New York Graphic Design firm | Alfalfa Studio » No Days Off ...

Collage illustration, personal project

In the winter of 2007 I received an email from an Australian designer visiting New York City. He was interested in an interview. Few days later we were sitting in a Japanese restaurant in Soho, couple of blocks away from my studio ready to conduct the interview. I’m more used to interviews via email of phone, and to more typical ‘design’ questions such as “what inspires you?,” etc. This one was different; to begin with, the interviewer brought a tape recorder and asked if he could record it. Even though I agreed, I must confess it was a bit intimidating. The other surprise is that I could tell right away the Aussie was fully prepared by doing his homework. That was the beginning of a, now, 5-year friendship and counting.

Today I’d like to introduce Chris Bowden, the brave and talented designer who every year crosses the continent seeking inspiration in New York.

Chris is a great designer and thinker in his own right. Throughout the years I’ve been lucky to receive his humble yet memorable “No Days Off” newsletters. The work included is carefully curated.

Through Chris Bowden (and his lovely wife, Caroline), I’ve gotten to know more about the far away Australian continent. In every trip they arrived armed with a nice present: a book on Australian Graphic Design, an art glass piece made by Adelaide artist Christine Cholewa, exotic Australian candy, The Texettes CDs and this year they brought Ken the Koala, a charming handmade doll by an artist which is now Alfalfa Studio’s newest pet (yes, move over “Freaky Baby”).

Besides being a generous friend, a smart writer and a design junky, Chris is also a fantastic graphic designer. His work for The Texettes —a duet whose award winning songs can be best described as authentic, roots music, with intelligent lyrics, loping rhythms and strong melodies— is becoming iconic in the Australian music and design scene.

Chris’ work covers everything, from music packaging to branding, from editorial design to illustration. I really enjoyed the straightforwardness and cleverness of his newspaper illustrations (below). When asked about his approach Chris says: “I’ve been inspired by the work of graphic artist Shigeo Fukuda and been particularly influenced by the simplicity and directness of his style. I really like the idea of getting an idea down quickly and simply, when working in the demanding environment of a daily newspaper, given time and reproduction limitations, this is often imperative, especially on what is usually a page packed to the gills with stories, headlines, and advertisements vying for your attention…”

The headline for this piece was “Are Hopes for Peace Sinking in the Gulf?”

Illustration for a story on "whether the bear market is actually beginning to emerge from its hole”

Newspaper illustration for an article titled “Can China Save Us?”

Couple of projects whose design solution is worth mentioning: (1) The smart rebranding for Round Records, an independent record label. The new brand is simple and adaptable (and very easy and economical to reproduce) to the eclectic line up of the company. Round Records is known for releasing great music that may have no other means or outlet to be heard and (2), the Business card for Adelaide musician and composer Stuart Day. Each card can be personalized with its own customize tune written directly on the card.

Round Records Identity

Stuart Day Business Card

Independent himself, Chris supports indie projects and is a big promoter of Australian graphic design. In fact, he has signed up to be a collaborator to Alfalfa Studio Blog where he will bring the most notable design from Down Under including Re:Collection. Australian Graphic Design from 1960-1980, his first post. Be on the lookout for more to come!

In the meantime, enjoy the work of a designer that is able to balance both, his intellect and his heart, into his own work. Cheers!

Work for The Texettes

The Texettes, The Lady and the Tramp album cover

The Texettes, The Lady and the Tramp, inside pages

The Texettes “It’s all about the heartbreak” poster

The Texettes giveaway CD given as an introduction to their music

Alfalfa Weevils Already? | Integrated Pest and Crop Management

Posted on March 29, 2012 by ipcm-edit

Alfalfa Weevils Already?

Bryan Jensen, IPM Program

What a spring!  I don’t recall thinking about alfalfa weevils this early.  Take a look at UW Extension’s Ag Weather Site, http://www.soils.wisc.edu/uwex_agwx/ (click on Thermal Models).  Southern Wisconsin may soon be at the 300 weevil degree day (wdd) scouting threshold.  Not only is it the earliest I’ve seen the scouting threshold reached, but it is the shortest I’ve seen alfalfa when it was. Certainly a lot can happen between now and the time weevils could cause economic damage.  However, it will soon be time to start scouting.

Weevil populations have increased in recent years. To get an early indication of damage, scout sandy knolls and/or south facing slopes.  If feeding injury is found in these areas monitor the rest of the field.  A concern I have is the sudden and dramatic rise in temperatures has put weevil development ahead of alfalfa.  Under typical growing conditions, first crop harvest and peak weevil feeding coincide.  This year could be different and weevil injury may peak earlier.

At 300 wdd, eggs start to hatch.  First and second instar larvae, which are slate colored, can be found in the upper developing leaflets and injury will appear as small pinholes.  This injury is not considered economic but a sign of things to come.  When larvae reach third instar (504 wdd) a larger volume of foliage is consumed and is the time that most control decisions are made.  To make a detailed evaluation of first crop weevil damage, walk an M-shaped pattern and collect 50 stems at random. When finished, carefully look over each stem for signs of weevil feeding.  Count all stems that show signs of feeding and divide that number by 50 (total number of stems initially collected) to determine percentage tip feeding.  Control is suggested when 40% or more of the stems show signs of weevil feeding and you are more than 7-10 days from harvest.

Occasionally, you may find some alfalfa “weevil-like larvae” which are significantly larger than the degree day model suggests.  If they have a tan colored head they are clover leaf weevil.  Clover leaf weevils overwinter as larvae and therefore develop quicker than alfalfa weevil.  Don’t get alarmed.  They rarely cause economic damage, just confusion.  Both weevil larvae are the same color and will have a white strip down their back.  However, alfalfa weevils always have a black head.

• 

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Construction, Identification and Expression of Transgenic Alfalfa ...

Abstract

ObjectiveTo make E.granulosus BALB/c model and amplify the Eg95 and EgA31 coding gene for constructing the Eg95-EgA31 fusion gene; To construct recombinant plasmid pBI-Eg95-EgA31; To transform the Agrobacterium tumefaciens(At) with plasmid pBI-Eg95-EgA31; To construct and identify the transgenic alfalfa vaccine of Echinococcus granulosus Eg95-EgA31 fusion gene; To analyse the expression of recombinant plamid pBI-Eg95-EgA31 in alfalfa; To provide the basis for further research of the immune mechanism of the transgenic alfalfa vaccine of Echinococcus granulosus.MethodsE.granulosus BALB/c model had been made by injecting intraperitoneally protoscoleces of Eg. Total RNA was extracted from hydatid cyst protoscoleces shattered by supersound with a nucleic acid extraction kit. Total RNA as template, the primers containing cutting sites of restriction-endonucleases were designed according to the cDNA sequence of Eg95 and EgA31 genes downloaded from GenBank, the Eg95 and the EgA31 coding gene were amplified by RT-PCR, and were identified by sequencing and electrophoresis. By Gene SOEing technique, Eg95-EgA31 fusion gene was constructed by splicing Eg95 gene and EgA31 gene with (Gly4Ser)3, then cloned into plant express vector pBI121 to construct recombinant plasmid pBI-Eg95-EgA31. The recombinant plasmid was introduced into Agrobacterium tumefaciens(At)LBA4404 strain by electroporation. The recombinant Agrobacterium tumefaciens(rAt) was identified by PCR amplification, sequencing and electrophoresis. The alfalfa leaves were infected with the recombinant Agrobacterium tumefaciens(rAt). The alfalfa somatic embryo was picked up from the callus with kanamycin resistance. After the resistant somatic embryo grown into transgenic alfalfa, the Eg95-EgA31 fusion gene expression products were extracted from the leaves. The transgenic alfalfa were confirmed by SDS-PAGE, Western blot, PCR and RT-PCR assay. ResultsEg95 and EgA31 antigen genes amplified were almost same as the corresponding cDNA ORF sequences in GenBank by sequence analyzing. Eg95-EgA31 fusion gene identified by Agarose gel electrophoresis was about 1016bp, which was in accordance with the expected result by sequence analyzing. Restriction-endonuclease digestion demonstrated that the Eg95-EgA31 fusion gene was correctly cloned into the multiple cloning site of plant expression vector pBI121 to construct recombinant plasmid pBI-Eg95-EgA31. It was confirmed that the recombinant plasmid was successfully introduced into Agrobacterium tumefaciens(At) by analyzing the recombinant At(rAt) selected in YEB medium with 10μg/μl kanamycin by PCR, DNA sequencing and electrophoresis.SDS-PAGE and Western blot showed the recombinant plasmid was able to express target protein in alfalfa, which was expressed as a band of 37.5kDa. The content of Eg95-EgA31 contained 0.05% of total leave protein of transgenic alfalfa and could combine with specific antibody in mice serum. The 1016bp fusion gene of the transgenic alfalfa was amplified successfully by PCR and RT-PCR.Conclusions1. Eg95 and EgA31 antigen coding genes were successfully amplified by RT-PCR respectively.2. The Eg95-EgA31 fusion gene was successfully amplified by Gene SOEing technique.3. The recombinant plasmid pBI-Eg95-EgA31 was successfully constructed.4. The Agrobacterium tumefaciens was successfully transformed with the recombinant plasmid pBI-Eg95-EgA31.5. The transgenic alfalfa of Eg95-EgA31 fusion gene was cultivated successfully.6. The recombinant plasmid (pBI-Eg95-EgA31) was able to express target protein in alfalfa, which was of specific antigenicity.

New York Graphic Design firm | Alfalfa Studio » Noisy Jelly : A ...

Ok, this is not your grandma Jell-o! as jell-o is not just for eating anymore. With ‘Noisy Jelly,’ colored jelly shapes become musical material. A fully working prototype, ‘Noisy Jelly’ transforms jelly into a sound board of endless musical possibilities. The ‘sound mixer’ just chooses their ‘sound’ powder, mixes it with water, waits 10 minutes, and voila! you’ve got an array of jellies that come alive with different sounds trigger by the touch of your hand.

Noisy jelly is a game where the player has to cook and shape his own musical material, based on colored jelly. In this ‘noisy’ chemistry lab, the gamer creates his own jelly with water and a few grams of agar powder which is added after.

Note : This project is a fully working prototype made by Raphaël Pluvinage and Marianne Cauvard, there is absolutely no sound editing in the video…

A fun project to end the work week, isn’t it?

gripswa.org » Alfalfa Hay Is Wonderful For Your Guinea Pigs

Guinea Pigs can be be extremely picky

when it depends on having. They may be incredibly bashful at the beginning, but they are really the most supportive, affectionate and patient little creatures. After some perseverance and persistence they are squealing whenever you approach the space! You can find Blog Mileny Rosner some easy rules to be certain your guinea pig feeds a lot, so that they stay happy and safe. It is vital that a pigs enjoy a healthy eating habits. This article assist with support you whilst you enjoy your guinea pig every step of the way.Originally to start has been Viven, Guinea’s enjoy existen and plenty of it! They desire it for digestive : applications and to keep their teeth good and healthy, In order that they must have unrestricted access

with it, which perhaps indicates reloading a reliable-size serving 3-5 situations – everyday.Alfalfa existen includes lots of calcium supplements making it not suitable for elderly guinea pigs, (besides as an irregular treat) guinea pigs at age of a few months or even younger. Expectant guinea pigs want further calcium supplements Czy jestesmy społeczeństwem tolerancyjnym so half Timothy and half Alfalfa is a good concoction. Other existen can sometimes include meadow existen, oat existen, bluegrass existen and brome turf. Viven is usually at quite a few family pet stores, but it often sits too long available, which is not incredibly healthful for the guinea pigs which means you need to look for environmentally friendly smoother existen. Keep clear because Discolored and more challenging turf means that it really is straw and straw is just not suitable for their intricate digestive : programs.Ascorbic Acid – Guinea pigs are one of the very few pets that are not able to create their unique Ascorbic Acid, making it essential how they have it off their food, and since they are extremely susceptible to receiving scurvy (that is caused because of a lower vitamin C level) guinea’s want 15mg or more of Ascorbic Acid everyday.Your lawn – If you have a garden you know without a doubt doesn’t need compounds and is not made use of by puppiesPercats for urination and Blog Mileny Rosner defecating applications, it better to receive an encapsulated outside manage and let your guinea play outside in summer and spring just coupled there isn’t any cool sea breezes or temperatures involving 60-75 degrees. Only enable them outside when becoming watched, make certain the masai have a wonderful in the shade place where they can cover up from the sun’s rays. Move the parrot cage close to and they’re going to keep the garden nice quick as well as fertilize it too!

Posted by Marcia on Mar 29, 2012
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New Alfalfa Variety, Big Boost to Dairy Industry

Thursday, March 29, 2012

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New Alfalfa Variety, Big Boost to Dairy Industry

US - Dairy farmers could see a boost in milk production, thanks to a new alfalfa variety to be released by Cornell's world-class plant breeders.

The new variety, N-R-Gee, is highly digestible, is well adapted to the Northeast and is predicted to increase milk production up to 3.3 pounds of milk per day compared with an industry standard, said Julie Hansen, a senior research associate in plant breeding and genetics.

That bump translates to $181 more per cow, for a cow lactating 305 days per year and a farmer earning $18 per 100 pounds of milk. On a 113-cow dairy herd, the average size in New York, that would add up to an extra $20,000 per year.

The secret to N-R-Gee is a lower percentage of indigestible fiber -- which fills a cow's belly but passes through as waste -- and a higher percentage of carbohydrates and pectin, which cows can convert to milk. With less fiber taking up space in all those stomachs, cows can eat more of the high-quality alfalfa and produce more milk.

"More intake and more digestibility: those two things combined, we think, are going to make a pretty significant impact for the dairy industry," Ms Hansen said.

N-R-Gee has already soared through one test, on three month-old lambs at the Cornell Sheep Farm. Unlike cows, lambs can be fed straight alfalfa, so the lamb test avoided the confounding effects of mixed feeds.

With help from Deb Cherney, associate professor of animal science, a group of plant breeders measured the lambs' food intake, average weight gain and feed efficiency over six weeks. The plant breeding group included Ms Hansen, technicians Robert Deubler, Jason Schiller and Ryan Crawford, and research support specialist Jamie Crawford.

After the successful lamb feeding trial, the researchers used a prediction equation to extrapolate to dairy cows, assuming alfalfa would comprise half of a cow's dry diet.

Beyond its excellent yield potential, N-R-Gee was selected for resistance to multiple diseases that are problematic in the Northeast, including bacterial wilt, verticillium wilt, fusarium wilt, anthracnose and phytophthora root rot. Disease resistance is especially important in alfalfa, as it stays in the field year-round, for multiple years.

Since 1963, Cornell has released 21 alfalfa varieties for use in the Northeast.

The N-R-Gee alfalfa variety was licensed by the Cornell Center for Technology Enterprise and Commercialization and is being marketed by Seedway, LLC.

TheCattleSite News Desk

Got (more) milk? Cows fed new alfalfa might - Holy Kaw!

A new highly digestible alfalfa variety could boost milk production by more than three pounds a day, new research shows.

With less fiber taking up space in all those stomachs, cows can eat more of the high-quality alfalfa and produce more milk, say the Cornell University developers of N-R-Gee variety.

Full story at Futurity.

More research news from top universities.

Photo credit: Cornell

Futurity.org – Got (more) milk? Cows fed new alfalfa might

A new alfalfa variety contains less fiber and a higher percentage of carbohydrates and pectin. With less fiber taking up space in all those stomachs, cows can eat more of the high-quality alfalfa and produce more milk. (Credit: istockphoto)

CORNELL (US) — A new highly digestible alfalfa variety could boost milk production by more than three pounds a day, new research shows.

That bump translates to $181 more per cow, for a cow lactating 305 days per year and a farmer earning $18 per 100 pounds of milk. On a 113-cow dairy herd, the average size in New York, that would add up to an extra $20,000 per year.

Researchers at Cornell University say the secret to N-R-Gee, which is well adapted to the northeastern US, is a lower percentage of indigestible fiber—which fills a cow’s belly but passes through as waste—and a higher percentage of carbohydrates and pectin, which cows can convert to milk. With less fiber taking up space in all those stomachs, cows can eat more of the high-quality alfalfa and produce more milk.

Lambs that were fed the N-R-Gee hay and monitored as part of the experiment. (Credit: Cornell)

Alfalfa hay varieties. (Credit: Cornell)

“More intake and more digestibility: those two things combined, we think, are going to make a pretty significant impact for the dairy industry,” says Julie Hansen, a senior research associate in plant breeding and genetics.

N-R-Gee has already soared through one test, on 3-month-old lambs at the Cornell Sheep Farm. Unlike cows, lambs can be fed straight alfalfa, so the lamb test avoided the confounding effects of mixed feeds. With help from Deb Cherney, associate professor of animal science, a group of plant breeders measured the lambs’ food intake, average weight gain, and feed efficiency over six weeks.

After the successful lamb feeding trial, the researchers used a prediction equation to extrapolate to dairy cows, assuming alfalfa would comprise half of a cow’s dry diet.

Beyond its excellent yield potential, N-R-Gee was selected for resistance to multiple diseases that are problematic in the Northeast, including bacterial wilt, verticillium wilt, fusarium wilt, anthracnose, and phytophthora root rot. Disease resistance is especially important in alfalfa, as it stays in the field year-round, for multiple years.

Since 1963, Cornell has released 21 alfalfa varieties for use in the Northeast. The N-R-Gee alfalfa variety was licensed by the Cornell Center for Technology Enterprise and Commercialization and is being marketed by Seedway, LLC.

More news from Cornell University: www.news.cornell.edu

Alfalfa Weevils Already? | Integrated Pest and Crop Management

Posted on March 29, 2012 by ipcm-edit

Alfalfa Weevils Already?

Bryan Jensen, IPM Program

What a spring!  I don’t recall thinking about alfalfa weevils this early.  Take a look at UW Extension’s Ag Weather Site, http://www.soils.wisc.edu/uwex_agwx/ (click on Thermal Models).  Southern Wisconsin may soon be at the 300 weevil degree day (wdd) scouting threshold.  Not only is it the earliest I’ve seen the scouting threshold reached, but it is the shortest I’ve seen alfalfa when it was. Certainly a lot can happen between now and the time weevils could cause economic damage.  However, it will soon be time to start scouting.

Weevil populations have increased in recent years. To get an early indication of damage, scout sandy knolls and/or south facing slopes.  If feeding injury is found in these areas monitor the rest of the field.  A concern I have is the sudden and dramatic rise in temperatures has put weevil development ahead of alfalfa.  Under typical growing conditions, first crop harvest and peak weevil feeding coincide.  This year could be different and weevil injury may peak earlier.

At 300 wdd, eggs start to hatch.  First and second instar larvae, which are slate colored, can be found in the upper developing leaflets and injury will appear as small pinholes.  This injury is not considered economic but a sign of things to come.  When larvae reach third instar (504 wdd) a larger volume of foliage is consumed and is the time that most control decisions are made.  To make a detailed evaluation of first crop weevil damage, walk an M-shaped pattern and collect 50 stems at random. When finished, carefully look over each stem for signs of weevil feeding.  Count all stems that show signs of feeding and divide that number by 50 (total number of stems initially collected) to determine percentage tip feeding.  Control is suggested when 40% or more of the stems show signs of weevil feeding and you are more than 7-10 days from harvest.

Occasionally, you may find some alfalfa “weevil-like larvae” which are significantly larger than the degree day model suggests.  If they have a tan colored head they are clover leaf weevil.  Clover leaf weevils overwinter as larvae and therefore develop quicker than alfalfa weevil.  Don’t get alarmed.  They rarely cause economic damage, just confusion.  Both weevil larvae are the same color and will have a white strip down their back.  However, alfalfa weevils always have a black head.

• 

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A childhood wish come true…. « ALFALFA: The Arecibo Legacy Fast ...

Posted by alfalfateam under Arecibo Observatory, Data, Flagging, Follow-Up Observations, Observing, Undergraduate ALFALFA Team
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This post is by Rachel Almodovar, Union College ’15

My name is Rachel Almodovar and I am a freshman astronomy major at Union College. For spring break I went to the Observatory of Arecibo with my astronomy professor. It had been a few years since the last time I had been there during my childhood in Puerto Rico! At that
time I was twelve years old and the observatory fascinated me. I said to my mother that I wanted to work in a place like the observatory someday. And well, to my surprise Prof. Koopmann, my astronomy professor, invited me to go there during spring break and I had the amazing opportunity to do radio astronomy observing. In my first two nights of observing, I learned how to use CIMA, which is the program that allows you to control the observing mode and the setup of the receiver and also the spectrometer; I also learned how to type in the log the information of the sources like the local sidereal time, zenith angle, the scan number and the source number; and I also learned how to use IDL to reduce the data obtained from the on and off position 3 min exposures and how to look at the spectrum and tell if it had been a detection or not.

Rachel on the Arecibo platform

In my third night observing, Prof. Koopmann taught me how to do flagging of data from the ALFALFA survey. Flagging became my favorite thing to do while I was in Arecibo. Flagging is the technique where you have to examine the spectrum recorded in different drifts and polarizations for bad data like GPS and radars and flag (mark) bad data. One also looks in the spectrum for the detection of galaxies, and records them in the information of the drift.

Well, overall it was a amazing and remarkable experience where besides learning a lot of techniques on how to do radio observing and going up to the Gregorian dome and seeing how it all functions, I also got the opportunity to meet and share time and experiences with a lot of wonderful people at Arecibo that inspired me in a unique way to keep learning about what I am passionate about, which is and will always be Astronomy. I will never forget such an extraordinary experience.

(Left to right): Rachel '15, Becky, Halley Darling '13 and Lucas Viani '14

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New GMO alfalfa variety could be big boost to dairy ~ COBB_REPORT

The new variety, N-R-Gee, is highly digestible, is well adapted to the Northeast and is predicted to increase milk production up to 3.3 pounds of milk per day compared with an industry standard, said Julie Hansen, a senior research associate in plant breeding and genetics.

That bump translates to $181 more per cow, for a cow lactating 305 days per year and a farmer earning $18 per 100 pounds of milk. On a 113-cow dairy herd, the average size in New York, that would add up to an extra $20,000 per year.

The secret to N-R-Gee is a lower percentage of indigestible fiber -- which fills a cow's belly but passes through as waste -- and a higher percentage of carbohydrates and pectin, which cows can convert to milk. With less fiber taking up space in all those stomachs, cows can eat more of the high-quality alfalfa and produce more milk.

"More intake and more digestibility: those two things combined, we think, are going to make a pretty significant impact for the dairy industry," Hansen said.
N-R-Gee has already soared through one test, on 3-month-old lambs at the Cornell Sheep Farm. Unlike cows, lambs can be fed straight alfalfa, so the lamb test avoided the confounding effects of mixed feeds.
continue article  http://www.physorg.com/news/2012-03-alfalfa-variety-big-boost-dairy.html

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New York Graphic Design firm | Alfalfa Studio » Jon Contino : Hip ...

One of the winners of the prestigious ADC Young Guns 9 competition, Jon Contino has already proved his talent to the Art Directors Club community. This New York native represents a new generation of various designers creating modern minimalist design but with an attentiveness to the past; a vintage style with a twist, updated and reinvigorated. Textured logo, script typography, hand-drawn lettering, minimal illustration, limited retro-inspired color choices, his creative palette is vast.

While hispters from trendy Williasmburg in Brooklyn can only try to copy, Jon Contino ensures the longevity of this Brooklyn style. Bitten apple, Pizza slices, racing bikes, red beanies, jean shirts, it’s all there, pure New york 100% Brooklyn.

He knows how to capture the mood of the moment without being ephemeral. Big corporations such as Coca-Cola, Nike and The New York Times had already paid for his services.

His style is definitely hip and happening, we think the world will love it while the hispters will probably hate it.