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Polyethylene (PE) mulches are widely used in strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa Duch) production for weed suppression and crop growth optimization. However, PE mulches are not biodegradable and contribute to plastic pollution. Our objective was to develop and test biodegradable liquid-applied 'hydromulches' (HMs) as a sustainable alternative to PE mulch. HM weed suppression efficacy, strawberry plant growth, and yield were evaluated. HMformulations consisted of shredded newsprint paper (NP), water, and a tackifier, either guar gum (GG) or psyllium husk (PH) added at 2 or 6%. Experiments were conducted at two environmentally distinct locations: northwest Washington (WA) and eastern North Dakota (ND). Five HM formulations were compared to black PEmulch within a randomized complete block design with four replications. PEmulch suppressed weeds completely at peak weed emergence and peak weed vegetative growth at both locations. Formulations of HM containing GG provided superior weed suppression compared to other HM formulations at peak weed emergence (4-6 vs. 18-22 plants m-2, respectively). At peak vegetative growth, HM formulations containing GG had the lowest weed density compared to other HMs in ND (1 vs. 9-12 plants m-2), whereas these differences were not observed in WA. Total weed biomass did not differ among HMs across both locations. GG HM formulations deteriorated similarly to PE mulch (3-5% vs. 2%, respectively) in ND, whereas other HMs deteriorated more substantially. In WA, all HMs deterioratedmore than PEmulch (6-12% vs. 1%, respectively). Fruit yield did not differ among treatments inweedy and weed-free subplots (194-254 g plant-1) inWA. In ND, yield was greater in all HM treatments compared to PE mulch in both weedy andweed-free subplots. Across both locations, strawberry canopy coverwas greater in PE mulch (56.1% canopy cover) compared to 2%GG and NP (42.4 and 39.8% canopy cover). Strawberry plant biomass was similar among mulch treatments. However, strawberry leaf and crown biomass were slightly lower in 2%PH compared to other mulch treatments. Results demonstrate HMs with GG tackifier are a promising alternative to PE mulch in organic strawberry systems based on ability to suppress weeds, enhance strawberry growth, and maintain yield. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper studies the stability of a real-world wind farm, Bison Wind Generation System (BWGS) in the state of North Dakota in the United States. BWGS uses an AC collector grid rated at 34.5 kV and a symmetrical bipolar high-voltage DC (HVDC) transmission grid rated at ±250 kV. The HVDC line transfers a total power of 0.5 GW, while both the HVDC rectifier and inverter substations use line-commuted converters (LCCs). The LCC-based rectifier adopts constant DC current control to regulate HVDC current, while the inverter operates in constant extinction angle control mode to maintain a fixed HVDC voltage. This paper proposes a frequency scan-based approach to obtain the d–q impedance model of (i) BWGS AC collector grids with Type 4 wind turbines that use permanent magnet synchronous generators (PMSGs) and two fully rated converters, and (ii) an LCC-HVDC system. The impedance frequency response of the BWGS is acquired by exciting the AC collector grid and LCC-HVDC with multi-sine voltage perturbations during its steady-state operation. The resulting voltage and current signals are subjected to a fast Fourier transform (FFT) to extract frequency components. By analyzing the impedance frequency response measurement of BWGS, a linear time–invariant (LTI) representation of its dynamics is obtained using the vector fitting (VF) technique. Finally, a Bode plot is applied, considering the impedance of the BWGS and grid to perform stability analyses. This study examines the influence of the short circuit ratio (SCR) of the grid and the phase lock loop (PLL) frequency bandwidth on the stability of the overall system. The findings provide valuable insights for the design and verification of an AC collector and LCC-based HVDC transmission systems. The findings suggest that the extraction of the impedance model of a real-world wind farm, achieved through frequency scanning and subsequent representation as an LTI system using VF, is regarded as a robust, suitable, and accurate methodology for investigating the dynamics, unstable operating conditions, and control interaction of the wind farm and LCC-HVDC system with the AC grid. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Several states had an assessment that they considered to be an alternate assessment based on modified academic achievement standards (AA-MAS) in place, or in development, when the April 2007 federal regulations on modified achievement standards were finalized. This article uses publicly available information collected by the National Center on Educational Outcomes to analyze changes in states' AA-MAS between 2007 and 2008. The article compares across the 2 years the number of states that had an assessment they considered to be an AA-MAS, states' participation guidelines, and the characteristics of these assessments. We also provide information about the number of students who participated in this assessment option during the 2006-07 school year. In 2007, six states (Kansas, Louisiana, Maryland, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma) either had or were in the process of developing an assessment they considered to be an AA-MAS. In 2008, California, Connecticut, and Texas also offered this assessment option. Six of the nine states that have been early implementers of the AA-MAS were states that had offered an out-of-level testing option until federal policies required that option to be phased out. Most states had fewer items on their AA-MAS than on their regular assessment. States that had participation guidelines for the AA-MAS in 2007 developed them prior to finalization of the federal regulations, and some changes between 2007 and 2008 in states' participation guidelines appear to have been made to better align the guidelines with the regulations. The characteristics of the assessments states consider to be AA-MASs are changing rapidly and will probably continue to change rapidly over the next few years as more is learned about the advantages and limitations of this assessment. (Contains 5 tables and 4 footnotes.)

Classifying bare earth (ground) points from Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) point clouds is well-established research in the forestry, topography, and urban domains using point clouds acquired by Airborne LiDAR System (ALS) at average point densities (≈2 points per meter-square (pts/m2)). The paradigm of point cloud collection has shifted with the advent of unmanned aerial systems (UAS) onboard affordable laser scanners with commercial utility (e.g., DJI Zenmuse L1 sensor) and unprecedented repeatability of UAS-LiDAR surveys. Therefore, there is an immediate need to investigate the existing methods, and to develop new ground classification methods, using UAS-LiDAR. In this paper, for the first time, traditional ground classification algorithms and modern machine learning methods were investigated to filter ground from point clouds of high-density UAS-LiDAR data (≈900 pts/m2) over five agricultural fields in North Dakota, USA. To this end, we tested frequently used ground classification algorithms: Cloth Simulation Function (CSF), Progressive Morphological Filter (PMF), Multiscale Curvature Classification (MCC), and ArcGIS ground classification algorithms along with the PointCNN deep learning model were trained. We investigated two aspects of ground classification algorithms and PointCNN: (a) Classification accuracy of optimized ground classification algorithms (i.e., fine adjustment is user-defined parameters) and PointCNN over training site, and (b) transferability potential over four yet diverse test agricultural fields. The well-established evaluation metrics of omission error, commission error, and total error, along with kappa coefficients showed that deep learning outperforms the traditional ground classification algorithms in both aspects: (a) overall classification accuracy, and (b) transferability over diverse agricultural fields. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context: COVID-19 exerted severe challenges on skilled nursing facility (SNF) residents and staff. A combination of internal and external factors predisposed SNFs to an increased propensity of COVID-19 spread. Objective: The purpose of this paper is to examine which facility characteristics may have contributed to COVID-19 outbreaks within urban and rural North Dakota skilled nursing facilities. Methods: A 23-question survey regarding facility characteristics was developed and distributed to all 78 North Dakota skilled nursing facilities (SNF). Findings: Of the North Dakota SNF, 40 out of 78 total facilities (51.2%) participated in the survey. Of those participating, 38 of 40 (95%) were in counties with populations under 50,000, with the smallest county population being 1,876. A Spearman's rank test suggested a relationship between the community spread of COVID-19 and the COVID-19 positivity of SNF residents. Spearman's rank also suggested a positive association between the SNF resident COVID-19 positivity in relation to staff positivity (p-value 0.042) and county rates (p-value 0.045). Limitations: While this is a comprehensive survey with a very good response rate, two key limitations are identified. First, the survey relies on self-reported data from SNF staff. Second, it is not clear what data would have been received from non-responding SNFs. Implications: Substantial lessons have been learned, which may not only aid future pandemic preparedness but improve the quality of care for nursing home residents during a pandemic or other respiratory disease outbreaks. Proactively knowing susceptibilities and vulnerabilities ahead of time will allow local and state leaders to plan and allocate resources. Future state and local pandemic emergency plans need to be reviewed with the prioritization of skilled nursing facilities as front line facilities during a pandemic, rather than placing their "traditional" emphasis of emergency preparedness on hospitals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In this paper we describe the use of the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR) to study implementation of a web-based, point-of-care, EHR-linked clinical decision support (CDS) tool designed to identify and provide care recommendations for adults with prediabetes (Pre-D CDS).Methods: As part of a large NIH-funded clinic-randomized trial, we identified a convenience sample of interview participants from 22 primary care clinics in Minnesota, North Dakota, and Wisconsin that were randomly allocated to receive or not receive a web-based EHR-integrated prediabetes CDS intervention. Participants included 11 clinicians, 6 rooming staff, and 7 nurse or clinic managers recruited by study staff to participate in telephone interviews conducted by an expert in qualitative methods. Interviews were recorded and transcribed, and data analysis was conducted using a constructivist version of grounded theory.Results: Implementing a prediabetes CDS tool into primary care clinics was useful and well received. The intervention was integrated with clinic workflows, supported primary care clinicians in clearly communicating prediabetes risk and management options with patients, and in identifying actionable care opportunities. The main barriers to CDS use were time and competing priorities. Finally, while the implementation process worked well, opportunities remain in engaging the care team more broadly in CDS use.Conclusions: The use of CDS tools for engaging patients and providers in care improvement opportunities for prediabetes is a promising and potentially effective strategy in primary care settings. A workflow that incorporates the whole care team in the use of such tools may optimize the implementation of CDS tools like these in primary care settings. Trial registration Name of the registry: Clinicaltrial.gov.Trial Registration Number: NCT02759055. Date of registration: 05/03/2016. URL of trial registry record: https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02759055 Prospectively registered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The United States along with the rest of the world has experienced an unprecedented disruption in daily life due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Almost everyone has experienced some sort of stay at home order resulting in an economic catastrophe greater than the Great Recession of 2008 and on par with the Great Depression almost a century ago. Educational institutions at both the K-12 and post-secondary levels have not been immune from the shutdown, with many schools closed from mid-March through the end of the 2020 school year. Many schools moved classes to remote, distance delivery platforms. Career and Technical Education (CTE) teachers were tasked with creative engaging learning activities online for curricula which is taught in a hands-on contextual learning environment. This paper will present preliminary results from research conducted by a collaborative group of nine researchers from across the United States with collectively over 200 years of career and technical education experience. The conceptual framework used for this study was Danielson's Framework for Teaching and Enhancing Professional Practice and Foundations of Career and Technical Education including Constructivism. 3,267 participants representing all 50 states responded to the 37-item survey. The research objectives included description of participants and identified challenges to planning and delivery of CTE content when schools were closed, and instruction was moved to remote/distance/online platforms. Participants ranked their challenges as instructors and their perceptions of challenges that were experienced by their students. CTE teachers ranked replicating classroom or lab environments online and lack of experience teaching online as their biggest challenges. The perceptions of the participants concerning challenges for their students included motivation to guide and manage their own learning and students' access to reliable internet connection. The emergence and prevalence of the COVID-19 pandemic added a layer of complexity to educational practice that was not foreseen and for which no intentional preparation had occurred. Understanding how CTE teachers and instructors responded to this call, and the challenges they and their students encountered, is important to efforts to improve practice in the future and to be in a better position should another crisis occur that forces learning to be delivered in alternative formats from that of the traditional face-to-face classroom. [Note: The page range (177-194) shown on the PDF is incorrect. The correct page range is 177-193.]

This paper argues for the value of a comparison of the Métis national movement with the Catalan national movement. It pays special attention to the matter of federalism (especially the writings of Harry Daniels and the recent court rulings about Catalonia's status and bid for independence), of small communities that have been "carved out" (especially the Métis Settlements of Alberta and the microstate of Andorra) and the existence of communities that cross borders (especially the Turtle Mountain Reservation in North Dakota and the Catalan communities of France). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Cass Clay Food Partners is a network of professionals, stakeholders, and residents serving Cass County, North Dakota, and Clay County, Minnesota, in creating a healthier, more just local food system. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Cass Clay Food Partners quickly implemented a multipronged response that leveraged three critical assets of our network: (1) our unique structure, (2) our nuanced understanding of the social ties across overlapping networks, and (3) our ability to quickly pivot our work to address community needs. In this paper, we describe how our network responded to both the challenges and opportunities presented to our food system by the COVID-19 crisis. We also provide tools and recommendations for other food policy and food network practitioners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper introduces a time-varying parameter regression model for modeling, forecasting, and assessing inter-annual trends in daily snow depths. The time-varying parameter regression is written in a simple state-space representation and forecasted using a Kalman filter. The recursive Kalman filter algorithm updates the time-varying parameter sequentially when a new data point becomes available and is a flexible forecasting technique. The proposed method is applied to a time series of daily snow depth observations recorded over a 103 year period at a station in Napoleon, North Dakota. The forecasts of the final ten years of data perform well when compared to the actual daily snow depths. Inter-annual snow depth trends indicate an increase in mid-winter snow depths followed by an earlier spring ablation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, we investigate a new paradigm for dock-less bike sharing. Recently, it has become essential to accommodate connected and free-floating bicycles in modern bike-sharing operations. This change comes with an increase in the coordination cost, as bicycles are no longer checked in and out from bike-sharing stations that are fully equipped to handle the volume of requests; instead, bicycles can be checked in and out from virtually anywhere. In this paper, we propose a new framework for combining traditional bike stations with locations that can serve as free-floating bike-sharing stations. The framework we propose here focuses on identifying highly centralized k -clubs (i.e., connected subgraphs of restricted diameter). The restricted diameter reduces coordination costs as dock-less bicycles can only be found in specific locations. In addition, we use closeness centrality as this metric allows for quick access to dock-less bike sharing while, at the same time, optimizing the reach of service to bikers/customers. For the proposed problem, we first derive its computational complexity and show that it is N P -hard (by reduction from the 3-Satisfiability problem), and then provide an integer programming formulation. Due to its computational complexity, the problem cannot be solved exactly in a large-scale setting, as is such of an urban area. Hence, we provide a greedy heuristic approach that is shown to run in reasonable computational time. We also provide the presentation and analysis of a case study in two cities of the state of North Dakota: Casselton and Fargo. Our work concludes with the cost-benefit analysis of both models (docked vs. dockless) to suggest the potential advantages of the proposed model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we report measurements in Colorado and Utah of the disturbed very-low-frequency (VLF) signals from the NML Navy transmitter in North Dakota during the 2017 solar eclipse. Using an occultation mask of solar fluxes together with detailed chemistry and VLF propagation simulations, we quantify the D-region response to the eclipse, in terms of electron density variation, as well as the expected signatures of VLF transmitter signals. The VLF measurements, including an anomalous amplitude enhancement recorded in UT, can be quantitatively explained using the Wait and Spies ionospheric profile with a sharpness parameter of $\beta = 0.3$ km−1 above ~55 km and an increase in the D-region ionosphere height of $\Delta h' \simeq 8$ km. This sharpness parameter is consistent with previously reported rocket measurements and first-principles calculations. The best-fit results suggest a reduction of D-region electron density by ~90% during the eclipse in the D-region, implying an occultation of Lyman- $\alpha $ by nearly 99%. This finding agrees with detailed calculations of time-dependent obscuration factors utilizing the He 30.4-nm images from Solar Dynamics Observatory as a proxy for the distribution of Lyman- $\alpha $ across the solar disk and limb. Moreover, the present results show that subionospheric VLF propagation is sensitive to the sharpness parameter of the electron density profile in the D-region. Previously reported first-principles simulations have shown that the sharpness parameter is mostly controlled by the background concentration of minor neutral species. Thus, the VLF technique can be likely used to remotely sense these neutral species at and below the effective reflection altitudes of VLF waves. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper deals with the comparison of the tax burden of selected US States within the framework of two taxes - income tax and sales tax. When drawing up this issue, the authors were led by the idea that there may be significant differences among particular states, so they chose as the objective to identify fiscally attractive areas. The quantification research of tax burden on model farms in 12 US states -- Corn Belt was carried out in order to meet the objective. To the three groups of taxpayers (single, married and head of household) were applied federal and state taxation on natural persons income, social security and health insurance contributions, and sales tax. The cross-sectional analysis is focused on 2012. The results of the comparative analysis led to the identification of fiscally attractive areas of agribusiness (South and North Dakota - regardless of the taxpayer status, Ohio) and to the confirmation of the assumption that there are significant differences between the states surveyed -- particularly as regards the sales tax where a deviation of tax liability from the lowest tax burden of 74.99% was identified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Sustainable rangeland management balances production and conservation. While a broad literature describesthe conservation benefits of prescribed fire, benefits for livestock production have emerged more slowly. Mineral nutrition is important for livestock health and performance, but the impact of prescribed fire on mineral concentration of forages, especially in the northern US Great Plains, remains unknown. Aims: We investigated how burning affects the mineral concentration of forage early and late in the growing season. Methods: Data were collected on mixed-grass prairie in south-central North Dakota, USA. Vegetation was clipped from recently burned, 1 year post-fire, 2 years post-fire, and not-yet-burned patches at the same sampling points in spring and late summer. Samples were analysed for calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, potassium, copper, iron, manganese, and zinc concentration. Key results: Burning increased forage mineral concentration across most minerals. Phosphorous, potassium, copper and zinc were higher in burned areas in late spring and summer; calcium, magnesium and manganese were only higher during the late summer; Late-season iron levels increased with time since fire. Conclusions: Prescribed fire has a positive effect on forage mineral content. Implications: Prescribed fire has the potential to reduce mineral supplementation costs and improve cow performance. Prescribed fire has a positive effect on forage mineral content and has the potential to reduce mineral supplementation costs and improve cow performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Feralization of genetically engineered (GE) crops increases the risk that transgenes will become integrated into natural and naturalizing plant populations. A key assumption of the management of GE crops is that populations of escaped plants are short-lived and therefore the risks they pose are limited. However, few populations of escaped crop plants have been tracked over the long term so our understanding of their persistence in ruderal or natural landscapes is limited. We repeated a large-scale road survey of feral GE canola populations in North Dakota, USA, initially conducted in 2010. Our objectives in 2021 were to determine the current distribution of feral canola populations, and to establish the relative frequency of GE and non-GE phenotypes in populations of canola throughout North Dakota. Our results indicate that, although the incidence of feral canola was less in 2021 than 2010, escaped canola populations remain common throughout the state. The prevalence of alternate forms of GE herbicide resistance changed between surveys, and we found an overabundance of non-GE plants compared to the frequency of non-transgenic forms in cultivation. Indirect evidence of persistence includes sampling plants with multiple transgenic traits, and finding populations far from transportation routes. We conclude that feral canola populations expressing transgenic herbicide resistance are established outside of cultivation, that they may be under selection for loss of the transgene, but that they nonetheless pose long-term risks by harboring transgenes in the unmanaged landscape. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper establishes the need to act at a city scale to reduce energy use and improve sustainability in general. The paper evaluates the plans that the City of Fargo (Climate zone 6), North Dakota has established to grow in a sustainable manner. As part of this effort, the City of Fargo is participating in the Georgetown University Energy Prize Competition to reduce the energy use of residential and municipal buildings. As such, the City is engaged in assessing, defining, designing and implementing the Go 2030 plan (2012) as the basis for a sustainable future. This paper reviews and evaluates several methods of city-scale assessments and identifies distinguishing characteristics of these tools and assessments and creates a categorization to make the methods ordered and understandable. The two broad categories developed are (1) category- and (2) indicator-based models of urban sustainability. Further, this paper reviews the tools through a literature search and compares the City of Fargo's Go 2030 plan against these categorizations. Based on this evaluation this paper proposes a framework that has the potential to fill the gaps in the current Go2030 plan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Planning for a bus-based regional evacuation is essential for emergency preparedness, especially for hurricane or flood prone urban environments with large numbers of transit-dependent or transit-captive populations. This paper develops an optimization-based decision-support model for pedestrian-bus evacuation planning under bus fleet, pedestrian and bus routes, and network constraints. Aiming to minimize the evacuation duration time, an optimization model is proposed to determine the optimal pickup nodes for evacuees to assemble using existing pedestrian routes, and to allocate available bus fleet via bus routes and urban road network to transport the assembled evacuees between the pickup nodes and designated public shelters. The numerical examples with two scenarios based on the Sioux Falls street network from North Dakota (United States) demonstrates that this model can be used to optimize the evacuation duration time, the location of pickup nodes and bus assignment simultaneously. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The crustal evolution of the southernmost ∼2000–1800 Ma Trans‐Hudson orogen (THO) is enigmatic due to burial by Phanerozoic sediments. We provide new insights through petrochronologic analysis of a paragneiss drill core sample. Detrital zircon age peaks at 2625, 2340, and 1880 Ma and Hf isotopes suggest Paleoproterozoic arc development proximal to Archean source(s). Phase equilibria modeling and ternary feldspar thermometry suggest peak conditions of ≥1 GPa, ≥900°C, the first recognition of extreme, ultra‐high temperature metamorphism in the THO. The largely isobaric P‐T path, rapid heating rate, and ∼20 Myr duration (1872–1850 Ma) of peak conditions suggest that this metamorphism occurred in a back‐arc tectonic setting. The sample records post‐peak (1850–1815 Ma) mid‐crustal residence, slow cooling, and exhumation. Further retrogression occurred during Proterozoic regional exhumation (1630–1470 Ma) and Phanerozoic (360–220 Ma) reheating and/or fluid influx. Evidence for Paleoproterozoic arc(s) supports geophysical data for Archean cratonic and Paleoproterozoic arc crust in this region. Plain Language Summary: The Trans‐Hudson orogeny was a Himalayan‐scale collisional mountain building event approximately 1.8 billion years ago that formed the core of North America. The southern portion of the Trans‐Hudson orogen (THO) is poorly understood because it is almost entirely buried by younger rocks. It is unknown whether the southern THO is underlain by Archean or Proterozoic crust. The timing, conditions, and setting of high‐grade metamorphism in this region are also poorly known. We carried out petrologic, geochemical, and geochronologic analyses on a metasedimentary rock sample recovered from drill core. Detrital zircon and tracer isotopic data show derivation from both Paleoproterozoic and Archean sources. This suggests that Paleoproterozoic magmatic arc(s) developed on or near Archean crust. The rock sample experienced extreme temperatures (≥900°C, ≥1 GPa) and partial melting between approximately 1870 and 1850 million years ago perhaps in a back‐arc tectonic setting. This marks the first recognition of extreme, ultra‐high temperature metamorphism in the THO. Later retrograde metamorphism occurred in the Mesoproterozoic and Phanerozoic. These constraints provide new understanding of the enigmatic southern THO and highlight the ability of a combined petrologic, geochemical, and geochronologic study to extract a comprehensive record of crustal evolution from a single sample. Key Points: Paleoproterozoic arc(s) buried beneath North Dakota developed proximal to, or on, Archean craton(s)Metamorphic temperatures of >900°C are the first recognition of ultra‐high temperature (UHT) metamorphism in the Trans‐Hudson orogenBack‐arc setting for UHT metamorphism indicated by isobaric P‐T path and short timescales of heating and peak conditions [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: The European settlement of North America has led to dramatic changes in the environment of the Northern Plains. As this ecosystem's plant and animal communities continue to evolve during this period of human-driven modification, it is important to continually measure the impact on important ecological groups in this system, such as dung-dwelling arthropods. Therefore, we report the dung-dwelling arthropod community collected from 40 pastures extending from northeast South Dakota to central North Dakota during the 2019 and 2020 grazing seasons. A total of 51,283 specimens were collected. Beetles, flies, and parasitoid wasps comprised the majority (94.5%) of the community. Pest abundance was low on average, with about one adult pest found for every two dung pats sampled, and most of the pats (80%) did not contain any adult pests. While there were many beneficial arthropods collected for this survey, the abundance of these beneficial species was inconsistent from one pat to the next and throughout the grazing seasons. Future work is needed to understand how to increase the consistency of these beneficial organisms in the grassland ecosystem of the Northern Plains. Grassland ecosystems of the Northern Plains have changed substantially since European settlement began in the latter half of the 19th century. This has led to significant changes to the dung-dwelling arthropod community in the region. As humans continue to modify large portions of the landscape, inventories of ecologically significant communities are important to collect in order to monitor the long-term effects of anthropogenic biomes. We conducted a survey of the arthropod community dwelling in cattle dung from 40 pastures extending from northeast South Dakota to central North Dakota during the 2019 and 2020 grazing seasons. In sum, 51,283 specimens were collected from 596 dung pats, comprising a community of 22 orders. Coleoptera, Diptera, and Hymenoptera contributed to the majority (94.5%) of the community abundance. The mean pest abundance was low per pat (0.43 adult pests/pat), with 80% of the pats not containing any adult pest. Ecologically beneficial dung-feeding beetles, predators, and parasitoids were abundant in the region, but it was an inconsistent community, which may hinder ecosystem services. This highlights the need for future work to understand the mechanisms to increase the consistency of dung pat colonization for improved consistency of ecosystem services in the region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a list of research papers on economic history of the U.S. Some of the papers are "History of jack stock and mules in Missouri," by J. Ashton, "The Influence of Slavery in the Colonization of Texas," E.C. Barker, "Leadership of Early Windsor Industries in Mechanic Arts," by G. Hubbard, "The Railroad and the Prairie," by C.A. Harper, "Recollections of Life in Early Wisconsin," by A.M. Kellog, "The Marketing of Farm Implement Machinery, 1830-1860," by W.W. Leigh, "North West and Hudson's Bay Companies," by A. Newell, "Economic Aspects of Southern Sectionalism," by R.R. Russel, "The Physical and Economic Geography of Oregon," by W.Du P. Smith, "A Contemporary English View of the Trade and Prospects of New Orleans at the Close of the French Dominion," "Notes on the Economic History of New Orleans, 1803-1836," by J.E. Winston. "The Colonial Period of North Dakota History," by O.G. Libby, describes the fur trade which went on in Dakota from earliest times till 1850, when the territory began to change to a settled community of ranchers and farmers.

Minority students and students with disabilities are disciplined disproportionately from their peers. Discipline has led to many negative consequences in the lives of youth in the United States, including the school-to-prison pipeline. In 2014, the U.S. Department of Education issued guidance encouraging school districts to develop policies that seek alternatives to exclusionary penalties. Some states, including the State of Illinois, have been proactive in revamping the state's discipline. In this paper, we will examine how the states are responding to the school-to-prison pipeline and the other negative effects of exclusions and suspensions. Additionally, this paper will examine the implementation of Illinois Senate Bill 100, from an administrator's point of view, to make recommendations for disciplinary strategies and possible policy revisions.

The daily newspaper press throughout the country gave a gratifying response to the materials dealing with the Detroit convention made available to it by the Press Relations Committee. The three Detroit dailies carried, from December 25 to 31, twenty-four news stories including signed feature stories, two signed editorial columns, and six pictures. Many of these items were carried to other paper over the wire services of The Associated Press, United Press Associations, and International News Service.

The article presents the discussion on North Dakota Board of Medicine participating in the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education's (ACCME) new Program and Activity Reporting System (PARS) for transition of paper-based licensing and renewal processes to a digital system.

How to teach about difference is critical to education. This paper discusses teaching about difference in locations or contexts where the majority of teacher candidates were of the dominant culture. As a teacher educator, I have worked with teacher candidates on becoming aware of the relationships between their subject positions and the subject positions of others. The exploration of those relationships was contextualized by the different physical locations and teaching and learning environments, within which privilege, dominance, and marginalization were constructed and experienced in specific forms. This paper relates my emerging pedagogy for teaching about difference, as well as describing some teacher candidates' perspectives on learning about difference. It reflects on my experiences teaching courses in multiculturalism and social justice in two specific locations: the teaching and learning department of a small American university in North Dakota and an education faculty in Manitoba. For teacher candidates positioned within dominant culture, difference can be uncomfortable. Teaching about difference meaningfully and navigating this discomfort is central to teacher education oriented to equity.

This paper presents the effects of instantaneous live load on the performance of partially cracked axial concrete members (representing on-site damage) subjected to cold region environments. A total of 5,289 constructed bridges in the state of North Dakota are analyzed to identify critical attributes. The environments simulated consist of 100 cycles of freezing-submerging-drying at a freezing temperature of -30℃. The instantaneous live load effects are 20%, 40%, and 60% of the concrete compression strength at 28 days. A combined experimental and numerical investigation is conducted to examine the behavior of conditioned concrete cylinders. The research reports that the environmental effects are critical on the performance of existing concrete members in cold regions, and the presence of live load accelerates the deterioration of concrete. Internal damage attributable to the load cycling affects the axial stiffness and crack propagation of the conditioned concrete. All cylinders show volumetric contraction until failure occurs, followed by abrupt dilatation at failure. The live load effects influence the strain energy density and ductility of the concrete. A regression line to predict the strength degradation of the conditioned concrete is compared with numerical models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Researchers have studied and well documented several alternative snow-melting and de-icing systems. In addition to the snow-melting efficiency of such systems, they are considered to be more environmentally friendly than traditional mechanical or chemical de-icing procedures and more economical than some other alternative snow-melting methods. The most important factor for a hydronic heating system is the heat source. In western North Dakota, six aquifers have been identified in the Williston Basin that can provide geothermal hot water for direct use. Ancillary to these aquifers, co-production wells used in the oil industry may also provide hot water for use in a hydronic heating system. Given the availability of these aquifers and co-production wells, the focus of this study is the numerical analysis (using a finite element method) of a piped hydronic pavement heating system. The analysis results are examined in terms of available scenarios for the direct use of geothermal hot water that consider water temperature, volumetric flow rate, and the heat requirements for weather conditions in western North Dakota. This paper presents and discusses the results in terms of the temperatures of the heated pavement and the outlet temperatures of water after it has circulated through embedded pipes. Highlights • Direct-use geothermal hot water for transportation infrastructure • Alternative snow-removal method used in cold regions. • Considerations of snow-melting methods using renewable and sustainable energy. • Zero energy pavement heating technique [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 1963, the North Dakota Legislature amended the North Dakota Century Code to ensure that all licensed community pharmacies in the State are majority owned by pharmacists registered in the State. During the 2008-2009 legislative session, a debate arose about whether this law should be repealed. Those in favor of repeal attacked the law using the neoclassical arguments of efficiency, competition and lower prices. Those opposed to the law's repeal argued that pharmacists must own pharmacies in order to protect the public's welfare. This paper explores the arguments made for and against this law and draws two major conclusions. First, the arguments made by both sides are flawed because neither side fully incorporates the historical, physical and cultural characteristics of North Dakota communities into their analyses. Second, North Dakota legislators voted overwhelmingly to retain the law. Moreover, prima fascia evidence indicates that the legislators based their decisions on Institutional considerations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]