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Full-Text Articles in Physical Sciences and Mathematics

Language And Power In Social Movements: Hearing All The Voices In Food System Advocacy Narratives, Dianna Winslow Sep 2022

Language And Power In Social Movements: Hearing All The Voices In Food System Advocacy Narratives, Dianna Winslow

Green Humanities: A Journal of Ecological Thought in Literature, Philosophy & the Arts

[From first paragraph] Everyone must eat. It is this immediate and personal connection to food which drives public and scholarly interest in the complex narratives emerging in what is becoming known as the “food movement”—activism on a global scale that is challenging how the industrialized production, distribution and consumption of food is affecting environmental conditions, food sovereignty and security, human health and wellness, and cultural identities. As the number of food advocacy groups promoting different, yet overlapping, public concerns continues to increase, so does the flow of language used by these groups to shape collective identities and political stances, which …


Carbon Dioxide And Particulate Matter Concentration On Hampton Roads Air Quality, Gregory Hubbard Jan 2021

Carbon Dioxide And Particulate Matter Concentration On Hampton Roads Air Quality, Gregory Hubbard

OUR Journal: ODU Undergraduate Research Journal

Hampton Roads has been a maritime crossroads for the last 400 years. Industrialization has impacted the coastal region for the last 250 years. The expansion of the Port of Virginia in 2019 has created dense traffic in the region resulting in impacts to air quality. Two waste products that affect humans are particulate matter and carbon dioxide. Both respective emissions can cause adverse effects on humans, such as asthma, some lung cancers, and other respiratory distress. Scientists and health practitioners are studying the effects of particulate matter on human health. Hampton Roads, in particular, because of its unique location on …


Mercury Concentrations In Bat Guano From Caves And Bat Houses In Florida And Georgia, Amy E. Edwards, Jenise L. Swall, Charles H. Jagoe Oct 2019

Mercury Concentrations In Bat Guano From Caves And Bat Houses In Florida And Georgia, Amy E. Edwards, Jenise L. Swall, Charles H. Jagoe

Virginia Journal of Science

Previous studies have indicated that several pollutants are bioaccumulating in insectivorous bats, including the heavy metal mercury. This has resulted in an increased presence of mercury in bat waste (guano). In this study, we collected bat guano from ten caves in Florida and Georgia and two bat houses in Florida and analyzed the samples for mercury concentrations (ppm). Since the predominant bat species using caves (Myotis austroriparius) versus bat houses (Tadarida braziliensis) were different, the objective of this study was to make statistical comparisons of the mercury concentrations among caves, between caves and bat houses, and between …


Detecting Change: Observations Of Temperature And Precipitation Across Virginia’S Climate Divisions, Jeremy S. Hoffman, Michael J. Allen, Christopher F. Labosier Apr 2019

Detecting Change: Observations Of Temperature And Precipitation Across Virginia’S Climate Divisions, Jeremy S. Hoffman, Michael J. Allen, Christopher F. Labosier

Virginia Journal of Science

Modern global climate change is primarily attributable to human activities and the release of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. Climate change impacts span a range of sectors, including agriculture, forestry, public health, and water resource management. The Commonwealth of Virginia has already and will continue to deal with many of these impacts, yet lacks concentrated effort to detect, document, and adapt to local climate changes. This study documents observed changes in temperature and precipitation across Virginia’s six climate divisions. Mean seasonal anomalies of minimum temperature, maximum temperature, and precipitation from 1986 to 2016 are examined relative to a long-term 1895-2000 …


Variables Associated With Thermal Emittance Of Wall Mural Art In Richmond, Virginia, Sarah Kwon, Eugene G. Maurakis Apr 2019

Variables Associated With Thermal Emittance Of Wall Mural Art In Richmond, Virginia, Sarah Kwon, Eugene G. Maurakis

Virginia Journal of Science

The objectives of this research are to determine the factors associated with the minimum, maximum, and average thermal emittance temperatures of wall murals in Richmond, Virginia, and make recommendations for color and location of wall murals. Data for 17 parameters were collected for 64 art murals in downtown Richmond, VA from 28 June 2018 – 19 July 2018. Date, time, solar exposure duration, solar elevation, latitude, longitude, air temperature (C), lux, color, solar cardinal minutes, cardinal direction, minimum, maximum, and average surface thermal emittance temperatures of mural face were recorded for each mural. We reject the hypothesis that minimum, maximum, …


Precipitation Trends Across The Commonwealth Of Virginia (1947 – 2016), Michael J. Allen, Thomas R. Allen Apr 2019

Precipitation Trends Across The Commonwealth Of Virginia (1947 – 2016), Michael J. Allen, Thomas R. Allen

Virginia Journal of Science

Water is an important resource for the Commonwealth of Virginia. Too much water increases runoff, disrupt transportation networks, and contributes to school closures. Too little water may adversely impact agricultural operations. To improve climate-related information to Virginia citizens, this study assesses means and changes in precipitation across the Commonwealth of Virginia (1947 – 2016). Using daily station-level precipitation data from the Global Historical Climate Network (GHCN), descriptive statistics were calculated for 43 locations in terms of total precipitation (inches decade-1), precipitation days (x>0”), and heavy precipitation days (x>1.0”). On average, locations showed an overall increase in …


The Effects Of Climate On Radial Growth Of Disjunct Northern White Cedar (Thuja Occidentalis L.) In Virginia, Joshua A. Kincaid Oct 2017

The Effects Of Climate On Radial Growth Of Disjunct Northern White Cedar (Thuja Occidentalis L.) In Virginia, Joshua A. Kincaid

Virginia Journal of Science

Understanding the geographic range and growth of species is essential for effective land management in a landscape affected by anthropogenic activity and climate change. Climate change is expected to alter the distribution and growth of many tree species in eastern North America, including northern white cedar (Thuja occidentalis L.). This research examined the effects of climate on radial growth of T. occidentalis in disjunct populations south of its continuous range margin in eastern North America. A T. occidentalis tree-ring chronology was developed and examined for growth-climate interactions. Mean sensitivity of the T. occidentalis chronology was within the range of …


Section Abstracts: Environmental Science Apr 2016

Section Abstracts: Environmental Science

Virginia Journal of Science

Abstracts of the Environmental Science Section for the 94th Annual Virginia Academy of Science Meeting, May 18-20, 2016, at University of Mary Washington, Fredericksburg, VA.


Forest Diversity And Disturbance: Changing Influences And The Future Of Virginia’S Forests, Christine J. Small, James L. Chamberlain Oct 2015

Forest Diversity And Disturbance: Changing Influences And The Future Of Virginia’S Forests, Christine J. Small, James L. Chamberlain

Virginia Journal of Science

The Virginia landscape supports a remarkable diversity of forests, from maritime dune woodlands, swamp forests, and pine savannas of the Atlantic Coastal Plain, to post-agricultural pine-hardwood forests of the Piedmont, to mixed oak, mesophytic, northern hardwood, and high elevation spruce-fir forests across three mountain provinces in western parts of the state. Virginia’s forests also have been profoundly shaped by disturbance. Chestnut blight, hemlock woolly adelgid, emerald ash borer, and other pests have caused declines or functional extirpation of foundation species. Invasive plants like multiflora rose, Oriental bittersweet, and Japanese stiltgrass threaten both disturbed and intact forests. Oaks and other fire-dependent …


State Of Virginia's Environment: An Introduction For The Symposium, Richard S. Groover, Werner Wieland Oct 2015

State Of Virginia's Environment: An Introduction For The Symposium, Richard S. Groover, Werner Wieland

Virginia Journal of Science

Introduction to the Symposium by Symposium Coordinator, Richard S. Groover, and VJS Editor, Werner Wieland.


Section Abstracts: Environmental Science May 2015

Section Abstracts: Environmental Science

Virginia Journal of Science

Abstracts of the Environmental Science Section for the 93rd Annual Meeting of the Virginia Academy of Science, May 21-23, 2015, James Madison University, Richmond, Virginia


Survey Of The Ectoparasites Of The Invasive Small Indian Mongoose (Herpestes Auropunctatus [Carnivora: Herpestidae]) On St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands, Kelsey L. Townsend, Karen E. Powers Oct 2014

Survey Of The Ectoparasites Of The Invasive Small Indian Mongoose (Herpestes Auropunctatus [Carnivora: Herpestidae]) On St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands, Kelsey L. Townsend, Karen E. Powers

Virginia Journal of Science

In March 2012, live trapping surveys were conducted for invasive small Indian mongoose (Herpestes auropunctatus) on St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands. Forty mongoose were sampled (31%, 9&) for ectoparasites, and cat fleas (Ctenocephalides felis) were discovered on 17 individuals. There was no difference in the number of ectoparasites per mongoose across age classifications (r = 0.109, P = 0.579). However, males had more cat fleas than females, even when mass was taken into account (males are generally heavier). Future behavioral studies may explain these sex differences. Although management suggestions from this research are limited, these …


Announcement: Vas Symposium Of State Of Virginia's Environment Oct 2014

Announcement: Vas Symposium Of State Of Virginia's Environment

Virginia Journal of Science

Announcement of and speakers scheduled for the Virginia Academy of Science Symposium on State of Virginia’s Environment Thursday, May 21, 2015 at James Madison University.


Section Abstracts: Environmental Science Apr 2014

Section Abstracts: Environmental Science

Virginia Journal of Science

Abstracts of the Environmental Science Section for the 92nd Annual Meeting of the Virginia Academy of Science, May 13-15, 2014, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia


Section Abstracts: Environmental Science May 2013

Section Abstracts: Environmental Science

Virginia Journal of Science

Abstracts of the Environmental Science Section for the 91st Annual Virginia Journal of Science Meeting, May 2013


Section Abstracts: Environmental Science Apr 2012

Section Abstracts: Environmental Science

Virginia Journal of Science

Abstracts of the Environmental Science Section for the 90th Annual Meeting of the Virginia Academy of Science, May 23-25, 2012, Norfolk State University, Norfolk, Virginia.


Section Abstracts: Environmenal Science Apr 2011

Section Abstracts: Environmenal Science

Virginia Journal of Science

Abstracts of the Environmental Sciences Section for the 89th Annual Meeting of the Virginia Academy of Science, May 25-27, 2011, University of Richmond, Richmond VA.


Section Abstracts: Environmental Science Apr 2010

Section Abstracts: Environmental Science

Virginia Journal of Science

Abstracts of the Environmental Sciences Section for the 88th Annual Meeting of the Virginia Academy of Science, May 20-21, 2010.


A Habitat Model For The Detection Of Two-Lined Salamanders At C. F. Phelps Wildlife Management Area, Fauquier And Culpeper Counties, Virginia, Jay Mcghee, Michael D. Killian Jan 2010

A Habitat Model For The Detection Of Two-Lined Salamanders At C. F. Phelps Wildlife Management Area, Fauquier And Culpeper Counties, Virginia, Jay Mcghee, Michael D. Killian

Virginia Journal of Science

Aquatic salamanders represent an important component of Virginia river watersheds, but despite potential declines, few specifics are known about their habitat preferences. We surveyed the habitats of the northern two-lined salamander and collected data on an array of habitat variables associated with the species. We used a logistic regression analysis to develop a model predicting its presence or absence for a given 50m-transect. Our final model incorporated the variation in stream depth and direction of stream flow and accounted for 25% of the variation in our data. We conclude that stream depth variation is an important feature of salamander habitat …


Phytoplankton Blooms: Their Occurrence And Composition Within Virginia's Tidal Tributaries, Harold G. Marshall, Todd A. Egerton Oct 2009

Phytoplankton Blooms: Their Occurrence And Composition Within Virginia's Tidal Tributaries, Harold G. Marshall, Todd A. Egerton

Virginia Journal of Science

Sporadic algal bloom development within a 10 year monitoring program in Virginia tidal tributaries of Chesapeake Bay is reviewed. These blooms were common events, characteristically producing a color signature to the surface water, typically short lived, occurring mainly from spring into autumn throughout different salinity regions of these rivers, and were produced primarily by dinoflagellates. The abundance threshold levels that would identify bloom status from a non-bloom presence were species specific, varied with the taxon's cell size, and ranged from ca. 10 to 104 cells mL-1. Among the most consistent sporadic bloom producers were the dinoflagellates Akashiwo …


Section Abstracts: Environmental Science Jul 2009

Section Abstracts: Environmental Science

Virginia Journal of Science

Abstracts of the Environmental Sciences Section for the 87th Annual Meeting of the Virginia Academy of Science, May 27-29, 2009, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia.


Management And Social Indicators Of Soil Carbon Storage In A Residential Ecosystem, Midlothian, Va, Christopher M. Gough, Eliza A. Fritz Jan 2009

Management And Social Indicators Of Soil Carbon Storage In A Residential Ecosystem, Midlothian, Va, Christopher M. Gough, Eliza A. Fritz

Virginia Journal of Science

Soil carbon storage- defined here as carbon mass per unit ground area- is an important ecosystem service, sequestering carbon that might otherwise exist in atmospheric CO2 . Significant attention has focused on the effects that humans have on carbon cycling, but little is known about how human behaviors and attitudes relate to lawn carbon storage. The objectives of this study were to conduct household surveys in concert with soil carbon sampling in a 10-year-old exurban neighborhood near Richmond, Virginia to quantify differences in soil carbon storage between residential lawns and mixed pine-hardwood forest fragments, and to determine how lawn …


Assessment Of Human Health Risks From Chemically Contaminated Lake Fishes In Greece, Eugene G. Maurakis, David V. Grimes, Dimitra Bobori, Rob Hale, Jennifer Jones Oct 2005

Assessment Of Human Health Risks From Chemically Contaminated Lake Fishes In Greece, Eugene G. Maurakis, David V. Grimes, Dimitra Bobori, Rob Hale, Jennifer Jones

Virginia Journal of Science

Objectives were to conduct screening level surveys of locally consumed fish tissues in vicinities of two lakes (Kastoria and Pamvotis) in Greece to determine the presence of halogenated organic compounds and determine carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic human health risks associated with the consumption of sampled fish tissues. Results estimate the Incremental Lifetime Cancer Risks (ILCR) and Hazard Index (HI) values for the two local populations using site-specific population data. These results were compared to analyses conducted using U.S. Environmental Protection Agency default values in an effort to determine the applicability of USEPA default values to assessments of risks in non U.S. …


Subterranean Loss And Gain Of Water In Mountain Lake, Virginia: A Hydrologic Model, Martin Jansons, Bruce C. Parker, Jacob E. Waller Oct 2004

Subterranean Loss And Gain Of Water In Mountain Lake, Virginia: A Hydrologic Model, Martin Jansons, Bruce C. Parker, Jacob E. Waller

Virginia Journal of Science

Mountain Lake, Virginia is a small, unique, oligotrophic, subalpine ecosystem in the southern Appalachians. Previous studies have disclosed that this lake has manifested periodic prolonged low water levels during the several thousand years of its existence. The most recent low water level occurred during the drought years of 1999-2002. Measurements of lake level, precipitation, and other meteorological data including calculated evapotranspiration in the lake basin from 2/19/02 to 8/31/03 have enabled estimation of net subterranean water losses presumably through cracks between Clinch sandstone boulders and/or the recently discovered deep hole at the northwest end of Mountain Lake. These net losses …


Prescribed Fire Impacts To Amphibians And Reptiles In Shelterwood-Harvested Oak-Dominated Forests, Patrick D. Keyser, David J. Sausville, W. Mark Ford, Donald J. Schwab, Patrick H. Brose Jan 2004

Prescribed Fire Impacts To Amphibians And Reptiles In Shelterwood-Harvested Oak-Dominated Forests, Patrick D. Keyser, David J. Sausville, W. Mark Ford, Donald J. Schwab, Patrick H. Brose

Virginia Journal of Science

As part of a larger study examining the role of prescribed fire in regenerating upland oaks (Quercus spp.), seasonal prescribed burns (winter, spring, summer, and unburned control) were applied to first-stage shelterwood-harvested stands on Horsepen Wildlife Management Area in the Virginia Piedmont in 1995. Because fire impacts are poorly documented for herpetofaunal communities, we surveyed these stands in 1996 capturing 133 individuals of ten species during over 12,720 pitfall trapnights. We found no significant differences in relative abundance of Eastern Red-backed Salamanders (Plethodon cinereus) (P = 0.26), American Toads (Bufo americanus) (P = 0.93), …


Identifying Sources Of Fecal Pollution In The Roanoke River, Roanoke County, Virginia, J. Brooks Crozier, Brian Clark, Holly Weber Oct 2002

Identifying Sources Of Fecal Pollution In The Roanoke River, Roanoke County, Virginia, J. Brooks Crozier, Brian Clark, Holly Weber

Virginia Journal of Science

Antibiotic Resistance Patterns (ARPs) of Enterococcus spp. were used as a phenotypic fingerprint to compare and categorize unknown-source isolates in an impaired segment of the Roanoke River, Roanoke County, Virginia. Antibiotic resistance analysis (ARA) of enterococci has been effectively used to differentiate among sources of fecal contamination in many geographic regions in the United States. Enterococcus spp. were used as a fecal indicator in a library consisting of 1,562 known-source isolates. Two-way analysis indicated that approximately 95% of the unknown-source isolates collected were of animal origin. A 3-way analysis indicated that 61% of the unknowns were of livestock origin while …


Effects Of Collection, Transport, And Redeployment Methods On Natural Mortality Of Rangia Cuneata (Mactridae) Used In Biomonitoring Studies, Eugene G. Maurakis, David V. Grimes, William C. Gretes Jan 2001

Effects Of Collection, Transport, And Redeployment Methods On Natural Mortality Of Rangia Cuneata (Mactridae) Used In Biomonitoring Studies, Eugene G. Maurakis, David V. Grimes, William C. Gretes

Virginia Journal of Science

Sporadic, high mortality in test populations of wedge clams (Rangia cuneata) has limited the potential for using this otherwise desirable test organism in biomonitoring studies. To determine whether high mortality was due to ontogenic or experimental variables, a two-phased study was conducted. In phase I, mortality of collected and re-deployed wedge clams, subjected to varying transport conditions, was determined at 7, 14, 21 and 60 days re-deployment. The use of three transport times (1, 2, 3 hr.), two vehicle conditions (open, closed) and three transport treatments (open, closed, iced containers) yielded 18 test groups. Individual test group mortalities …


Characterization And Identification Of A Sludge-Associated Bacterial Isolate, Abiodun O. Adibi, Derrell Mcpherson, Minna Laine Apr 1999

Characterization And Identification Of A Sludge-Associated Bacterial Isolate, Abiodun O. Adibi, Derrell Mcpherson, Minna Laine

Virginia Journal of Science

During a metal speciation study, an unusually high retention of lead ·was observed when lead solution was percolated through a column packed with sludge compost obtained from Hampton Roads Sanitation department. A bacterium was isolated from the sludge compost and identified as Bacillus sphaericus using electron microscopy, whole cell fatty acid analysis (Midi System) and Biolog GP Microplate. The isolate grows in broth and agar media containing up to 800 µM lead. Lead accumulation study using atomic absorption spectrophotometer indicates that the isolate adsorbs lead. Lead adsorption is pH dependent. The isolate contains a plasmid of approximately 40 -50 kbp …


Pcr And Fish Detection Extends The Range Of Pfiesteria Piscicida In Estuarine Waters, P. A. Rublee, J. Kempton, E. Schaefer, J.M. Burkholder, H. B. Glasgow Jr., David Oldach Jan 1999

Pcr And Fish Detection Extends The Range Of Pfiesteria Piscicida In Estuarine Waters, P. A. Rublee, J. Kempton, E. Schaefer, J.M. Burkholder, H. B. Glasgow Jr., David Oldach

Virginia Journal of Science

PCR and fluorescent in situ hybridization probes were used to assay for the presence of the dinoflagellate Pfiesteria piscicida in 170 estuarine water samples collected from New York to northern Florida. 20% of samples tested positive for the presence of P. piscicida, including sites where fish kills due to Pfiesteria have occurred and sites where there was no historical evidence of such events. The results extend the known range of P. piscicida northward to Long Island, New York. The results also suggest that P. piscicida is common, and normally benign, inhabitatant of estuarine waters of the eastern US.


Field Sampling And Necropsy Examination Of Fish, A. S. Kane, A. Baya, R. Reimschuessel, K. M. St. Pé, C. A. Poukish, C. P. Driscoll Jan 1999

Field Sampling And Necropsy Examination Of Fish, A. S. Kane, A. Baya, R. Reimschuessel, K. M. St. Pé, C. A. Poukish, C. P. Driscoll

Virginia Journal of Science

This paper presents an overview of observational and fish sampling tech­niques for investigating fish lesions, morbidity and mortality. These sam­pling techniques and investigations are much like detective work and require attention to detail, common sense, technical proficiency and experience. To solve the mystery of a fish kill, the investigator must use available evidence and clues to piece together a series of events that often have long since passed. The cause of these field events may be chemical, biological or physical; more often, it is some combination of these. An initial categorization approach may be used to reduce the great number …