Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act requires US federal agencies and their applicants to consider historic properties affected by their proposed actions. Guided principally by architectural historians and archaeologists throughout the 1980s, Section 106 reviews focused on identifying discrete structures and sites and then evaluating them in terms of dominant society aesthetics, histories, and sciences. By the 1990s, Section 106 participation by consulting Tribes and other cultural resource stewards obliged federal agencies to address a broader spectrum of historic properties and values. Agencies soon began using cultural landscape studies and other research and consultation tools to “match” historic property identification and assessment processes to the scale and complexity of proposed undertakings. The Section 106 review for the SunZia interstate transmission line (2009–2024) shows that the federal government has yet to consistently meet mandates to identify and assess elements other than archaeological/architectural historic properties. Our surveys of historic preservation professionals and available cultural landscape studies underscore disconnections between practitioner preferences for and the federal agency conduct of cultural landscape studies. They also highlight standards to use in evaluating the adequacy of cultural landscape studies. We recommend six attributes as essential to all cultural landscape study designs, methods, and applications in the Section 106 process.

Experimental solubility data for gibbsite and kaolinite are reviewed and applied to the problem of gibbsite stability within the natural environment. It is concluded that free alumina compounds formed (only) in lateritic soils will tend to silicify spontaneously in all sedimentary environments. This metasomatic reaction should be accompanied by massive volume expansion: unusual textures are to be anticipated.

Petrographic and field descriptions of a number of ancient kaolinitic sediments (some with, some without free alumina) are reviewed. It is concluded that silicification of hydrated aluminum oxides was an important mechanism of kaolinite formation in ancient sediments and that free alumina compounds persist only as a result of the unusual volume expansion associated with kaolinite formation.

Background: High volumes, ill patients, and steep learning curves can make neurosurgical rotations challenging for medical students. Furthermore, existing rotations often lack neurosurgery-specific orientation materials and level-appropriate pre-reading resources reducing the educational yield of short rotations. This is compounded by the lack of mandatory neurosurgical rotations across medical schools. We hypothesized that a “Neurosurgery Clerkship Manual” covering key orientation, knowledge, and practical topics would enhance educational experiences and generate sustained knowledge retention. Methods: Students rotating through neurosurgery at three hospitals were randomized to receive(intervention) or not receive(control) free access to the manual before their rotation. Participants completed surveys before, immediately after, and 4-weeks after the rotation assessing expectations, experiences, and clinically-relevant knowledge. Results: 61 participants were randomized between 2014 and 2017 with 43(70.5%) completing all three questionnaires. Baseline demographics, characteristics, and experiences were not significantly different. Those receiving the manual reported increased rotation enjoyment(p=0.02), decreased stress levels (p=0.05), and a greater feeling of being “part of the team”(p=0.01). There were also reductions in feeling like they were “not learning” (p=0.01). Finally, those receiving the manual demonstrated significantly better knowledge after the rotation (91.6%vs80.9%;p=0.04) which was sustained at 4-weeks post-rotation (89.2%vs79.0%;p=0.05). Conclusions: A simple and inexpensive clerkship manual can improve the neurosurgery rotation experience and knowledge retention for medical students.

Stratigraphic studies of pollen and macrofossils from six sites at different elevations in the White Mountains of New Hampshire demonstrate changes in the distributions of four coniferous tree species during the Holocene. Two species presently confined to low elevations extended farther up the mountain slopes during the early Holocene: white pine grew 350 m above its present limit beginning 9000 yr B.P., while hemlock grew 300–400 m above its present limit soon after the species immigrated to the region 7000 yr. B.P. Hemlock disappeared from the highest sites about 5000 yr B.P., but both species persisted at sites 50–350 m above their present limits until the Little Ice Age began a few centuries ago. The history of the two main high-elevation conifers is more difficult to interpret. Spruce and fir first occur near their present upper limits 9000 or 10,000 yr B.P. Fir persisted in abundance at elevations similar to those where it occurs today throughout the Holocene, while spruce became infrequent at all elevations from the beginning of the Holocene until 2000 yr B.P. These facts suggest a more complex series of changes than a mere upward shift of the modern environmental gradient. Nevertheless, we conclude that the minimum climatic change which would explain the upward extensions of hemlock and white pine is a rise in temperature, perhaps as much as 2°C. The interval of maximum warmth started 9000 yr B.P. and lasted at least until 5000 yr B.P., correlative with the Prairie Period in Minnesota.

Doveweed is becoming more common in agronomic crops in North Carolina. Laboratory and greenhouse experiments were conducted to determine the effect of temperature and seed burial depth on doveweed germination and emergence. Germination of lightly scarified seed at constant temperature was well described by a Gaussian model, which estimated peak germination at 28 C. Similar maximum percentage of germination was observed for optimal treatments under both constant and alternating temperatures. Among alternating temperatures, a 35/25 C regime gave greatest germination (77%). In spite of similar average daily temperatures, germination was greater with alternating temperature regimes of 40/30 and 40/35 C (65 and 30%, respectively) than constant temperatures of 36 and 38 C (4 and 0%, respectively). No germination was observed at 38 C constant temperature or for alternating temperature regimes of 20/10 and 25/15 C. Light did not enhance germination. Greatest emergence occurred from 0 to 1 cm, with a reduction in emergence as depth increased to 4 cm. No emergence occurred from 6 cm or greater depth. This information on seedbank dynamics may aid in developing tools and strategies for management.

Laboratory and greenhouse studies were conducted to determine the effect of temperature, solution pH, water stress, and planting depth on broadleaf signalgrass germination. Broadleaf signalgrass seed required removal of the husk for germination. When treated with constant temperature, broadleaf signalgrass germinated over a range of 20 to 35 C, with optimum germination occurring at 30 and 35 C. Onset, rate, and total germination (87%) was greatest in an alternating 20/30 C temperature regime. Germination decreased as solution pH increased, with greatest germination occurring at pH values of 4 and 5. Germination decreased with increasing water potential, and no germination occurred below −0.8 mPa. Emergence was above 42% when seed were placed on the soil surface or buried 0.5 cm deep. Germination decreased with burial depth, but 10% of broadleaf signalgrass seed emerged from 6.0-cm depth. No seed emerged from 10-cm depth. These data suggest that broadleaf signalgrass may emerge later in the season, after rains, and could germinate rapidly and in high numbers. These attributes could contribute to poor control later in the season by soil-applied herbicides or allow broadleaf signalgrass to emerge after final postemergence treatments were made.

Experiments were conducted during 1999, 2002, and 2003 to evaluate sicklepod control by 2,4-DB applied alone or in mixture with selected fungicides and insecticides registered for use in peanut. The fungicides boscalid, chlorothalonil, fluazinam, propiconazole plus trifloxystrobin, pyraclostrobin, or tebuconazole and the insecticides acephate, carbaryl, esfenvalerate, fenpropathrin, lambda-cyhalothrin, methomyl, or indoxacarb applied in mixtures with 2,4-DB did not reduce sicklepod control by 2,4-DB compared with 2,4-DB alone. The fungicide azoxystrobin reduced control in some but not all experiments. Sicklepod control was highest when 2,4-DB was applied before flowering regardless of fungicide treatment. Seed production and germination were reduced when 2,4-DB was applied 81 to 85 d after emergence when sicklepod was flowering. Applying 2,4-DB before flowering and at pod set and pod fill did not affect seed production.

Laboratory and greenhouse studies were conducted to determine the effect of temperature, pH, water stress, and planting depth on crowfootgrass germination. When treated with constant temperature, crowfootgrass germinated over a range of 15 to 40 C, with the optimum germination occurring at 30 C (42%). Onset, rate, and total germination (94%) were greatest in an alternating 20 and 35 C temperature regime. Germination decreased as pH increased, with greatest germination occurring at pH 4 and 5. Germination was reduced when seed was subjected to water stress, and no germination occurred below −0.8 mPa. Emergence was similar when seed were placed on the soil surface or buried at depths of 0.5 or 1 cm. Germination decreased with burial depth, and no seed emerged from 10 cm. These data suggest that crowfootgrass may emerge later in the season with warmer temperatures and after a precipitation event, and may emerge rapidly. These attributes could contribute to poor control later in the season by soil-applied herbicides or allow crowfootgrass to emerge after final postemergence treatments are made.

Germination response of slender amaranth to temperature, solution pH, moisture stress, and depth of emergence was evaluated under controlled environmental conditions. Results indicated that 30 C was the optimum constant temperature for germination. Germination of slender amaranth seed at 21 d was similar, with 35/25, 35/20, 30/25, and 30/20 alternating temperature regimes. As temperatures in alternating regimes increased, time to onset of germination decreased and rate of germination increased. Slender amaranth germination was greater with acidic than with basic pH conditions. Germination declined with increasing water stress and was completely inhibited at water potentials below −0.6 MPa. Slender amaranth emergence was greatest at depths of 0.5 to 2 cm, but some seeds emerged from as deep as 6 cm. Information gained in this study will contribute to an integrated control program for slender amaranth.

A seedling bioassay was developed for the rapid diagnosis of resistance to clethodim and fluazifop-P in johnsongrass. The assay was based on differences in the coleoptile length of susceptible (S) and resistant (R) seedlings exposed to clethodim and fluazifop-P in petri dishes for 5 d. Bioassay concentrations of 0.09 mg/L clethodim and 0.18 mg/L fluazifop-P were chosen as discriminant based on rate responses of each biotype to increasing herbicide dose. At 5 d after treatment (DAT), the amounts of clethodim required to reduce coleoptile length by 50% (GR50) for the R and S seedlings were 462.5 and 24.8 mg/L, respectively, resulting in an R:S ratio of 18.7. The fluazifop GR50 values for the R and S seedlings were 618.7 and 17.5 mg/L, respectively, resulting in a R:S ratio of 35.4.

The US Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) is developing technologies that will enable Navy-relevant missions with the smallest practical Micro Air Vehicles (MAVs). The NRL Micro Tactical Expendable (MITE) air vehicle is a result of this research. MITE is a hand-launched, dual-propeller, fixed-wing air vehicle, with a 25cm chord and a wingspan of 25–47cm, depending on payload weight. Vehicle gross weight is 130–350g. Miniature autopilot systems, based on visual imaging techniques, are being developed for MITE. These will be used in conjunction with conventional autopilot sensors to allow the MITE to fly autonomously. This paper provides an overview of the MITE development, including aerodynamic design considerations, electric propulsion, and vision-based autopilot research. Also presented is a rationale for the development of control laws that can direct the behavior of large groups of MAVs or other vehicle agents. Dubbed ‘physicomimetics,’ this process can bring about the self-assembly of complex MAV formations, though individual MAVs have minimal onboard processing power and limited local sensing capabilities.