The purpose of this study was to determine what specific teacher characteristics, curricula, and course topics are deemed essential by Christian day school administrators for the Taylor University preparation program for Christian day school teachers.The population of the study consisted of elementary and secondary Christian day school administrators from the National Christian School Education Association, National Association of Christian Schools, Mid-Atlantic Christian Schools Association, and the Western Association of Christian Schools. A ninety item questionnaire was mailed to 160 Christian day school administrators, and eighty-one percent or 131 administrators chose to participate in the study. The questionnaire had four parts. Part I of the instrument included general information about the study and asked respondents to answer five demographic questions. Part II contained thirty items which allowed respondents to cite their preferences for specific personal and professional teaching characteristics. Part III listed the course title and the Taylor University catalog description of twenty-three Bible and philosophy courses offered at Taylor. Administrators were asked to rank the importance of each course for candidates preparing to teach in Christian day schools. Part IV asked each respondent School to rank the importance of thirty-two topics which could be included in a course called "Teaching in a Christian. Analysis of the findings from thirty tables discloses that Christian day school administrators stated that asking a candidate to relate a testimony of his personal salvation loomed as significant. Other personal characteristics which ranked high were: seeking candidates who felt "led" or "called" to teach in a Christian school; asking candidates for a philosophy of Christian education; requiring teachers to sign a statement of faith pledge; hiring persons who possess soul-winning skills; and seeking individuals who possess strong patriotic sentiments. The professional characteristic preferences showed that administrators have firm beliefs that teachers and parents be viewed as partners in the teaching and learning process. They seek evidence that candidates practice strong classroom discipline. Methodology items revealed that administrators hold to beliefs related to a "back to basics" approach. Rote, drill, memorization, and assigned written work composed many of the suggested techniques. Preferential selection of candidates from Bible colleges over those from other institutions appears not to be important among the administrators returning questionnaires. The study revealed that Bible courses were strongly .favored over philosophy courses. A list of the courses in priority order is shown in the study. Administrators cited that a candidate who had twelve to fifteen semester hours in Bible is more likely to be considered for a job than a candidate who had no Bible. Data revealed common beliefs among administrators pertaining to what topics should be selected for the course "Teaching in a Christian School." The selection supported information cited in the literature and research chapter where administrators related the importance of one's personal commitment to Christian day school teaching and his being "called" or "led" by God to the ministry of teaching.

Basic knowledge of the ecology of bobwhite quail, colinus virginianus (L.), on the Salamonie Reservoir Area, Huntington and Wabash Counties, Indiana, was gathered during 1970-1975. The bobwhite is a major gamebird species on the Salamonie Reservoir Area even though the resident populations of this non-migratory bird tend to remain relatively low. Bobwhites have been extensively studied in other parts of their range but little has been done in this marginal habitat region of northeastern Indiana. A basic knowledge of bobwhite ecology in this region is necessary in order to formulate management plans calculated to increase the population level.The whistling cock count technique was used to determine a call index from the average mean calls per stop. This technique correlated significantly with hunter success (P<0.05) but call indices from the highest count day, during the six-year period, correlated most significantly (P<0.001) with hunter success.An average of 50.2 percent cocks to 49.8 percent hens was found during the six-year study in 404 hunter-killed bobwhites and 36 bobwhites collected by me. Bobwhite weights averaged 179 g during the November months, 197 g during the December months, 205 g during the January months, and 185 g during the months of February and March. The mean average weight for the six-year study was 185 g. Age ratio, during the study months, was 3.66 young bobwhites to one adult. Age ratios were stable each November through March but they fluctuated annually during the six-year period with no consistant trend. Four major food items comprised 77.5 percent of volumetric contents found in bobwhite crops: corn, soybeans, wheat, and black locust seeds.Bobwhite population levels fluctuated during the six-year study. The population level appeared to have an inverse relationship with the number of small game hunting efforts on the Salamonie Reservoir Area when the small game hunting efforts numbered above 3,000.Bobwhites fed on black locust seeds during periods of snow cover. The availability of black locust seeds during winter months made this food source an important item for the survival of bobwhites on the Salamonie Reservoir Area.

Gossypium hirsutum, upland cotton, is one of the major crops grown in the United States and the world. Upland cotton is cultivated in areas that are ideal breeding grounds for the difficult to manage, southern root-knot nematode (RKN), Meloidogyne incognita. Host plant resistance is the most effective way to control RKN populations. However, resistance used in most breeding programs stems from a few related sources. Novel sources of resistance have been identified but have yet to be introduced into elite breeding lines or genetically studied. The objectives of this study are two-fold. The first is to develop elite germplasm by introgressing RKN resistance from primitive accessions into modern cotton genotypes via backcrossing. The second is to use simple sequence repeats (SSRs) to identify loci associated with RKN resistance in the primitive accessions. The genotypes used will be: 1) inoculated with M. incognita, 2) phenotypically analyzed by measuring the nematode reproduction as eggs per gram of fresh root and host response using a root gall index, 3) genetically evaluated by using SSR markers to detect polymorphisms between the RKN resistant TX accessions and DP90 (susceptible genotype), and 4) analyzed using linkage and mapping software. Elite germplasm that contains: 1) high yield potential and a high level of RKN- resistance or 2) high fiber quality and RKN-resistance was developed by performing two backcrosses based on phenotypic analyses. A third screen is currently underway to ensure the introgression of the RKN resistance genes. Agronomic tests will need to be done before the germplasm is released. Genetic analyses using SSR-based primer sets of the TX accessions did not yield expected results. Of the 508 primers sets tested, only 31 were polymorphic between the TX accessions and DP90. A bulked segregant analysis approach was used to test the 31 primer sets on the resistant and susceptible bulks of the F2 population but no polymorphisms were seen. However, analyses found that the TX accessions were more genetically similar to Mexico Wild Jack Jones than to Clevewilt 6-3-5. More work needs to be done to understand the mechanism of RKN resistance in the TX accessions.

If upland rice production is to be sustained on sloping land, soil erosion and fertility decline must be addressed. Where soil profiles are deep, hedgerows of Gliricidia sepium and Cassia spectabilis, planted on the contour, reduce soil erosion by promoting terrace formation and overcome fertility depletion by providing nutrient rich biomass. G. sepium and C. spectabilis established by seed survived better than by cuttings. Although increased hedgerow biomass was initially obtained when both species were intercropped, intense competition was observed in established hedgerows. Consequently, mixing both species at high planting density is not recommended as C. spectabilis, a non-fixing legume, may deplete soil-N reserves. In acid soils, biomass production of G. sepium was significantly increased when lime (6 t/ha) was applied. On 18 to 30% slopes, upland rice and maize production improved along fertility and moisture gradients. Rice yields were increased when biomass of G. sepium was incorporated into the soil, up to an optimum level equivalent to 40 kg N/ha. Mulching C. spectabilis increased maize productivity during the drought prone second season. Competition was observed at the hedgerow-crop interface particularly at the upper one as a result of terracing. Although green manuring increased crop yield, broadleaf weeds, seedling maggot, stemborer and blast also increased. Strategies to manage hedgerow biomass that minimize these problems need to be developed.

The impacts of aspen clear-cutting on upland groundwater recharge are presented based on two years (2007-2008) of the five year (2005-2009) HEAD2 NSERC-CRD paired-catchment experiment. Research was conducted at the Utikuma Region Study Area (URSA), 370 km north of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, in the Boreal Plain ecozone. Results show greater soil water content in the root zone and potential for recharge into the deeper unsaturated zone during the first year of regeneration. Sites with shallow water table levels (<600 cm) increased more than sites under uncut conditions. Sites with deeper water table levels (>600 cm) responded minimally, if at all, to spring-melt and summer storms suggesting that water exchanges with the atmosphere occurred to and from the unsaturated zone only during the first-year regeneration. Upland groundwater gradients to adjacent pond-peatland complexes persisted at least ten times longer under clear-cut than under uncut conditions. Water table trends recovered to uncut conditions by the second year of regeneration. / Ecology

Manganese (Mn) in excess of crop requirements is a serious problem when manganiferous soils become acid, waterlogged or amended with organic materials. We investigated the dynamics of manganese phytotoxicity and tested management options for growing crops in acid soils with excess Mn. We hypothesized that Mn phytotoxicity is governed by water use and expressed as continuous negative interaction between current plant/leaf growth rate (RGR PLant/Leaf) and future Mn accumulation rate (RAR Mn); and that under growth conditions where RGRPlant/Leaf exceeds RAR Mn, excess Mn can be managed by maximizing RGR Plant/Leaf and minimizing RAR Mn. The parameters RGR Plant/Leaf and RAR Mn were calculated using the conventional growth analysis techniques. The dynamics of Mn phytotoxicity was investigated by growing Mn-tolerant Lee and Mn-sensitive Forrest soybeans in the greenhouse using Wahiawa series, a manganiferous Oxisol in Hawaii. The soybeans were grown at soil pHs 4.78, 5.5, and 6.00 and five growth conditions (control, 80-90% field capacity, 40% shading, green manure and phosphorus at 150 mg kg-1). RAR Mn consistently exceeded RGR Leaf in most treatments. Over the range of soil pH and growth conditions, we found strong positive correlation between RGR Leaf and RAR Mn, this correlation mediated by a more fundamental correlation of both rate processes to plant water use. The dynamics of Mn phytotoxicity, referred to as the 'dual feedback effect' model described a continuous negative interaction between current RGR Leaf and future RAR Mn and between current RAR Mn and future RGR Leaf. Manganese accumulation rate exceeded plant growth rate, leaf Mn increased with time and growth treatments did not affect growth rate unless soil pH was increased to eliminate excessive Mn in the soil. Field experiments were conducted in Rugao series, an acid Alfisol in Northern Philippines. The soil is acid (pH 4.40) with abundant Fe-Mn concretions within the surface 20-cm. Preliminary field experiment showed Mn phytotoxicity in local soybeans cv. PSB Sy2 and PSB Sy6 as leaf symptoms in addition to low plant growth rates and grain yields associated with leaf Mn exceeding a critical value of 500 mg kg-1. Results of a second field experiment showed that cultivar, liming, and the management of phosphorus (P), manure and mulching modified plant growth rate and enhanced tolerance to excess soil Mn. Lime control (2 t ha-1) neutralized half of the exchangeable AI while keeping saturated paste Mn in excess. Mulching did not affect saturated paste-and increased RAR Mn without affecting RGR Leaf. Increases in RGR Leaf due to P and manure were accompanied by increases in RAR Mn. This increase in RGR Leaf translated to increased yields even when RAR Mn and soil solution Mn were increased as in the case of manure addition. Increases in grain yield due to manure exceeded the increases due to lime or P. Chicken manure was more effective than green manure in increasing grain yield. Plant growth rate exceeded Mn accumulation rate, leaf Mn decreased with time and manure treatments alleviated Mn phytotoxicity despite an increase in soil Mn.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 2006. / The entire dissertation/thesis text is included in the research.pdf file; the official abstract appears in the short.pdf file (which also appears in the research.pdf); a non-technical general description, or public abstract, appears in the public.pdf file. Title from title screen of research.pdf file (viewed on May 6, 2009) Vita. Includes bibliographical references.

Extensive drainage of UK peatlands has been associated with dehydration of the peat, an increase in water colour and a loss of carbon storage. Water colour has been found to be proportional to the concentration of fluvial dissolved organic carbon (DOC) (McKnight et al. 1985). It has been considered that the blocking of drainage channels represents a means of peat restoration and a way of reducing DOC losses to surface waters. This study aimed to assess the effectiveness of drain blocking at both an individual drain scale and at a larger catchment scale (up to 1km2). The effect of external parameters become more pronounced as the DOC record is examined at larger scales. The catchment is an open system and water chemistry will be influenced by mixing with water from other sources. Also it is likely that at some point the drains will cut across slope leading to the flow of any highly coloured water down slope, bypassing the blockages, and entering the surface waters downstream. Degradation of DOC will occur naturally downstream due to the effects of light and microbial activity. There is, consequently, a need to examine the wider effects of drain blocking at a catchment scale to ensure that what is observed for one drain transfers to the whole catchment. A series of blocked and unblocked catchments were studied in Upper Teesdale, Northern England. A detailed sampling programme of stream water, soil water and run off was undertaken in which a series of drains were studied in the 12 months prior to and post blocking. Water table depth, flow and weather parameters were also monitored. This study could not find a significant decline in DOC concentration at zero or first order scale post blocking; however a small yet significant decline of 2.5% in DOC concentration relative to the control catchment was recorded at the first order scale. A decrease in DOC concentration is recorded as water flows from the zero to the first order in the same catchment. The study found that the effects of DOC degradation in the catchments were very small and that DOC degradation could not solely explain the decrease in DOC concentration seen from zero to first order drains indicating the importance of dilution effects in the catchments. The blocking of peat drains does significantly decrease the export of DOC which is largely achieved by decreasing water yield. The size of the DOC export reduction caused by drain blocking is seen to decrease as scale increases providing evidence for the existence of bypass flow around the zero order drain blockages. Blocking was found to have little impact on the level of the catchment water table. This can be explained by the peat bog being naturally very wet before intervention such that when blocking did occur the soil had little capacity to take in additional water. Water yield, however, is seen to decrease post blocking indicating that water and potentially DOC is being lost from the system. Principle component analysis and event analysis were performed on the hydrological and chemical data in order to trace and define this missing component of the water balance yet the analysis found that the water chemistry in the study catchment can be defined by a relatively simple mixing trend. As such this missing water remains undefined. The presence of bypass flow and water mixing will reduce the efficiency of any drain blocking and have wider implications for upland management and its practitioners.

<p> Energy-budget calculations and equilibrium model estimates of evaporation from a lichen-dominated upland site in the Hudson Bay low-lands are presented. The energy budget calculations reveal that the lichen surface is relatively resistant to evaporation with an average of only 54 percent of the daily net radiation being utilized in the evaporative process. Equilibrium estimates of evaporation consistently overestimate actual evaporation by 5 and 8 percent for hourly values and daily totals respectively. A simple model, a function of the equilibrium model, is derived from a comparison of actual and equilibrium evaporation. The only inputs required for the model are net radiation, soil heat flow and screen temperatures. Tests of the model indicate that it will predict actual evaporation within 5 percent and that it can probably be applied to any high latitude surface which exhibits a relatively large resistance to evaporation.</p> / Thesis / Master of Science (MSc)

In north Mississippi, I evaluated fuel loads in the late dormant season and after leaf fall in unburned areas and after a dormant season burn. Fuel loads beneath winged elm (Ulmus alata) were assessed to determine if this shade-tolerant species impacts fine fuel loads in the area immediately near its bole. I found leaf litter fuel loads are higher after leaf fall suggesting that burns conducted closer to leaf fall may have increased burn intensity. Burning reduced leaf litter fuels and exposed mineral soil which returned to pre-burn levels following leaf fall. Declines in duff layer fuels were not evident until after leaf fall. Leaf litter fuels underneath winged elms had higher mass and percentage of winged elm litter beneath them compared to areas away from them. These results will help determine appropriate time for restoring prescribed fire and the implications of encroachment by non-oak species into upland oak forests.