The U.S. ethanol industry

Ethanol is vital to achieving greater American energy independence. It is today's only viable and available fuel that can be substituted for gasoline. Unlike oil, ethanol is renewable-it will never run out. As science moves from making ethanol from corn to producing it from corn cobs and other plant materials, ethanol will continue to be a sustainable and effective energy solution for the world. America's dependence on foreign oil causes enormous problems for Americans every day-raising the prices on everything from gas to groceries and sending money and jobs overseas. This article summarizes the state of the ethanol industry.Biomass energy - United States

Assessing transitions from elementary to middle school for students with mild to moderate disabilities

The purpose of this action research was to explore the perceptions of parents, teachers, and students with mild to moderate disabilities who participated in the transition process from elementary to middle school. Sixth grade students, parents, resource teachers, and general education teachers completed questionnaires and were interviewed about the academic, procedural, social and emotional issues associated with the transition process. Questionnaire and interview results indicated that there is higher concern in regards to the transition process among general education teachers and parents, and less concern among students and the special education teachers. Additionally, results indicated students, teachers, and parents all have concerns regarding the lack of organizational skills and technology in the middle school classroom. Additionally, student questionnaires indicated one potential solution to the process could include having an older mentor student assigned to each incoming middle school student in order to facilitate a smoother transition

The Role of Accounts and Apologies in Mitigating Blame toward Human and Machine Agents

Would you trust a machine to make life-or-death decisions about your health and safety? Machines today are capable of achieving much more than they could 30 years ago—and the same will be said for machines that exist 30 years from now. The rise of intelligence in machines has resulted in humans entrusting them with ever-increasing responsibility. With this has arisen the question of whether machines should be given equal responsibility to humans—or if humans will ever perceive machines as being accountable for such responsibility. For example, if an intelligent machine accidentally harms a person, should it be blamed for its mistake? Should it be trusted to continue interacting with humans? Furthermore, how does the assignment of moral blame and trustworthiness toward machines compare to such assignment to humans who harm others? I answer these questions by exploring differences in moral blame and trustworthiness attributed to human and machine agents who make harmful moral mistakes. Additionally, I examine whether the knowledge and type of reason, as well as apology, for the harmful incident affects perceptions of the parties involved. In order to fill the gaps in understanding between topics in moral psychology, cognitive psychology, and artificial intelligence, valuable information from each of these fields have been combined to guide the research study being presented herein

Stress and performance in uncertainty-avoiding individuals: an introductory literature review

Uncertainty avoidance as a cultural construct has been known to affect worker stress and performance in organizations, but a review of these findings has not been done up until this point. In effort to clarify the relationship between uncertainty avoidance and stress and performance, a comprehensive literature search was performed. Findings from articles on this topic have been presented. In addition, organizational practices for accommodating uncertainty avoidance and other cultural dimensions have been explored. This review shows that uncertainty avoidance appears to be linked to higher stress, while its relationship to performance appears to depend on other factors. Best practices for accommodating uncertainty avoidance tend to include enhanced communication and structure. Ideas for future research on this topic are discussed

Land Grant Application- Stowers, James (Prospect)

Land grant application submitted to the Maine Land Office for James Stowers for service in the Revolutionary War.https://digitalmaine.com/revolutionary_war_me_land_office/1868/thumbnail.jp

Bridging the Gap: Understanding, Anticipating, and Responding to the Needs of Student Veterans in a Bachelor of Science in Nursing Program

The passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act Amendment Act (ADAAA) of 2008 and the Post-9/11 Veterans Assistance Act of 2008 have afforded veterans the opportunity to pursue post-secondary education. Since October 2001, over 2 million American men and women in uniform have deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) and Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF). While thousands of returning combat veterans take advantage of recent legislation that helps pay for their education, they face new challenges in the classroom. This nation’s veterans represent a group of diverse individuals who bring different experiences, thus different perspectives than traditional college-aged students. However, the additional burden of adjusting to the effects of combat, often after multiple tours in combat zones, may interrupt veterans’ transition from the military back into civilian life and the classroom. The personal and cultural characteristics common to returning veterans need to be an essential element for postsecondary institutional faculty development. Focusing on student retention through prevention and early identification of service-related problems and, when appropriate, early referral to University and community resources is critical. Understanding student veterans means understanding military culture, battlefield skills, and deployment related stressors. It also means listening to students’ stories and understanding the unique stressors faced by student veterans on campus. The purpose of this Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) capstone project was to develop a program to educate University of Southern Mississippi (USM) College of Nursing (CoN) faculty and staff about the issues and challenges of serving veteran students, especially those with diagnosed or undiagnosed Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and service-related disabilities. ii