Graves McKinney (barberorchid47)

In recent years, advances in science, technology, and the way in which we view our world have led to an increasingly broad use of the term "intelligence". As we learn more about biological systems, we find more and more examples of complex and precise adaptive behavior in animals and plants. Similarly, as we build more complex computational systems, we recognize the emergence of highly sophisticated structures capable of solving increasingly complex problems. These behaviors show characteristics in common with the sort of complex behaviors and learning capabilities we find in humans, and therefore it is common to see them referred to as "intelligent". These analogies are problematic as the term intelligence is inextricably associated with human-like capabilities. While these issues have been discussed by leading researchers of AI and renowned psychologists and biologists highlighting the commonalities and differences between AI and biological intelligence, there have been few rigorous attempts to create an interdisciplinary approach to the modern problem of intelligence. This article proposes a comparative framework to discuss what we call "purposeful behavior", a characteristic shared by systems capable of gathering and processing information from their surroundings and modifying their actions in order to fulfill a series of implicit or explicit goals. Our aim is twofold on the one hand, the term purposeful behavior allows us to describe the behavior of these systems without using the term "intelligence", avoiding the comparison with human capabilities. On the other hand, we hope that our framework encourages interdisciplinary discussion to help advance our understanding of the relationships among different systems and their capabilities.The preparation and application of biochar by smallholder farmers is labour intensive hence an effective one-time application for multiple cropping seasons would be desirable by farmers and researchers. In this study, one-time biochar application as a soil amendment and its interaction with compost and NPK on yield performances of different crops was investigated across three cropping seasons. Treatments included biochar applied alone or together with compost, inorganic NPK fertilizer or both. Maize, okra and cassava were planted in succession and data was collected on their shoot N, P and K concentrations, yields as well as selected soil parameters (pH, exchangeable acidity, total exchangeable bases, effective cation exchange capacity, total N, total organic carbon, available phosphorus). Data was analyzed with GenSTAT and results were presented in tables and bar graph. Corn cob biochar applied solely did not significantly improve maize and okra yield in the first and second cropping season but increased yield of cassava significantly at the third cropping season. Yield increased in sole NPK, compost and NPK + compost treatments for all cropping cycles, but yields obtained from these treatments in the presence of biochar were greater than their corresponding treatments without biochar. The study also showed that biochar application together with compost, NPK or both, improved total organic carbon, total nitrogen, available phosphorus, total exchangeable bases, exchangeable acidity, effective cation exchange capacity and pH as well as tissue N, P and K of all crops. Our findings demonstrated that a single application of biochar, particularly in the presence of compost, inorganic NPK fertilizer or both can increase yields across three cropping seasons and improve soil fertility.Overweight and obesity are both a risk factor for developing and exacerbating type 2 diabetes (T2D). While the most common diet used to treat overweight and obesity focus on high-carbohydrate, low-fat, energy deficit diets, recently, low-carbohydrate, high-fat diets (LCHFD) have become popular in targeting obesity. This proof-of-concept study attempted to determine if an LCHFD could improve body composition variables,