Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Monitoring Vegetation Dynamics And Carbon Stock Density In Miombo Woodlands, Natasha S. Ribeiro, Ceu N. Matos, Isabel R. Moura, Robert A. Washington-Allen, Ana I. Ribeiro

Geography Publications and Other Works

Background

The United Nation’s Program for Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+) aims to reduce the 20% contribution to global emissions of greenhouse gases from the forest sector, offering a financial value of the carbon stored in forests as an incentive for local communities. The pre-requisite for the setup of a participatory REDD + Program is the monitoring, reporting and verification (MRV) of baseline carbon stocks and their changes over time. In this study, we investigated miombo woodland’s dynamics in terms of composition, structure and biomass over a 4-year period (2005–2009), and the Carbon Stock Density (CSD) for …

Geographic And Socioeconomic Risk Factors For Sporadic Cryptosdporidiosis And E. Coli Infection In East Tennessee, Ingrid Elizabeth Luffman

Doctoral Dissertations

This research examines risk factors for sporadic cryptosporidiosis and Escherichia coli (E. coli) O157 infection in East Tennessee, using case-control and retrospective ecological approaches. Multiple models and approaches are used to identify risk factors for the two diseases, and to examine the effect of scale on risk for disease in the individual and in the population. Risk factors examined are animal density, land use, geology, surface water impairment, poverty rate and availability of private water supply. The research objectives are, first, to identify risk factors for E. coli O157 and cryptosporidiosis in East Tennessee by relating disease data …

Automobile Races And The Marketing Of Places: A Geographic And Marketing Exploration Of Indycar Racing In The United States, Andrew James Baker

Doctoral Dissertations

IndyCar events attract thousands of spectators and over one million television viewers. Additionally, IndyCar is the most elite form of motorsport that races on oval speedways, natural terrain road courses, and temporary street circuits. This research utilizes case studies of IndyCar events contested on each of these three venue types (Iowa Corn Indy 250 – oval speedway; Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio – road course; Grand Prix of St. Petersburg – street circuit). Previous research in figurational sociology, place marketing, and mega-events provide a framework used to identify key similarities and differences among the perceived and observed benefits and costs of …

Fire And Forest History From Soil Charcoal In Yellow Pine And Mixed Hardwood-Pine Forests In The Southern Appalachian Mountains, U.S.A., Christopher Aaron Underwood

Doctoral Dissertations

The Holocene history and ecological role of fire in forested ecosystems in the southern Appalachians is incompletely known. Determining how often and when fire has affected forest communities requires us to think about fire over time scales that extend beyond those of written fire records. This research is the first to specifically address the spatio-temporal patterns of forest fires in southern Appalachian xeric forests using radiocarbon dating of taxonomically identified soil charcoal as the primary proxy. Forty-eight soil cores were recovered in eight sites established for a companion study of dendrochronological evidence of fire history. The eight sites were located …

Modeling The Effects Of Distance And Spatial Dependence In International Trade, Jesse Oakes Piburn

Masters Theses

The gravity model has been widely used estimate the effect that distance has in international trade; however, two important areas have seen little attention in the literature, namely, the influence of using a more accurate measure of distance and how distance effect estimates change when controlling for spatial dependence in observed trade flows. Using transportation networks to measure distance and estimating both a spatial lag and spatial error gravity model, Canadian provincial exports to the lower 48 states in the United States were analyzed to address these previously ignored issues. It was found that the traditional distance measure of great …

A Global Talent Shortage: Myth Or Reality?, Benjamin A. Todd

Chancellor’s Honors Program Projects

No abstract provided.

A Dendroecological Evaluation Of The Effects Of Coal Ash On Tree Growth, Kingston Fossil Plant, Harriman, Tennessee, U.S.A., Niki Ann Garland

Masters Theses

Tree growth is a function of many environmental variables, and it is possible to detect differences between natural and human-related factors on tree growth. Radial growth of trees in one year and in subsequent years that follow is influenced not only by climate and other overarching multi-year processes, but also by pulse disturbance events. On December 22, 2008, an embankment at an impoundment for wet storage of fly ash at the Kingston Fossil Plant, Harriman, Tennessee collapsed, releasing 4,434,400 cubic meters of coal ash into the Clinch and Emory Rivers, impacting aquatic life as well as terrestrial flora and fauna. …

The Wilting Stem: Talent Shortage In Norway, Jaylyn Johnson

Geography Publications and Other Works

The lack of talent in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) is a global problem. This talent shortage can deter technological gains and innovation. The shortage has sparked many countries to create initiatives to recruit, retain, or create talent. Norway has an abundance of natural resources, and has a potential to be a center for technology and innovation. However, Norway is struggling to find enough talent to fill the need for STEM professionals. This poster investigates why STEM graduates in Norway do not meet the qualification requirements of companies. It also studies the role of Norway’s tertiary system in the …