Drought and food security – Improving decision-support via new technologies and innovative collaboration

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Mesostructured Block Copolymer Nanoparticles: Versatile Templates for Hybrid Inorganic/Organic Nanostructures

We present a versatile strategy to prepare a range of nanostructured poly(styrene)-block-poly(2-vinyl pyridine) copolymer particles with tunable interior morphology and controlled size by a simple solvent exchange procedure. A key feature of this strategy is the use of functional block copolymers incorporating reactive pyridyl moieties which allow the absorption of metal salts and other inorganic precursors to be directed. Upon reduction of the metal salts, well-defined hybrid metal nanoparticle arrays could be prepared, whereas the use of oxide precursors followed by calcination permits the synthesis of silica and titania particles. In both cases, ordered morphologies templated by the original block copolymer domains were obtained

Creation and Detection of Small Bubble Clusters

I describe a process for creating small bubble clusters and an image processing script for recognizing them. Bubbles are created by flowing nitrogen through submerged needles and driven forward by a fan to an imaging area. Clusters are recognized by identifying contact points between bubbles in a cluster, representing the cluster as a contact graph, and checking for isomorphism with graphs of known configurations. Frequency distributions of clusters identified by this method are shown

Creation and Detection of Small Bubble Clusters

I describe a process for creating small bubble clusters and an image processing script for recognizing them. Bubbles are created by flowing nitrogen through submerged needles and driven forward by a fan to an imaging area. Clusters are recognized by identifying contact points between bubbles in a cluster, representing the cluster as a contact graph, and checking for isomorphism with graphs of known configurations. Frequency distributions of clusters identified by this method are shown

Investigating Canopy at Red River Gorge

2020 Celebration of Student Research and Creativity presentationMapping change in tree canopy cover can give useful insight into topics like development of human activity and the health of a forest. In this study, remote sensing data is used to analyze tree canopy change over time at Red River Gorge in mid-Kentucky. The study results show the tree canopy change in both residential and non-residential areas in the study area. The study results can help forest managers and local governments to have a better understanding about the health of the forest and to better prepare for the process of forest management.https://youtu.be/X3dVZ1zs9M

Decertifying Players' Unions: Lessons From the NFL and NBA Lockouts of 2011

This Article analyzes the National Football League (NFL) and National Basketball Association (NBA) lockouts of 2011, focusing in particular on the role union dissolution played in each work stoppage. Although the existing academic literature had generally concluded that players unions in the four major US professional sports leagues were unlikely to disband during a labor dispute, the unions in both the NFL and NBA elected to dissolve in response to lockouts by ownership. This Article provides an explanation for why the prior literature misjudged the role that union dissolution would play during the 2011 work stoppages. It argues that previous commentators failed to recognize that the frequently cited disadvantages of dissolving a union actually provide minimal disincentive to players during a lockout. The Article concludes by predicting that players will likely continue to dissolve their unions during future lockouts in order to gain negotiating leverage over ownership through the assertion of antitrust claims