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Aligning Audience Needs with Scientists’ Information in the Complex Harmful Algal Bloom Outreach to Engagement Continuum
Get PDFAlgae, an important foundation of aquatic ecosystems, can become a nuisance or harmful when it grows in excess. Many government agencies have a role in monitoring, responding to, and confirming a harmful algal bloom (HAB). HAB scientists have important information to share, however, given the complexities of HABs, which often involve decoupled drivers from observed impacts, presents challenges to outreach and engagement. Understanding key audience information needs can help scientists prioritize key science communication and engagement opportunities to maximize the impact of such efforts. Scientists may need additional science communication training or support for scientist-community partnerships. This will be evermore important into the future with the likely range expansion of HABs due to climate change
The Faceless Dead: Unfinished Portraiture on Roman Sarcophagi
Get PDFSarcophagus, translating to “flesh-eater” in Greek, is a marble coffin Romans used for burials, commissioned for the elite and wealthy. Beautiful and unique, Roman sarcophagi are woefully under-researched, leading to many unknown and unanswered questions around their creation and existence. This thesis focuses on the question of ‘unfinished portraiture’ – a term used to describe a phenomenon in which the sarcophagus is fully carved except for the head or portrait features of the deceased. Unlike other funerary monuments such as busts or statues, ‘unfinished portraiture’ is singular to sarcophagi. This thesis explores and problematizes widely accepted explanations that range from a lack of familial financials to stock pieces bought for untimely deaths and finishes with my own synthesis of arguments accounting for one of the greatest mysteries of late Roman funerary art: that the portraits were, in fact, purposeful – meant to preserve the memory of the deceased through the supplementary carvings, as well as an approach to exploring the unknowns of death itself
The Virginia Water Resources Research Center’s Experience with an Audio Show
Get PDFThis article describes one state water center’s 14-year experience in producing a short, audiobased information product and poses key questions for water centers and institutes considering audio technologies to tell their states’ water stories. From 2010 to 2024, Virginia Water Radio (VWR), produced by the Virginia Water Resources Research Center, sought to use a short audio show to inform Virginia residents about the abundance, complexity, and use of the state’s water resources. Originally designed to be carried by radio stations, VWR evolved into a primarily podcasted show that was accompanied by a blog providing supporting material. The show produced 674 episodes, running weekly from January 2010 through April 2022 and then biweekly until February 2024. Typically between three and six minutes long, the episodes featured sounds and music to introduce and frame the water-related content. Episode subject areas included organisms, geography, weather and climate, organizations, management, history, and water connections in language and music. Achievements included the show’s longevity, consistency, breadth of topics, online information accompanying each audio episode, and collaborations with musicians and guest voices. Challenges included finding radio station partners, acquiring permission to use music, finding sounds, describing complex subjects concisely, expanding the show’s reach, and balancing staff time among show production, promotion, and evaluation. Questions for water centers or institutes considering an audio product focus on a product’s potential value to an organization’s programs, staff requirements, evaluation, episode frequency and duration, potential use of sounds and music, role of collaborators, equipment, and technology capacity
Electrochemical Charge Storage of Biochar-Based Electrode Materials for Electrochemical Double-Layer Capacitors (EDLCs)
No full textThis dissertation explores the electrochemical performance of highly porous BiocharPolymer Composites. Biochar, derived from biomass, is an attractive alternative to conventional carbon materials due to its renewable nature, affordability, and environmental benefits. Biochar materials with two different physical morphologies, namely flakes as well as granular form were used for synthesizing these composites. Composites with several different Biochar weight ratios in the polymer matrix were tested for their viability as electrochemical double layer capacitor (EDLC or supercapacitor) electrode materials. Two different electrolyte types, such as aqueous 6 Molar Potassium Hydroxide (KOH) as well as 1-butyl-1-methylpyrrolidinium tris (pentafluoroethyl) (BMP-FAP) a Room-Temperature Ionic Liquid (RTIL) was used. Several state of the art electrochemical tools along with other physical characterization tools, which includes, Raman Spectroscopy, Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Energy Dispersive X Ray Spectroscopy (EDAX), were utilized in order to understand the physical nature as well as the electrochemical response of these composites. Cyclic Voltammetry (CV), Galvanostatic Charge-Discharge (GCD), and Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS) measurements were performed in order to analyze the charge storage capabilities of these composites. Few core observations could be made from our experimental results. The specific capacitances of the i electrodes increased with increasing biochar content and seems to reach a saturation value after a certain point. Our results show that Flake Biochar-Polymer Composite (FBC) in KOH exhibits stable capacitive behavior, with a specific capacitance of 123 F/g at a 2:1 biochar-to-polymer ratio at scan rates of ~ 0.1 mv/s, dominated by double-layer capacitance mechanism. From the EIS measurements, a systematic decrease of the equivalent series resistances (ESR) with increasing Biochar content were seen for all the electrodes. In RTIL (BMP-FAP),a specific capacitance value of ~206 F/g at 0.1 mV/s was obtained using the same FBC ratio. Further, we saw that an energy density of 19.4 Wh/kg, and a power density of 280 W/kg was obtained from electrode with a 2:1 biochar-to-polymer ratio. This increase in the specific capacitances, energy and power density stems from the fact that RTILs have a higher operating voltage window. Some minor ion diffusion limitations was observed in case of RTIL. The Granular Biochar Polymer Composite (GBC), with its higher specific surface area, showed even better performance in some cases. In KOH, GBC, with 15% biochar achieved 53 F/g, significantly outperforming FBC with a similar biochar content (16% in FBC reached only ~27 F/g). In RTIL, GBC with just 3% biochar reached 57 F/g at 0.1 mV/s, demonstrating efficient charge storage. These findings highlight the potential of biochar-polymer composites as a sustainable and cost-effective alternative to conventional supercapacitor materials. Future work should focus on optimizing biochar content, polymer selection, and electrolyte composition to enhance conductivity, stability, and overall performance
Tell It Slant: Leaning Into the Aesthetic Possibilities of Performative Writing
No full textThis creative dissertation explores the aesthetic potential of the practice of performative writing. While most performative writing texts in the field of performance studies feature traditionally published formats, this project offers three arts-based excursions into performative writing that push the aesthetic limits of the tradition through visual poetry, comics, and collage. Chapter two uses visual poetry to create an evocative, colorful zine with two performative exemplars. Specifically, this chapter asks and answers what can happen when we embrace the visuality of the language in performative writing texts. Chapter three takes the form of a comic. It takes the complex relationships between images, texts, and words in comics and graphic novels to explore the dynamic written performances possible in an extended exemplar about living through the pandemic. Finally, the collage chapter features thirty-eight performative pages embedded with theoretical writing. This chapter adds materiality to the performative writing toolbox. Themes explored in the creative sections of the chapter include LGBTQ identity, feminism, trauma, performance pedagogy, and mental health
ILLINOIS ABANDONED MINE LANDS: POSSIBILITIES FOR SOURCING CRITICAL MINERALS IN COAL MINING WASTE
No full text“Illinois Abandoned Mine Lands (AMLs): Possibilities for Sourcing Critical Minerals (CMs) in Coal Mining Waste (CMW)” uses three related studies to address whether a) coal mining waste has the potential to become a resource for REEs, b) how to estimate the amount of resources at each site, and c) the impact of the weathering processes on the minerals in the waste. It provides information to inform those who are interested in repurposing Illinois coal mining waste as an alternate REE source. The first study, “A Model for Identifying Resources and Hazardous Elements at Coal Mine Lands (CMLs) in Illinois,” builds upon prior research and proposes a generalized model for identifying Abandoned Mine Land (AML) waste sites with the most potential as an alternate rare earth element including Y (REE) and CM resource. It hypothesized that the association patterns of concentration levels exhibited by REEs and CMs will differ based on the material type of CMW. Thirty-nine solid and 30 liquid coal mining waste samples, collected within the Illinois Basin, were analyzed at labs using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICPS MS) and x-ray diffraction (XRD) for elemental geochemistry (26 elements), including REEs. The CMW materials were classified based on associations and correlations between REE contents and total organic carbon (TOC), used as a proxy for organic matter content, [Al + Si], used as a proxy for silicate content, and [Fe], used as a proxy for iron precipitate content. The first type of CMW, defined as high carbon refuse (HCR), represents materials that contain more than 40% wt. TOC, and [Al + Si] and [Fe] lower than 60%. The second type, medium carbon refuse (MCR), has between 10 wt% and 40 wt% TOC and [Al + Si] between 40 wt% and 60 wt% and [Fe] less than 10 wt%. The last category, the low carbon refuse (LCR) has TOC\u3c10% wt%. Within LCR, two additional categories are identified; namely, the silicate-rich coal refuse (SiCR) characterized by [Fe]/([Al]+[Si])\u3e2.0 and iron-rich coal refuse (FeCR) characterized by [Fe]/([Al]+[Si]) \u3c 2.0. Further statistical analysis investigated the relationships between refuse types and total rare earth elements (TREE) and the relationships between specific elements, including hazardous elements (US EPA, 2024) and TREE. The results indicated that SiCR is most likely to contain the highest amounts of REEs, along with Ni and Cu. FeCR is most associated with As, while HCR and MCR are mostly associated with Pb. The CMW classification model was successfully applied to two additional data sets, one using additional weathered surface coal waste and another using samples from an active mine and coal preparation site.The second chapter, “Calculation of Potential Rare Earth Elements in Illinois Coal Mine Waste,” applies a method for estimating the TREE contents in CMW piles by replacing the variables used in the industry-standard methodology for estimating petroleum with measurements more appropriate for solid CMW (element concentration, volume, and density) when the TREE concentration is known. A bootstrap simulation approach was used to analyze the concentration data reported in chapter three. CMW pile volume was estimated using the Trapezoidal Method (Tearpock and Bischke, 2022), and density was defined as estimated by Rozanski et al. (2019). The total amount of REEs of the pile (hill) was calculated by multiplying the simulated concentrations of the pile, the estimated pile density, and the estimated pile volume, then converting the final units of measure. This study demonstrated that Illinois CMW piles are a potential resource for REEs and other CMs. Although this study focused on REEs, it has the potential to be used in approximating amounts of other elements of interest or concern. The third chapter, “The Fate of Phosphates in Coal Mining Waste: A Study of Rare Earth Element Mobility in Silicon-rich Coal Refuse,” investigated the effects of the duration of weathering -- short versus long -- had on CMW, building upon the research of Hicks et al. (2020). Monazite, a rare earth element (REE)-bearing phosphate, specifically neodymium (Nd)- and cerium (Ce)-bearing phosphates, were analyzed using X-ray Fluorescence spectroscopy (XRF) and X-ray Absorption Near Edge Structure (XANES) to examine the effects of weathering on the integrity of the monazite crystalline structure and the amount of TREE content available when in SiCR-CMW type waste. The results demonstrated that sites with a longer weathering duration had monazite with more weathered features, and younger coal piles had a higher TREE with a greater concentration of intact monazite crystals. While other processes could have contributed to these patterns, including the age of the coal seam, biological processes, and hydrothermal activity, the most likely reason is the duration of CMW weathering by AMD. The main limitations of this study are the small sample size and the lack of diversity in site locations. Although it has limited generalizability, this study is a solid step forward in expanding on the work of Hicks et al. (2020) regarding the effects of weathering on phosphate minerals with implications for REEs in weathering CMW.Based on these three interrelated studies, this dissertation provided evidence that CMW from Illinois coal shows promise as a potential alternate source of REEs and other CMs. It identified four types of CMW materials and demonstrated that SiCR is the most likely to contain high amounts of REEs. It provided a methodology for estimating the total amount of an element or mineral based on concentration levels; volume, as estimated by the trapezoidal method (Tearpock and Bischke, 2022); and density. Finally, it explored monazite, a REE-bearing mineral commonly found in CMW, to determine if weathering duration, based on the time from mine closure to the date of sampling, impacts the amount of REEs available for reprocessing the harvested mineral. For monazite, the more recently the coal mine was closed, the less CMW is weathered, thereby retaining more REEs within the crystalline structure. In practice, interested parties can use this information to more efficiently determine whether the site should be further investigated to assess the potential of reprocessing CMW to harvest REEs and to guide strategy selection for REE extraction
FARMERS’ PERCEPTIONS ON THE DRIVERS OF LAND USE CHANGE AND THEIR IMPACTS ON LIVELIHOODS AND THE ENVIRONMENT: A CASE STUDY OF THE CENTRAL GONJA DISTRICT OF GHANA
No full textHistorical trends and previous research indicate that climate change and anthropogenic factors, such as population growth and urbanization, are key drivers of agricultural land use change in Ghana. However, there is limited understanding of how local farmers in the Central Gonja District perceive and adapt to the rapid changes in land use occurring within the region.This study explores the conversion of agricultural land use from a social perspective, focusing on farmers’ perceptions of land use changes in the district. A total of 30 farmers were individually interviewed using a purposive sampling to identify the driving factors behind land use change and to assess its impacts on their livelihoods and the environment. Additionally, the study examines the role of policies and regulations in influencing land use change. The findings highlight changing climatic conditions, weak land tenure systems, and increasing population growth as the key drivers of land use change in the district. Other significant factors, such as deforestation and sand mining, were identified as contributors to flooding and land erosion, further exacerbating negative impacts on farmers’ livelihoods and the environment. The study recommends enhancing climate education and advocacy efforts and implementing policies that effectively regulate land tenure systems to mitigate the adverse effects of land use change
Analysis of guitar works and important materials used for informed performance
Get PDFThis paper provides a short analysis and important historical background on the works performed by the author in his Master\u27s Recital on May 4, 2023. The following pieces were chosen to exemplify the program\u27s different technical and musical complexity levels. The five works covered are John Dowland\u27s Lachrimae Pavan, Johann Sebastian Bach\u27s Prelude and Allemande from BWV 996, Mauro Giuliani\u27s Rossiniana n1, Miguel Llobet\u27s Canciones Populares Catalanas, and Sergio Assad\u27s Aquarelle. Dowland\u27s section aims to show general information about his life, the lute, and materials to support an informed performance for guitarists. Bach\u27s prelude and Allemande from the suite BWV 996 introduces one of the most used transcription editions for guitar, a brief introductory note about the movements, and considerations to be cognizant of. Chapter three is devoted to Giuliani\u27s Rossiniana, introducing an abstract about his life and relationship with Opera. This chapter is developed by explaining what aria and operas the piece was based on, summarizing the plot and its adaptation to the guitar. Chapter Four presents the sources related to Llobet\u27s arrangements, including the original lyrics and their translations from Catalan. It will also explore ways to relate the textual content to the music, offering interpretive insights and analytical commentary on Llobet\u27s arrangement choices. The paper concludes with a discussion of the scholars referenced throughout the analysis. It presents different practice approaches aimed at learning and internalizing the genres to effectively convey their stylistic characteristics within the piece
EVOLUTION AND BIOGEOGRAPHY OF THE GENUS TRIODANIS
No full textCampanulaceae Juss., the bellflower family, is a generally well-collected cosmopolitan group of flowering plants, offering a wealth of herbarium information. This family comprises approximately 84 genera and 2400 species within five major subfamilies. Found on six continents in diverse habitats, the group exhibits incredible morphological variation, even within populations. Several studies have made significant progress toward a robust phylogeny for Campanulaceae; however, many species-level relationships remain unresolved. Further research employing genomic methods, such as next-generation sequencing, is the logical next step in bringing phylogenetic clarity to the groups. Resolving species-level taxonomic relationships within Campanulaceae would allow for a more complete understanding of evolution within the family by adding much needed evolutionary context to ecological and life history questions.Together, widespread hybridization and phenotypic plasticity may convolute and impede attempts at bringing taxonomic clarity as well as complicate identification based strictly on morphology. This is evident in the focal study system throughout this dissertation, Triodanis, a small genus of annual bellflowers native to North- and South America. A phylogenetic perspective of this group would allow us to explore ecological, biogeographical, and phenological processes which, in turn, provide the foundation for a deeper understanding of biological processes such as predicting adaptability and habitat suitability, population dynamics, and reproductive success. Understanding drivers of population dynamics and connectivity, especially in the context of the dynamic nature of intrinsic (e.g., reproductive system, hybridization) and extrinsic factors (e.g., physical barriers to gene flow) across space and time, is central to understanding phylogeography and biogeography. These interactions generate complex biological processes that influence contemporary patterns of genetic diversity. In this context, plants offer a unique system to study these topics as herbarium records offer vast amounts of genetic, occurrence, and environmental data often spanning centuries. These data provide significant historical context and offers a ‘snapshot’ of relevant data that allows for comparisons between contemporary and historic population and landscape trends. Here I examine evolutionary processes across different taxonomic, ecological, and time scales in Triodanis with a focus on three main objectives: 1) elucidate species level relationships for this group within the context of the larger Campanulaceae; 2) complete an updated systematic treatment for the genus; 3) finally, I explore how historic patterns of biogeography influence contemporary phylogeography in one focal species, Triodanis perfoliata. To achieve my first objective, I employed a target-enrichment approach using the Angiosperms353 probe set, which alleviates issues that arise from a lack of genomic resources (e.g., reference genome) and generates data that will be useful to the broader phylogenetics research community, alongside genus-wide morphological data to bring clarity to the relationships among Triodanis and its broader relationships within the Campanulaceae. A better understanding of the evolutionary relationships within the Triodanis genus will provide an important phylogenetic framework for ongoing and future work. To achieve objective two, I synthesized morphological data for all species of Triodanis and described each as a pragmatic species. An updated taxonomic treatment is the next logical step to best share these findings and add to the ever-growing wealth of knowledge regarding the Campanulaceae family. Finally, to achieve objective three, I expand the scale of my work through time and use contemporary and historic environmental data alongside contemporary genetic data to explore how historic patterns of biogeography shaped contemporary patterns of gene flow. Further, ongoing work in this genus has yielded insight into breeding system evolution, population biology, phenological responses to climate change, biogeography, and pollinator assembly. All of these data can be used to make genetically informed models allowing exploration of historic and contemporary patterns of phylogeography and biogeography. Contemporary patterns of genetics can help inform about changes in distribution, gene flow, population and landscape dynamics and explain the processes guiding those changes over time as well as model potential changes in the future. This can aid in making informed decisions on how a changing environment may not only affect distribution, but also population dynamics and patterns of gene flow
QUANTIFYING THE COSTS AND BENEFITS OF MANAGED RETREAT: INSIGHTS FROM VALMEYER’S GAINS AND GREATER OLIVE BRANCH’S LOSSES
No full textWith climate change intensifying flood risk, managed retreat - the strategic relocation of communities away from high-risk areas has garnered increasing interest as a flood mitigation strategy. Since the “Great Flood of 1993,” full and partial managed retreat initiatives have been implemented along the upper Mississippi River and its major tributaries. This study contrasts two levee-protected communities in Illinois - Valmeyer, which successfully relocated after the 1993 Harrisonville Levee breach which inundated 90% of its buildings, and the Greater Olive Branch (GOB) area where repeated breaches of the Len Small Levee inundated ~50% of its buildings, leading to voluntary buyouts after the 2011 flood. This study employs a combination of hydrodynamic modeling, flood loss estimation, and benefit-cost analysis (BCA) for both historical and hypothetical levee breach scenarios to estimate potential flood losses and assess the cost-effectiveness of managed retreat strategies for Valmeyer and the Greater Omaha Basin (GOB). Flood depths generated through hydrodynamic simulations were used to estimate structure-level damages and calculate Expected Annual Damages (EADs), which served as the basis for BCA. The BCA produces benefit-cost ratios (BCRs), which were computed using actual and estimated relocation or buyout costs, with ratios ≥1.0 being considered cost-effective (benefits outweigh the cost of relocation). U.S. Census demographic and socioeconomic data were used to assess potential differences in baseline social vulnerability between the communities before the floods, and to assess the longitudinal changes of these indicators through time after the relocation and buyout programs were implemented. The flood loss modeling results show both communities experienced substantial damage under the assessed flood scenarios, with annual expected damages of up to 0.8 million in GOB. Valmeyer’s relocation was cost-effective under scenarios that produced flood depths and inundation extents similar to or greater than the 1993 levee breach, with BCRs ranging from 1.08 to 1.5. For assessed GOB flood scenarios, relocation was not found to be cost-effective, as many affected buildings were located on relatively higher ground within the floodplain, which limited flood damage. However, targeted buyouts across GOB for the most flood-prone buildings were found to be cost-effective with BCRs ranging from 1.23 to 3.24. Socioeconomic, political, and geographic indicators of social vulnerability revealed that before the floods, Valmeyer’s vulnerability indicators were relatively lower than GOB. In addition, Valmeyer had a greater adaptive capacity characterized by stronger governance, community cohesion, and geographic centralization. Conversely, GOB was more geographically dispersed and had no formal governance from a local municipal corporation like Valmeyer. The longitudinal assessment showed Valmeyer experienced a decline in its population initially after relocation, followed by substantial growth (more than doubling of the community’s population) between 2000 and 2010, with an influx of younger, more affluent external households. From 2010 to 2020, the community stabilized, maintaining gains in socioeconomic conditions and associated decreases in vulnerability indicators. GOB exhibited a slow decline in population and an increase in certain social vulnerability variables between 1990 and 2010, followed by a more rapid decline in population and further increases in vulnerability between 2010 and 2020. This population decline may be attributed, at least in part, to the voluntary buyouts undertaken after the 2011 flood. These findings suggest that the success of retreat and buyouts does not depend only on the magnitude of flood risk but also on the underlying social, economic, and institutional capacities of the community. This research provides a data-driven basis for evaluating managed retreat as both a post-disaster recovery strategy and a proactive flood adaptation measure that communities facing similar challenges can adopt to reduce future flood risk