Analysis of nutrient recovery by filter media and their suitability to be implemented in a vertical flow constructed wetland in Ellenbrook, WA

The vertical flow constructed wetland in Ellenbrook was constructed in 2014 to reduce nutrient concentration within the Ellen Brook and, therefore, eutrophication within the Swan River. The current filter media was selected for its ability to sorb and remove phosphorus from the Ellen Brook. Over the period of operation, the filter media has declined in phosphorus removal efficiency and the rate of infiltration has decreased. The spent filter media will require replacement within the next two years. The study investigates the performance of several filter medium employed in pilot scale vertical flow constructed wetlands with specific focus on phosphorus removal. Five pilot trial wetlands, containing four different filter medium, were assembled inside intermediate bulk containers. The filter media underwent soil characterisation surveys for analysis of particle size distribution and physical and chemical parameters. Each wetland was fed influent water from the Ellenbrook and the effluent was sampled for analysis of the water chemistry. Measurements were taken to determine the infiltration rate of each pilot trial wetland. Infiltration rates ranged between 217.0mm/h and 2418.9mm/h. Phosphorus removal efficiency was, on average, between 13.7% and 68.3%. A significant correlation between infiltration rate and phosphorus removal efficiency was observed - pilot trial wetlands with a lower infiltration rate appeared to remove significantly more phosphorus. Taking both factors into account, phosphorus removal on an hourly basis was calculated and ranged between 18mg/h and 404mg/h. Nitrogen removal ranged between 43mg/h and 450mg/h. The release of other contaminants was observed from all filter media. Comparison with several literature and guideline values indicated that no filter media conformed to the specified limits. This may result in operational issues overtime and restrict the ability to repurpose filter media once it is saturated with phosphorus. The results from this study will assist the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions in the decisions and planning to replace the filter media within the Ellenbrook wetland

The Blurry Line Between Mad and Bad : Is Lack-of-Control a Workable Standard for Sexually Violent Predators?

In January 1993, thirty-one-year-old Michael Crane entered a tanning salon in Johnson County, Kansas and exposed himself to the nineteen-year-old female attendant. Thirty minutes later, he entered a nearby video store and waited for all of the customers to leave. Once the store was empty, Crane exposed himself to the twenty-year-old female clerk, threatened to rape her, grabbed her by the back of the neck, and demanded that she perform oral sex on him. He then suddenly and abruptly stopped the attack and ran out ofthe store

Atrial Fibrillation Detection Using RR-Intervals for Application in Photoplethysmographs

Atrial Fibrillation is a common form of irregular heart rhythm that can be very dangerous. Our primary goal is to analyze Atrial Fibrillation data within ECGs to develop a model based only on RR-Intervals, or the length between heart-beats, to create a real time classification model for Atrial Fibrillation to be implemented in common heart-rate monitors on the market today. Physionet's MIT-BIH Atrial Fibrillation Database \cite{goldberger2000physiobank} and 2017 Challenge Database \cite{clifford2017af} were used to identify patterns of Atrial Fibrillation and test classification models on. These two datasets are very different. The MIT-BIH database contains long samples taken with a medical grade device, which is not useful for simulating a consumer device, but is useful for Atrial Fibrillation pattern detection. The 2017 Challenge database includes short ($<60sec$) samples taken with a portable device and reveals many of the challenges of Atrial Fibrillation classification in a real-time device. We developed multiple SVM models with three sets of extracted features as predictor variables which gave us moderately high accuracies with low computational intensity. With robust filtering techniques already applied in many Photoplethysmograph-based consumer heart-rate monitors, this method can be used to develop a reliable real time model for Atrial Fibrillation detection in consumer-grade heart-rate monitors

Examining the Relationship between Stress and Exercise among College Freshmen: A Correlational Study

Scientific research was performed by conducting a survey. The survey was sent out to the freshman class of 2026 at Misericordia University. The objective of the survey was to compare the relationship between physical activity and stress levels. The students answered a series of questions related to physical activity in high school, college, their stress levels in high school and college, and their preferred type of physical activity. The results of the survey were then compared to peer reviewed articles to form a conclusion on the research performed.https://digitalcommons.misericordia.edu/research_posters2023/1018/thumbnail.jp

The Making of a Myth: Unreliable Data on Access to Palliative Care in Canada

Assisted death is now the subject of conversation in the media, in public meetings, and around kitchen tables across the country. A frequent part of many conversations about assisted death law reform is access to quality palliative care in Canada. Throughout the literature and other forms of media, the claim is made that only 16-30% of Canadians have access to palliative care (or, its derivative, 70% are without access). The “16-30%” claim has been widely accepted as a fact. But is it, in fact, true? We are driven to the conclusion that the oft-repeated claim that only 16-30% of Canadians have access to palliative care should be retired. It is based on a misrepresentation of outdated data and it ignores the provision of palliative care outside of the acute care hospital setting

“Social media makes it inevitable to feel bad about your body”: examining self-presentation and body image of young collegiate females

The current study explored how young females who compete in aesthetic sports adopt self-presentation strategies on social media. Data from semi-structured interviews with 10 collegiate female trampolinists (aged 19–24 years) were analyzed through reflective thematic analysis, and six themes were generated; self-analysis, the best you, emotional consequences, judgment, social media perceptions, and acceptance. Framed around these themes, creative nonfiction techniques were employed to present the results as an ethnodrama. Findings illustrated how participants demonstrated a high need to present their “best self”, as failure to do so results in fear of judgment, extreme self-criticism, and, subsequently, post-prevention. Moreover, participants used upward social comparisons, and when they felt they did not match the ‘thin ideal’, often made negative associations between weight gain and attractiveness. This study contributes to body image literature by demonstrating a more detailed understanding of how social media influences one’s need to alter their self-presentation to fit in with highly pressured societal ideals. In addition, the ethnodrama provides an educational tool to stimulate reflection about the extremity of this issue in today’s modern world

GOLDEN2-like1 is sufficient but not necessary for chloroplast biogenesis in mesophyll cells of C4 grasses

Chloroplasts are the site of photosynthesis. In land plants, chloroplast biogenesis is regulated by a family of transcription factors named GOLDEN2-like (GLK). In C4 grasses, it has been hypothesized that genome duplication events led to the sub-functionalization of GLK paralogs (GLK1 and GLK2) to control chloroplast biogenesis in two distinct cell types: mesophyll and bundle sheath cells. Although previous characterization of golden2 (g2) mutants in maize has demonstrated a role for GLK2 paralogs in regulating chloroplast biogenesis in bundle sheath cells, the function of GLK1 has remained elusive. Here we show that, contrary to expectations, GLK1 is not required for chloroplast biogenesis in mesophyll cells of maize. Comparisons between maize and Setaria viridis, which represent two independent C4 origins within the Poales, further show that the role of GLK paralogs in controlling chloroplast biogenesis in mesophyll and bundle sheath cells differs between species. Despite these differences, complementation analysis revealed that GLK1 and GLK2 genes from maize are both sufficient to restore functional chloroplast development in mesophyll and bundle sheath cells of S. viridis mutants. Collectively our results suggest an evolutionary trajectory in C4 grasses whereby both orthologs retained the ability to induce chloroplast biogenesis but GLK2 adopted a more prominent developmental role, particularly in relation to chloroplast activation in bundle sheath cells

Southern Hospitality: Conference Services Weekly Update

Brace yourselves! Continuing leadershi

Noxious weed survey of Francis E. Warren Air Force Base, 2018

Prepared for: Francis E. Warren Air Force Base.April 2019.Includes bibliographical references