G08-1844 Stormwater Management: Pesticide Use in the Lawn and Garden

This 2008 NebGuide explains how the proper use and application of lawn and garden pesticides can prevent potential water contamination from stormwater runoff

Teaching forensic entomology with common grocery items: decomposition and insect succession studies

Forensic science and entomology programs may benefit from using deceased pigs as teaching resources due to anatomical similarities to humans. The use of such animals provides opportunities for students to learn the effects of geographical location and climate on insects; understand insect succession; practice insect collection and identification; and learn post-mortem interval procedures, taphonomic principles of decomposition, and crime scene investigation and management techniques. Forensic entomology and taphonomic studies fit well with educational interests in experiential learning. Pigs may be readily available through animal science departments or local producers, and many institutions may have property where this research can be conducted. However, due to regulatory requirements and cost, smaller entities such as community colleges, K-12 schools, criminal justice agencies, students conducting independent research or taking lab courses, and private consultants may have difficulty obtaining suitable materials and space for entomological forensic studies. The purpose of this study was to evaluate alternative, physically small meat products that are easily obtained from a grocery store or butcher shop and could be used in lieu of a pig or other large animal. Such meats are relatively inexpensive, readily available, and would need little space when setting up an experiential, immersive learning exercise. In many cases the decomposition experiment could be carried out in a closed container such as a fish tank and in less time than with a larger animal source

Hydrologic and Nutrient Monitoring of the Lake Decatur Watershed: Final Report 1993-2008

Lake Decatur is the water supply reservoir for the City of Decatur. The reservoir was created in 1922 by constructing a dam to impound the flow of the Sangamon River. The dam was modified in 1956 to increase the maximum capacity of the lake to 28,000 acre-feet. The lake receives water from the 925-square-mile watershed of the Upper Sangamon River which includes portions of seven counties in east-central Illinois. Lake Decatur has high nitrate-N concentrations which have been consistently exceeding the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA) drinking water standard of 10 milligrams per liter (mg/L) since 1980. This has created a serious situation for the drinking water supply of the City of Decatur, since nitratenitrogen (N) cannot be removed from finished drinking water through regular water purification processes. Since 1993, the Illinois State Water Survey (ISWS) has been monitoring the Lake Decatur watershed for trends in discharge, nitrate-N concentration, and nitrate-N yield and to identify any significant changes in the watershed. The purpose of the monitoring was to collect reliable scientific data throughout the watershed for use by city planners and resource managers to develop watershed management alternatives based on scientific data. The ISWS originally established eight monitoring stations in the Upper Sangamon River watershed. Three of those stations have been in continuous operation from May 1993 to April 2008. A companion study funded by the Agricultural Watershed Institute allowed for continued monitoring at those three stations from May 2008 through September 2008. The purpose of this report is to document and present the discharge, nitrate-N concentration, and nitrate-N yield data for the 15 water years of monitoring (October 1993–September 2008), as well as to determine any annual trends in the Lake Decatur watershed. The intended purpose of the monitoring data and trends investigation results is to assist the City of Decatur planners and resource managers in developing watershed management alternatives to manage the current and future city water supply. In summary, eight of the 15 water years experienced above or extremely above normal precipitation. Based on the 100-year streamflow record at the Monticello station, 4 of the top 11 total annual discharges occurred during the monitoring period (Water Year (WY) 1993 - 2nd, WY2008 - 3rd, WY1994 - 10th, and WY1998 - 11th), whereas WY2000 had the fourth lowest annual discharge. The 15-year mean annual nitrate-N yield delivered to Lake Decatur from the Upper Sangamon River watershed was 23 lb/acre and varied from 6 lb/acre (WY2000) to 42 lb/acre (WY2008). During the 15-year monitoring period, there were no significant trends in discharge and nitrate-N yields for the Long Creek (101), Friends Creek (102), and Monticello (111) stations in the Lake Decatur watershed. Annual average nitrate-N concentration for the Monticello (111) station had a statistically significant increasing trend with an increase of 0.087 mg/L per year based on the statistical fit of the annual average data. This dataset was augmented by a longer data record (WY1975–2006) from the downstream gaging station near Oakford to investigate longer-term trends in the Sangamon River watershed. There were no trends detected for nitrate-N concentration or yield within the 32-year record from the Oakford gage.published or submitted for publicationis peer reviewe

Continued Operation of a 25-raingage Network for Collection, Reduction, and Analysis of Precipitation Data for Lake Michigan Diversion Accounting: Water Year 2017

The volume of water diverted from Lake Michigan into the state of Illinois is monitored to ensure that the diversion does not exceed a long-term average of 3,200 cubic feet per second (cfs) as imposed by a 1967 U.S. Supreme Court Order, last updated in 1980. This diversion has a long history, dating back to the mid-1800s with the completion of the Illinois and Michigan Canals. Over the years, the diversion has been affected by such events as the flow reversal of the Chicago River and completion of theChicago Sanitary and Ship Canal in 1900, and has weathered various legal proceedings that attempted to ensure that the diversion could be monitored and did not exceed certain limits. One of the key components of the monitoring procedure, administered by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Chicago District, is the accurate representation of the precipitation that falls over portions of Cook County, Illinois.This report describes and presents the precipitation component of the diversion monitoring including the maintenance and operation of the Cook County precipitation network, the data reduction and analysis techniques employed, monthly gage precipitation totals, and a brief data analysis for WY 2017, the 28th year of network operation.U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Chicago Districtpublished or submitted for publicationis peer reviewedOpe

The effect of soothing sound machines and meditation using CD players on relaxation in acute care orthopedic patients

This research studied the relaxation effect in orthopedic surgical patients using guided meditation or soothing sounds (SS) machines. The study used a comparative study design to evaluate differences in the effect of SS or guided meditation on patients’ perceptions of relaxation. IRB approval was obtained prior to initiating the study. A convenience sample of orthopedic surgery patients consented to voluntarily rate their perceptions of relaxation on a 5-point Likert scale ranging from “none”, “mild”, “moderate”, “good” or “very good”. A demographic survey was used to describe the sample. The sample included 50 patients with ages ranging from 40 to 70 years. Seventy-eight percent (78%) of the sample was female and 22% were male. The participant selection of relaxation type was 82% soothing sounds machines, meditation 12%, and both (SS machines and meditation) 6%. The response rate was 100% for the guided meditation as compared to the 93% response rate for the SS machine. The greatest relaxation change was noted for the guided meditation (66.5% good to very good) as compared to the SS machines (63.5% good to very good). Both SS machines and guided meditation improved relaxation with greater than 82% rating moderate to very good change. More patients selected SS machines over guided meditation. The active process for guided meditation provided a higher relaxation rating than the passive process using soothing sounds machines

Death Scene Insect Succession in Nebraska: A Guidebook

Insect behavior can be helpful to law enforcement in determining time of death, manner of death, location, and environment related to human or other animal victims found at a death scene. They may also provide clues about other aspects associated with an investigation (i.e., fly specks, suspect DNA). The study of how insects and related arthropods can aid in legal investigations is known as forensic entomology. Although this includes both civil applications, such as urban (i.e., maggots in mortuaries or insect structural damage) or stored product (i.e., illness from food contamination) entomology, this manual focuses on criminal applications, such as how insect evidence can be used at death scene investigations. One of the most important uses of entomological evidence for crime scene cases is in estimating time since death, or postmortem interval (PMI). Another related term, which is sometimes used interchangeably with PMI, and in other cases is used separately, is “time since colonization.” This is the time at which insects first colonize a dead body. Because blow flies visit a body often within minutes of death, it is reasonable that this would coincide with PMI. However, it is important to note that due to other factors such as temperature, location, weather conditions, and other variables, insect activity can accelerate or slow down and thus influence PMI. PMI can even be set back if animal predators find a corpse and feed on the flesh, inadvertently eating or destroying any insect eggs that have been laid on it. In this case, the earliest eggs to hatch on a body may be the offspring of insects that arrived later in the decomposition process rather than from initial insect visitors. If the body appears damaged by predator activity, the possibility of early colonizer larvae having been destroyed should be taken into consideration when making PMI estimations. The life stages of insects found on a corpse can give clues about how long the person has been dead and help build a timeline of the crime. While this guidebook will not be detailing how to calculate PMI, references are included at the end that will provide this information for law enforcement who may be doing this work. Investigators may also wish to consult a forensic entomologist specializing in this area for assistance. This guidebook discusses the general succession of forensically important insects expected to populate a decomposing body found in an outdoor environment during the summer months in Lincoln, Nebraska. There are limitations to generalizing this location with other locations. However, we are of the opinion that the information is useful for a general protocol for decomposition scenes be they murder, suicide, accidental, undetermined, natural, human, or non-human. This guide emphasizes what entomological evidence to look for at a death investigation, how to properly document evidence with photographs/temperature and humidity loggers/field notes, how to collect and preserve insect specimens, how to do preliminary analysis of insects and remains, how to decide whether to solicit an expert, and how to submit insect evidence for analysis. The more information and data that is available, the better it will be for an accurate and useful report. After a brief discussion about the history of forensic entomology, this manual is divided into several sections. The first section will examine the stages of decomposition and the types of insects that visit a corpse during these different decomposition stages. The second will provide detailed descriptions of some of the most common forensically important insect orders. The third section presents two field exercises as case studies illustrating the process of decomposition and insect behavior. The final section will examine the step by step process for collecting and preserving insects at a crime scene and the type of information that insect evidence can tell investigators. A references/resources list is available, as well as practice exercises to test your knowledge

Creation of a Decision Support Tool for Expectant Parents Facing Threatened Periviable Delivery: Application of a User-Centered Design Approach

Background Shared decision-making (SDM) is optimal in the context of periviable delivery, where the decision to pursue life-support measures or palliation is both preference sensitive and value laden. We sought to develop a decision support tool (DST) prototype to facilitate SDM by utilizing a user-centered design research approach. Methods We convened four patient and provider advisory boards with women and their partners who had experienced a surviving or non-surviving periviable delivery, pregnant women who had not experienced a prior preterm birth, and obstetric providers. Each 2-h session involved design research activities to generate ideas and facilitate sharing of values, goals, and attitudes. Participant feedback shaped the design of three prototypes (a tablet application, family story videos, and a virtual reality experience) to be tested in a final session. Results Ninety-five individuals (48 mothers/partners; 47 providers) from two hospitals participated. Most participants agreed that the prototypes should include factual, unbiased outcomes and probabilities. Mothers and support partners also desired comprehensive explanations of delivery and care options, while providers wanted a tool to ease communication, help elicit values, and share patient experiences. Participants ultimately favored the tablet application and suggested that it include family testimonial videos. Conclusion Our results suggest that a DST that combines unbiased information and understandable outcomes with family testimonials would be meaningful for periviable SDM. User-centered design was found to be a useful method for creating a DST prototype that may lead to improved effectiveness, usability, uptake, and dissemination in the future, by leveraging the expertise of a wide range of stakeholders

Is the Influence of Unsupervised Time with Peers on Delinquency Conditioned by the Deviance of One's Peers?

Drawing on applications of opportunity theory to juvenile delinquency, this study examines the relationship between time expenditure and delinquency. This research relies on self-report data from the Maryland After School Opportunity Fund Program (MASOFP) with a sample of 817 adolescents. The conclusions of this study are: (1) Supervised time without peers is not conducive to delinquency, while supervised time with peers is conducive to delinquency. (2) Unsupervised time with and without peers is conducive to delinquency. (3) Unsupervised time with peers is most conducive to delinquency. (4) The relationship between unsupervised time with peers and each category of delinquency (property, violent, and substance use) is similar. (5) The relationship between unsupervised time with peers and each violent delinquency offense is similar. (6) The relationship between unsupervised time with peers and delinquency is not conditioned by the deviance of one's peers

Continued Operation of a 25-Raingage Network for Collection, Reduction, and Analysis of Precipitation Data for Lake Michigan Diversion Accounting Water Year 2016

A dense raingage network has operated in Cook County since the fall of 1989 to provide accurate precipitation measurements for use in simulating runoff for Lake Michigan diversion accounting. This report describes the network design, the operations and maintenance procedures, the data reduction and quality control methodology, and an analysis of precipitation for WY 2016 (October 2015–September 2016). The data analyses include: 1) monthly and WY 2016 amounts at all sites, 2) WY 2016 amounts compared to patterns from network WYs 1990–2015, and 3) the 26-year network precipitation average for WYs 1990–2016. Also included are raingage site descriptions, instructions for raingage technicians, documentation of raingage maintenance, and documentation of high storm totals.published or submitted for publicationis peer reviewedOpe