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Water Current, Volume 57, No. 2, Summer 2025

Water Current Newsletter

No abstract provided.

Literature Review Of Reverse Electrodialysis Technoeconomic And Environmental Analysis, Kevin Allen Wear

Water Resources Science and Technology Theses and Graduate Research Reports (Archived)

This thesis presents a theoretical analysis of Reverse Electrodialysis (RED) for electricity generation using produced water—a high-salinity byproduct from oil and gas extraction. Drawing from over seventy peer-reviewed studies, this research explores the potential of RED as a sustainable energy solution for industrial wastewater streams. Chapter 1 outlines the environmental and economic implications of produced water. Chapter 2 reviews ion transport theories and membrane technologies. Chapter 3 evaluates past implementations of RED and related membrane systems. Chapter 4 delivers a comprehensive synthesis of current literature, modeling RED performance under realworld salinity gradients, ion compositions, and membrane constraints. Chapter 5 discusses …

The Influence Of Human Presence And Footprint On Animal Space Use In Us National Parks, Kaitlyn M. Gaynor, Forest P. Hayes, Kezia Manlove, Nathan Galloway, John F. Benson, Michael J. Cherry, Rolf O. Peterson, Sarah Hoy, John Vucetich, Et Al.

Michigan Tech Publications

Given the importance of protected areas for biodiversity, the growth of visitation to many areas has raised concerns about the effects of humans on wildlife. In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic led to temporary closure of national parks in the United States, offering a pseudonatural experiment to tease apart the effects of permanent infrastructure and transient human presence on animals. We compiled GPS tracking data from 229 individuals of 10 mammal species in 14 parks and used third-order hierarchical resource selection functions to evaluate the influence of the human footprint on animal space use in 2019 and 2020. Averaged across all …

Native Seed Scoop, 2025 Summer Edition, University Of Northern Iowa. Tallgrass Prairie Center.

Native Seed Scoop

Contents:

--- Upcoming Events
--- TPC at 2025 National Native Seed Conference
--- Regional and National Partnerships
--- 2025 Iowa Native Seed Meeting
--- New Species in Production
--- A Scoop of Science

The Greenbook, Faculty Handbook, 2025-2026, Marshall University Academic Affairs

The Greenbook

This book has been published for the faculty of Marshall University for the specified period of time. This book was created by Academic Affairs and is for the period of 2025-2026.

Soil Health In Nebraska: Exploring Practitioners' Needs And Insights From A Long-Term Organic Farm, Ingrids Isabel Mata Vigil

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Soil health is foundational to sustainable agriculture, environmental resilience, and long-term food security. Yet, the adoption of soil health assessments remains limited, often perceived as too technical, costly, or difficult to implement in real-world contexts. To better understand these challenges, the first chapter presents findings from a statewide survey of 41 soil health practitioners in Nebraska, including farmers, extension educators, NRCS staff, and conservation professionals. Respondents highlighted the need for simpler, more accessible, and context-specific tools for soil health assessment that help practitioners make informed decisions aligned with their management goals. Complementing these insights, the second chapter includes an independent, …

Evaluating The Effects Of Row Spacing, Legume Intercropping, Fertilizer Source, And Fertilizer Timing On Intermediate Wheatgrass In Eastern Nebraska, Madeline M. Johnston

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Kernza^® is the trademarked name of the perennial crop intermediate wheatgrass (Thinopyrum intermedium). In addition to its potential for dual-use as a grain and forage crop, Kernza is marketed to provide needed environmental services by increasing crop biodiversity, sequestering soil carbon, and reducing nitrate leaching. However, more work is needed in cultivar selection and crop management to increase total grain yields and prevent long-term grain yield decline. Furthermore, research in quantifying and understanding Kernza’s ability to affect soil properties and water dynamics is limited.

Two field experiments were conducted at the Eastern Nebraska Research Extension and Education …

Evaluating Biodegradable Mulch As A Soil Conservation Tool And The Impact On Soil Properties And Yield In Soybean (Glycine Max) Cropping Systems In Eastern Nebraska, Ana Clara Gomes

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This study, conducted during the 2024 growing season, evaluated short-term effects of soil management practices on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, soil microclimate, nitrogen dynamics, weed suppression, and soybean (Glycine max) yield. In addition to conventional tillage and no-till, this research included cereal rye (Secale cereale) cover cropping and a novel sprayable biodegradable mulch (BioWRAP®) to assess emerging strategies for sustainable soybean systems under contrasting moisture regimes.

Field trials were established at two eastern Nebraska locations: Havelock (dryland, silty clay loam) and ENREEC (irrigated, clay loam). A strip-block randomized design with four replications tested six soil management …

Three-Dimensional Printed Swabs For Diagnostic Testing, Summer J. Decker, Jonathan Ford, Todd Hazelton, Todd Goldstein, Kami Kim, Michael Teng, John Sinnott

USF Patents

A three-dimensional printed swab may include a shaft defining a longitudinal axis of the swab, and a tip portion integrally formed with the shaft. The tip portion may include a plurality of protrusions each extending outward from the shaft and transverse to the longitudinal axis. A method for fabricating a three-dimensional printed swab may include receiving a digital three-dimensional model corresponding to the swab, and integrally forming, via three-dimensional printing and based at least in part on the digital three-dimensional model, a shaft and a tip portion of the swab. The shaft may define a longitudinal axis of the swab. …

Juvenile White Sharks In Monterey Bay: Effects Of Thermal Habitat Patchiness On Local Densities Of A Novel Range Shifting Predator, Kelsey H. Montalto

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Climate change has shifted species' distributional ranges in many marine and terrestrial systems. For marine species, those shifts in ranges associated with ocean warming are often poleward or into deeper waters. Juvenile white sharks (Carcharodon carcharias) are one such species, having exhibited a 270 km range shift of the cold edge of their thermal range extending northward to the Monterey Bay. However, little is known about the fine-scale habitat selection of marine organisms at the cold edge of their shifting range and how localized thermal gradients or warm pools may permit persistence in these newly inhabited locations. The Monterey Bay …

Grazing On The Early Life History Stages Of Macrocystis Pyrifera By The Purple Sea Urchin Strongylocentrotus Purpuratus, Sloane Lofy

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

In California, recent large-scale declines in kelp forest cover, the formation of sea urchin barrens, and the subsequent biodiversity loss have heightened the need to further investigate mechanisms of kelp forest recovery and sea urchin barren dynamics. To better understand the kelp recruitment potential of these deforested areas it is important to determine the effect sea urchins have on the microscopic portion of the kelp lifecycle and if a size refuge exists. Laboratory studies were used to examine the effect of the purple sea urchin Strongylocentrotus purpuratus on the density, percent cover and reproductive output for three microscopic stages of …

Unveiling Dynamics Of The Monterey Bay Upwelling Shadow Front: Insights From Dorado Auv Time Series, Kieran R. Claassen

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

This thesis investigates the fine-scale dynamics of the Monterey Bay upwelling shadow front by integrating autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) observations with environmental DNA (eDNA) analysis. Using a clustering technique on temperature-salinity profiles from 29 missions, I identified distinct water masses that consistently reflected seasonal and spatial hydrographic structure. Phytoplankton communities, resolved via eDNA and robust Aitchison Principal Component Analysis (PCA), exhibited clear seasonal transitions-from diatom-dominated assemblages during peak upwelling to dinoflagellate-enriched communities in warm, stratified shadow waters in the fall. Case studies during sustained upwelling revealed front-associated differences in community composition, supported by ordination and statistical testing. Notably, t-tests comparing …

Exploring Subfield Interest Development In Undergraduate Physics Students Through Social Cognitive Career Theory, Dina Zohrabi Alaee, Benjamin M. Zwickl

Physics and Engineering Science

This study investigates how undergraduate physics majors develop an interest in specific subfields. We examine interest formation through the lens of social cognitive career theory (SCCT) using four SCCT constructs: learning experiences, self-efficacy, outcome expectations, and proximal environmental influences. We conducted 27 interviews with physics majors across multiple years of study between 2020 and 2022. Our first research question used SCCT constructs to provide detailed insights into factors affecting interest formation in various subfields of physics. We identified many factors that positively impacted students’ interests, such as positive learning experiences (e.g., coursework, experimental projects, extracurricular clubs, and self-directed learning), high …

Fisheries Research Report No. 352: Boat-Based Recreational Fishing In Western Australia 2023/24, Karina L. Ryan, Eva K. Lai, Claire B. Smallwood, Alissa Tate

Fisheries Research Reports

The integrated survey of boat-based recreational fishing includes three components: off-site phone surveys (encompassing an initial screening survey, a longitudinal phone-diary survey, and post-enumeration surveys), on-site boat ramp surveys and remote camera surveys. The recent phone-diary survey from September 2023 to August 2024 (inclusive) provides comparisons with previous surveys in 2020/21 (September 2020 to August 2021), 2017/18 (September 2017 to August 2018), 2015/16 (September 2015 to August 2016), 2013/14 (May 2013 to April 2014) and 2011/12 (March 2011 to February 2012).

Dendrochronology: Understanding Hydroclimate In The Eastern Himalaya, Solvej Lee, Alex Witten

Nepal: Geoscience in the Himalaya

Considering the challenges of climate change, it is imperative to understand hydroclimate variability in sensitive regions around the world, such as the Himalayas. Proxies such as lake cores, speleothems, dendrochronology, and others help provide high-resolution data on paleoclimatic conditions. Dendrochronology provides an ideal proxy for understanding recent hydroclimatic conditions. The data it provides is exceptional due to the cyclical and highly sensitive nature of tree rings. While the western and central Nepal Himalaya have been analyzed using these methods, sections of the eastern Nepal Himalaya have yet to be observed. In this study, we aim to close this knowledge gap …

Benedictine Art And Design: How Color Psychology Can Positively Influence Department Enrollment, Claire Pauline Fink

Theses

This thesis examines how design strategies informed by color psychology and experimental aesthetics can be used to strengthen the visual identity and recruitment efforts of the Benedictine College Art & Design Department (BCAD). Following the recent addition of Graphic Design as a major and the department’s name change in 2021, there has been a noticeable gap in public awareness and printed promotional materials tailored to prospective students. Grounded in theoretical frameworks, such as D. E. Berlyne’s optimal arousal theory, and supported by survey responses from current Art & Design students, this project identifies key needs in marketing to prospective students. …

Through A Mother's Eyes: The Psychology Of Color, Katie Kutz

Theses

This project investigates the intersection of color psychology, maternal experience, and visual perception through a series of five artworks. Using a qualitative methodology, this project draws upon interdisciplinary research such as neuroscience, marketing, art history, and personal experiences as a mother. This work explores how sensory changes during pregnancy and postpartum influence the emotional perception of color, and how this can be represented in art. Inspired by artists that have explored the theme of motherhood such as Mary Cassatt, Käthe Kollwitz, Paula Modersohn-Becker, Jenny Saville, and Alice Neel, this project uses an emotionally charged approach to depicting motherhood. Color changing …

Racial Capitalism, Neocolonial Wealth Transfer, And Canadian International Student Policy, Vincent Wong, Arman Sohi

Dalhousie Law Journal

This paper examines historical and contemporary trends in Canadian international student policy through the lens of racial capitalism, arguing that current policy facilitates a significant neocolonial wealth transfer from Global South families to Canada through processes of expropriation, exploitation, and expulsion. It argues that discriminatory tuition fees effectively function as “education head taxes”, which extract billions of dollars annually from international students. Meanwhile, “gauntlets” to permanent residency have emerged in an immigration landscape where working class migrants have narrower options to regularize, creating a system of labour exploitation where student-labourers face precarious conditions and structural indebtedness. Finally, the constant threat …

Occupancy Sampling To Examine Spatial Distribution Of Oklahoma Salamanders (Eurycea Tynerensis) Among Headwater Streams In The Ozark Highlands, Sophia Anreder

Biological Sciences Undergraduate Honors Theses

Water conditions are changing globally due to climate change (Gleick, 1989). Headwater streams specifically are vulnerable to changes in hydrology, water quality, and physical characteristics from anthropogenic practices due to their small watersheds with shallow soils, yet they are often not a priority in conservation (Campbell et al., 2011; Abell et al., 2017). Within streams, plethodontid (i.e., lungless) salamanders, which are also sensitive to environmental changes, may be restricted in their distribution due to undefined stream characteristics and predation by fish (Welsh and Droege, 2002; Kuhajda et al., 2015). To better understand the pressures that influence stream salamander occupancy, I …

July 2025 Louisiana Bar Exam, Louisiana Supreme Court Committee On Bar Admissions

Louisiana Bar Exams

No abstract provided.

The Methane Clumped Isotope Signatures Of The Acetoclastic And Methylotrophic Methanogenesis Pathways, Mia L. Thompson

Dartmouth College Master’s Theses

Methane is a potent greenhouse gas and critical energy source for the global economy. Atmospheric methane concentrations play a critical role in global warming, while mitigating methane emissions may provide route to short-term reduction of warming effects. In order to track rates and sources of emissions, it is first necessary to understand the sources and sinks of methane; yet, there are challenges in distinguishing abiotic (water/rock), thermogenic, and biogenic methane. Traditional approaches of using the bulk isotopes of carbon (δ¹³C) and hydrogen (δD) of methane have limitations due to overlapping signatures and sensitivity to substrate isotope composition. In …

Experimental Analysis Of Satellite Operator Training Using Game-Based Virtual Reality Simulation, Lana Laskey

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

Satellite data plays a vital role in modern global infrastructure by enabling communications, navigation, and weather forecasting. As demand for satellite technology grows, so does the need for highly trained satellite ground operators. Traditional training regimens for satellite operators employ simulation using two-dimensional computer console displays paired with the varied ability of trainees to generate abstract mental imagery of the scenario. However, this development of mental imagery imposes a considerable learning curve and cognitive workload on the trainee, which may negatively impact the user experience and knowledge gained during the training scenario.

This experimental study investigated the effects of game-based …

Effect Of Vehicular Electrification On Transportation Emissions In Florida, Shreya Sapkota Dhakal

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

Vehicular emissions from fuel-based passenger cars emit an array of gases and particles that are detrimental for human health and the environment. In that regard, electric vehicles (EVs) present a viable, sustainable solution. This study investigated the impact of electrification of passenger cars on air quality in Florida, in five major urban counties namely Miami-Dade, Duval, Hillsborough, Orange, and Leon. Between 2018 and 2022, these counties experienced a significant increase of 219.50 ± 52.32% in EV adoption, coupled with a 11.55 ± 6.13% decrease in fuel-based vehicle usage. Herein, we characterize five pollutants primarily generated from fuel-based passenger vehicles- carbon …

Aircraft Bird Strike Risk Prediction Using Machine Learning And Analytic Hierarchy Process, Jason Anthony Powell

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

To address the limitations of Next Generation Radar-based bird strike forecasting, this study modeled 12 spatiotemporal weather features from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration alongside bird strike risk using Long Short-Term Memory Recurrent Neural Network (LSTM-RNN), XGBoost regression tree, and Bayesian network algorithms. Five years of bird strike data from four geographically diverse airfields served as the target risk variable, categorized as low, moderate, or severe based on Department of the Air Force risk models. The ensemble model, which combines the LSTM-RNN and XGBoost regression algorithms, yielded the most accurate forecasts, achieving 80% to 93% accuracy across all airfields, …

Emerging Biomimetic Drug Delivery Nanoparticles Inspired By Extracellular Vesicles, Viswanathan Sundaram, Santosh Aryal

Pharmacy Faculty Publications and Presentations

Nanoparticles (NPs) made up of cellular components such as extracellular vesicles (EVs) with a biomimetic outlook have emerged as a revolutionary approach in nanomedicine, providing significant benefits for targeted drug administration, immunotherapy, monitoring therapeutic response, and diagnostic applications. Utilizing the distinctive characteristics of natural cell membranes, membrane proteins, and cellular contents, these biomimetic NPs acquire essential biological functions from their source and biogenesis, including immune evasion, extended circulation, and target recognition, rendering them optimal candidates for therapeutic applications. This review offers a comprehensive examination of the methodologies of EVs infused with synthetic.

Exploring Veteran And Non-Veteran Nursing Student Satisfaction Utilizing Marginality And Financial Stress, Juanita Nickols

Nursing Theses and Dissertations

It is widely recognized that there is a nursing shortage in the U.S. due to a growing aging population, nurses retiring, and a low nursing school capacity. Nursing schools can ameliorate part of this shortage by devising ways to increase nursing student success and graduation rates. This three-manuscript paper aims to present various ideas to help nursing schools in this endeavor. A relatively unstudied population is the veteran nursing student (VNS), the focus of this paper. The first chapter, Chapter 2: A Concept Analysis of Overload: Implications for Undergraduate Nursing Students Success, discusses the concept of overload so the …

She Speaks With Stars: Teacher Support For American Indian Students Who Are Gifted And Have Experienced Trauma, Tracy L. Olson

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations

Olson, T.L. She Speaks with Stars: Teacher Support for American Indian Students Who Are Gifted and Have Experienced Trauma. (2025)

This qualitative study utilized grounded theory analysis through the use of survey and interview to research how teachers support American Indian students who are gifted and have experienced trauma. The study focused on survey results as well as interviews of a selection of teachers from various grade levels, years of experience working with American Indian students, and roles in the educational system. The themes that emerged from the data illustrate the imperative need for more research into Native American students …

The Evaluation Of Anti-Factor Xa Levels In Hospitalised Patients Receiving Low Molecular Weight Heparin (Lmwh): A Prospective Study, Tandzile Thandwayinkosi Simelane

Master of Medicine in Clinical Pathology

Background 

Patients admitted to the hospital have been reported to have coagulation abnormalities due to various factors including immobilisation, preexisting disease, and current illness. The overall incidence of venous thromboembolism (VTE) in critically ill patients varies from 15% to well over 50%, even with the use of prophylactic measures in most patients. Low molecular weight heparin (LMWH) and unfractionated heparin (UFH) are the recommended drugs for VTE prophylaxis in inpatient care. Although not standardly recommended, the laboratory can offer monitoring of anti-Factor Xa using the gold standard method of chromogenic anti-Factor X assay. The anti-Factor Xa levels are notably affected …

Phylogenomic And Population Genomic Analyses Of Ultraconserved Elements Reveal Deep Coalescence And Introgression Shaped Diversification Patterns In Lamprologine Cichlids Of The Congo River, Fernando Alda, S. Elizabeth Alter, Naoko P. Kurata, Prosanta Chakrabarty, Melanie L J Stiassny

Biology, Agriculture and Chemistry Faculty Publications and Presentations

Understanding the drivers of diversification is a central goal in evolutionary biology but can be challenging when lineages radiate quickly and/or hybridize frequently. Cichlids in the tribe Lamprologini, an exceptionally diverse clade found in the Congo basin, exemplify these issues: their evolutionary history has been difficult to untangle with previous data sets, particularly with regard to river-dwelling lineages in the genus Lamprologus. This clade notably includes the only known blind and depigmented cichlid, Lamprologus lethops. Here, we reconstructed the evolutionary, population, and biogeographic history of a Lamprologus clade from the Congo River by leveraging genomic data and sampling over 50 …

Project-Based Learning Vs Traditional Teaching Methods, James Kingsley

Master's Theses & Capstone Projects

This study explored how teachers compare Project-Based Learning (PBL) with traditional teaching methods in elementary classrooms. Many schools today still rely heavily on lectures, worksheets, and test-based instruction, which can leave students feeling disconnected and unmotivated. This research began with the problem that students often lose interest in learning when it feels disconnected from the real world. The purpose of this study was to better understand teacher's perspectives on PBL and whether they believe it increases student engagement, learning, and life skills. Using a mixed-methods survey with both multiple choice and open-ended questions, the study gathered responses from elementary educators …