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ArticleA field calibration method that improves soil heat flux accuracy(Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of Soil Science Society of America, 2025-05-19)Soil heat flux plates (SHFPs) are widely used to measure soil heat flux (Gs). Gs is often underestimated by SHFPs (Gp). Although calibration methods are used, they are not always effective. The objective of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of a field calibration method applied to various SHFPs installed in a full canopy maize field. A 5-day measurement period with wet and dry soil conditions was used for calibration, while 80-day and 60-day measurement periods were used for evaluation. Uncorrected SHFP measured values (Gp) underestimated the actual reference Gs determined by the gradient method (Gs_grad) by 42%–64%. Gp values in the evaluation period were corrected (Gp_corr) by dividing them by the ratio of Gp/Gs_grad determined over the calibration period. After the correction, the Gp_corr agreed well with the Gs_grad, with Gp_corr/Gs_grad of four of six SHFPs being 0.90–1.01, improving to 74%–98%. The field calibration performed approximately the same with the wet and dry calibration periods, whether the calibration and evaluation periods were consecutive in time or had relatively long time intervals, indicating that this method accounted for almost all errors with SHFP. This is largely due to the slight variation in soil thermal conductivity and the linearity between soil temperature gradients from SHFP and the gradient method under relatively stable soil moisture conditions. This study deepens our understanding and improves the accuracy of soil heat flux measurements. Calibration of SHFPs under various land covers and weather conditions is warranted in future studies.
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ArticleEffects of Muskellunge stocking length on survival and return on investment to the adult population(Oxford University Press on behalf of American Fisheries Society, 2025-05-16)Objective: Survival of stocked fish generally increases with length at stocking. However, the stocking of larger fish requires trade-offs in production costs and numbers of fish produced, and it is unknown whether stocking larger fish provides an appreciable cost advantage in achieving management goals. We evaluated the influence of length at stocking on Muskellunge Esox masquinongy survival in two Iowa reservoirs and quantified the costs and benefits (defined as the predicted number of age- 6 Muskellunge produced) associated with varying lengths at stocking.
Methods: We implanted PIT tags into yearling Muskellunge prior to stocking in Big Creek and Brushy Creek lakes from 2016 to 2021, and we recaptured these fish from 2016 to 2023. We used a Cormack–Jolly–Seber model to assess the influence of length at stocking on survival and subsequently used these estimates to (1) quantify the cost to produce an age- 6 Muskellunge, (2) determine the optimal length at stocking given a fixed budget, and (3) predict the number of fish necessary to meet Iowa’s adult Muskellunge density goals (0.04–0.06 adults/ha).
Results: Muskellunge length at stocking was positively associated with survival at 1 year poststocking. The cost associated with stocking to add one age-6 Muskellunge to the population declined substantially as the length at stocking increased. The optimal length at stocking for Big Creek and Brushy Creek lakes given current production costs and a fixed budget of US$7,254 was the maximum length of fish in our data set (406 mm), meaning that higher survival associated with larger length at stocking outweighed the increased cost per fish. Minimum length at stocking to meet management goals while remaining within the fixed budget was 301 mm (95% CI = 264–349 mm) for Big Creek Lake and 221 mm (95% CI = 210–257 mm) for Brushy Creek Lake. Alternatively, future increases in production costs could make the stocking of smaller fish more economically viable in systems with higher survival.
Conclusions: Stocking of larger Muskellunge has the potential to result in a greater number of adults, require less investment and lowered stocking numbers, and enable management goals to be achieved. -
ArticleStrategic Collaboration with the National Park Service Advances Native Sovereignty(Parks Stewardship Forum, 2025-05-15)On December 16, 2021, US Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland shook hands with the newly sworn-in director of the National Park Service (NPS) Charles “Chuck” Sams III. At first glance, the promotional photo of Haaland and Sams on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial appears to be a swearing in like any other.1 Of course, as many commentators emphasized at the time, this ceremony also marked a notable historical moment—when the first Native person to head the Department of the Interior officially welcomed the first Native person to head the NPS. Early in her tenure as interior secretary, Haaland had already made significant steps—advocating for tribal land protections, boarding school investigations, and renaming derogatory place names. 2 Many have wondered what precedent the appointment of Haaland and Sams may set for how the federal government engages with Native peoples and tribal nations across the United States, and how their leadership could establish new cultural norms for recognizing Native sovereignty more broadly.
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ArticleInterpolated Retrieval of Relevant Material, Not Irrelevant Material, Enhances New Learning of a Video Lecture In-Person and Online(MDPI, 2025-05-14)Interpolated retrieval enhances the learning of new information—a finding known as the forward testing effect. The context change account suggests that learning benefits are due to a shift in internal context, which can be triggered through the retrieval of either content-relevant or content-irrelevant information. In two experiments, we examined whether interpolated episodic, autobiographical, and semantic retrieval would enhance new learning of a video lecture, compared to interpolated review. Participants watched a STEM topic lecture divided into three ~5 min segments and completed their assigned interpolated activity after the first two segments. Across both a laboratory (Experiment 1, N = 249) and online setting (Experiment 2, N = 246), only episodic retrieval enhanced the learning of new material; autobiographical and semantic retrieval (content-irrelevant) did not improve new learning. Critically, we introduced a measure of context change to determine whether the level of engagement in these interpolated activities predicted recall. Engagement correlated with criterial test performance when controlling for effort (seriousness). Our results support a multi-factor explanation for the forward testing effect, providing evidence for both the context change and strategy change accounts, although we emphasize that support for context change should be interpreted with caution.
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ArticleSampling size methodologies used in pig welfare audits underestimate animal-based measures: a preliminary exploration(American Veterinary Medical Association, 2025-05-14)Objective
The objective of this observational study was to compare and contrast the occurrences of animal-based measures evaluated in the Common Swine Industry Audit (CSIA) with the use of 2 sampling methods (total farm inventory [TOTAL] vs the CSIA sampling method).
Methods
Approximately 240,000 pigs were evaluated across 60 farms between October 2022 and July 2023. A map was created for each farm to identify individual pig location by pen/stall, room, and barn. Ten animal-based measures were assessed per pig, and the total occurrence of each measure was calculated (TOTAL). Utilizing farm maps and the same dataset, the CSIA sampling method was calculated to randomly assess a previously designated sample number of pigs per farm by location. The CSIA occurrences were then compared to TOTAL occurrences.
Results
Sow: occurrences of a body condition score of 1, severe lameness (non–weight-bearing), abscesses, open wounds, severe scratches (> 25% of the body), prolapses, vulva lesions, and shoulder sores were less for the CSIA method compared to TOTAL. Nursery: occurrences of severe lameness, abscesses, open wounds, and hernias were less for the CSIA method compared to TOTAL. Finishers: occurrences of severe lameness, abscesses, open wounds, tail bites, prolapses, and vulva lesions were less for the CSIA method compared to TOTAL.
Conclusions
These findings suggest that the sampling method currently used in the CSIA tool does not necessarily accurately estimate the occurrence of animal-based measures at the farm level.
Clinical Relevance
Future work on swine farms should explore alternative sampling methods that more closely represent welfare conditions to that of the total farm inventory.