Effectiveness of the Online Leave No Trace 101 Course

This study examined the effectiveness of the Leave No Trace Online 101 course in increasing participants\u27 knowledge and of Leave No Trace principles. Using a pre- and post-survey design, the study assessed changes in understanding through a combination of self-assessment and objective knowledge-based questions. The research aimed to determine whether the course successfully enhances environmental stewardship knowledge. Findings will inform future improvements to Leave No Trace educational programs and contribute to broader efforts in promoting responsible outdoor recreation

Analysis of guitar works and important materials used for informed performance

This paper provides a short analysis and important historical background on the works performed by the author in his Master\u27s Recital on May 4, 2023. The following pieces were chosen to exemplify the program\u27s different technical and musical complexity levels. The five works covered are John Dowland\u27s Lachrimae Pavan, Johann Sebastian Bach\u27s Prelude and Allemande from BWV 996, Mauro Giuliani\u27s Rossiniana n1, Miguel Llobet\u27s Canciones Populares Catalanas, and Sergio Assad\u27s Aquarelle. Dowland\u27s section aims to show general information about his life, the lute, and materials to support an informed performance for guitarists. Bach\u27s prelude and Allemande from the suite BWV 996 introduces one of the most used transcription editions for guitar, a brief introductory note about the movements, and considerations to be cognizant of. Chapter three is devoted to Giuliani\u27s Rossiniana, introducing an abstract about his life and relationship with Opera. This chapter is developed by explaining what aria and operas the piece was based on, summarizing the plot and its adaptation to the guitar. Chapter Four presents the sources related to Llobet\u27s arrangements, including the original lyrics and their translations from Catalan. It will also explore ways to relate the textual content to the music, offering interpretive insights and analytical commentary on Llobet\u27s arrangement choices. The paper concludes with a discussion of the scholars referenced throughout the analysis. It presents different practice approaches aimed at learning and internalizing the genres to effectively convey their stylistic characteristics within the piece

Argentina\u27s Working Class and Milei

This paper investigates the electoral success of Javier Milei through a focused study of Argentina’s working class, analyzing the interplay between long-term economic stagnation, declining relative economic freedom, and static labor union policy support. Employing process tracing methodology, and drawing on both qualitative and quantitative data, the paper supports a shift in utility-maximizing political preferences among workers. This shift is evidenced by diminished labor union membership and influence, alongside Milei’s major electoral success. The analysis accounts for potential confounding variables, including global economic trends and informal labor growth, ultimately isolating domestic political-economic dynamics as primary drivers of this transformation

The Feminine Perspective - Extended Program Notes

This research paper is an extension of the program notes to the master’s recital entitled The Feminine Perspective that was given on November 15, 2024. The selection of pieces that are analyzed and described were performed in the order reflected in this paper. All piece selections feature a female composer and/or poet/librettist. In each chapter, one can find the content of the composer’s biography, background to the set or piece, and an analysis of each piece. The recital program included the following pieces: Clara Schumann: Selections from Sechs Lieder aus Jucunde, Op. 23 (Nos. I, V, VI) Lucy Simon: “When the Music Played” from Dr. Zhivago Jocelyn Hagen: “To My Daughter, After a Fight” Jason Howland/Mindi Dickstein: “Days of Plenty” from Little Women Libby Larsen: Try Me, Good King Florence Price: Five Art Song

Skills Development in Hydrologic Sciences for Cohorts of Graduate Students from Morocco, Egypt, Türkiye, and Indonesia

In developing countries in Africa and Asia, meeting challenges of water scarcity and pollution has often been hampered by shortcomings in higher education, including insufficient research productivity and funding, lack of opportunity for university graduates, and a mismatch between university activities and societal needs. To address these issues, we developed novel programs integrating technical instruction and preparation for professional practice in hydrology for cohorts of graduate students from Morocco and Egypt (2012–2013) and from Türkiye and Indonesia (2013–2014). Students participated in an initial online course and a follow-up workshop featuring geographic information systems (GIS), remote sensing, and hydrologic modeling with internet-based data sets. Field activities in the USA (first cohort) and in the students’ home countries (second cohort) included stream gauging, measurement of water levels in wells, water sampling, and measurement of hydrochemical parameters. A subsequent online course focused on research ethics, preparing proposals and publications, and presenting findings to technical audiences and the public, culminating in presentations at conferences in the USA. Participants mentored other students at their home institutions and at K-12 schools in Türkiye and Indonesia. Participant feedback during and after the programs tended to be strongly positive, and participants have continued to engage with project leaders and mentor students in their home countries and the USA. Our modular, hybrid approach offers a template for students in hydrology and related fields to develop relevant skills and engage internationally

Pluvial Flood Damage Exposure in a Midwestern Metropolitan Watershed: Further Evidence of the Prevalence of Commercial Flood Risk

Previous research on flood damage risk is updated using expected annual damage estimates from a recent U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) feasibility study in the Papillion Creek Watershed, Omaha, Nebraska. Across the 500-year floodplain study area encompassing all of the stream reaches in the Watershed, only 25% of 3,587 buildings were risk free. Commercial buildings represent 44% of inventory yet generate 92% of risk, which is double the previously estimated commercial risk based on simplistic modelling. Risk varies by building type, with office and recreation/entertainment buildings generating the highest amount (17% each) followed by industrial (12%), retail and warehouses (both at 11%), and apartments (6%). Mean annual risk values for buildings range from $160 (mobile homes) to$90,152 (recreation/entertainment). Only 11% of buildings in the study area were constructed over the 2005 to 2019 period (after the use of accurate floodplain maps and active floodplain planning), but they generate half of total flood risk. Omaha Area floodplain managers should focus more on commercial building flood risk to reduce the need for costly flood mitigation efforts funded by taxpayers. This research should be replicated elsewhere using either similar USACE feasibility study data, the National Structure Inventory dataset in conjunction with HAZUS-MH flood risk modelling, and/or private sector data from the First Street Foundation

AN EXPERIMENTAL STUDY ON LARGE ACTION MODELS IN AUTOMATED STOCK MARKET PREDICTION

Stock market prediction remains a complex and dynamic challenge due to its vast dimensionality and intricate nature. This study focuses on the development of a predictive large action model using historical data for stock market analysis. Publicly accessible platforms such as Yahoo Finance were utilized to collect baseline historical data, while the python library, pandas-ta, was leveraged for computation of various technical indicators including variants of momentum oscillators, bollinger bands, and moving averages. The processed data was then used to train and evaluate the proposed model, with the goal of identifying patterns and trends within the stock price movements. Various machine learning techniques were explored to find the optimal solution for the highest predictive accuracy. The results highlight the potential of the model in providing accurate insights of a stock price\u27s future directional movement. This study contributes to the ongoing efforts made towards financial prediction by taking advantage of publicly accessible data and advanced computational methods

EFFECT OF TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY ON QUALITY OF LIFE

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) results from external events, such as falls and motor vehicle accidents leading to brain damage. This study investigated quality of life (QoL) in individuals with TBI and its relation to demographic and clinical variables, including gender, age, educational level, time since TBI onset, fatigue, depression and cognitive function. Twelve individuals with TBI participated in this cross-sectional study. Quality of life was assessed using Quality of Life after Brain Injury and ASHA Quality of Communication Life Scale measures. Fatigue was measured using the Fatigue Severity Scale, depression was measured with the Geriatric Depression Scale, and cognitive function was measured by the Cognitive Linguistic Quick Test. Results indicated a significant reduction in QoL, particularly in the domains of daily life and autonomy, social relationships and self-perception. Survivors with fatigue, depression and cognitive impairments reported lower QoL than those without these conditions. These findings underscore the importance of addressing these factors in rehabilitation to optimize recovery and improve overall well-being. Targeted interventions aimed at managing fatigue and depression, and improving cognitive function may enhance QoL outcomes in individuals with TBI

ILLINOIS ABANDONED MINE LANDS: POSSIBILITIES FOR SOURCING CRITICAL MINERALS IN COAL MINING WASTE

“Illinois Abandoned Mine Lands (AMLs): Possibilities for Sourcing Critical Minerals (CMs) in Coal Mining Waste (CMW)” uses three related studies to address whether a) coal mining waste has the potential to become a resource for REEs, b) how to estimate the amount of resources at each site, and c) the impact of the weathering processes on the minerals in the waste. It provides information to inform those who are interested in repurposing Illinois coal mining waste as an alternate REE source. The first study, “A Model for Identifying Resources and Hazardous Elements at Coal Mine Lands (CMLs) in Illinois,” builds upon prior research and proposes a generalized model for identifying Abandoned Mine Land (AML) waste sites with the most potential as an alternate rare earth element including Y (REE) and CM resource. It hypothesized that the association patterns of concentration levels exhibited by REEs and CMs will differ based on the material type of CMW. Thirty-nine solid and 30 liquid coal mining waste samples, collected within the Illinois Basin, were analyzed at labs using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICPS MS) and x-ray diffraction (XRD) for elemental geochemistry (26 elements), including REEs. The CMW materials were classified based on associations and correlations between REE contents and total organic carbon (TOC), used as a proxy for organic matter content, [Al + Si], used as a proxy for silicate content, and [Fe], used as a proxy for iron precipitate content. The first type of CMW, defined as high carbon refuse (HCR), represents materials that contain more than 40% wt. TOC, and [Al + Si] and [Fe] lower than 60%. The second type, medium carbon refuse (MCR), has between 10 wt% and 40 wt% TOC and [Al + Si] between 40 wt% and 60 wt% and [Fe] less than 10 wt%. The last category, the low carbon refuse (LCR) has TOC\u3c10% wt%. Within LCR, two additional categories are identified; namely, the silicate-rich coal refuse (SiCR) characterized by [Fe]/([Al]+[Si])\u3e2.0 and iron-rich coal refuse (FeCR) characterized by [Fe]/([Al]+[Si]) \u3c 2.0. Further statistical analysis investigated the relationships between refuse types and total rare earth elements (TREE) and the relationships between specific elements, including hazardous elements (US EPA, 2024) and TREE. The results indicated that SiCR is most likely to contain the highest amounts of REEs, along with Ni and Cu. FeCR is most associated with As, while HCR and MCR are mostly associated with Pb. The CMW classification model was successfully applied to two additional data sets, one using additional weathered surface coal waste and another using samples from an active mine and coal preparation site.The second chapter, “Calculation of Potential Rare Earth Elements in Illinois Coal Mine Waste,” applies a method for estimating the TREE contents in CMW piles by replacing the variables used in the industry-standard methodology for estimating petroleum with measurements more appropriate for solid CMW (element concentration, volume, and density) when the TREE concentration is known. A bootstrap simulation approach was used to analyze the concentration data reported in chapter three. CMW pile volume was estimated using the Trapezoidal Method (Tearpock and Bischke, 2022), and density was defined as estimated by Rozanski et al. (2019). The total amount of REEs of the pile (hill) was calculated by multiplying the simulated concentrations of the pile, the estimated pile density, and the estimated pile volume, then converting the final units of measure. This study demonstrated that Illinois CMW piles are a potential resource for REEs and other CMs. Although this study focused on REEs, it has the potential to be used in approximating amounts of other elements of interest or concern. The third chapter, “The Fate of Phosphates in Coal Mining Waste: A Study of Rare Earth Element Mobility in Silicon-rich Coal Refuse,” investigated the effects of the duration of weathering -- short versus long -- had on CMW, building upon the research of Hicks et al. (2020). Monazite, a rare earth element (REE)-bearing phosphate, specifically neodymium (Nd)- and cerium (Ce)-bearing phosphates, were analyzed using X-ray Fluorescence spectroscopy (XRF) and X-ray Absorption Near Edge Structure (XANES) to examine the effects of weathering on the integrity of the monazite crystalline structure and the amount of TREE content available when in SiCR-CMW type waste. The results demonstrated that sites with a longer weathering duration had monazite with more weathered features, and younger coal piles had a higher TREE with a greater concentration of intact monazite crystals. While other processes could have contributed to these patterns, including the age of the coal seam, biological processes, and hydrothermal activity, the most likely reason is the duration of CMW weathering by AMD. The main limitations of this study are the small sample size and the lack of diversity in site locations. Although it has limited generalizability, this study is a solid step forward in expanding on the work of Hicks et al. (2020) regarding the effects of weathering on phosphate minerals with implications for REEs in weathering CMW.Based on these three interrelated studies, this dissertation provided evidence that CMW from Illinois coal shows promise as a potential alternate source of REEs and other CMs. It identified four types of CMW materials and demonstrated that SiCR is the most likely to contain high amounts of REEs. It provided a methodology for estimating the total amount of an element or mineral based on concentration levels; volume, as estimated by the trapezoidal method (Tearpock and Bischke, 2022); and density. Finally, it explored monazite, a REE-bearing mineral commonly found in CMW, to determine if weathering duration, based on the time from mine closure to the date of sampling, impacts the amount of REEs available for reprocessing the harvested mineral. For monazite, the more recently the coal mine was closed, the less CMW is weathered, thereby retaining more REEs within the crystalline structure. In practice, interested parties can use this information to more efficiently determine whether the site should be further investigated to assess the potential of reprocessing CMW to harvest REEs and to guide strategy selection for REE extraction

Combined vs. Singular Chronic Predictable Stress: Behavioral and Neurobiological Outcomes

Stress is pervasive across species, and while acute stressors allow for the healthy adaptability of an organism, chronic stressors lead to worsened overall health and long-term prognosis. The current study examined the effects of combined chronic predictable early life stress models of maternal separation (MS) and limited bedding/nesting (LBN) during adolescence. Subjects were subjected to one of four early environmental manipulations (MS alone, LBN alone, MS & LBN combined, and standard rearing). Groups were further analyzed with respect to gender and each experimental group used 4-5 different liters from virgin dams to avoid non-specific effects due to liter. Pups were weighed at 3 post-natal time points (PND9, PND21, PND44) and their average weights per group were compared. The pups were tested upon reaching adolescence (PND35) on the elevated plus maze (EPM) and open field task (OF) for anxiety-like behavior (PND36), as well as in the Morris water maze (MWM) for spatial learning and memory (PND37-43). It was expected that the combined stressed subjects would display the most significant increase in anxiety-like behavior that would occur in addition to increased learning and memory deficits in the MWM. In the MWM, it was expected that the combined stress subjects would have longer latencies to the platform for both the training trials, as well as in the reversal trials. For the probe trial, these subjects were expected to have longer overall paths to the annulus, indicating worse memory for the initial platform location. Following the completion of behavioral testing, subjects were euthanized and adrenal and brain weights were taken. Similar what has been conventionally found following chronic stress, adrenal weights for the combined stress subjects were expected to be higher on average than the other three groups. It was anticipated that brain weights would not vary significantly. Following histological preparation, the hippocampus was analyzed for overall cell loss and microglial activity. It was anticipated that there would be no significant changes in the overall hippocampal volumes, but there would be increases in microglial cell in the hippocampal subareas (CA1/2, CA3, and dentate gyrus) in subjects exposed to combined early life stress models. Generally, the subjects in the combined experimental manipulation were expected to demonstrate significant behavioral impairments and histopathological changes. The findings of the current study did not support the hypotheses made prior. Notably, the group that received the MS manipulation alone demonstrated learning impairments in the MWM, and their behavioral deficits corresponded to an increased amount of microglial cell counts in the CA3 and DG areas