Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Biomes And Ecosystems, Robert Warren Howarth

No abstract provided.

Landfills As Anthropogenic Landforms In Urban Environment From Neamţ County., Florin C. Mihai, Liviu Apostol, Adrian Ursu, Pavel Ichim

Florin C MIHAI

Landfills are the most common and easiest methods to dispose the municipal waste in Romania and still prevails in current waste management options. This type of critical infrastructure was designed to dispose urban waste generated over years or even decades and ultimately led to create new landforms in urban landscape. On the other hand, these sites are major sources of complex pollution unfulfilling EU regulations, being scheduled to be closed. This paper aims to analyze landfills as anthropogenic landforms by applying GIS techniques emphasizing them in a geographical context and not only in situ. The location of these sites usually …

Universe Galaxy Contraction, Struck Force Table New Forces, New Universes, New Elements, Sociological Implications, James T. Struck

James T Struck

Universe Galaxy Contraction, Struck Force Table and New Forces, New More Charged Universe and In Between Universe, 12 New Chemical Elements-Universe galaxy contraction is supported by quasar blueshift of some material, Andromeda Galaxy movement towards the Milky Way, blazar movement towards Earth, Earth, galaxy movement towards the Great Attractor, Hydra Centaurus and Shapley Supercluster and some evidence of Virgo Cluster movement at a 250-300 km/s rate. Contraction might be happening at a lesser rate than expansion, but contraction of the Universe and galaxies may effect our Earth before expansion affects us. From a sociological viewpoints, Universe galaxy contraction is something …

Site Assessment For Environmental Restoration, David A. Bainbridge

David A Bainbridge

Restoring degraded desert ecosystems is challenging but it can be done. The first key step is understanding the site history and understanding the disturbance and current site conditions. With this information the appropriate steps can be taken to improve the site ecosystem function and structure.

Frau Gisela Scmidt's Boson And Funding High Energy Research, Kenneth L. Sanders Md

Kenneth L Sanders MD

Proper use of Bosons can provide funding for high energy research or even balance national economies

Stacking Low Carbon Policies On The Renewable Fuels Standard: Economic And Greenhouse Gas Implications, Haixiao Huang, Madhu Khanna, Hayri Önal, Xiaoguang Chen

Xiaoguang Chen

none

Food Vs. Fuel: The Effect Of Biofuel Policies, Xiaoguang Chen, Madhu Khanna

Xiaoguang Chen

No abstract provided.

Representation Patterns For Cultural Heritage Resources, Richard J. Urban

Richard J. Urban

The universe of available cultural heritage metadata schemas grows more complex every day. Existing schemas are optimized for use in the library, archive, or museum domains and to fit the needs of shared services and applications. Emerging Linked Data approaches introduce additional challenges for metadata designers and creators responsible for implementing these standards. In other domains, design patterns are used to clearly articulate problems, their contexts, and available solutions. This poster introduces preliminary research to identify such patterns in cultural heritage metadata standards using content analysis and a participatory design methodology.

A Spatial Approach To Energy Economics, Juan B. Moreno-Cruz, M Scott Taylor

Juan B. Moreno-Cruz

We develop a spatial model of energy exploitation where energy sources are differentiated by their geographic location and energy density. The spatial setting creates a scaling law that magnifies the importance of differences across energy sources. As a result, renewable sources twice as dense, provide eight times the supply; and all new non-renewable resource plays must first boom and then bust. For both renewable and non-renewable energy sources we link the size of exploitation zones and energy supplies to energy density, and provide empirical measures of key model attributes using data on solar, wind, biomass, and fossil fuel energy sources. …

Strategic Incentives For Climate Geoengineering Coalitions To Exclude Broad Participation, Juan B. Moreno-Cruz, Kate L. Ricke, Ken Caldeira

Juan B. Moreno-Cruz

Solar geoengineering is the deliberate reduction in the absorption of incoming solar radiation by the Earth's climate system with the aim of reducing impacts of anthropogenic climate change. Climate model simulations project a diversity of regional outcomes that vary with the amount of solar geoengineering deployed. It is unlikely that a single small actor could implement and sustain global-scale geoengineering that harms much of the world without intervention from harmed world powers. However, a sufficiently powerful international coalition might be able to deploy solar geoengineering. Here, we show that regional differences in climate outcomes create strategic incentives to form coalitions …

Erosión De La Institucionalidad Pública Como Parte De La Erosión Del Centro Histórico, Fernando Carrión Mena Arq.

Fernando Carrión Mena

Ni el patrimonio económico y cultural he­ redado del pasado, ni la importancia polí­ tica y los medios financieros que el Estado atribuya a sus ciudades serán suficientes si no se produce la movilización de sus pro­ pias fuerzas. Para lo cual se requiere que las ciudades dispongan de una fuerte identidad sociocultural y de un liderazgo político au­ tónomo y representativo y, sobre esta base, generen proyectos colectivos que propor­ cionen a la sociedad urbana la ilusión movi­ lizadora de todos sus recursos potenciales.

Con la vuelta de prioridad a la urbe construida, el centro histórico cobra un sentido …

Breaking The Theft-Chain-Cycle: Property Marking As A Defensive Tool, William J. Bailey, David J. Brooks

Bill Bailey

The theft of property and its associated impact effects many parts of society. For example, a considerable amount of resources are expended in trying to reduce property theft, as such crime engenders both a financial and emotional impact (Grabosky, 1995, p. 1) on those involved. Factors such as fear of crime, increased insurance premiums and victimization are all outcomes of property crime. Much of the past research has focused on the mitigation of such crimes, collectively termed as ‘crime prevention’. Crime prevention are “any actions designed to reduce the actual level of crime and/or the perceived crime” (S.P. Lab, 2010, …

An Assessment Of The Effects Of Desertification In Yobe State, Nigeria, Jibril Musa Phd

Confluence Journal Environmental Studies (CJES), Kogi State University, Nigeria

Desertification is one of the most serious environmental and socio-economic problems of our time. Desertification describes circumstances of land degradation in arid, semi-arid and dry sub-humid regions resulting from the climatic variation and human activities. The fundamental goal of this thesis was to assess the effects of desertification in Yobe State, Nigeria. The present threat of desertification in the sahel has reached an alarming stage where crops cultivation and animal rearing/grazing are no more productive, soil has lost its nutrient/fertility, various infrastructure had given way because of windstorm from the neighbouring Niger Republic and sand dunes had taken over. The …

Socio-Environmental Considerations At The Usuma Reservoir In Abuja, Nigeria, Fanan Ujoh Mr, James Ikyernum Mr, Olarewaju O. Ifatimehin Dr

Dr. Fanan Ujoh

Reservoirs are Man’s attempt towards water re-distribution from regions/seasons of abundance/surplus to regions/seasons of scarcity. This study focuses on socio-environmental impacts of the Lower Usuma dam in Abuja, on its four surrounding communities. Stratified random sampling technique was employed in the administration of a questionnaire to 200 respondents. Using descriptive statistics and the student t-test for the analysis, the study discovered that: (i) there has been no significant improvement in infrastructure provision by Government; (ii) cases of water-borne diseases are high; (iii) the communities have lost land for cultivation; and, (iv) the communities believe that the resettlement scheme is not …

Using Remote Sensing Data To Improve Rice Production In Kutigi, Niger State, Nigeria, Jibril Musa Phd, M B. Yunusa

Confluence Journal Environmental Studies (CJES), Kogi State University, Nigeria

This research work looked in the used of Remote Sensing to improve Agricultural production in Kutigi, Niger State. The aim of the study is to use remote sensing to improve rice farming activities in Kutigi, Niger State. It is very important to identify such methods to improve Agricultural production because experts are always interested in new researches and findings to better the standard of living in any environment. In view of this, Remotely-sensed data could be used or employed to elevate most of these agricultural problems in Kutigi through the following objectives: Using Landsat imagery to assess the present landuse …

Convex Combinations Of Quadrant Dependent Copulas, Martin Egozcue, Luis Fuentes García, Wing Wong, Ricardas Zitikis

Martin Egozcue

It is well known that quadrant dependent (QD) random variables are also quadrant dependent in expectation (QDE). Recent literature has offered examples rigorously establishing the fact that there are QDE random variables which are not QD. The examples are based on convex combinations of specially chosen QD copulas: one negatively QD and another positively QD. In this paper we establish general results that determine when convex combinations of arbitrary QD copulas give rise to negatively or positively QD/QDE copulas. In addition to being an interesting mathematical exercise, the established results are helpful when modeling insurance and financial portfolios.

Population Access To Waste Collection Services: Urban Vs Rural Areas In Romania,, Florin C. Mihai

Florin C MIHAI

This paper aims a comparative analysis at county level concerning urban and rural population access to sanitation services in the context of EU accession. Partially coverage of population to such services contributes to illegal dumping of waste generated and uncollected.Furthermore, waste management facilities are inappropriate, particularly in small cities or rural areas. Comparative analysis of urban vs. rural population served by waste collection services using thematic cartography highlights on the one hand the existing disparities within a county and on the other hand reflects the regional disparities across Romania.The demographic, socioeconomic and geographic differentiations between urban and rural areas amplify …

Vulnerability Of Mountain Rivers To Waste Dumping From Neamț County, Florin C. Mihai, Liviu Apostol, Adrian Ursu, Pavel Ichim

Florin C MIHAI

Lack of waste management facilities from mountain region often lead to uncontrolled disposal of waste on river banks polluting the local environment and damaging the tourism potential. Geographical conditions influences the distribution of human settlements which are located along the rivers and its tributaries. This paper aims to estimate the amounts of household waste generated and uncollected disposed into mountain rivers, taking into account several factors such as:proximity of rivers to the human settlements, the morphology of villages, length of river that crosses the locality(built up areas), local population, the access to waste collection services and waste management infrastructure. Vulnerability …

Improper Household Waste Disposal In Rural Territory.Case Study: Neamt County, Florin C. Mihai

Florin C MIHAI

Open dumping of waste generated and uncollected is the most common option in waste management schemes from rural areas. Lack of sanitation services or rudimentary waste management systems favored this practice. This paper proposes a method to estimate the amounts of household waste uncontrolled disposed at local administrative unit level (commune) for 2003 and 2010. Based on estimating the amounts of waste generated and uncollected are introduced new indicators in the quantitative analysis taking into account the household waste composition, individual composting of biodegradable waste or recyclable waste from households for a more proper assessment of waste disposed. Usually household …

Variations In Climatic Parameters And Food Crop Yields: Implications On Food Security In Benue State, Nigeria., Emmanuel Adamgbe, Fanan Ujoh

Confluence Journal Environmental Studies (CJES), Kogi State University, Nigeria

Agricultural production in Nigeria like in other developing countries is highly vulnerable to variations in climatic parameters which may have inverse or direct effect on the performance of food crops. This paper examines the patterns and trends of the variations in the climatic parameters and the implications of such variations on efficient yield rates of some food crops in Benue State using data on climatic variables (rainfall, temperature, sunshine) and the yield of some crops per hectare for 25 years (1986-2010). Data on the climatic variables were collected from the Nigerian Meteorological Agency, AirForce Base, Makurdi while the data on …

How Can Pacific Island Economies Benefits From The Advent Of Ict’S – Review Of Best Practices In Education, Deogratias Harorimana Sr

Dr Deogratias Harorimana

This paper explored implementation and use of information and communication technologies in Fiji, in order to gain insight into recent government initiatives to introduce computers and other ICTs for the community of Fiji. The focus of this paper in that it provided the framework for an in-depth exploration of e-learning centers around the country and the benefits from the advent of ICT’s in e-learning community centers in Fiji. Areas concentrated on are outcome of ICT’s in formal education to students and community as a whole in areas of agriculture, health, environment and infrastructure etc. The research sought understanding from the …

The Issue Of Internet Polling, Nick Nichols

The Intellectual Standard

No abstract provided.

Rural Waste Management: Challenges And Issues In Romania, Liviu Apostol, Florin C. Mihai

Florin C MIHAI

Rural areas of the new EU Member States face serious problems in compliance of EU regulation on waste management. Firstly, the share of rural population is higher and it has lower living standards and secondly, the waste collection services are poorly-developed covering some rural regions. In this context, open dumping is used as an appropriate waste disposal solution generating complex pollution. This paper analyzes the disparities between Romanian counties regarding the rural population access to waste collection services in 2008 which reflects the geographical distribution of rural dumpsites in 2009. It examines on one hand , the role of waste …

Libraries At The University Of Massachusetts Amherst: Seeking An International Perspective, Maxine G. Schmidt

Maxine G Schmidt

Presentation delivered to librarians in China, Japan and South Korea as part of my sabbatical research on the use of libraries by Asian students in their home countries.

Technical Assistance, Knowledge Gatekeeping And Indigenous Knowledge: Re-Thinking The International Development Practice, Deogratias Harorimana Sr

Dr Deogratias Harorimana

This paper presents results from a multi-disciplinary conceptual analysis of development theory and practice. It reviews issues raised and proposes a shift in the epistemology of possession towards an epistemology of practice which is guided by the following aspects (1) The consideration of the learning culture of parties involved, (2) the ability and willingness for decontextualisation of the knowledge by the source and (3) the ability to embedded it by recipients (embededness ), (4) the importance that is attached to knowledge of the host country as reflected through (5) Similarity in culture, values, understanding of context and knowledge bases; (6) …

Global Optimization Of Some Difficult Benchmark Functions By Cuckoo-Host Co-Evolution Meta-Heuristics, Sudhanshu K. Mishra

Sudhanshu K Mishra

This paper proposes a novel method of global optimization based on cuckoo-host co-evaluation. It also develops a Fortran-77 code for the algorithm. The algorithm has been tested on 96 benchmark functions (of which the results of 32 relatively harder problems have been reported). The proposed method is comparable to the Differential Evolution method of global optimization.

Utility-Scale Solar Pv Development In The Six Southwestern States, Yao Yin

Yao Yin

No abstract provided.

Environmental Impacts Of Stover Removal In The Corn Belt, Alicia English, Wallace E. Tyner, Juan Sesmero, Phillip Owens, David J. Muth Jr.

David J. Muth

When considering the market for biomass from corn stover resources erosion and soil quality issues are important to consider. Removal of stover can be beneficial in some areas, especially when coordinated with other conservation practices, such as vegetative barrier strips and cover crops. However, benefits are highly dependent on several factors, namely if farmers see costs and benefits associated with erosion and the tradeoffs with the removal of biomass. This paper uses results from an integrated RUSLE2/WEPS model to incorporate six different regime choices, covering management, harvest and conservation, into a simple profit maximization model to show these tradeoffs.

Back To The Future Of Green Powered Economies, Juan B. Moreno-Cruz, M. Scott Taylor

Juan B. Moreno-Cruz

The purpose of this paper is to introduce the concept of power density [Watts/m2] into economics. By introducing an explicit spatial structure into a simple general equilibrium model we are able to show how the power density of available energy resources determines the extent of energy exploitation, the density of urban agglomerations, and the peak level of income per capita. Using a simple Malthusian model to sort population across geographic space we demonstrate how the density of available energy supplies creates density in energy demands by agglomerating economic activity. We label this result the density-creates-density hypothesis and evaluate it using …

Towards Better Estimation Of Jump Diffusion Models, Richard H. Serlin

Richard H. Serlin

I discuss in-depth modern techniques for the estimation of Jump Diffusion models with suggestions for improvements. There is a heavy focus on intuition. I also point out examples of the use of improper techniques (biased and inconsistent) in the top tier finance literature.