Digital Commons Network^™

Green Strategic Planning Approach For International Shipping Activities, Xiaofang Wu, Luoping Zhang, Huan Feng

Department of Earth and Environmental Studies Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Sustainability is a long-term and ultimate goal for international shipping, although it is slowly making progress. The shipping perspective that moves away from “port-to-port” operations to “door-to-door” services also requires international shipping to take a long-term and holistic view instead of fragmented efforts. How to achieve the long-term sustainability goal becomes a key issue for door-to-door international shipping. Hence, green strategic planning for door-to-door international shipping was proposed with green development that puts forward the eco-centric point of view as its basic theory for sustainability. This study used a strategic decision-making approach, a so-called multi-dimensional decision-making (MDDM), coupled with the …

Schools As Providing Transformational Goods, Sasha Barab

The Emerging Learning Design Journal

In an age of radical innovation, transforming societies, and globalized relationships, our opportunity to unlock human potential has never been more salient. While a variety of approaches have shown promise in this area, achieving this goal at scale has been hampered by thinking and designs that position learning as a process of knowledge transmission and content acquisition. Clearly content has a significant role in increase people potential, but many designs treat context acquisition as necessary and sufficient, neglecting meaningful engagement with one’s life possibilities as an integral part of the learning process. Instead, herein I posit that relevance, use, and …

The Montclarion, December 12, 2019, The Montclarion

The Montclarion

Student Newspaper of Montclair State University

Rapid Characterization Of Dissolved Organic Matter And Precursors To Disinfection By-Products By Fluorescence Technique, Taha Marhaba

Sustainability Seminar Series

Natural organic matter (NOM) in the environment today does not only come from humic sources, but also from non-humic or synthetic sources. The typical total organic carbon (TOC) analysis has been typically used as an aggregate measure of NOM in water. NOM from surface water sources were isolated and fractionated by resin adsorption techniques into hydrophobic acid, hydrophobic neutral, hydrophobic base, hydrophilic acid, hydrophilic neutral and hydrophilic base. The Spectral Fluorescent Signatures (SFS) technique through a database of spectral characteristics specific to each fraction was developed for the identification of the six NOM fractions. Among the main advantages of the …

The Montclarion, December 5, 2019, The Montclarion

The Montclarion

Student Newspaper of Montclair State University

Turning Disaster Data Into Knowledge: Field Reconnaissance, Damage Assessment, And Lessons Learned From Hurricane Sandy, Harvey, And Michael, Jie Gong

Sustainability Seminar Series

The recent hurricanes in 2012, 2017, and 2018, and efforts of researchers to capture vast quantities of perishable data through support of the National Science Foundation and other agencies, have created enormous databases of hurricane impacts to coastal structures that can be used to extract fundamental knowledge as to why these structures perform as they do during hurricanes. But exploration of these large data sets, untangling the complex factors contributing to various hurricane damages, and forming a holistic understanding of damage mechanisms are challenging tasks, requiring convergent approaches in system modeling, data science, and cyberinfrastructure design. In this presentation, Dr. …

Effectiveness Of Individual Nutrition Education Compared To Group Education, In Improving Anthropometric And Biochemical Indices Among Hypertensive Adults With Excessive Body Weight: A Randomized Controlled Trial, Danuta Gajewska, Alicja Kucharska, Marcin Kozak, Shahla M. Wunderlich, Joanna Niegowska

Department of Nutrition and Food Studies Scholarship and Creative Works

Objective: The study aims to compare the effectiveness of individual and group nutrition education methods in improving key anthropometric and biochemical markers in drug-treated, overweight-obese hypertensive adults. Methods: The randomized trial included 170 patients with pharmacologically well-controlled primary hypertension and body mass index (BMI) ≥ 25 kg/m². For six months, the patients received six sessions, either one-to-one individual nutrition education (IE, n = 89) or group education (GE, n= 81), developed by dietitians. Anthropometric measurements, body composition, and fasting measures of biochemical parameters were obtained at baseline and after six months of intervention. Results: 150 patients completed the …

Seeking Reward Or Avoiding Risk From Restaurant Reviews: Does Distance Matter?, Esther Kim, Sarah Tanford

Department of Hospitality and Tourism Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the extent to which consumers will exert more effort to avoid risk (negative reviews) versus seek reward (positive reviews) when making a restaurant decision.

Design/methodology/approach

This study investigates the influence of distance and review valence on restaurant decisions. A 2 (base restaurant review valence: negative, neutral) × 2 (target restaurant review valence: neutral, positive) × 2 (distance: 30 min, 60 min) between-subjects factorial design was used.

Findings

People exert more effort to seek a reward versus avoid a risk. People will drive any distance to dine at a restaurant with positive …

How Conflict Shapes Evolution In Poeciliid Fishes, Andrew I. Furness, Bart J.A. Pollux, Robert Meredith, Mark S. Springer, David N. Reznick

Department of Biology Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

In live-bearing animal lineages, the evolution of the placenta is predicted to create an arena for genomic conflict during pregnancy, drive patterns of male sexual selection, and increase the rate of speciation. Here we test these predictions of the viviparity driven conflict hypothesis (VDCH) in live-bearing poecilid fishes, a group showing multiple independent origins of placentation and extreme variation in male sexually selected traits. As predicted, male sexually selected traits are only gained in lineages that lack placentas; while there is little or no influence of male traits on the evolution of placentas. Both results are consistent with the mode …

Ecological Feedbacks Stabilize A Turf-Dominated Ecosystem At The Southern Extent Of Kelp Forests In The Northwest Atlantic, Colette Feehan, Sean P. Grace, Carla A. Narvaez

Department of Biology Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Temperate marine ecosystems globally are undergoing regime shifts from dominance by habitat-forming kelps to dominance by opportunistic algal turfs. While the environmental drivers of shifts to turf are generally well-documented, the feedback mechanisms that stabilize novel turf-dominated ecosystems remain poorly resolved. Here, we document a decline of kelp Saccharina latissima between 1980 and 2018 at sites at the southernmost extent of kelp forests in the Northwest Atlantic and their replacement by algal turf. We examined the drivers of a shift to turf and feedback mechanisms that stabilize turf reefs. Kelp replacement by turf was linked to a significant multi-decadal increase …

Social And Political Factors Influencing Green Energy Transition, Rachel Schwom

Sustainability Seminar Series

Society’s dependence on fossil fuels is harming humans and the environment and we must transition our energy system to be more economically, socially and environmentally sustainable. While the economics driving energy transitions are important, sociologists and political scientists have highlighted that these transitions are social and political processes. This talk will provide examples of research that has highlight the social and political factors that influence how people and institutions interact with the market and our energy systems. Those factors include public opinion and social movement pressure, industry resistance or support, political opportunity structure, and windows of opportunity. Cases will include …

The Montclarion, November 21, 2019, The Montclarion

The Montclarion

Student Newspaper of Montclair State University

Why Build Multi-Use Greenways? Implications For New Jersey And Beyond, R. Bruce Donald

Sustainability Seminar Series

In this presentation, Bruce Donald will explain comprehensive research that investing in bicycle/pedestrian infrastructure has numerous benefits including public health, reduced transportation costs, increased access to reliable transportation, tourism, improved local economy, reduced user mortality rates, and environmental benefits. Solutions include developing a comprehensive pedestrian and bicycle network, as well as improving access to these facilities by all of New Jersey’s residents and its visitors. Investing in bicycle infrastructure is at the forefront of twenty-first-century economic development.

The Montclarion, November 14, 2019, The Montclarion

The Montclarion

Student Newspaper of Montclair State University

Quantifying Ocean Acidification In The Geologic Record Using The B/Ca Ratio Of Planktic Foraminifera Shells, Laura Haynes

Sustainability Seminar Series

56 million years ago, the Earth underwent a rapid climate change event called the “Paleocene Eocene Thermal Maximum” (PETM). Sedimentary records show that a massive amount of carbon was released into the atmosphere, causing ocean acidification, warming, and a widespread extinction of deep-sea organisms. Reconstructing the source and amount of carbon released during the PETM has been a major focus for paleoclimatologists as we seek to understand how the Earth system will respond to modern carbon emissions and warming. To help quantify ocean acidification at the PETM, we are using the boron content (the B/Ca ratio) of the shells of …

The Montclarion, November 7, 2019, The Montclarion

The Montclarion

Student Newspaper of Montclair State University

Anaerobic Dechlorination Of Polychlorinated Dibenzo-P-Dioxins In Passaic River Sediments, Donna E. Fennell

Sustainability Seminar Series

Polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs) are persistent, bioaccumulative and toxic pollutants found in the environment. The Passaic River in New Jersey is highly contaminated with 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (2,3,7,8-TeCDD), one of the most toxic of the PCDD/F congeners. Our on-going research at Rutgers is intended to better understand PCDD/F dichlorination by anaerobic organohalide respiring bacteria (OHRB). Results will be presented from various anaerobic enrichment cultures (including from the Passaic River) enriched on alternate organohalides such as trichloroethene and dichlorobenzene to stimulate OHRB. Activity against three PCDD congeners: 1,2,3,4-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin, a well-studied model PCDD congener; 2,3,7,8-TeCDD; and 2,7-dichlorodibenzo-p-dioxin, a potential metabolite of 2,3,7,8- TeCDD, …

Effect Of Foliar Spray Application Of Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles On Quantitative, Nutritional, And Physiological Parameters Of Foxtail Millet (Setaria Italica L.) Under Field Conditions, Marek Kolenčík, Dávid Ernst, Matej Komár, Martin Šebesta, Martin Urík, Edmund Dobročka, Ivan Černý, Ramakanth Illa, Raghavendra Kanike, Qian Yu, Huan Feng, Denisa Orlová, Gabriela Kratošová

Department of Earth and Environmental Studies Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

It has been shown that the foliar application of inorganic nano-materials on cereal plants during their growth cycle enhances the rate of plant productivity by providing a micro-nutrient source. We therefore studied the effects of foliarly applied ZnO nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) on Setaria italica L. foxtail millet’s quantitative, nutritional, and physiological parameters. Scanning electron microscopy showed that the ZnO NPs have an average particle size under 20 nm and dominant spherically shaped morphology. Energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry then confirmed ZnO NP homogeneity, and X-ray diffraction verified their high crystalline and wurtzite-structure symmetry. Although plant height, thousand grain weight, and grain …

Capability Of Sentinel-2 Msi Data For Monitoring And Mapping Of Soil Salinity In Dry And Wet Seasons In The Ebinur Lake Region, Xinjiang, China, Jingzhe Wang, Jianli Ding, Danlin Yu, Xuankai Ma, Zipeng Zhang, Xiangyu Ge, Dexiong Teng, Xiaohang Li, Jing Liang, Ivan Lizaga, Xiangyue Chen, Lin Yuan, Yahui Guo

Department of Earth and Environmental Studies Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Soil salinization is one of the most important causes for land degradation and desertification and is an important threat to land management, farming activities, water quality, and sustainable development in arid and semi-arid areas. Soil salinization is often characterized with significant spatiotemporal dynamics. The salt-affected soil is predominant in the Ebinur Lake region in the Northwestern China. However, detailed local soil salinity information is ambiguous at the best due to limited monitoring techniques. Nowadays, the availability of Multi-Spectral Instrument (MSI) onboard Sentinel-2, offers unprecedented perspectives for the monitoring and mapping of soil salinity. The use of MSI data is an …

The Paradox Of Urban Greening: Does It Harm The Very People Who Need It The Most?, Juliana Maantay

Sustainability Seminar Series

Urban greening and sustainability approaches are well accepted methods for improving the urban environment and combating the climate crisis. Cleaning up potentially contaminated lands and bringing them back into constructive public use is one of the benefits of greening. However, greening efforts may have unintended consequences, resulting in adverse social and economic impacts to the existing residents, who are often the most vulnerable urban populations. Spatial analyses of case study examples show that greening can spur “green gentrification.” Measures can be taken to integrate social equity objectives into urban sustainability planning, to mitigate gentrification, and to improve equitable distribution of …

The Effects Of Criminal Embeddedness On School Violence In Brazil, Elenice De Souza De Souza Oliveira, Braulio Figueiredo Alves Da Silva, Silvio Segundo Salej Higgins

Department of Justice Studies Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

This study examines the influence of criminal embeddedness on the intensity of criminal behavior among primary and secondary school students in a large Brazilian city. A database conceived by the Center for the Study of Crime and Public Security at the Federal University in Minas Gerais is used to analyze the involvement of youths displaying delinquent behavior at home or at school and how school performance and peer relationships are effected. Based on differential association and learning theories, the main hypotheses are (1) the greater the criminal embeddedness, the lower the degree of school satisfaction as well as future expectation …

The Montclarion, October 24, 2019, The Montclarion

The Montclarion

Student Newspaper of Montclair State University

High Functional Diversity Of Contaminated Soils From Liberty State Park, Nina M. Goodey

Sustainability Seminar Series

Urban brownfields present an opportunity to study the functioning of degraded ecosystems. We investigated the soils of Liberty State Park in Jersey City, New Jersey, which once supported a major rail yard and port facility with docks for shipping cargo to New York City. ICP-MS and pyrolysis-GC-MS studies were used to show that our study site is contaminated with heavy metals and organic contaminants, including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. We used fluorescence spectroscopy to measure soil enzymatic function at multiple locations within the brownfield and found the following types of sites: 1.) hotspots with high heavy metal concentrations and high extracellular …

The Montclarion, October 17, 2019, The Montclarion

The Montclarion

Student Newspaper of Montclair State University

Dam Removal In New Jersey: Ecological Uplift, Public Safety, And Building Ecosystem Resilience In Advance Of Climate Change, Beth Styler Barry

Sustainability Seminar Series

Dam removals are often the subject of controversy. We’ll explore dam removals from planning to (de)construction and see examples of ecosystem changes that follow. New Jersey has over 1700 dams, the average age of these dams is over 50 years. Many dams have a public use, they may provide a potable water supply or create economically important recreational lakes. However, many dams have outlived their intended use, have fallen into serious disrepair and negatively impact ecosystems.

The Montclarion, October 10, 2019, The Montclarion

The Montclarion

Student Newspaper of Montclair State University

Fluids In Music: The Mathematics Of Pan’S Flutes, Bogdan Nita, Sajan Ramanathan

Department of Mathematics Facuty Scholarship and Creative Works

We discuss the mathematics behind the Pan’s flute. We analyze how the sound is created, the relationship between the notes that the pipes produce, their frequencies and the length of the pipes. We find an equation which models the curve that appears at the bottom of any Pan’s flute due to the different pipe lengths.

A Look Under The Hood: Energy & Sustainability Initiatives At New Jersey Transit, John Geitner

Sustainability Seminar Series

New Jersey Transit (NJT) is the nation's largest statewide public transportation provider. To move its nearly one million daily customers, NJT operates Rail, Bus and Light Rail systems. Finding ways to use that energy efficiently and with an eye on sustainability is the focus of the Environment, Energy & Sustainability team at NJT. Join us for a detailed discussion on NJT's operations and how the agency works to incorporate various technologies and programs into those operations with the goal of using energy wisely. This presentation will discuss current capital projects and how they work to incorporate resiliency, reliability and sustainability …

Is Green Infrastructure A Universal Good? Equity In Gi Planning From Us Cities, Zbigniew J. Grabowski

Sustainability Seminar Series

Is Green Infrastructure a Universal Good? Our team seeks to address this research question through a multi-faceted analysis of GI programs through mapping, interviews with practitioners and communities, and an extensive plan analysis across 20 US cities. Our plan plan analysis draws upon a wide array of planning documents pertaining to green infrastructure, and broadly examines the drivers of GI programs and how they consider the relationship between GI and community well being. In particular we are examining if plans take into account the perspectives, concerns, and desires of underserved communities in their framing of GI-equity concerns, and what targets …

The Normal Review, A Literary And Arts Publication, Fall 2019, The Normal Review

The Normal Review

No abstract provided.