THE FEASIBILITY OF WETLAND RESTORATION TO REDUCE FLOODING IN THE RED RIVER VALLEY: A CASE STUDY OF THE MAPLE RIVER WATERSHED, NORTH DAKOTA

The economic feasibility of alternative wetland restoration activities to store water and reduce flood damage was evaluated in the Maple River Watershed, North Dakota, a sub-watershed of the Red River of the North Watershed. The evaluation was based on recent hydrologic modeling and wetland restoration studies, the National Wetland Inventory, local land rental values, and site-specific historical flood damage. With benefit-cost ratios ranging from 0.08 to 0.13, neither simple wetland restoration based on plugging existing drains, nor restoration with outlet control devices, nor complete restoration intended to provide a full range of wetland-based environmental services were economically feasible over a 20-year future period. Peak flood stages and flood damage would need to be reduced by between 4 and 12 percent in order for wetland restoration options to break even. The inclusion of additional wetland benefits did not make wetland restoration economically feasible. It is, therefore, not recommended that public funds be used for extensive wetland restoration projects throughout the Maple River Watershed or the Red River Valley in order to reduce flood damage.Economic feasibility, wetland restoration, flooding, Red River Valley, Land Economics/Use,

Observer and Particle Transformations and Newton's Laws

A frequently confused point in studies of symmetry violation is the distinction between observer and particle transformations. In this work, we consider a model in which a coefficient in the Standard-Model Extension leads to violations of rotation invariance in Newton's second law. The model highlights the distinction between observer and particle transformations.Comment: Presented at the Sixth Meeting on CPT and Lorentz Symmetry, Bloomington, Indiana, June 17-21, 201

Experimental and materials considerations for the topological superconducting state in electron and hole doped semiconductors: searching for non-Abelian Majorana modes in 1D nanowires and 2D heterostructures

In proximity to an s-wave superconductor, a one- or two-dimensional, electron- or hole-doped semiconductor with a sizable spin-orbit coupling and a Zeeman splitting can support a topological superconducting (TS) state. The semiconductor TS state has Majorana fermions as localized zero-energy excitations at order parameter defects such as vortices and sample edges. Here we examine the effects of quenched disorder from the semiconductor surface on the stability of the TS state in both electron- and hole-doped semiconductors. By considering the interplay of broken time reversal symmetry (due to Zeeman splitting) and disorder we derive an expression for the disorder suppression of the superconducting quasiparticle gap in the TS state. We conclude that the effects of disorder can be minimized by increasing the ratio of the spin-orbit energy with the Zeeman splitting. By giving explicit numbers we show that a stable TS state is possible in both electron- and hole-doped semiconductors for experimentally realistic values of parameters. We discuss possible suitable semiconductor materials which should be the leading candidates for the Majorana search in solid state systems.Comment: 11 pages, 2 figures: v3 published versio

Antiferromagnetic Spinor Condensates are Quantum Rotors

We establish a theoretical correspondence between spin-one antiferromagnetic spinor condensates in an external magnetic field and quantum rotor models in an external potential. We show that the rotor model provides a conceptually clear picture of the possible phases and dynamical regimes of the antiferromagnetic condensate. We also show that this mapping simplifies calculations of the condensate's spectrum and wavefunctions. We use the rotor mapping to describe the different dynamical regimes recently observed in $^{23}$Na condensates. We also suggest a way to experimentally observe quantum mechanical effects (collapse and revival) in spinor condensates.Comment: minor revisions. some typos correcte

Assessment of North Dakota's State and Local Tax Burden with Statistical Appendix

Public Economics,

SOURCES OF INFORMATION FOR COMMERCIAL FARMS: USEFULNESS OF MEDIA AND PERSONAL SOURCES

The usefulness of several information sources is examined for U.S. farms with sales in excess of $100,000. The results indicate that crop/livestock-specific magazines and general farm magazines are the most useful information sources. Analyses indicate that the types and number of different commodities that the farm produced, as well as Internet use, are the most consistent predictors of attitudes toward various information sources. However, characteristics that explain attitudes toward different information sources vary substantially across the information sources considered.Farm Management,

THE USEFULNESS AND INFLUENCE OF INFORMATION SOURCES ON COMMERCIAL FARMS

The usefulness of several information sources is examined for U.S. farms with sales in excess of $100,000. The results indicate that crop/livestock-specific magazines and general farm magazines are the most useful information sources. Analyses indicate that the types and number of different commodities that the farm produced, as well as Internet use, are the most consistent predictors of attitudes toward various information sources. However, characteristics that explain attitudes toward different information sources vary substantially across the information sources.Farm Management,

Charter School Funding: Inequity in the City

Public charter schools are a growing part of K-12 education. Charter schools are public schools that are granted operational autonomy by their authorizing agency in return for a commitment to achieve specific performance goals. Like traditional public schools, charter schools are free to students and overseen by the state. Unlike traditional public schools, however, most charters are open to all students who wish to apply, regardless of where they live. If a charter school is over-subscribed, usually random lotteries determine which students will be admitted. Most charter schools are independent of the traditional public school district in which they operate

Inspiration for the Future: The Role of Inspiratory Muscle Training in Cystic Fibrosis.

Cystic fibrosis (CF) is an inherited, multi-system, life-limiting disease characterized by a progressive decline in lung function, which accounts for the majority of CF-related morbidity and mortality. Inspiratory muscle training (IMT) has been proposed as a rehabilitative strategy to treat respiratory impairments associated with CF. However, despite evidence of therapeutic benefits in healthy and other clinical populations, the routine application of IMT in CF can neither be supported nor refuted due to the paucity of methodologically rigorous research. Specifically, the interpretation of available studies regarding the efficacy of IMT in CF is hampered by methodological threats to internal and external validity. As such, it is important to highlight the inherent risk of bias that differences in patient characteristics, IMT protocols, and outcome measurements present when synthesizing this literature prior to making final clinical judgments. Future studies are required to identify the characteristics of individuals who may respond to IMT and determine whether the controlled application of IMT can elicit meaningful improvements in physiological and patient-centered clinical outcomes. Given the equivocal evidence regarding its efficacy, IMT should be utilized on a case-by-case basis with sound clinical reasoning, rather than simply dismissed, until a rigorous evidence-based consensus has been reached