Determining Pesticide and Nitrate Levels in Spring Water in Northwest Arkansas

Occurrences of pesticides in our nations ground water are on the rise. As states become aware of this problem and begin monitoring programs, incidence of contamination will probably increase. Since the problem of pesticides in groundwater is relatively new, little research has centered on the fate of pesticides after they reach the groundwater environment. In Northwest Arkansas efforts to monitor groundwater for pesticides have been small. Twenty-five springs in Northwest Arkansas were sampled in the fall of 1988, and spring of 1989. Analysis for atrazine, alachlor, metolachlor, diuron, and simazine in spring water was preformed using gas liquid chromatography and high performance liquid chromatography. No detectable residues of any of the selected pesticides were found. Northwest Arkansas is a leader in poultry production. Much of the manure from poultry houses is spread on the sourounding pastures. As this litter decomposes nitrates and phosphates are released. Nitrate and phosphate concentrations were also determined on water from the spring samples. No spring exceeded the EPA\u27s limit of 45 mg/L for nitrate in drinking water. The highest concentration for phosphate in any spring was 1.05 mg/L

Strain and dynamic measurements using fiber optic sensors embedded into graphite/epoxy tubes

Graphite/epoxy tubes were fabricated with embedded optical fibers to evaluate the feasibility of monitoring strains with a fiber optic technique. Resistance strain gauges were attached to the tubes to measure strain at four locations along the tube for comparison with the fiber optic sensors. Both static and dynamic strain measurements were made with excellent agreement between the embedded fiber optic strain sensor and the strain gauges. Strain measurements of 10(exp -7) can be detected with the optical phase locked loop (OPLL) system using optical fiber. Because of their light weight, compatibility with composites, immunity to electromagnetic interference, and based on the static and dynamic results obtained, fiber optic sensors embedded in composites may be useful as the sensing component of smart structures

Poetic Voice in the Research: A Social Sciences Exploration in Verse

This article doubles down on the notion of poetry as a vehicle for expression in qualitative research. Following from the work of Cahnmann (2003), Stenhouse (2014), and Lahman et al. (2010), and drawing from additional inspiration including Clandinin and Connelly (2000) and Kuhn (2012), the author constructs the argument for poetic voice in research in the form of a series of poetic interplay with research concepts. The article makes the case that rich sources of data may be found in alternative representations of findings, and research questions and the people who are invited to research projects should influence researchers\u27 choices and data collection and presentation

A Review of Teaching Qualitative Research: Strategies for Engaging Emerging Scholars

This review highlights salient features of the book, Teaching Qualitative Research: Strategies for Engaging Emerging Scholars. The review notes the practical applications of the book, including the advice that the book’s authors offer about beginning research projects. Of particular note in the review is the way the authors balance a classroom introductory approach to qualitative work, while also giving attention to the depth and complexity of the methodologies that are used

It Is What It Is: Literacy Studies and Phenomenology

This investigation of the tenets of phenomenology is based on work completed using this methodology in educational studies. Specifically, the author writes about the way that phenomenology can be used when completing studies in the field of literacy. The author highlights foundational thinkers, along with major elements of methods and data collection that form the working parts of phenomenology. The author frames this article as a partially reflective account, looking at work that has been completed already, while also attempting to compose a descriptive investigation that other researchers can adopt for their own work in other fields

A Review of The Phenomenological Heart of Teaching and Learning: Theory, Research, and Practice in Higher Education

This review of The Phenomenological Heart of Teaching and Learning: Theory, Research, and Practice in Higher Education focuses on the organization, strengths, and weaknesses of a newly-published qualitative research text that also serves as a guide for teachers who wish to improve their practice. The case study nature of the text is explored, as well as the contributions of the text’s authors. The book is most notable as a text that draws on the rich history of Merleau-Ponty and seeks to consider classroom instruction in higher education in light of phenomenological tenets

Making the Complicated Accessible: Kakali Bhattacharya’s Fundamentals of Qualitative Research: A Practice Guide

In this book review, the text, Fundamentals of Qualitative Research: A Practical Guide by Kakali Bhattacharya, is considered. Attention is given to the way the author takes complicated ideas and makes them accessible. The audience and potential uses of the book are also considered

Advocating for the Use of Poetry and Mixed Media Work in Analytic Processes

As part of my analytical process of looking at data collected from a pilot study on the use of film in the classroom, I discovered that I had the space to engage in a creative analysis process. In this article, I propose that creative methods be employed when analyzing data. An arts-based approach to research (Barone & Eisner, 1997) led to two creative products for my research: Poetry, which has been used with research in the past (Cahnmann, 2003; McCullis, 2013) and mixed media. This article explores relevant literature about integrating poetry and other arts into analysis and serves to advocate for an arts-based process when trying to understand and represent study data