Understanding beliefs and preferences of irrigators towards the use and management of agricultural water in the Colorado River Basin

2013 Summer.Includes bibliographical references.The agriculture sector in the American West is faced with multiple challenges including urbanization, drought, an aging producer population, and the prospects of climate change. As a result, the availability, use, and allocation of water throughout the West have become sources of both conflict and collaboration. Growing conflict emphasizes the need to identify and understand the diversity of beliefs of agricultural water users. This in turn, will help stakeholders better manage limited water resources and identify solutions for agricultural producers to deal with uncertainty and the pressures they are experiencing. This study examines the findings from a survey of farmers and ranchers who use Colorado River water for agricultural purposes, including: the pressures they are experiencing on their water supplies, options for addressing pressures, their interest and involvement in water transfer arrangements, and their preferences for meeting future water demands. In addition, their beliefs towards water availability, the role of storage, water policy and law, and working together with other stakeholders to address water challenges will be discussed. In brief, the results of this study indicate that agricultural water users face myriad number of pressures on their water supplies with drought and urban growth topping the list. The data indicates strong opposition towards agricultural water transfers, even those of temporary nature due to the concern of possibly losing their water right. A majority of participants agree that there will not be enough water for agriculture in their area or in the Colorado River Basin and that further water storage is needed to address uncertainty; however, new storage projects should be expanded before initiating new projects. Overall, agricultural water users agree that they need to partner with other non-agricultural water users (preferably at the district or basin level) in order to address the challenges they face or will face in the future. Multiple types of water stakeholders can benefit from the information found in this study by learning the differences, commonalities, viewpoints, and preferences of the agricultural sector and by using it to help gauge support for or against management decisions and policies, help predict and mitigate conflict among competing users, and to help develop approaches for working together collaboratively to address water issues in the Colorado River Basin

Performing Private Life on the Public Stage: Tracing Narratives of Presidential Family Lives, Leisure and Masculinities in US News Media

Images and stories about US presidents’ family lives, private vacations and athletic identities are constants in the political news media landscape. These news representations texture and shape how the presidents are envisioned in popular imagination as powerful political figures and embodiments of contemporary masculinities. This study explicates US news media representations of President Bill Clinton and President Barack Obama in select mainstream political news publications from the 1990s to the 2000s. This study further considers how the cultural forces of heteronormativity, patriarchy, Baby Boomer masculinity, class, race and taste influenced popular presidential images. Much of the news discourse regarding presidents as private people, as men of family and leisure and taste, sought to create piecemeal mosaics of powerful men. But this genre of political storytelling also ruminated on larger cultural concerns about masculinity, authenticity, identity and persona within political journalism and political culture at large

Impact of JayDoc Free Clinic on Emergency Department Usage in Kansas City

Introduction.JayDoc Free Clinic (JayDoc) serves medical needs of uninsured patients in the Kansas City metropolitan area. It is known that patients who have access to primary care are less likely to visit their local Emergency Department (ED) for non-emergent needs. However, it is not well described if JayDoc lowers usage of The University of Kansas Health System (TUKHS) ED. This is the first study to assess the patient referral process between TUKHS ED and JayDoc. Methods. The authors administered a voluntary survey to every patient triaged at JayDoc, even if they were ultimately not accepted for a visit. Items on the questionnaire included health insurance status, primary language, and access to a primary care physician. The authors included questions on the usage of TUKHS ED in the last 12 months.  Results.Seventy-three patients completed the questionnaire. Approximately 10% of respondents reported they visited the ED in the last 12 months and received a referral to JayDoc from staff. However, authors observed no statistically significant difference in the proportion of new patients who used the ED in the last 12 months compared to that of returning patients. Conclusions.Results of this study demonstrated an existing referral system between JayDoc and TUKHS ED. However, the authors could not conclude that JayDoc reduces non-emergent ED visits among its patient population. Future initiatives will include further education to ED providers to increase the number of patients being referred to JayDoc

Irrigated agriculture responds to water use challenges

Presented at Irrigated agriculture responds to water use challenges - strategies for success: USCID water management conference held on April 3-6, 2012 in Austin, Texas.Includes bibliographical references.Population growth and climate variability are increasing pressures on limited water resources, and extensive collaboration is needed to develop long-term working solutions to this complex issue. Agriculture consumes an estimated 90 percent of available water resources in the western U.S., and future water needs for an expanding urban population will likely come from agriculture. Therefore, it is increasingly urgent for farmers, water managers, extension agents, and policy-makers to understand agricultural water conservation methodology, technology, and policy to make informed management decisions. Reliable information on the subject is often not readily available to water users, especially outside of the academic and government communities. The USDA-NIFA Northern Plains and Mountains Regional Water Team (NPM) has addressed the need for increased knowledge, understanding and adoption of agricultural water conservation through an innovative web-based project. The Agricultural Water Conservation Clearinghouse (AWCC) seeks to join communities of practice to collaboratively address the complex issues of agricultural water use. The AWCC is designed as a comprehensive resource for the latest news, research, literature and tools related to agricultural water conservation. The focal point of the AWCC is a library that contains references to published materials populated by Extension specialists, research scientists, and educators, providing a refined bibliographic review of agriculture water conservation grey literature. The Library encompass over 3,600 entries of refereed journal articles, books, reports, theses and dissertations, and conference proceedings. The AWCC has been searched by over 21,000 users since it was unveiled in 2008 and participation continues to grow

Variability in cellular signal transduction networks

Cellular variability is fundamental to physiological reality but usually unattended in signaling models. This thesis introduces the new approach of cell ensemble models, which describe biochemical signal transduction networks in heterogeneously behaving cells. Cell ensemble models comprise sets of coupled ordinary differential equations describing protein concentration trajectories in different cells, which are linked by boundary conditions restricting models to physiological limitations. Simultaneous description of single-cell and population data facilitated model discrimination and improved the accuracy of parameter estimations. The approach was applied in two biochemical systems, programmed cell death and the intracellular traffic of erythropoietin receptors. An experimental method was developed to quantify the enzymatic activity of caspase-8, which initializes programmed cell death, in single cells. The analytic solution of a death receptor oligomerization model was combined with cell ensemble models of caspase-8 activation. An activation mechanism, which implies positive feedback, was predicted and experimentally validated. Simulations based on estimated multivariate log-normal distributions of initial cellular protein concentrations clarified the functional roles of involved signaling proteins. In a similar manner, a cell ensemble model was applied to characterize cell-to-cell variability in intracellular erythropoietin receptor transport. The new approach might support optimization of therapeutic applications targeting heterogeneous populations of cancer cells

Identification of Student Teaching Competencies in Home Economics for Which Cooperating Teachers Could Assume Responsibility with Implications for Supervisory Roles

Home Economics Educatio

Evaluation and Revision of Selected Tests for a Basic Clothing Construction Course

Clothing, Textiles and Merchandisin

(POSTER) Pneumatically Assisted Autocutter: Providing a Safe Workplace Environment for People with Disabilities

We present a pneumatic autocutter to help workers with disabilities for reduced operator fatigue, increased efficiency, thereby giving enhanced capabilities when working on a production line without worrying about their ability to effectively do their jobs. We are students in a sophomore level six sigma based course through the R.B. Annis School of Engineering at the University of Indianapolis. The specific process of production being discussed involves cutting bulky cardboard frames with a metallic wire-mesh covering. The current process requires a considerable amount of physical labor from the operator; prolonged work results in gradial operator debility and injury. For Gateway 1, we analyzed the given customer requirements and converted them into specific engineering requirements and created specifications based on these requirements. We proceeded to rank the specifications based on the goals of the client and used this to create potential designs in the Gateway 2. During the second phase, we took the requirements and constraints we were given to come up with ten separate designs that fulfilled those requirements. We then decided on the top three designs that best fit the specifications and created CAD drawings, a failure-mode and effects analysis, and a cost analysis for each design. We then chose the best design according to our client’s requirements and presented all three designs and reasoning for choosing to pursue the best design to our client. For Gateway 3, we will begin fabricating the testing system and then perform trials and optimize critical parameters