A device for autonomous accurate measurement of sediment mass in a water sample

Sediment is a major water pollutant causing damage to aquatic ecosystems, clogging waterways, and filling reservoirs. Regulatory agencies like EPA and TDEC want to regulate sediment release from disturbed land uses (e.g., construction, mining, or forestry) by limiting measured discharge, as they do for contaminants from factories or wastewater treatment plants. However, they rather typically settle instead for simply requiring application of pre-approved BMPs applied to the site in a specified manner, because measuring sediment discharge is such a difficult, expensive, labor-intensive, and time-consuming process. In order to require measured sediment discharge, there must be a system that can accurately and easily measure the sediment concentration in a water sample in-situ and in near real time.This project developed a measurement system to accurately quantify a sample’s sediment mass under either gravity-fed or pumped inflow conditions. The system analyzes a 0.5 L sample every 90 s and measures the sample’s sediment mass to within 0.25 g or 5% of the known added mass (whichever is larger) across the range from 1,200 – 120,000 mg L-1 of sample. Additionally, the data acquisition system stores data in non-volatile memory and supports wireless data transfer while minimizing power consumption.Preliminary testing shows that with human interaction the system can meet the sediment measurement accuracy requirements for sand, silt loam, and clay loam. However, errors introduced by four different elements of current system dynamics prevent the automation of the data analysis and thus total system success. Once optimized through several additional redesigns, the system could provide a significantly-improved method of regulating discharge from construction sites, as well as providing support for general stream or river water quality work

UNH Digital Adventures 2020

A compilation of virtual activities to help educators engage their students in the online learning environment

Managing Culturally Significant Land: The Badger-Two Medicine Area as a Case Study

Located in Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest, Badger-Two Medicine area (B2M) spans 130,000 acres and is situated on the Rocky Mountain Front. The area borders the Blackfeet Reservation, Glacier National Park, and Great Bear and Bob Marshall Wilderness areas. B2M possesses immense cultural and spiritual importance for the Blackfeet tribe, who have occupied the area since time immemorial. The area is also one of the last remaining refuges for vulnerable fish and wildlife species such as westslope cutthroat, grizzly bears, wolverines, and mountain goats. Altogether, B2M possesses vast spiritual, cultural, and ecological importance throughout. However, extractive development, disagreements over protection status, and varying tribal and federal interests have created management complications within its boundaries. Through an education-based project that focuses on communication and understanding, we explored current and future policy actions, opinions, and considerations for managing B2M’s culturally significant land. Our research involves interviewing tribal, federal, state, private, and non-profit stakeholders in the area to better understand where each group stands on current and future management actions in the area, and culturally significant land more broadly. Further, we will also host a Zoom panel in April consisting of individuals representing tribal, federal, conservation, and academic areas of expertise regarding B2M. In doing so, we hope to facilitate an informal yet informative discussion regarding management actions that inform the public and decision makers. We hope that our project will convey the complexities of managing culturally significant land, yet also inform others of the B2M’s management landscape. Communication between relevant groups and accessible information appears to be lacking, and this panel would help communicate the nuanced and broad distinctions between policy approaches to managing B2M. Through our case study, we also aim to provoke a wider discussion on policies pertaining to culturally significant land in other areas of the U.S. and globally

Evaluation of Isokinetic Single-Leg Cycling as a Rehabilitation Exercise Following Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction Surgery

The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is one of the most commonly injured ligaments, with over 250,000 injuries per year in the United States. Previous studies have found that ACL-deficient individuals avoid use of the quadriceps in the injured limb as a means of limiting anterior movement of the tibia in the absence of a functioning ACL. From these results, a study was designed to investigate the effectiveness of isokinetic single-leg cycling in increasing quadriceps muscle recruitment and activation. Ten control and seven ACL-reconstructed subjects completed a series of 15 s cycling trials in isokinetic mode at 75 rpm, while kinematic, kinetic, and electromyographic data of the lower limbs were collected, with the trials including both double-leg and single-leg cycling. It was hypothesized that there would be an increase in quadriceps muscle activity, peak knee extensor moment, and knee joint power in single-leg cycling when compared to double-leg cycling. The results of the study suggest that single-leg cycling may be an effective exercise in increasing the strength of the quadriceps following anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction surgery. Although no significant changes occurred, the results indicate that, given a specific limb power, more muscle force will be generated from the quadriceps muscle group in single-leg cycling than double-leg cycling

The Past, Present and Future of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act as a Tool of Environmental Justice

Mr. Michael Gerrard: I am going to try to do something a little unconventional. After hearing some remarks from Professor Johnson, I will try to start a dialogue. I have been requested to ask very tough questions of our panelists, so I will do that in the hope of drawing all of you in the audience into the dialogue. First, we will hear some remarks from Professor Nicholas Johnson of Fordham University School of Law

Suppression of Nonlinear Optical Rogue Wave Formation Using Polarization-Structured Beams

A nonlinear self-focusing material can amplify random small-amplitude phase modulations present in an optical beam, leading to the formation of amplitude singularities commonly referred to as optical caustics. By imposing polarization structuring on the beam, we demonstrate the suppression of amplitude singularities caused by nonlinear self-phase modulation. Our results are the first to indicate that polarization-structured beams can suppress nonlinear caustic formation in a saturable self-focusing medium and add to the growing understanding of catastrophic self-focusing effects in beams containing polarization structure.Comment: 6 pages, 3 figure

Calciphylaxis following kidney transplantation: a case report

Introduction: Calciphylaxis occurring after kidney transplantation is rare and rarely reported. It results in chronic non-healing wounds and is associated with a poor prognosis and is often fatal. We present a case of proximal lower limb calciphylaxis that occurred early after kidney transplantation. The patient had no classic associated risk factors. He had previously had a total parathyroidectomy but had normal serum calcium-phosphate product and parathyroid hormone levels. The clinical outcome of this case was favorable and highlights some fundamental issues relating to management. Case prsentation: A 70-year-old British Caucasian man with end-stage renal failure secondary to IgA nephropathy presented six months post kidney transplantation with cutaneous calciphylaxis lesions involving the medial aspect of the thigh bilaterally. Conclusion: To the best of our knowledge, this is the first reported case of rapid onset cutaneous calciphylaxis occurring soon after kidney transplantation that was associated with a favorable outcome. Cutaneous calciphylaxis lesions should be promptly managed with meticulous wound care, antimicrobial therapy and the correction of calcium-phosphate product where indicated

Limitations of dual-sgRNA CRISPR strategies for the treatment of CNS genetic disorders

International audienc