The Electronic Information Era: A Vision of the Future–Paradigms and Paradoxes

ABSTRACT

Tuskegee University's involvement with the sweetpotato was initiated in the late 19th century by Dr. George Washington Carver. Carver's publications on the sweetpotato include information on the history and varieties of sweetpotatoes, their cultivation, insect and fungal problems, and their treatment, harvesting, storing, canning, and preparation for human consumption and animal feed. Carver developed more than 200 products from the sweetpotato. Today sweetpotato research at Tuskegee University includes: biotechnology and genetic engineering, development of growing systems for long term space missions, health benefits and utilization of sweetpotato greens, effects of elevated carbon dioxide levels on sweetpotato growth and biochemistry, breeding new varieties, new food and non-food uses, new market niches, non-chemical pest control, modeling sweetpotato growth, sustainable cropping systems, degradation of foliage and roots to form sugars and ethanol, and use in international development. The National Sweetpotato Information Center (NSPIC) was established in 1993 with funding from USDA as a cooperative effort of Tuskegee University, the National Agricultural Library, and the University of Illinois. NSPIC goals include: materials collection; development of computer databases (materials, research and expert databases); digitization of full-text, non-copyrighted sweetpotato materials (using CD-ROM); teaching students and faculty to utilize NSPIC resources; and development of a network of people and institutions involved in sweetpotato research, production and utilization.     

Disseminating Equine Research and Teaching Videos Through the Institutional Repository: A Collaboration

Institutional repositories manage and disseminate a University's scholarly output and provide a multitude of benefits to the organization and society. Rutgers University Libraries is actively expanding its repository to include materials with scholarly merit that are currently siloed in academic departments or otherwise unpreserved and unavailable to the public. This article describes a collaboration between Rutgers Libraries faculty and Rutgers teaching faculty which is enabling discovery of a significant collection of video data relating to equine behavioral responses. The article describes the research, the repository tools, and the process of developing and customizing metadata to bring this collection to light.     

Historical aspects of soil classification in Japan

Historical perspective of soil classification in Japan from Max Fesca's soil classification in 1882 to the “Unified Soil Classification System of Japan (2002)” was outlined, aiming at reviewing the progress in soil classification. The evolution can be divided into the following five aspects: 1) Max Fesca's soil texture survey and soil classification from the agro-geological point of view under the influence of the German school; 2) Introduction of the concept of pedology into the classification under the influence of the Russian school led by Dokchaev; 3) Brief history of the classification of Andosols which has exerted a considerable influence on soil classification worldwide; 4) Soil classifications developed through the implementation of national soil survey projects to independently evaluate land suitability for the cultivation of paddy rice, upland crops, and for forest establishment; 5) Attempts to develop a comprehensive soil classification system in order to unify soil classification systems for the above-mentioned land uses from 1963 to the present.     

Building on a Land-Grant Tradition: Engagement at the Mississippi State University Libraries

ABSTRACT

This paper discusses the need for land-grant libraries to develop services and projects in support of the mission of their universities. Projects developed at the Mississippi State University Libraries are discussed from the perspective of “engaged” library services. These services include outreach activities to academic departments, core instructional initiatives, support services to extension personnel (ELL), collaborative collection development projects (DigiTop Plus) and projects designed to preserve the state's agricultural history (CHARM).     

土壤重金属调查采样数目的确定方法研究进展

在土壤重金属调查中,合理确定采样单元的采样数目对保障其数据精确性及土壤污染风险评估和防治具有重要意义。该文通过广泛查阅国内外相关文献,对表层土壤重金属采样数目确定方法现状及未来研究方向进行了评述;基于经验型、统计学及经验统计学方法系统分析了土壤重金属采样数目确定方法的优缺点。结果显示在确定采样数目时缺乏对采样单元的考虑;采样数目更多的集中于经验型,相对缺乏基于统计学及经验统计学的应用。在采用统计学方法确定采样数目时,更多地集中于正态分布下的采样数目确定,而大多忽视了土壤重金属含量的非正态分布及其对采样数目的影响;尽管有部分学者提出对数正态分布下采样数目的确定方法,但是该分布下采样数目的精确算法过于复杂,不同修正公式的应用范围也有所限制,不足以涵盖在不同变异下的采样布点,而且存在高估或低估采样数目的风险。因此,明确采样尺度或采样单元,加强基于统计学或经验统计学确定采样数目方法的研究,探索对数正态分布下合理采样数目的确定方法,寻找出适合中国土壤重金属采样数目确定方法是实现土壤重金属风险评估和污染治理的重要保障。     

Reconstructing mole tunnels using frequency-domain ground penetrating radar

The European mole (Talpa europaea L.) inhabits an underground tunnel system whereby the density, extent and condition of the subsurface tunnels are indicative of its activity. Currently, no survey method was able to reveal the spatial extent and condition of the mole's tunnel network. Frequency-domain ground penetrating radar (GPR) was evaluated on its potential to image these shallow tunnel systems. This technique allows for a non-invasive, high-resolution mapping of the subsurface. We examined the effectiveness of this GPR system for delineating the mole's tunnel network. The integration of different depth slices allowed a detailed overview of the tunnel system. Automatic feature recognition on these GPR images was proven valuable for the detection and representation of the mole tunnels. The GPR survey proved successful in mapping the mole's tunnel network, which facilitates the interpretation and characterization of the mole's living environment. This can be linked to the occurrence of earthworms, as the principle food source of the moles, which regulate important ecosystem processes within the soil. This offers new perspectives for the understanding of the mole's habitat.     

Diversity distribution and collection of genetic resources of cultivated and weedy type in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Perilla frutescens</Emphasis> (L.) Britton var. <Emphasis Type="Italic">frutescens</Emphasis> and their uses in Indian Himalaya

Perilla frutescens (L.) Britton is a traditional crop of East Asia and sporadically cultivated in different parts of the Himalayas. The Western and the Eastern Himalayan regions of India exhibit rich variability in oilseed Perilla, Perilla frutescens (L.) Britton var. frutescens. The present communication deals with the distribution pattern of diversity and survey, exploration and germplasm collection and its uses in India. Brief information on botanical characterization on the basis of systematic study of cultivated and weedy types and thrust on areas for germplasm collection from diverse habitats have been discussed.     

重点学科文献资源需求与资源保障循证分析

以河北理工大学建筑工程学院教师发文为例,对河北理工大学建筑工程学院教师2006-2010年发文引文的类型、数量、语种、年代、文献半衰期进行统计和数据挖掘,并对引文量大的期刊进行排序分析,检验河北联合大学图书馆馆藏资源的满意度和保障率,为进一步加强馆藏资源建设提供依据。     

American Wine Society

This article describes the digitization of the Alabama Agricultural Experiment Station publications. This collection forms part of the United States Agricultural Information Network (USAIN) National Preservation Program for Agricultural Literature and the State and Local Literature Preservation Projects that are similar in scope to Cornell's Core Historic Literature of Agriculture digital collection. These are nationwide projects that seek to preserve scholarly literature in agriculture. Project planning and implementation is described, followed by a discussion of the potential usefulness of this collection and ways of promoting its use to various user groups.     

Review of The Chinese Medicinal Herb Farm

Collaborative ventures between industry and professional association represent a strategy to maximize resources for a mutual goal. As a cooperative venture, The American Dietetic Association co-sponsored with Kraft General Foods, Inc. and The Good Housekeeping Institute a survey on American's diet and nutrition habits. The survey findings focused on consumer's behaviors, attitudes, knowledge and obstacles toward diet and nutrition. The results from the survey are being used to create and expand nutrition education campaings to the public.     

CLASSIFICATION OF PEATLAND DISTURBANCE

Northern peatlands have accumulated a carbon pool of approximately 455 to 547 GtC, and they can make significant contributions to national carbon fluxes. Ireland is an example of a northern latitude country where peatlands are of significance for carbon management. Peatlands in Ireland cover ~20 per cent of the Country and contain nearly two‐thirds of the national soil organic carbon stock. Peatland disturbance was defined, and a framework for the classification of disturbance was developed. The classification process is subjective. To account for this, a survey was conducted among several peatland experts to determine if their opinions differed from the authors'. There was no significant difference between the authors' and the peatland experts' or among each of the peatland expert's opinions. A preliminary classification survey was carried out at 172 points (photos taken at 115). The results for the preliminary study were compared with those of the survey. The expert's average scores for less disturbed and more disturbed areas favourably compared with the results from the disturbance framework. This is a robust, quick and efficient method for assessing peatland disturbance and may be applied to peatlands throughout the globe. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

基于耕地非市场价值的三峡库区消落带生态休耕补偿标准研究

[目的]对三峡库区消落带耕地非市场价值进行评估,为生态休耕经济补偿标准的厘定提供参考。[方法]通过双边界二分式CVM法开展评估和分析。[结果](1)受访者基本可以构建起CVM假想市场,问卷理解度调查显示受访者的理解度达84.73%,调查可信度较高。(2)受访者支付意愿存在较大差异,农户愿意支付率达到75.65%,城镇居民愿意支付率仅占到64.80%。(3)Probit回归模型与Logit回归模型分析表明,收入状况是影响受访者支付意愿的主要因素。[结论]以受访者单位耕地支付意愿1 516.76元/(hm~2·a)作为该区的生态休耕经济补偿标准,则所涉及的三峡库区9区县消落带耕地的非市场价值约为30.15亿元。     

Application of GIS in plant conservation programmes in Portugal

A plant conservation programme is a complex process that requires several sets of studies. The relationships between plant location and its environment play an important role. Nowadays, the use of a GIS constitutes an essential complement for these studies that allows the incorporation of space and the analysis of these ecological interactions. GIS is being used at the Lisbon University Botanical Garden as a tool for conservation programmes on several plant groups and situations. Four case studies are presented in this work: (1) comparing ecological patterns between local and regional scale for the endangered bryophyte Bruchia vogesiaca Schwaegr.; (2) selecting protected areas according to habitat suitability—the case of endangered Portuguese bryophytes; (3) analysing the impact of the alien Carpobrotus edulis (L.) N. E. Br. on endemic plant species at the Berlengas Natural Reserve; and (4) ecogeographical survey for selection of sites for seed collection in order to guarantee a representative sample of the existing genetic diversity. Finally, this work discusses how the implementation of a GIS can help to optimise results and fieldwork effort.     

Creating a Dietary Guidance Digital Collection

This article presents current efforts by the National Agricultural Library (NAL) and the challenges and opportunities of gathering contemporary and historical federal dietary guidance publications into a digital collection. It begins with the history of United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) nutrition research and its promotion of dietary recommendations. The article then discusses the background of this digital project, its audience, and its stakeholders. It examines NAL's strategies for collecting digital content and promoting the collection and concludes with implications for other research libraries undertaking similar projects.     

Metal content of an indigenous moss in Armadale,Central Scotland

As part of a survey of patterns of disease in relation to air pollution in various towns, atmospheric concentrations of metals were measured in Armadale, West Lothian. The first survey of metallic pollutants in the environment consisted of measuring selected metal concentrations in indigenous Hypnum cupressiforme throughout Armadale. As in other surveys using this moss, Hypnum proved to be most useful in collecting at least 9 metals from the atmosphere. Some values, such as Fe, were significantly lower in Armadale, than those levels found in a similar survey sited around a steelworks in Consett, England. However, other metals such as Cu were present in much higher concentrations. All metals measured (apart from Pb values, which showed the influence of traffic routes) revealed an increasing concentration from the periphery of the town towards the vicinity of Armadale's steel foundry.     

Genetic resources of wild tuberous food plants traditionally used in Similipal Biosphere Reserve, Odisha, India

The subterranean parts of many wild plants form an important constituent of traditional diet of the tribal inhabitants of Similipal Biosphere Reserve, Odisha especially in times of food scarcity during critical periods. However, no specific study has been made so far on this aspect. The present study was conducted during 2008–2012 as a search for sources of food and to assess the dietary diversity, consumption pattern, culinary uses and prioritized species of wild tuberous plants sustained by local tribes. The exploration and germplasm collection missions along with intensive botanical survey, focus group discussions, structured household interview and market survey were conducted in 30 villages interacting with 102 key informants of core and buffer zones. A total of 55 wild edible tuberous species representing 37 genera and 24 families were inventoried including 17 species used during food deficiency to meet seasonal shortages. The analyzed data contributed 5 use categories, 4 preparation methods, 7 kinds of food items, 10 species as children snacks, 35 species of pharma-foods and 20 prioritized species. Ten species were domesticated by tribes thus reducing threats on wild tubers and 20 species were traded in local markets to generate additional income exemplifying economic benefits from wild tubers. Seventeen species were identified as novel uses of food items from India. The findings suggested that the nutritional profile along with pharmaceutical attributes of preferred wild food plants be analyzed for recommending suitable species for better nutrition and development of nutraceuticals. Further, many genetic resources of these wild tuberous species of agri-horticultural importance constitute the wild genepool hence their economic and breeding potential along with desirable attributes need to be investigated for utilization in crop improvement programmes.     

Scholarly Journals in Agricultural Economics Libraries/Reference Rooms: A Survey

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this study was to develop a core list of journals for the field of agricultural economics. For this study, the holdings of members of the Agricultural Economics Reference Organization who represent agricultural economics libraries in the U.S. and Canada were surveyed. The resulting list of titles is compared to four similar lists, three in agricultural economics and the fourth in economics. Using any one list of journals is inadequate for collection development in agricultural economics. This survey list, along with other similar lists, can be used for decision making in selection and management of journal titles in the field.