PA and conservation practices will be successful.

The effects of pretransportation or arrival meloxicam administration to calves entering the feedlot on morbidity, biomarkers, performance, and carcass characteristics.

The objective of this trial was to investigate the effects of using meloxicam as a pretransport or on arrival therapeutic on disease outcomes of bovine respiratory disease (BRD), biomarker outcomes associated with BRD, performance characteristics over the first 42 d on feed, and carcass traits at harvest in cross bred beef cattle. Multisourced, crossbred steer calves (n = 168) consisting of mainly British and British-Continental breeds were purchased from an auction market in central Missouri. Calves were processed prior to transportation and again upon feedlot arrival. Animals were randomized to 3 separate treatments: pretransport meloxicam (PMEL), arrival meloxicam (AMEL), and a control group receiving inactive excipient (CONT). Dosing at 1 mg/kg on weighted averaged administered per os. Animals were weighed and blood was collected pre- and post-transport. Haptoglobin (Hp)-matrix metaloproteinase (MMP)-9 complex, cortisol, and substance P were quantified. Weights were taken again at 42 d and at harvest. Clinical signs of BRD were monitored using indicators of depression, appetite, respiration, and temperature that qualified the animals for treatment. Harvest parameters were collected using a standardized United States Department of Agriculture grading system for quality grade and yield grade. Meloxicam did not have a significant effect on BRD morbidity over the course of the study and there was no significant effect on performance characteristics at 42 d (P > 0.10). Of the calves that did succumb to BRD, no significant differences were found in severity of disease (P > 0.10). Concentrations of substance P and Hp- MMP-9, were increased on arrival (P ≤ 0.05) however no significant treatment effect or interaction were found between AMEL, PMEL, CONT, or across different levels of biomarkers (P > 0.10). Meloxicam use prior to or on arrival does not mitigate disease or improve performance during the feeding period.

Improving In-Situ Estimation of Soil Profile Properties Using a Multi-Sensor Probe.

Optical diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS) has been used for estimating soil physical and chemical properties in the laboratory. In-situ DRS measurements offer the potential for rapid, reliable, non-destructive, and low cost measurement of soil properties in the field. In this study, conducted on two central Missouri fields in 2016, a commercial soil profile instrument, the Veris P4000, acquired visible and near-infrared (VNIR) spectra (343–2222 nm), apparent electrical conductivity (ECa), cone index (CI) penetrometer readings, and depth data, simultaneously to a 1 m depth using a vertical probe. Simultaneously, soil core samples were obtained and soil properties were measured in the laboratory. Soil properties were estimated using VNIR spectra alone and in combination with depth, ECa, and CI (DECS). Estimated soil properties included soil organic carbon (SOC), total nitrogen (TN), moisture, soil texture (clay, silt, and sand), cation exchange capacity (CEC), calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), potassium (K), and pH. Multiple preprocessing techniques and calibration methods were applied to the spectral data and evaluated. Calibration methods included partial least squares regression (PLSR), neural networks, regression trees, and random forests. For most soil properties, the best model performance was obtained with the combination of preprocessing with a Gaussian smoothing filter and analysis by PLSR. In addition, DECS improved estimation of silt, sand, CEC, Ca, and Mg over VNIR spectra alone; however, the improvement was more than 5% only for Ca. Finally, differences in estimation accuracy were observed between the two fields despite them having similar soils, with one field demonstrating better results for all soil properties except silt. Overall, this study demonstrates the potential for in-situ estimation of profile soil properties using a multi-sensor approach, and provides suggestions regarding the best combination of sensors, preprocessing, and modeling techniques for in-situ estimation of profile soil properties.

Soil Carbon Changes Following Conversion to Annual Biofuel Feedstocks on Marginal Lands

Core Ideas Five‐year study examined soil C changes from three annual biofuel crops. Soil organic C and a labile C fraction (active C) were measured. High biomass sorghum has greater potential than corn to maintain or increase soil C. Emerging annual biofuel feedstock systems could impact the midwestern US marginal soils through soil C sequestration. Yet, the short‐term impact by these potential cropping systems on soil organic carbon (SOC) concentrations is largely unknown. A two‐site, 5‐yr study was conducted to determine the effects on SOC pools by converting land use from a minimally managed perennial grassland on marginal lands to annual bioenergy feedstock production. Maize (Zea mays L.), sweet sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench], and high biomass sorghum (HBS) were each grown in rotation with soybean (Glycine max L.) and soil samples were collected in the first, second, and fifth years, then analyzed for differences among the cropping systems in SOC and active carbon fraction (AC) concentrations. Additionally, in the fifth year, soil from the adjoining undisturbed grassland was analyzed against the cropping systems and C fraction stocks determined. Concentrations of SOC and AC decreased over the first 2 yr at both sites, but SOC concentrations rebounded near to initial levels after 5 yr. The central Missouri site maintained greater SOC and AC concentrations than the southwestern Missouri site. A slight increase in AC concentration occurred from year 2 to 5 at the southwestern Missouri site, suggesting beneficial effects from the biofuel feedstocks. In contrast, AC concentrations continued to decrease at the central Missouri site. Crop rotation treatments revealed that continued HBS–soybean rotation beyond the 5th yr has the potential to increase C concentrations and stocks at depth (10–20 cm) compared to a maize–soybean rotation.

Hemolytic, Vaso-Occlusive and Renal Complications of SCD: Report from the Central Missouri Cohort

BackgroundThe clinical phenotype and complications of sickle cell disease (SCD) are heterogeneous and disease outcomes are influenced by both genetic and non-genetic factors, including geography, socioeconomic and educational status and access to health care. These factors serve a role in the quality of life and overall survival in the SCD population. Prior studies have sought to characterize the genotype-phenotype relationship and geographic clustering of SCD with distinct clinical differences found between the African and Asian SCD subtypes. The Central Missouri SCD Cohort (MU-SCD Cohort) has a heterogeneous population of SCD patients who seek medical care from University of Missouri. The clinical characteristics and frequency of SCD-related complications in this group have not yet been defined. This is a retrospective cohort analysis of patients HbSS, HbSC, and HbS/b-thalassemia in central Missouri, ranging in age from the first through the sixth decade of life. We hypothesize that SCD patients from central Missouri, with its mix of African American, Congolese, Nigerian, Kenyan, Southeast Asian and other refugee populations, will have clinical complications distinct from the previously described North American Sickle Cell Disease series and needs further characterization.ObjectiveTo survey the SCD phenotype by evaluating complications of patients in the MU-Sickle Cell Disease Cohort.MethodsWe retrospectively reviewed clinical and laboratory data for pediatric and adult SCD patients who were treated at the University of Missouri between 2002 to 2018. Prevalence of major vaso-occlusive, hemolytic and renal complications by decade was estimated.ResultsA total of 81 patients were reviewed, with five excluded due to insufficient clinical data. The sample size for prevalence estimation was 76, 61, 30, 14 and 8 for first to fifth decade, respectively. In this cohort, 60.5% were male with average age of 21.2 years. Genotypes represented included 52.6% HbSS, 38.2% HbSC, and 7.9% HbS/b-thalassemia. A total of 94.7% of patients identified as African American. Clinical features of vaso-occlusive complications predominated in the first two decades of life. The frequency of acute chest syndrome for patients ages ≤10 years and 11-20 years of age were 23.7% and 21.3%, respectively (Table 1). Seven children (9.2%) developed overt stroke by age 10 years. Greater than one vaso-occlusive pain crisis occurred in 46% of patients in the first decade of life and thereafter declined with age (Figure 1). In contrast, the MU-SCD Cohort exhibited increasing frequency of hemolytic complications with advancing age. The peak prevalence of pulmonary hypertension occurred between the ages of 21-30 years (13.3%). In congruence, only 4% of patients aged ≤10 years were diagnosed with gallstones requiring cholecystectomy, which increased to 57.1% at age 31-40 years. Reticulocytopenia was noted in the fourth decade with further decline in the fifth decade of life (Figure 2). Renal evaluation revealed an average estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) of 149.9 ± 43 in patients ≤10 years, with progressive decline to 117.3 ± 25 in SCD patients aged 41-50 years (Figure 3). The average serum creatinine demonstrated an increasing trend with advancing age. There was a prevalence of persistent proteinuria in patients older than 11 years. Disease modifying agents were assessed, in which only 21% of patients ≤10 years, 25% of patients aged 11-20 years, and 15.8% of patients aged 21-30 years received therapy with hydroxyurea (Table 1). The use of exchange transfusion or packed red blood cell (pRBC) transfusion for anemia was predominant in SCD patients aged ≤20 years.ConclusionsThis is the first report describing prevalence of SCD-related complications in the MU-SCD Cohort. We identified this population to have an increasing frequency of hemolytic complications and sickle cell nephropathy with advancing age. Onset of persistent proteinuria occurred in the second decade of life, followed by renal insufficiency or end stage renal disease in subsequent decades. As previously demonstrated in the Cooperative Study of Sickle Cell Disease and the Jamaican SCD Cohort study, renal insufficiency was a significant risk factor for early mortality. Further studies are required for identification of biomarkers and institution of early intervention strategies to prevent end-organ damage and decrease mortality in SCD. [Display omitted] DisclosuresNo relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

Effects of an antler point restriction on deer hunter perceptions and satisfaction in Missouri

ABSTRACTAntler point restrictions (APR), intended to create an older male age structure of white‐tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus), have been implemented in many states, but effects of APR on hunters’ satisfaction and activities often have not been measured. During 2004–2008, we conducted mail surveys of firearms deer hunters in Missouri, USA, to measure effects of an APR on respondents including 1) perceptions of deer population trends and availability of large males; 2) satisfaction with the hunting experience and deer management; and 3) support of the APR. There was no effect of the APR on how respondents perceived deer population trends, but respondents hunting under the APR believed there were more large males in both central and northern Missouri. Respondents were less satisfied with their hunt and deer management in central Missouri areas under the APR during years when hunter success was reduced. There was no effect of the APR on how respondents rated their most recent deer season in the northern areas under the APR, although respondents there were less satisfied with deer management prior to implementation of the APR and for the first 2 years after implementation with no differences after that time. In all areas, generally >70% of respondents supported the APR; presence of the APR where a respondent hunted did not affect support of the APR. Respondents supporting the APR were more likely to have less deer hunting experience, hunt counties where harvest of antlered males was relatively greater, rate Missouri deer management as good or excellent, hunt private land during at least part of the season, and select for antlered males while hunting. An APR may be most appropriate where deer densities are moderate or large and harvest rates of antlered males are excessive. Use of APRs in areas with low‐density deer populations where harvest opportunity is low may not be popular with hunters. © 2018 The Wildlife Society.

Effect of Landscape Position on the Concentration and Distribution of Soil Carbon Fractions at Busby Forest in Central Missouri

We quantified the concentrations and distribution of different soil carbon fractions – total carbon (TC), recalcitrant C measured as nonhydrolyzable carbon (NHC) and labile organic carbon measured as hydrolyzable carbon (HC), hot-water soluble C (HWC) and cold-water soluble C (CWC) at Busby forest in central Missouri. The forest soil contained large concentrations of soil organic carbon (SOC) (ranging from 26,700 to 85,000 mg C kg-1 soil); NHC (12,500 to 47,000 mg C kg-1 soil); HC (2,000 to 6,100 mg C kg-1 soil); HWC (700 to 1,550 mg C kg-1 soil); and CWC (280 to 520 mg C kg-1 soil). Soil C fractions were correlated with each other and with total organic C with correlation coefficients (r) ranging from 0.48 to 0.87. Among these correlations, NHC was significantly correlated with TC (p = 0.0027, r = 0.63), suggesting that a higher proportion of C is in the recalcitrant fraction, consequently, promoting C sequestration in these soils. Our results also showed that more than half (51.25%) of total organic C can be stabilized in the NHC fraction in these soils. Accumulation of C in the NHC fraction reflects C stabilization and sequestration in these forest soils. This information is very important for soil C modeling, as more studies attempt to include soil C fractions.

Do Tillage, Cover Crops, and Compost Management within Organic Grain Cropping Affect Greenhouse Gas Emissions?

Core Ideas Drought decreased the CO2 and N2O 2 out of 3 yr of the study but in a normal precipitation year, GHG emissions increased significantly for corn and wheat but stayed relatively low for soybean. Increasing compost from 1× to 1.5× the recommended rate showed no increase in N2O emissions. NTCC and 1×+ compost rates typically resulted in the greatest GWP. Organic crop production is increasing with consumer demand, but research is needed on the best management practices that minimize greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. This study was conducted in central Missouri from 2012 to 2014 using a 3‐yr rotation, consisting of corn (Zea mays L.), cereal rye cover crop (Secale cereale L.), soybean (Glycine max L.), winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), summer cover crop mix [Buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum Moench), sunn hemp (Crotalaria juncea L.), cowpea (Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp.)], and cereal rye/hairy vetch cover crop mix (Vicia villosa L.). Treatments included tillage/cover crop practice (TCCP) combinations: (i) tillage with no cover crop (TNCC), (ii) tillage with cover crop (TCC), and (iii) no‐till with cover crop (NTCC) and compost additions relative to the recommended rate (0×, 1×, 1.5×). Carbon dioxide (CO2) and nitrous oxide (N2O) emission measurements followed GRACEnet protocol. GHG emissions were not influenced by management practices in 2012 due to severe drought. TCCP had direct (2013 corn, 2014 soybean) or interactive (2014 wheat) effects on CO2 emissions; compost had a direct effect (2014 corn) on N2O emissions. Drought in 2012 and 2013 contributed to generally low CO2 and N2O emissions (99–2924 kg CO2–C ha−1 and 0–0.8 kg N2O–N ha−1, respectively) while emissions increased in 2014 (527–7740 kg CO2–C ha−1 and <0.1–10.1 kg N2O–N ha−1, respectively). Across all years and crops, NTCC showed greater CO2 emissions than TNCC (1579 and 893 kg CO2–C ha−1, respectively). While few treatment differences were observed, TCCP resulted in more GHG emission differences than compost rate.

Impact of community pharmacist–performed post-discharge medication reviews in transitions of care

ObjectivesTo describe a community pharmacist–led transitions of care process for patients discharged from the inpatient to the outpatient setting. SettingIndependent community pharmacy chain in northwestern and central Missouri and a rural nonprofit hospital in Marshall, Missouri. Practice description and innovationThis innovative transitions of care service model relies on the inpatient pharmacy team for recruitment and referral of patients who use Red Cross Pharmacy. On discharge, patient information was transmitted to Red Cross Pharmacy via direct messaging in the form of a continuity of care document. Pharmacists used the patients’ continuity of care documents to perform telephone-based medication reconciliations and comprehensive medication reviews. Drug-related problems and pharmacists’ recommendations were documented in a subjective, objective, assessment, and plan (SOAP) note that was transmitted to the hospital and primary care provider. EvaluationThe number and type of drug-related problems and pharmacists’ recommendations were assessed with the use of descriptive statistics. Pharmacists’ time spent was tracked, and its relationship to alternate variables was assessed with the use of bivariate correlations. ResultsPharmacists identified 69 drug-related problems and made 145 recommendations for the 35 patients meeting study criteria. The mean time for total service completion was 65 minutes and positively correlated with a number of variables, including identification of the drug-related problem and unnecessary drug therapy and recommendation to decrease the dosage of a medication. ConclusionCommunity pharmacists have the ability to identify drug-related problems and make recommendations for patients moving from the inpatient to an outpatient setting. In addition, the data suggest that when given adequate time, pharmacists performing service responsibilities may identify more drug-related problems, resulting in additional recommendations.

Lead isotope trends and metal sources in the Mississippi Valley-type districts from the mid-continent United States

This study identifies metal-contributing source regions for Mississippi Valley-type (MVT) ore deposits in the Northern Arkansas district, the Tri-State district, and the Burkesville deposit in the Central Kentucky district. The Pb isotope ratios of sphalerite ores from the Tri-State district (208Pb/204Pb between 40.7443 and 41.2626; 207Pb/204Pb between 15.8633 and 15.9571; 206Pb/204Pb between 21.8373 and 22.1956) are congruent with the Pb isotope ratios defined by samples from the Central Missouri district, suggesting similar Pb sources. The ores from the Tri-State district plot in a narrow field and have higher 208Pb/204Pb values than samples from the Southeast Missouri district (Viburnum Trend and Old Lead Belt). The sphalerite samples from the Northern Arkansas district yield lower Pb isotope values (208Pb/204Pb between 39.4633 and 40.8863; 207Pb/204Pb between 15.8216 and 15.9176; 206Pb/204Pb between 20.2396 and 21.6438) than the Tri-State district ores and overlap the Southeast Missouri ores. The Northern Arkansas samples show a wide range of isotopic ratios with a linear trend, suggesting mixing of two end-member components. Age-corrected (250 Ma) Pb isotope ratios of Devonian-Mississippian Chattanooga shales from the Arkoma basin analyzed in this study plot close to the non-radiogenic end of the Northern Arkansas ores, implying that the shales may represent the non-radiogenic end-member that contributed Pb to the ores. The slope of the linear Pb isotope trend for the Northern Arkansas ores corresponds to an age of about 1.23 Ga, suggesting that the radiogenic Precambrian igneous basement may have supplied some of the ore Pb. Therefore, current data may indicate that the linear trend defined by Northern Arkansas ores may be the result of mixing of two end-members: the radiogenic basement rocks and the non-radiogenic shales.Pb isotope values of sphalerite from the Burkesville deposit are lower (208Pb/204Pb between 39.294 and 39.583; 207Pb/204Pb between 15.709 and 15.806; 206Pb/204Pb between 19.639 and 19.803) than those from the Northern Arkansas and Tri-State districts. The Pb isotope ratios of the Burkesville ores are similar to the Pb isotope values of the Central Tennessee (Elmwood deposit) and East Tennessee (Young deposit) ores and show evidence, the first of its kind for the region, of fluid mixing between the Illinois and Appalachian basins along the Cincinnati Arch that divides them.On the 208Pb/204Pb vs. 206Pb/204Pb diagram, the Pb isotope values of MVT ore samples from districts within the mid-continent US show two collinear, parallel trends, suggesting a different Th/U trend: (1) Tri-State and Central Missouri ore samples are collinear with Southeast Missouri and Northern Arkansas district samples; (2) Upper Mississippi Valley and Illinois-Kentucky ores are collinear with the Central Appalachian, Southern Appalachian (including East Tennessee), Central Tennessee, and Burkesville (Central Kentucky) ores.

An integrated modeling approach for estimating hydrologic responses to future urbanization and climate changes in a mixed-use midwestern watershed

Future urban development and climatic changes are likely to affect hydrologic regimes in many watersheds. Quantifying potential water regime changes caused by these stressors is therefore crucial for enabling decision makers to develop viable environmental management strategies. This study presents an approach that integrates mid-21st century impervious surface growth estimates derived from the Imperviousness Change Analysis Tool with downscaled climate model projections and a hydrologic model Soil and Water Assessment Tool to characterize potential water regime changes in a mixed-use watershed in central Missouri, USA. Results for the climate change only scenario showed annual streamflow and runoff decreases (−10.7% and −9.2%) and evapotranspiration increases (+6.8%), while results from the urbanization only scenario showed streamflow and runoff increases (+3.8% and +9.3%) and evapotranspiration decreases (−2.4%). Results for the combined impacts scenario suggested that climatic changes could have a larger impact than urbanization on annual streamflow, (overall decrease of −6.1%), and could largely negate surface runoff increases caused by urbanization. For the same scenario, climatic changes exerted a stronger influence on annual evapotranspiration than urbanization (+3.9%). Seasonal results indicated that the relative influences of urbanization and climatic changes vary seasonally. Climatic changes most greatly influenced streamflow and runoff during winter and summer, and evapotranspiration during summer. During some seasons the directional change for hydrologic processes matched for both stressors. This work presented a practicable approach for investigating the relative influences of mid-21st century urbanization and climatic changes on the hydrology of a representative mixed-use watershed, adding to a limited body of research on this topic. This was done using a transferrable approach that can be adapted for watersheds in other regions.

Miscanthus × Giganteus Growth and Nutrient Export on 22 Producer Fields

On-farm assessments of Miscanthus × giganteus growth and nutrient export across a wide range of management and environmental conditions are needed to determine and model how this crop performs and where it should be placed on the landscape. Therefore, Miscanthus growth and nutrient concentration and nutrient export at harvest were monitored during 2014 and 2015 at several landscape positions within 22 commercial production fields in central and southwestern Missouri and northeast Arkansas. Miscanthus shoot density and/or yield were best when it was grown: (i) following pasture converted to annual row crops or following row crops, (ii) on soils with colluvium parent material, (iii) on north-facing backslopes or footslopes, (iv) on soils with medium to fine texture, and (v) on well-drained/high runoff/low available water soils. Factors influencing nutrient concentrations varied by nutrient, but all concentrations consistently decreased as stands matured and most were more influenced by weather than were yield or nutrient export. Most effects on nutrient export were similar to effects on yield, but some nutrient exports were also influenced by manure history and weather conditions. Overall, cropping history prior to Miscanthus, landscape position, and soil properties such as parent material, soil textural class, and drainage class had the largest influence on Miscanthus growth and nutrient concentrations and exports. Weather conditions and inferior soils did not strongly influence Miscanthus production, but excessive soil moisture caused by various soil and weather factors often limited its growth. Thus, Miscanthus may be especially well-suited following annual crops on erosion-prone soils that drain well and have slope. These results will assist with the strategic cultivation of Miscanthus on Midwest landscapes.

Characterization of dissolved organic matter/nitrogen by fluorescence excitation-emission matrix spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy for watershed management

Characterization of dissolved organic matter/nitrogen (DOM/DON) is critical in water quality assessment and nutrient management in watershed or ecosystem. This study was to investigate the link between DOM/DON and its source using fluorescence excitation-emission matrix (EEM) spectroscopy coupled with parallel factor analysis (PARAFAC). Water samples were collected from various aquatic systems in a watershed located in central Missouri, including rural watershed with various land use and land cover (LULC), landfill, and constructed wetland. PARAFAC results based on EEM spectroscopy revealed four DOM components: two humic/fulvic acid-like components, one xenobioic-like component, and one protein-like component (f4). The f4 score was found highly correlated to LULC, indicating its distinctive EEM structure in relation to source. It is believed that the f4 score could be used as a surrogate for DOM/DON source-tracking in complex ecosystems. The nitrogen 1s X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) of the solid DOM showed a close relationship between N oxidation state and its origin. The classification of the sample origins by the N oxidation state confirmed the grouping by the f4 score of EEM/PARAFAC. This study demonstrated that EEM/PARAFAC could be used as a tool for DOM/DON source tracking, point or non-point source pollution control, and understanding of DOM/DON fate and transport in complex aquatic ecosystems.

Which Left: Detecting the Progressive Identity in Europe in the Midst of a Crisis (Ποια Αριστερα; Aνιχνευοντας την Προοδευτικη Tαυτοτητα στην Ευρωπη της Κρισης) by George Sotirelis

Book Review| March 01 2018 Which Left: Detecting the Progressive Identity in Europe in the Midst of a Crisis (Ποια Αριστερα; Aνιχνευοντας την Προοδευτικη Tαυτοτητα στην Ευρωπη της Κρισης) by George Sotirelis Sotirelis, George: Which Left: Detecting the Progressive Identity in Europe in the Midst of a Crisis (Ποια Αριστερα; Aνιχνευοντας την Προοδευτικη Tαυτοτητα στην Ευρωπη της Κρισης). Athens: Polis, 2017. 166 pages. ISBN 978-960435-544-0. €14.00 (paperback). Akis Kalaitzidis Akis Kalaitzidis Akis Kalaitzidis is professor of political science at Central Missouri University, Warrensburg. Search for other works by this author on: This Site Google Mediterranean Quarterly (2018) 29 (1): 124–126. https://doi.org/10.1215/10474552-4397383 Cite Icon Cite Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Permissions Search Site Citation Akis Kalaitzidis; Which Left: Detecting the Progressive Identity in Europe in the Midst of a Crisis (Ποια Αριστερα; Aνιχνευοντας την Προοδευτικη Tαυτοτητα στην Ευρωπη της Κρισης) by George Sotirelis. Mediterranean Quarterly 1 March 2018; 29 (1): 124–126. doi: https://doi.org/10.1215/10474552-4397383 Download citation file: Zotero Reference Manager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search Books & JournalsAll JournalsMediterranean Quarterly Search Advanced Search The text of this article is only available as a PDF. © 2018 by Mediterranean Affairs, Inc.2018 Article PDF first page preview Close Modal You do not currently have access to this content.

Crotalus horridus (Timber Rattlesnake) Maternal Scent Trailing by Neonates

Intraspecific chemical communication among related and unrelated conspecifics may play an important role in social organization and kin recognition within snakes. We monitored the movements of 7 adult Crotalus horridus (Timber Rattlesnake) and 22 of their neonates from May 2008 to October 2010. Our objective was to determine if neonates follow their mothers to suitable den sites in North Central Missouri. Mothers tended to move away from the rookery between parturition and ingress, but neonates stayed in the vicinity of their release site for up to a week after the dispersal of their mother. Despite the loss of radiotransmitters, we were able to follow 6 neonates to ingress: 5 overwintered in the same den as their mother and 1 overwintered in a known den of a conspecific female. Our observations support the hypothesis that Timber Rattlesnake neonates follow their mother or, at the very least, follow conspecifics to suitable den sites in the ir first year.

Teaching an Innocence Case Review Course to Undergraduate Students

After two years of experience in overseeing groups of undergraduate and graduate criminal justice students in an Innocence Case Review course at the University of Central Missouri (UCM), the authors reviewed the structure of the course and the attitudes of the participating students. An examination of Innocence Case Review current procedures in undergraduate institutions and law schools provides background for course design. This article summarizes the findings of the students’ experiences, reactions, and attitudes of their yearlong case screening efforts, and to the criminal justice system in general. The first part of this article examines the literature on innocence case review classes at both undergraduate institutions and law schools exploring different learning styles and strategies inherent in this type of class. It also explores the skills necessary for case review, and the skills students can take to other classes and professions. The second part reviews the structure of our courses as initially created and implemented for the last two academic years at UCM and the modifications the instructors felt necessary for the future. The third part examines the survey conducted by the UCM’s Innocence Case Review class, including student suggestions for class improvements and advice to students selected for the new academic year. The benefits and abilities gained by the students through this course become apparent. The fourth part discusses and evaluates the current class structure and reforms suggested by the UCM students, the professors’ experience, and as indicated by other universities. The conclusion reviews findings gathered from the current course as well as examining other universities’ courses, and the value students experience from participating in this experiential or engaged learning.

Incident at the Otterville Station: A Civil War Story of Slavery and Rescue by John Christgau

Reviewed by: Incident at the Otterville Station: A Civil War Story of Slavery and Rescue by John Christgau Louis S. Gerteis (bio) Incident at the Otterville Station: A Civil War Story of Slavery and Rescue. By John Christgau. (Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 2013. Pp. 160. Paper, $16.95.) John Christgau is the author of numerous works of nonfiction. In this brief volume, he endeavors to plumb the meanings of an obscure but intriguing incident in Missouri during the Civil War. To some extent he succeeds, particularly when he fleshes out the official reports with biographical information about the individuals involved. But historians will be frustrated with his vague citations and by his incomplete grasp of the complex history of military authority and emancipation in Missouri. In his quest to tell an exciting story, Christgau eschews detailed notes and relies on his imagination to recover human sensations and sentiments. Exact dates are hard to find in the book, but a quick check of one of his principal sources—at least one volume from the Freedmen and Southern Society Project—reveals the basic facts. [End Page 717] On November 11, 1863, Charles W. Walker of Pettis County drove two miles by wagon with his brother and thirteen slaves from his farm to the railhead at Sedalia, the western terminus of the Pacific Railroad in central Missouri. In Sedalia, Walker obtained from an assistant provost marshal a permit to transport the slaves to St. Louis and then to Kentucky. Despite this authorization, Federal troops stationed at Sedalia refused to allow Walker to board the train with his slaves. Frustrated, Walker and his brother drove their wagonload of slaves a few miles east to Smithton, the next stop on the rail line. Here there were no Federal troops. While Walker waited for the arrival of the train from Sedalia, one of the slaves (a twenty-three-year-old man named John) ran off. John returned to Sedalia to seek the assistance of the Federal troops there. The soldiers told John to make his way as quickly as he could to Otterville, the next stop east of Smithton. Near Otterville, a Federal garrison (a detachment of the Ninth Minnesota Volunteers) guarded the railroad bridge at the Lamine River. The commander of the Federal detachment, a captain, allowed a group of thirty-six soldiers to accompany John back to Otterville, where they stopped the train and allowed Walker's slaves to flee. When the Minnesota soldiers, led by a sergeant, intervened to free the slaves, they were confronted by two members of the Missouri State Militia, a pro-Union force under the command of the state's provisional governor. Both of the militiamen were captains. The Minnesota soldiers refused to recognize the authority of the militiamen. After Walker's slaves were allowed to run off, the militiamen complained to the commander of U.S. volunteers in central Missouri, General Egbert Benson Brown. Brown insisted that the Missouri militia officers had authority over the Minnesota troops, and he had the offending soldiers arrested on charges of mutiny. On January 17, 1864, responding to an inquiry from the United States Senate, the Federal commander in Missouri, John M. Schofield, submitted the documents in the case to Secretary of War Edwin Stanton. On January 21, after public outcries condemned the charges of mutiny, General Brown returned the arrested soldiers to their regiment. Brown requested that Schofield convene a board of inquiry to sort through the matter. On February 1, 1864, William S. Rosecrans assumed command in Missouri and submitted Brown's report to Stanton with the observation that no further action was needed in the case. On February 27, Stanton transmitted the papers to the Senate, also with the observation that no further action was needed. Soldiers from the Ninth Minnesota went on to fight at Brice's Crossroads (where they were badly defeated by Nathan Bedford Forrest) and at [End Page 718] Nashville (where they contributed to the devastating defeat of John Hood's Confederate army). What became of Walker's thirteen slaves is not known. Christgau's effectiveness in exploring the meanings of this incident is limited by his confusion about the process of emancipation in...

Ties That Bound: Founding First Ladies and Slaves by Marie Jenkins Schwartz

Reviewed by: Ties That Bound: Founding First Ladies and Slaves by Marie Jenkins Schwartz Sara Brooks Sundberg Ties That Bound: Founding First Ladies and Slaves. By Marie Jenkins Schwartz. ( Chicago and London: University of Chicago Press, 2017. Pp. viii, 420. $35.00, ISBN 978-0-226-14755-0.) In this engaging study, Marie Jenkins Schwartz examines the lives of early First Ladies as slaveholders. Slaveholding among the nation's First Ladies has received limited scholarly attention when compared with the scholarship about their husbands. For no era is this truer than for the founding generation. In particular, Schwartz focuses on the slaveholding experiences of Martha Washington, Martha Jefferson, Jefferson's daughter Patsy Jefferson Randolph, and Dolley Madison. Schwartz argues that examining slaveholding among these early First Ladies provides a richer picture of not only the women but also their husbands and slaves. According to the author, these elite women presided over shared domestic spaces that "required ongoing negotiations" among black and white people (p. 2). These negotiations "created a peculiar world of their own—a world that reveals much about class, race, and gender in the early nation" (p. 2). Drawing on a variety of sources, including letters, memoirs, presidential papers, house plans, historical scholarship, and the First Ladies exhibit at the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of American History, Schwartz demonstrates that these First Ladies perceived slaves as vital to their family's economic interests, and they acted accordingly. For example, Martha Washington disagreed with her husband's decision to free his slaves at her death. Fearing for her own safety from slaves who might wish to see her dead and recognizing that her plantations did not need all the slaves the family possessed, Martha freed her deceased husband's slaves early. She failed to provide them with anything to begin their new lives, however, and her actions resulted in the painful separation of Washington's slaves from family members still working on the plantation. Much of the literature about early First Ladies emphasizes their roles as helpmates, hostesses, and heroines in behalf of their country and their husbands' political careers. Schwartz refines our understanding of their roles by illuminating how slaves facilitated their mistresses' success. She reminds us that slaves prepared the elaborate food for Dolley Madison's influential White House receptions. Even the story of Madison's heroism in saving Gilbert Stuart's portrait of George Washington during the War of 1812 is complicated by Schwartz's explanation that Madison's slaves played an important role in saving the piece. Schwartz argues that these details are significant because "[e]rasing enslaved blacks from the story implies that black people played no role in forging America. Focusing wholly on free whites suggests that the American story is theirs alone" (p. 280). One of the strengths of Ties That Bound: Founding First Ladies and Slaves is that first families' slaves emerge as discrete individuals with stories of their own. Ties That Bound's most important contribution is refocusing our attention on First Ladies as slaveholders and revealing how slaveholding influenced their roles. When pondering Patsy Jefferson Randolph's contribution to the role of First Lady for her father, Thomas Jefferson, Schwartz notes that Randolph did not publicly challenge Jefferson's relationship with his slave Sally Hemings. [End Page 432] Randolph, Schwartz argues, became "the first of a number of First Ladies who have stood by a President in the face of public allegations of personal misconduct" (p. 207). Maintaining focus on the First Ladies' slaveholding rather than the better-known and well-documented presidents poses a challenge. Even if Schwartz sometimes leaves her readers with the desire to learn more from the First Ladies themselves, Ties That Bound illuminates a crucial dimension of their lives that merits scholarly attention. This book deserves a wide readership and is informative for both popular and scholarly audiences. Sara Brooks Sundberg University of Central Missouri Copyright © 2018 The Southern Historical Association

Accounting for rainfall evaporation using dual-polarization radar and mesoscale model data

Implementation of dual-polarization radar should allow for improvements in quantitative precipitation estimates due to dual-polarization capability allowing for the retrieval of the second moment of the gamma drop size distribution. Knowledge of the shape of the DSD can then be used in combination with mesoscale model data to estimate the motion and evaporation of each size of drop falling from the height at which precipitation is observed by the radar to the surface. Using data from Central Missouri at a range between 130 and 140 km from the operational National Weather Service radar a rain drop tracing scheme was developed to account for the effects of evaporation, where individual raindrops hitting the ground were traced to the point in space and time where they interacted with the radar beam. The results indicated evaporation played a significant role in radar rainfall estimation in situations where the atmosphere was relatively dry. Improvements in radar estimated rainfall were also found in these situations by accounting for evaporation. The conclusion was made that the effects of raindrop evaporation were significant enough to warrant further research into the inclusion high resolution model data in the radar rainfall estimation process for appropriate locations.