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Water Current, Volume 50, No. 2, Summer 2018

Water Current Newsletter

Reflections on Nebraska’s Irrigation Legacy

Water Management in a Season of Extremes

Evaluating Opportunities And Barriers To Improving The Energy Efficiency Of Small Nebraska Wastewater Treatment Plants, Matthew J. Thompson

Department of Environmental Engineering: Theses and Other Student Research

Wastewater treatment plants (WWTP)s account for about 0.8% of U.S. electricity use. Small WWTPs serving communities of populations less than 10,000 accounts for 95% of treatment plants in Nebraska. These plants are significantly less efficient compared to large systems and thus improving their energy efficiency (E2) is a growing focus in efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions associated with their operation. Energy use of plant unit operations was evaluated for several plants and included analysis of energy for space heating. Specific infrastructure and/or operational changes reported by operators following an E2 benchmarking project were evaluated by quantifying the change in …

Force-Driven Weave Patterns For Shell Structures In Architectural Design, Khaled Amir Benaida

Architecture Masters of Science Program: Theses

The use of lightweight carbon fiber reinforced polymers (CFRP) in the discipline of architecture opens new possibilities for the construction of architectural components. CFRP has been explored mainly in engineering fields, such as aeronautics, automotive, ballistic and marine engineering. CFRP has also been explored in the discipline of architecture in the construction of shell structures because of its high strength-to-weight ratio and low-cost. There is, however, limited research on how structural analysis can be used to inform weave patterns for shell structures using CFRP.

Further, previous research in the field has not performed physical structural tests to validate which force …

Using Synthetic Lethality To Sensitize Pediatric Brain Cancer Cells To The Dna Damaging Effects Of Radiation Therapy, Megan Ruckman, Rose Nelson, Forrest Kievit

UCARE: Research Products

Brain tumors are the leading cause of cancer related deaths in children. As a treatment, radiotherapy is very effective, but it also comes with many severe side effects, such as radiation-induced adverse developmental and psychosocial effects.² Cancer, because it is a mutagenic disease, is by definition a disease of DNA repair pathways. Here we utilize drugs to inhibit various DNA repair pathways with the purpose of sensitizing cancer cells to radiotherapy so that lower doses may be used. Hopefully this would improve the lifelong outcomes of patients that would otherwise not survive or would be left with lifelong neurocognitive …

Career Building Among Asian American Immigrant Community College Students In Nebraska: A Phenomenological Study, Minerva D. Tuliao

Department of Educational Administration: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Asian Americans are becoming the fastest growing minority group, and enrolling at community colleges at a faster rate compared to 4-year institutions. In Nebraska, they represent approximately a quarter of the community college student population, comprise 2.3% of the state’s population, and 7% of the state’s workforce.

Despite their increasing numbers, very little is known about Asian Americans in the community college, including issues related to workforce transitions. Within a social cognitive career theory framework (SCCT), this qualitative study explored what career building means to Asian American immigrant community college students in Nebraska. Asian Americans in community colleges are typically …

Adverse Childhood Experiences (Aces) And Timely Bachelor's Degree Attainment, Carolina Otero

Theses and Dissertations

It is well established that adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are linked to health and emotional outcomes. But less is known about the relationship between ACEs and educational attainment—a potentially important feature of educational stratification in America. Using the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (Add Health), a nationally representative youth study of 7-12th grade students in the 1994-95 school year, I investigate whether ACEs is linked to post-secondary attainment and examine the role of health and socio-emotional factors as mediators. Results confirm that there is a graded relationship between ACEs and timely bachelor's degree attainment. I find that …

Chronic Hippocampal Abnormalities And Blunted Hpa Axis In An Animal Model Of Repeated Unpredictable Stress, Moustafa Algamal, Joseph O. Ojo, Carlyn P. Lungmus, Phillip Muza, Constance Cammarata, Margaret J. Owens, Benoit C. Mouzon, David M. Diamond, Michael Mullan, Fiona Crawford

Psychology Faculty Publications

Incidence of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) ranges from 3 to 30% in individuals exposed to traumatic events, with the highest prevalence in groups exposed to combat, torture, or rape. To date, only a few FDA approved drugs are available to treat PTSD, which only offer symptomatic relief and variable efficacy. There is, therefore, an urgent need to explore new concepts regarding the biological responses causing PTSD. Animal models are an appropriate platform for conducting such studies. Herein, we examined the chronic behavioral and neurobiological effects of repeated unpredictable stress (RUS) in a mouse model. 12 weeks-old C57BL/6J male mice were …

Principles Of Physics I (Ga Southern), William Baird, Jeffery Secrest

Physics and Astronomy Grants Collections

This Grants Collection for Principles of Physics I was created under a Round Ten ALG Textbook Transformation Grant.

Affordable Learning Georgia Grants Collections are intended to provide faculty with the frameworks to quickly implement or revise the same materials as a Textbook Transformation Grants team, along with the aims and lessons learned from project teams during the implementation process.

Documents are in .pdf format, with a separate .docx (Word) version available for download. Each collection contains the following materials:

• Linked Syllabus
• Initial Proposal
• Final Report

Research & Strategic Partnerships: Quarterly Review, Volume 5, Issue 1, Portland State University. Research & Strategic Partnerships

Portland State Research Magazine

This issue of the Research Review highlights some of the research PSU faculty and students are exploring:

• How microplastics and chemicals used in forest management regimes affect species living in the state’s estuarine and nearshore environments;
• Whether we can store thermal energy generated during the summer months in saline aquifers deep below the region for use during the winter;
• How community partnerships at Southeast Portland’s Earl Boyles Elementary School can improve school readiness and achievement;
• How much food Oregonians waste and why;
• Historical patterns of housing discrimination in the city, and
• How to launch a nanosatellite that will support STEM …

A Note On Sum, Difference, Product And Ratio Of Kumaraswamy Random Variables, Avishek Mallick, Indranil Ghosh, Gholamhossein G. Hamedani

Mathematics, Statistics and Computer Science Faculty Research and Publications

Explicit expressions for the densities of S = X₁ + X₂ , D = X₁ − X₂ , P = X₁X₂ and R= X₁/X₂ are derived when X₁ and X₂ are independent or sub-independent Kumaraswamy random variables. The expressions appear to involve the incomplete gamma functions. Some possible real life scenarios are mentioned in which such quantities might be of interest.

Children’S Connectedness To Nature And Parental Influence: A Mixed Methods Survey, Meredith Yue

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations

I conducted a mixed method survey to focus on the question, “What are the ways parents positively shape their children’s connectedness to nature?” There is a national phenomenon on the disconnect between children and the natural world, coined as the “nature deficit disorder.” This disorder has been linked to an increase in obesity, mental health, attention disorders and the overall well-being of children. I administered a quantitative survey for children to measure their connectedness to nature as well as a qualitative survey of parents to gather in-depth information to capture the richness of the nature experience that happens at home. …

Can Engagement In The Natural Environment Reduce Stress In Gifted Students, Elizabeth Gluck

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations

The research question addressed what defines a gifted student, how gifted students process the senses, definitions of the natural world and engagement, and the intricacies of gifted emotions. Dabrowski identified that gifted students may have overexcitabilities which indicate heightened ability to respond to sensory stimuli. Influential studies included Keniger’s research on stress reduction through intentional interaction with the natural world, and Han’s research on impact of emotions through interaction with the natural world. The author used a Convergent Parallel Mixed Method Design and designed tools to capture qualitative and quantitative data through three different experiences. The author’s research concluded that …

Barriers To Becoming Lake People: Social Equity And Environmental Justice In Muskegon Lake South Shoreline Access, Kelly A. Parker

Environmental and Sustainability Studies Undergraduate Projects

In Winter 2018, eleven students in the GVSU course ENS 401: Environmental Problem Solv-ing played the role of consultants for community partner Viability Lab, LLC, which had de-veloped a grant application titled ShoreLiveCity. A central feature of the ShoreLiveCity project was to improve social equity and environmental justice in access to the Muskegon Lake south shoreline. Historically, such access has been severely restricted for residents in the nearby Nel-son and Nims neighborhoods. ShoreLiveCity proposed to use the Circles of Sustainability planning and implementation framework (2018) to improve access along approximately 500 yards of publicly owned shoreline adjacent to the neighborhoods. …

Fathers’ Experiences Of Their Child’S Life Limiting Condition: An Attachment Narrative Perspective, Rudi Dallos, - Pearce O Bailey, Jacqui Stedmon

More Faculty of Health Research

No abstract provided.

Characteristics And Applications Of Biochars Derived From Wastewater Solids, Zhongzhe Liu, Simcha L. Singer, Yiran Tong, Lee Kimball, Erik Anderson, Matthew Hughes, Daniel Zitomer, Patrick J. Mcnamara

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

Pyrolysis is a thermochemical decomposition process that can be used to generate pyrolysis gas (py-gas), bio-oil, and biochar as well as energy from biomass. Biomass from agricultural waste and other plant-based materials has been the predominant pyrolysis research focus. Water resource recovery facilities also produce biomass, referred to as wastewater solids, that could be a viable pyrolysis feedstock. Water resource recovery facilities are central collection and production sites for wastewater solids. While the utilization of biochar from a variety of biomass types has been extensively studied, the utilization of wastewater biochars has not been reviewed in detail. This review compares …

Transformations, College Of Arts, Humanities And Social Sciences, University Marketing And Communications

Transformations

Table of Contents
[Page] 2 Name Changes but Much Stays the Same
[Page] 6 Dean for the Day
[Page] 9 Amada Named Stuart Artist-in-Residence
[Page] 10 The New PAC: Where Town Meets Gown
[Page] 12 Two Departments form the School of Communication and Journalism
[Page] 14 Journalism Accreditation, Lyle Olson
[Page] 15 Harding Hall
[Page] 16 Creating Furniture
[Page] 19 Fellowship in Israel
[Page] 20 Patel Earns All-American Honors
[Page] 21 Society of Physics Students
[Page] 22 State's 10th Goldwater Scholar
[Page] 23 Diekhoff Wins Competition
[Page] 24 Passive House
[Page] 27 Military Friendly School Honor
[Page] 28 Dance and …

Modification Of Diet And Foraging Range By Harvester Ants In Response To Altered Seed Availability, Ian C. Robertson, Matthew S. Schmasow

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Food collection is a critical component of an individual’s life, and for eusocial insects, the colony that individual foragers support and maintain. Changes to the distribution and composition of food types in the environment are expected influence diet selection if the economics of foraging are altered. For seed-harvesting ants, the abundance and composition of seed types available on the ground typically shows a high degree of spatial and temporal variability, and not all types of seed are equally valued by foragers. We evaluated the response of Owyhee harvester ants (Pogonomyrmex salinus) to reductions in the availability of Sandberg …

Students As Partners In The Scholarship Of Teaching And Learning, Kevin M. Bonney

International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching & Learning

This essay reflects upon lessons learning from engaging students as partners in

the scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL). The project described here aimed to engage undergraduate students in SoTL research-based learning using the case study teaching method. Student partners were actively involved in synthesis of original case studies for teaching undergraduate biology, publishing and presenting this work to the public, and designing a research study to assess the effectiveness of case study teaching. Although largely successful, a number of challenges involving communication issues, time constraints, and project management were encountered. Based on the lessons learned from working through these …

The Wolf In Charity's Clothing: Behavioral Economics And The Case For Donor-Advised Fund Reform, Ann Charles Watts

University of Dayton Law Review

No abstract provided.

Functional Polymorphisms Of Alcohol Metabolism Genes And Their Protection Against Alcoholism Via Gene Therapy: A Systematic Review, Olivia Tzeng

Psychological Science Undergraduate Honors Theses

Around 45% of East Asians are unable to fully metabolize ethanol due to functional

polymorphisms of alcohol metabolism genes, specifically alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) and aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH). These individuals display high levels of toxic blood acetaldehyde when consuming alcohol, causing symptoms such as tachycardia, vomiting, and flushing. The studies included in this review examine how functional polymorphisms of ADH and ALDH protect against alcoholism in addition to how polymorphisms can be utilized as protection against alcoholism via gene therapy. The studies included found that carriers of the ADH and ALDH polymorphisms were 66 to 99% genetically protected against alcoholism. Through …

Learn To Conserve: The Effects Of In-School Energy Education On At-Home Electricity Consumption, Carrie Gill, Corey Lang

Environmental and Natural Resource Economics Faculty Publications

Environmental education for school students, including lessons on recycling, water conservation, and energy reduction, is a popular measure aimed at increasing environmental knowledge, promoting environmental attitudes, and increasing pro-environmental behaviors. Despite the prevalence of such education, there is little empirical evidence to support the efficacy of these programs on tangible outcomes outside of school. This paper contributes an empirical analysis of a series of energy lessons in the United States. Using a differences-in-differences approach with a rich panel data set, we find evidence for short-term reductions on the order of eight percent in electricity use the day of a lesson …

Functional Imaging Connectome Of The Human Brain And Its Associations With Biological And Behavioral Characteristics, Chao Zhang

Theses

Functional connectome of the human brain explores the temporal associations of different brain regions. Functional connectivity (FC) measures derived from resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rfMRI) characterize the brain network at rest and studies have shown that rfMRI FC is closely related to individual subject's biological and behavioral measures. In this thesis we investigate a large rfMRI dataset from the Human Connectome Project (HCP) and utilize statistical methods to facilitate the understanding of fundamental FC-behavior associations of the human brain. Our studies include reliability analysis of FC statistics, demonstration of FC spatial patterns, and predictive analysis of individual biological …

Strategies For Managing Soil Fertility And Health In Organic Orchards - A Fact Sheet, E.O. Thomsen, C.M. Culumber, J.R. Reeve, G. Cardon, D. Alston, B.L. Black, C.V. Ransom

All Current Publications

This fact sheet is a report of research to provide fruit growers with locally adapted advice and solutions for managing soil fertility in certified organic stone-fruits.It includes information of transitioning to organic management; building soil organic matter and providing appropriate nutrients, including phosphorus, potassium, seconary nutrients and trace elements; soil testing; cover crops; mulches; and possible organic management systems.

Oregon's Manila Galleon, Cameron La Follette, Douglas Deur, Dennis Griffin, Scott S. Williams

Anthropology Faculty Publications and Presentations

For two centuries, physical evidence of a vast shipwreck, including beeswax and Chinese porcelain, has washed ashore in the Nehalem Spit area on the north coast of Oregon. The story of the wreck has been “shrouded by time, speculation, and surprisingly rich and often contradictory Euro-American folklore.” In this introduction to the Oregon Historical Quarterly's special issue, “Oregon's Manila Galleon,” authors Cameron La Follette, Douglas Deur, Dennis Griffin, and Scott S. Williams summarize the rich archival findings and archaeological evidence that points to the Santo Cristo de Burgos, a Manila galleon owned by the kingdom of Spain and bringing …

Views Across The Pacific: The Galleon Trade And Its Traces In Oregon, Cameron La Follette, Douglas Deur

Anthropology Faculty Publications and Presentations

From 1565 to 1815, Manila galleons such as the Santo Cristo de Burgos — the ship now thought to be the seventeenth century “Beeswax Wreck” that sank or ran aground near Nehalem Spit in Oregon — followed a 12,000-mile route from the Philippines through the stormy North Pacific, sometimes passing parallel to what is now the north Oregon coast, before reaching their destination in Acapulco, Mexico. The galleons were a central part of Spain's complex international commerce system, transporting people and Asian goods around the world. In this article, Cameron La Follette and Douglas Deur discuss the Spanish empire and …

Quantifying The Effects Of Freeze-Thaw Transitions And Snowpack Melt On Land Surface Albedo And Energy Exchange Over Alaska And Western Canada, Youngwook Kim, John S. Kimball, Jinyang Du, Crystal L.B. Schaaf, Peter B. Kirchner

Numerical Terradynamic Simulation Group Publications

Variations in land surface albedo and snow-cover strongly impact the global biosphere, particularly through the snow-albedo feedback on climate. The seasonal freeze-thaw (FT) transition is coupled with snowpack melt dynamics and strongly impacts surface water mobility and the energy budget in the northern (≥45°N) arctic and boreal region (ABR). However, understanding of the regional variation in snowmelt and its effect on the surface energy budget are limited due to sparse in situ measurements of these processes and environmental constraints on effective monitoring within the ABR. In this study, we combined synergistic observations from overlapping satellite optical-infrared and microwave sensor records …

Balanced Judicial Realism In The Service Of Justice: Judge Richard D. Cudahy, Elizabeth Mertz, Cynthia Grant Bowman

Cornell Law Faculty Publications

There is a quiet irony to be found in scholarly writings about the judiciary, which often center around high-profile jurists selected as the “great” judges. But there are great judges who do not receive or even want such widespread recognition, and who do not discuss their philosophy of judging—they simply focus on the job in front of them. Judges who operate with humility can often be very quiet about their legacies—brushing the issue off, as if uncomfortable with the attention. Anyone who knew Judge Richard D. Cudahy of the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit will recognize …

Llusd Articulator - Volume 29, Number 2, Loma Linda University School Of Dentistry

Articulator (Dentistry)

Contents:

4 | Good news for 2019 and beyond
9 | New Center for Computer Aided Digital Design
12 | Tord Lundgren’s multifaceted career
16 | LLUSD’s 62nd conferring of degrees
20 | Servants of service: the improbable journey of Yiming Li and Wu Zhang
28 | Student Achievement Awards
39 | NASDAD grateful for 75 years
44 | Dental hygiene students published

Isotopic And Geochemical Analysis Of Nitrate Contaminated Groundwater In Edgar, Nebraska, Nathan Roddy

Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

High nitrate concentrations in the groundwater beneath Edgar, Nebraska have been measured for well over a decade, exceeding the EPA’s MCL of 10 mg-N/L. Investigating the isotopic signature of nitrate and groundwater have determined the likely source(s) of contamination. Apparent seasonal changes exists in nitrate concentration, isotope ratios, and geochemistry, suggesting that sources and flow paths change as a result of irrigation. Samples collected in December and May had very similar nitrate concentrations (average value of 13.7 mg-N/L) and isotopic ratios (δ¹⁵N 4.46‰ and δ¹⁸O-NO₃ 20.21‰), suggesting synthetic nitrate fertilizers are the major source of …

Assessment Of The Ponderosa Woodlands In Nebraska's Wildcat Hills: Implications For Juniperus Encroachment And Management, Allie Victoria Schiltmeyer

School of Natural Resources: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) is a dominant tree species across western North America. Its eastern distribution includes three populations in western Nebraska. This study assesses the distribution, structure and age of ponderosa pine woodlands in one of those regions, the Wildcat Hills. The Wildcat Hills have escaped severe wildfires seen in recent decades in other ponderosa pine regions. Nevertheless, the Wildcat Hills woodlands face multiple threats including climate change, wildfire, drought, pine beetles, and invasive species. Key to these threats is the stand structure of pine woodlands, which have increased in density across much of ponderosa pine’s range. …