Cost-Effectiveness of Alternative Environmental Policies for Reducing Non-Point Source Pollution in Public Water Supplies

This study predicts farmers' response to policy alternatives aimed at alleviating non-point source pollution problems in a municipal water supply in Pike County, Illinois. The framework integrated simulation models with optimization models of the watershed to assess environmental policies. Results show how farmers are likely to alter agricultural management practices.Environmental Economics and Policy,

A DYNAMIC ANALYSIS OF WATER SAVINGS FROM ADVANCED IRRIGATION TECHNOLOGY

A computerized grain sorghum plant growth model is combined with recursive programming to analyze the potential irrigation water savings from adopting irrigation scheduling and low pressure center pivot irrigation technology. Results indicate that irrigation pumping can be reduced with increased yields and net returns by adopting low energy precision application (LEPA) irrigation systems. Variations in input and output prices affect optimal irrigation quantities for low pressure irrigation systems less than for high pressure systems.Crop Production/Industries,

Toward a More Perfect Union: Increasing Student Assistant Efficacy through an Online Training Program

Using domestic student teaching assistants (SAs) in the ESOL classroom has been widely accepted as an effective tool for enhancing student learning. SAs have been shown to facilitate student participation in the classroom, foster students’ confidence in interacting with native speakers, and serve as a connection to the local culture (Lynch & Anderson, 2001). To capitalize on the benefits afforded by SAs, the AEC has, since 2007, integrated SAs into level one courses. However, research literature underscores that, to maximize SA efficacy, SAs must be purposefully trained for their roles (Gube & Phillipson, 2011; Kachi & Choon-hwa, 2001; Underhill & McDonald, 2010; Williams, 1991). As new GTAs, we observed that the AEC’s SAs represent a broad range of personalities, facilities, and experiences. Given these variances in SAs’ skills, we found ourselves questioning to what standard of knowledge we could and should hold them. Defining such a standard would enable teachers to design class activities that most productively draw upon the strengths of SAs without overstepping the boundaries of their expertise. Three lines of inquiry arose out of this realization: 1) What are the expectations of SAs at the AEC? 2) Do the AEC’s current, procedure-focused SA training practices satisfactorily prepare SAs to meet these expectations? If not, 3) how can the training program be improved to make the presence of SAs in the classroom more fruitful for students, teachers, and SAs alike

Language Proficiency and Academic Success

In 1988, linguists James P. Lantolf and William Frawley stated that, in the quest to characterize just what exactly is meant by language proficiency, “we are no closer to understanding the concept today than we were 20 years ago” (Lantolf & Frawley, 1988, p. 185). Another quarter century has passed since Lantolf and Frawley’s disheartening declaration, yet the question remains: How do we untangle the construct of proficiency? Although theoretical and empirical efforts over the years have attempted to identify the components of proficiency, anything resembling a consensus has yet to be reached. With more than four decades devoted to delineating this seemingly simple idea, doubt emerges as to whether a single definition indeed exists that can satisfy the factions of professionals in the second language acquisition field. However, recent paths of thought have trod in a promising direction. Researchers are painting a more sophisticated picture of proficiency through the application of measurable linguistic features to traditionally subjective competency descriptions. As this linguistic quantification process continues, we can begin to examine how a deeper, more precise understanding of proficiency can inform the curriculum and assessments that determine student readiness to enter university study. Thus, this paper serves two purposes. First, it reviews historical and contemporary interpretations of proficiency and, in doing so, outlines the measurement strategies in use in the realm of English for academic purposes. Second, it crosses the bridge from English proficiency testing to university academia, analyzing the factors in play in student academic readiness and the role of language proficiency in student success

I Cut Off My... Voice: An Autoethnography of an Artist and Art Educator with a BRCA Genetic Mutation

The effects of BRCA genetic mutations on artists and art educators had not been known. Autoethnography is a qualitative method for writing about personal experiences through a cultural lens. I used my personal experiences within a BRCA positive community to understand shared experiences among artists and art educators with this genetic mutation. This study aimed to explore the commonalities that are occurring within this subgroup. Anxiety and emotional stress played a role in most of the respondents‟ lives, affecting them in numerous ways. Most of the respondents underwent salpingectomy, oophorectomy, and mastectomy surgeries which led to further emotional and physical stressors. All respondents voiced that they were determined to take control over their lives, whether that was through surgeries or continued preventative testing. The arts can empower many with a BRCA genetic mutation to share their stories and let their voices be heard. Keywords: autoethnography, BRCA, genetic mutation, artist, art educator, salpingectomy, oophorectomy, mastectomy, emotional, physical, empowerment, art

EFFICIENCY MEASURES USING THE RAY-HOMOTHETIC FUNCTION: A MULTIPERIOD ANALYSIS

Recent investigations have provided mixed assessments of farm firm efficiency. This analysis examined the efficiency of a homogeneous sample of central Illinois grain farms over a six-year period. A best-practice frontier was constructed using the ray-homothetic function, which allowed optimal farm output to vary with factor intensity. Efficiency measures were found to increase with temporal aggregation. The ray-homothetic approach was found to attribute high scale inefficiencies to larger sample farms in cases where the factor shares did not vary appreciably across farms. The findings suggest that policy recommendations regarding farm efficiency must be made with care.Agribusiness,

The Role of Native Hawaiian Spiritual Practices in Social Systems and Environmental Stewardship

The purpose of this paper is to examine how Native Hawaiian spiritual practices played a role in social systems and stewardship practices. Lightfoot and colleagues (2013) suggest that more archaeological research is needed on traditional resources and environmental management practices. The authors point out that “landscape management practices… are subtle and not prone to leaving smoking guns in the archaeological record” (Lightfoot et al. 2013), which makes such sites difficult to document without ethnographic accounts. Due to this subtlety, I will mainly be pulling information from interviews or oral histories from Hawaiian descendants, early explorers and missionary accounts, ethnographers, and occasionally, archaeologists. I plan on outlining Hawaiian spiritual practices by discussing their deities, ceremonies, creation stories, and the idea of mana. I will then expand upon how those spiritual activities and beliefs are woven into social structures and environmental stewardship practices. Within social systems, I will summarize the ancient Hawaiian hierarchical structure and incorporate the layered restrictions imposed by the kapu system. As for stewardship practices, I will discuss how their everyday environmental operations–fishing, cultivating, and harvesting– revolved around sustainability and reciprocity. There were many systems in place that maintained the well-being 2 of the community and natural world, and I want to highlight those Hawaiian principles of love and respect for the land–aloha ‘āina–throughout this paper