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Item Effect of Nitrogen Application on Pecan Above Ground Physiology and Root Traits(2014-04-28) Hannah, Hayley MeredithThe United States pecan industry is experiencing a rapid acreage increase. Many growers believe high rates of nitrogen (N) accelerate tree development and increase yields; however, a high rate of N application may not be cost-effective and can be harmful to the environment. The aim of this project was to evaluate the effect of N application rate on young pecan seedling performance as measured through photosynthesis, water use efficiency (WUE, defined as the ratio between net assimilation rate and transpiration rate), growth, and to determine if and when N application rates had an effect on root system, especially specific root length (SRL) and root length density (RLD) following five N application rates (0x, 1/4x, 1/2x, 1x, and 2x, where x corresponded to the recommended rate, as reported by Texas AgriLife Extension). Soil sampling was performed five days after N application and continued throughout two growing seasons for evaluation of soil nitrate and SRL and RLD. Diameter of the seedlings was measured at two locations on each tree throughout both years of the experiment. Gas exchange was measured every 3-4 weeks using an infrared gas analyzer. Results showed that soil N was higher in the 1x and 2x treatments than in the other treatments. However, N treatment did not affect amount of WUE, net photosynthesis rate, trunk growth, SRL, or RLD. Therefore, it is possible that the most effective rate of N application for young pecan seedlings is likely much lower than recommended rates.Item Reverse Auction Bidding- A Study of Industry Professionals(2013-12-06) Piper, RobertThis research project into Reverse Auction Bidding is the first of the twenty studies completed to this time to use professional contractors. Previous case studies used students at Texas A&M University as the subjects of the research. Reverse Auction Bidding is a new form of bidding using the internet as the bidding mechanism. A purchaser requests bids through a web site, typically a commercial site. Invited bidders can respond under a standard set of timed conditions to the bidding documents on the web site. This TAMU based research program has a SQL Server based web site, which uses house slabs in Houston as a bidding game. This study of The Reverse Auction Bidding method used four individuals from a supply company as the subjects of the work. The methods remained essentially unchanged from the earlier case studies, except that an ASP.NET MVC4 website has been developed to improve the response time and to permit data analysis as the game is played. Each bidder has capacity to bid on three sites at any time, a bidder can purchase additional capacity from the bank to increase the number of allowed simultaneous bids. Each game lasts for twenty minutes, fifteen minutes of game play followed by a five minute break to simulate the work week. Each individual was given a personality test for the review of bidding performance with personality type. The conclusions were that the professional bidders were more competitive than subjects in prior studies, the bidder who made the most aggressive use of the bank loan performed best as has been consistently shown, but the personality results did not match prior findings. Further work with professionals is recommended.