MEMORANDUM: Calibration of Great Bay Estuary Hydrodynamic Model and Incremental Nitrogen Estimation

This technical memorandum summarizes the completion of the calibration of a hydrodynamic model of the Great Bay Estuary System (GBES) originally started as part of the Squamscott River modeling study. The Squamscott River modeling study was discontinued when it was realized that excessive levels of algae in the Exeter wastewater lagoons discharge had a significant effect on Squamscott River water quality. Because Exeter plans to upgrade its wastewater treatment system and eliminate excessive algal levels in its effluent discharge, it was decided not to develop a hydrodynamic water quality model with Squamscott River water quality data that is so atypical and different than expected future river water quality after the Exeter wastewater treatment system upgrade. However, it was recognized that the completion of the hydrodynamic model of the GBES would provide a useful tool for the cities of Dover, Rochester, and Portsmouth to relate present and future wastewater effluent nitrogen discharges to increases in GBES nitrogen levels. The following is a brief description of the hydrodynamic model framework and calibration analysis against salinity, temperature, and tidal elevation measurements at various locations throughout the GBES. Later sections in this document summarize the application of the GBES calibrated hydrodynamic model in computing incremental nitrogen levels in the Estuary as a result of multiple effluent nitrogen scenarios

A triangular thin shell finite element: Linear analysis

The formulation of the linear stiffness matrix for a doubly-curved triangular thin shell element, using a modified potential energy principle, is described. The strain energy component of the potential energy is expressed in terms of displacements and displacement gradients by use of consistent Koiter strain-displacement equations. The element inplane and normal displacement fields are approximated by complete cubic polynomials. The interelement displacement admissibility conditions are met in the global representation by imposition of constraint conditions on the interelement boundaries; the constraints represent the modification of the potential energy. Errors due to the nonzero strains under rigid body motion are shown to be of small importance for practical grid refinements through performance of extensive comparison analyses

A systematic review of recommended modifications of CBT for people with cognitive impairments following brain injury

Due to diverse cognitive, emotional and interpersonal changes that can follow brain injury, psychological therapies often need to be adapted to suit the complex needs of this population. The aims of the study were to synthesise published recommendations for therapy modifications following brain injury from non-progressive traumatic, vascular, or metabolic causes and to determine how often such modifications have been applied to cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) for post-injury emotional adjustment problems. A systematic review and narrative synthesis of therapy modifications recommended in review articles and reported in intervention studies was undertaken. Database and manual searches identified 688 unique papers of which eight review articles and 16 intervention studies met inclusion criteria. The review articles were thematically analysed and a checklist of commonly recommended modifications composed. The checklist items clustered under themes of: therapeutic education and formulation; attention; communication; memory; and executive functioning. When this checklist was applied to the intervention studies, memory aids and an emphasis on socialising patients to the CBT model were most frequently reported as adaptations. It was concluded that the inconsistent reporting of psychological therapy adaptations for people with brain injury is a barrier to developing effective and replicable therapies. We present a comprehensive account of potential modifications that should be used to guide future research and practice

Thiol-reactive analogues of galanthamine, codeine and morphine as potential probes to interrogate allosteric binding within nAChRs

Alkaloids including galanthamine (1) and codeine (2) are reported to be positive allosteric modulators of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) but the binding sites responsible for this activity are not known with certainty. Analogues of galanthamine (1), codeine (2) and morphine (3) with reactivity towards cysteine thiols were synthesised including conjugated enone derivatives of the three alkaloids 4-6 and two chloro-alkane derivatives of codeine 7 and 8. The stability of the enones was deemed sufficient for use in buffered aqueous solutions and their reactivity towards thiols was assessed by determining the kinetics of reaction with a cysteine derivative. All three enone derivatives were of sufficient reactivity and stability to be used in covalent trapping, an extension of the substituted cysteine accessibility method (SCAM), to elucidate the allosteric binding sites of galanthamine and codeine at nAChRs

BACCALAUREATE DEGREE COMPLETION TIME OF STUDENTS AT THE TWO-YEAR COLLEGE OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MONTANA

Those students choosing the two-year college system as an entry point for completing the baccalaureate degree may experience additional time for degree completion. The problem with this delay is the financial burden placed on students by incurring additional expenses and prolonging the time required to enter careers in their chosen discipline. This non-experimental quantitative study examines the difference in baccalaureate degree completion time for students using the embedded two-year college at The University of Montana Missoula. Using a public data method based upon directory information, the difference in time to completion for students completing at least one semester at the embedded two-year college is compared with the general population at the University. The study revealed that 141 students (9%, N = 1508), conferred during 2014, used the two-year college, while only 39 (27%, n=141) completed the associate degree. Using the chi-square as a goodness of fit test, it was determined that a statistically significant difference in degree completion time between students using the two-year college and the overall UM population, X2 (6, n = 141) = 27.64, p = 0.005 with a confidence level of 95% and effect size of 0.198. Based upon the findings of this early study, further assessment of the efficacy in public policy promoting transfer education in the State of Montana should be considered