Digital Commons Network^™

Forecasting Crude Oil Price Using Multiple Factors, Hind Aldabagh, Xianrong Zheng, Mohammad Najand, Ravi Mukkamala

Computer Science Faculty Publications

In this paper, we predict crude oil price using various factors that may influence its price. The factors considered are physical market, financial, and trading market factors, including seven key factors and the dollar index. Firstly, we select the main factors that may greatly influence the prices. Then, we develop a hybrid model based on a convolutional neural network (CNN) and long short-term memory (LSTM) network to predict the prices. Lastly, we compare the CNN–LSTM model with other models, namely gradient boosting (GB), decision trees (DTs), random forests (RFs), neural networks (NNs), CNN, LSTM, and bidirectional LSTM (Bi–LSTM). The empirical …

Environmental Attitudes Of Local Government Scholars In Tiaong, Quezon, Philippines, Justine A. Marasigan, Ma. Larissa Lelu P. Gata

Journal of Public Affairs and Development

This study aimed to analyze the environmental attitudes of local government scholars in Tiaong, Quezon, Philippines. The quantitative research design was used to determine the level of environmental attitudes using the New Ecological Paradigm (NEP) Scale. It was also utilized to examine the relationship between environmental attitudes and independent variables which include demographic characteristics such as age, gender, and economic status, academic background such as student classification, scholastic standing, scholarship privileges, and membership in student and/or youth organizations, and experience with ecological extremes. A total of 301 respondents participated in an online survey administered through Google Forms ®. The respondents …

Region-Specific Drivers Cause Low Organic Carbon Stocks And Sequestration Rates In The Saltmarsh Soils Of Southern Scandinavia, Carmen Leiva-Dueñas, Anna E. L. Graversen, Gary T. Banta, Jeppe N. Hansen, Marie L. K. Schrøter, Pere Masqué, Marianne Holmer, Dorte Krause-Jensen

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Saltmarshes are known for their ability to act as effective sinks of organic carbon (OC) and their protection and restoration could potentially slow down the pace of global warming. However, regional estimates of saltmarsh OC storage are often missing, including for the Nordic region. To address this knowledge gap, we assessed OC storage and accumulation rates in 17 saltmarshes distributed along the Danish coasts and investigated the main drivers of soil OC storage. Danish saltmarshes store a median of 10 kg OC m−2 (interquartile range, IQR: 13.5–7.6) in the top meter and sequester 31.5 g OC m−2 yr−1 (IQR: 41.6–15.7). …

Developing International Guidance To Make Impact Assessment Follow-Up Happen–Reflections On An Interactive Design Process, Angus Morrison-Saunders, Jos Arts, Annette Nykiel, Bruce Muir, Richard Morgan, Patricia Fitzpatrick, Ciaran O’Faircheallaigh, Alberto Fonseca, Charlotta Faith-Ell, Ainhoa González, Jan Albert Wessels, Gesa Geißler, Luis Sánchez, Urmila Jha-Thakur, William Ross, John Glasson

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

To advance impact assessment (IA) practice worldwide the International Association for Impact Assessment (IAIA) has long promoted and published a series of international best practice principles, including the recently revised best practice principles for IA follow-up. IA follow-up refers to any kind of undertaking that seeks to ‘understand the outcomes of projects or plans’ that have been subject to IA. To support the implementation of these principles worldwide, a global guidance document has been developed (published by IAIA in 2024). The aims of this paper are to report on the approach undertaken to this guidance, applying a Delphi method, and …

Identifying And Filling Critical Knowledge Gaps Can Optimize Financial Viability Of Blue Carbon Projects In Tidal Wetlands, Tim J.B. Carruthers, S. Beaux Jones, Megan K. Terrell, Jonathan F. Scheibly, Brendan J. Player, Valerie A. Black, Justin R. Ehrenwerth, Patrick D. Biber, Rod M. Connolly, Steve Crooks, Jason P. Curole, Kelly M. Darnell, Alyssa M. Dausman, Allison L. Dejong, Shawn M. Doyle, Christopher R. Esposito, Daniel A. Friess, James W. Fourqurean, Ioannis Y. Georgiou, Gabriel D. Grimsditch, Songjie He, Eva R. Hillmann, Guerry O. Holm, Jennifer Howard, Hoonshin Jung, Stacy D. Jupiter, Paul S. Lavery

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

One of the world’s largest “blue carbon” ecosystems, Louisiana’s tidal wetlands on the US Gulf of Mexico coast, is rapidly being lost. Louisiana’s strong legal, regulatory, and monitoring framework, developed for one of the world’s largest tidal wetland systems, provides an opportunity for a programmatic approach to blue carbon accreditation to support restoration of these ecologically and economically important tidal wetlands. Louisiana’s coastal wetlands span ∼1.4 million ha and accumulate 5.5–7.3 Tg yr−1 of blue carbon (organic carbon), ∼6%–8% of tidal marsh blue carbon accumulation globally. Louisiana has a favorable governance framework to advance blue carbon accreditation, due to centralized …

Digital Technologies For Environmental Sustainability, Raimundo Macêdo, Marcelo Pias, Liwan Liyanage, David M. Cook, Yuko Murayama, Otthein Herzog, Gülgün Kayakutlu, David Kreps

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Recognizing the immense challenges posed by climate change and aligning with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 13, which focuses on climate action, the International Federation for Information Processing (IFIP) established the Digital Technology and Climate Change Task Force in December 2022. The Task Force aims to identify opportunities to leverage digital technologies effectively in combating climate change and to provide recommendations for professionals and relevant institutions. Since its inception, the Task Force has met regularly. After conducting a scoping exercise and defining a taxonomy, a comprehensive questionnaire was distributed twice among IFIP stakeholders, namely, technical committees and …

Global Meta-Analysis Of Demersal Fishing Impacts On Organic Carbon And Associated Biogeochemistry, Justin Tiano, Emil De Borger, Sarah Paradis, Clare Bradshaw, Claudia Morys, Antonio Pusceddu, Claudia Ennas, Karline Soetaert, Pere Puig, Pere Masqué, Marija Sciberras

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

The potential threat of fisheries on seabed carbon is a topic of growing concern, yet existing literature presents inconsistencies leaving experts divided on the topic. We conducted a global meta-analysis to synthesize the current knowledge and quantify how demersal fishing impacts various biogeochemical properties. Direct impact studies revealed overall reductions in chlorophyll-a (Chl-a, 17%), phaeopigments (24%), and proteins (32%). Effects on these reactive compounds were more pronounced on surface sediment (0–2 cm), where the impact on total organic carbon (TOC) also became significant, demonstrating the effect of gear penetration, and highlighting that sampling strategies combining sediment layers can mask observed …

Luminescent Solar Concentrators For Greenhouse Applications Based On Highly Luminescent Carbon Quantum Dots, Kambiz Hosseinpanahi, Mohammad Hossein Abbaspour-Fard, Mahmoud Reza Golzarian, Elaheh K. Goharshadi, Alberto Vomiero

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Carbon quantum dots (CQDs) are promising luminophores for luminescent solar concentrators (LSCs) in transparent photovoltaic greenhouse covers due to their high ultraviolet (UV)-light absorption coefficient, which is vital for plant growth. Herein, high quantum yield (75%) and large Stokes shift (0.706 eV) CQDs are synthesized by a simple, fast, cheap, and mass scalable method. A comprehensive study on the LSC engineering is carried out. Thin layers of CQDs with different concentrations of 1, 3, and 5 wt% and different number of layers (1–5) are coated on glass and poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) waveguides, sized 5 × 5 × 0.6 and 15 …

Editorial: Rock Physics Of Unconventional Reservoirs: Volume Ii, Qiaomu Qi, Lidong Dai, Maxim Lebedev, Tobias Müller, Junfang Zhang

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

No abstract provided.

The Impact Of Environmental Policy On Renewable Energy Innovation: A Systematic Literature Review And Research Directions, Hiva Rastegar, Gabriel Eweje, Aymen Sajjad

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Renewable energy innovations are imperative to tackle the climate change crisis. However, there is a gap in the literature regarding the effectiveness of environmental policies in promoting renewable energy innovations. To bridge this gap, we have adopted a systematic literature review process covering the period from 2005 to 2023. We identified and analysed 29 articles in our final sample. Further, we employ two levels of analysis (individual-policy and policy-mix levels) for analysing the extant research. Our findings show that fiscal incentives and emissions trading policies such as the European Union (EU) Emissions Trading System (ETS) consistently promote renewable energy innovations. …

Analysis Of Element Yield, Bacterial Community Structure And The Impact Of Carbon Sources For Bioleaching Rare Earth Elements From High Grade Monazite, Melissa K. Corbett, April Gifford, Nick Fimognari, Elizabeth L. J. Watkin

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Rare earth element (REE) recovery from waste streams, mine tailings or recyclable components using bioleaching is gaining traction due to the shortage and security of REE supply as well as the environmental problems that occur from processing and refining. Four heterotrophic microbial species with known phosphate solubilizing capabilities were evaluated for their ability to leach REE from a high-grade monazite when provided with either galactose, fructose or maltose. Supplying fructose resulted in the greatest amount of REE leached from the ore due to the largest amount of organic acid produced. Gluconic acid was the dominant organic acid identified produced by …

Understanding The Impact Of Environmental Impact Assessment Research On Policy And Practice, Angus Morrison-Saunders, Annette Nykiel, Nicole Atkins

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

There is an enormous and ever-growing body of environmental impact assessment (EIA) research, much of which is grounded in practice or seeks to advance it. In this paper we show how the impact of EIA research on policy and practice might be conceptualised and how to set about evidencing it. A framework is developed through literature review to account for impact in four areas pertaining to instrumental impact, conceptual impact, capacity building and knowledge brokerage and co-production. Methods for implementing the framework include citations within policy documents along with content analysis to determine influence and interviews or surveys with policy …

Hydrogen Adsorption Kinetics In Organic-Rich Shale Reservoir Rocks For Seasonal Geological Storage, Amer Alanazi, Hussein Rasool Abid, Israa S. Abu-Mahfouz, Saleh A. Bawazeer, Tawanda Matamba, Alireza Keshavarz, Stefan Iglauer, Hussein Hoteit

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

The geo-storage of hydrogen (H2) is essential for advancing a robust and industrial-scale H2-based economy. The efficient H2 storage in a geological formation depends on the presence of a secure and impermeable caprock, such as a shale formation. However, the existing literature lacks information on the kinetics of H2 adsorption in actual shale formations with diverse organic contents and mineral compositions. Therefore, the kinetics of H2 adsorption in organic-rich shale samples from a Jordanian oil (JO) source rock formation are experimentally investigated herein at various temperatures (193, 273, 303, and 333 K) and two equilibrium pressures (15 and 45 bar) …

Understanding How Indigenous Knowledge Contributes To Climate Change Adaptation And Resilience: A Systematic Literature Review, Tashi Dorji, Kinley Rinchen, Angus Morrison-Saunders, David Blake, Vicki Banham, Sonam Pelden

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Climate change is one of the biggest challenges facing the world today threatening societies and the future of the planet. The impacts of climate change are more severe in poor and marginalised populations like Indigenous communities where people rely heavily on their Indigenous Knowledge (IK) to adapt to the changing environment. Climate change adaptation and resilience are critical for the survival of Indigenous communities under the threat of climate change. This systematic literature review seeks to understand how IK contributes to climate change adaptation and resilience. A total of 71 papers from Scopus were analysed using the Preferred Reporting Items …

Effective Land Use Classification Through Hybrid Transformer Using Remote Sensing Imagery, Muhammad Zia Ur Rehman, Syed Mohammed Shamsul Islam, Anwaar Ulhaq, David Blake, Naeem Janjua

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Recent advances in deep learning for hyperspectral image (HSI) classification have shown exceptional performance in resource management and environmental planning through land use classification. Despite these successes, challenges continue to persist in land use classification due to the complex topology of natural and man-made structures. The uneven distribution of land cover introduces spectral-spatial variability, causing inter- and intra-class similarity. To address this issue, this study adopts a hybrid approach that combines convolutional neural networks (CNNs) and a transformer model. The technique comprises three key components: a spectral-spatial convolutional module (SSCM), a spatial attention module (SAM), and a transformer module. Each …

Consequences Of Group-Based Misperceptions Of Climate Concern For Efficacy And Action, Zoe Leviston, Tanvi Nangrani, Samantha K. Stanley, Iain Walker

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

People tend to underestimate others’ environmental values, including when judging the values of minority-status groups. Using a large national sample (N = 5110), we test whether these misperceptions extend to concern about climate change in Australia, and differ depending on immigrant status, ethnicity, and where one is located (i.e., in or outside capital cities). We also examine the consequences of misperceptions for self-efficacy and pro-environmental behaviour. We find personal climate concern is high, but perceptions of others’ concern is lower. Immigrants and Australian-born participants have similarly high concern, but both groups underestimate how concerned immigrants are. Southern-Central-Asian identifiers are the …

Microbes Of Biotechnological Importance In Acidic Saline Lakes In The Yilgarn Craton, Western Australia, Katelyn Boase, Talitha Santini, Elizabeth Watkin

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Acidic salt lakes are environments that harbor an array of biologically challenging conditions. Through 16S rRNA, 18S rRNA, and ITS amplicon sequencing of eight such lakes across the Yilgarn Craton of Western Australia, we aim to understand the microbial ecology of these lakes with a focus on iron- and sulfur-oxidizing and reducing microorganisms that have theoretical application in biomining industries. In spite of the biological challenges to life in these lakes, the microbial communities were highly diverse. Redundancy analysis of soil samples revealed sulfur, ammonium, organic carbon, and potassium were significant diversities of the microbial community composition. The most abundant …

Development Of A Regional Climate Change Model For Aedes Vigilax And Aedes Camptorhynchus (Diptera: Culicidae) In Perth, Western Australia, Kerry Staples, Peter J. Neville, Steven Richardson, Jacques Oosthuizen

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Mosquito-borne disease is a significant public health issue and within Australia Ross River virus (RRV) is the most reported. This study combines a mechanistic model of mosquito development for two mosquito vectors; Aedes vigilax and Aedes camptorhynchus, with climate projections from three climate models for two Representative Concentration Pathways (RCPs), to examine the possible effects of climate change and sea-level rise on a temperate tidal saltmarsh habitat in Perth, Western Australia. The projections were run under no accretion and accretion scenarios using a known mosquito habitat as a case study. This improves our understanding of the possible implications of sea-level …

Performance Evaluation Of A Dual-Chamber Plant Microbial Fuel Cell Developed For Electricity Generation And Wastewater Treatment, Mahmood Golzarian, M. Ghiasvand, S. Shokri, M. Bahreini, Fatemeh Kazemi

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Plant microbial fuel cells (PMFC) have attracted great scholarly attention as a renewable energy source. These cells have three main components: anode, cathode chambers, and a proton exchange membrane. In this study, a dual-chamber plant microbial fuel cell system was designed using Cyperus papyrus and Shewanella oneidensis. The effects of various factors, including the size of the electrodes, the distance between the electrodes, and the inoculation volume of Shewanella oneidensis, on the ability of electricity generation, were scrutinized. The results indicated that increasing the size area of the electrodes from 2 × 2 to 4 × 4 and 6 × …

Maurer Environmental Law Expert Is Lead Author On Science Insights Policy Forum Article, James Owsley Boyd

Keep Up With the Latest News from the Law School (blog)

Environmental champions and conservationists will mark the 50th anniversary of the Endangered Species Act later this month. That is the law requiring federal agencies to use all methods necessary to prevent extinctions and ensure that federal actions not jeopardize the continued existence of species on the brink of disappearing from the face of the Earth.

In the leadup to the December 27th anniversary, several publications have begun examining the Act’s history and impact over five decades.

Science, the world’s third-most influential scholarly journal based on Google Scholar citations, invited experts from around the country to look ahead as well …

Role Of Urban Parks In Carbon Sequestration– A Case Study Of Safari Park, Karachi, Pakistan, Amna Bano, Minzah Shehzad, Hasnain Kazmi, Jamshaid Iqbal

Journal of Bioresource Management

Urban parks besides their recreational use can be the potential source of climate mitigation through carbon sequestration. Present study aims to identify the carbon sequestration potential of Safari Park which is by far the largest public park of Karachi established in 1970 covering an area of 0.72 km². A total of 153 individual trees belonging to 25 species and 14 families were included in the study. Five dominant species with highest Important Value Index (IVI) were Cocos nucifera (14.62 %), Azadirachta indica (14.21 %), Guaiacum officinale (9.93 %), Washington robusta (9.31 %) and Delonix regia (7.11 %). The …

Analysis Of Community-Based Pattern Of Water Demand And Supply, Ishaku Dibal Joshua, Abdullahi Chado Salihu, Ayuba Musa Mshelia, Nchedo Nnedinma Ubachukwu

Journal of Environmental Science and Sustainable Development

Gombi rural community of Adamawa state, Nigeria, has witnessed significant growth in human population, which has contributed to an increase in water demand. Thus, the study analyzed water demand and supply patterns in Gombi communities of Adamawa State, Nigeria. A structured questionnaire was used for data collection. Descriptive statistics such as mean and percentages and inferential statistics like Analysis of Variance (ANOVA), chi-square, and linear regression were adopted for the analysis. The results on socioeconomic characteristics showed that the majority were females, with low household income levels, large household sizes, and in their active ages. Hand-dug well water was the …

Reducing Food Scarcity: The Benefits Of Urban Farming, S.A. Claudell, Emilio Mejia

Journal of Nonprofit Innovation

Urban farming can enhance the lives of communities and help reduce food scarcity. This paper presents a conceptual prototype of an efficient urban farming community that can be scaled for a single apartment building or an entire community across all global geoeconomics regions, including densely populated cities and rural, developing towns and communities. When deployed in coordination with smart crop choices, local farm support, and efficient transportation then the result isn’t just sustainability, but also increasing fresh produce accessibility, optimizing nutritional value, eliminating the use of ‘forever chemicals’, reducing transportation costs, and fostering global environmental benefits.

Imagine Doris, who is …

Climate Monitoring In The Caumont Cave And Quarry System (Northern France) Reveal Near Oxygen Isotopic Equilibrium Conditions For Carbonate Deposition, Ingrid Bejarano-Arias, Carole Nehme, Sebastian Breitenbach, Hanno Meyer, Sevasti Modestou, Damase Mouralis

International Journal of Speleology

The study of modern cave deposits forming under near isotopic equilibrium conditions can potentially help disentangle the processes influencing the oxygen isotope system and suitability of stalagmites as archives of past hydrological or thermal changes. We used cave monitoring to evaluate the impact of kinetic isotope fractionation and assess the conditions under which modern cave carbonates form in the Caumont cave and quarry system, located in Normandy, northwest France. Over 20 months, we collected climatological data, dripwater, and modern carbonate samples at 2–4-week intervals at three different stations inside the Caumont cave and quarry system. We find highly stable (10.4 …

Exploring The Population Dynamics Of Waterfowl Hunters Using A Mark‐Recapture Approach, Katherine A. Graham, Mark P. Vrtiska, Dale D. Humburg, Larkin A. Powell, Andrew H. Raedeke, Patrick K. Devers, Christopher J. Chizinski

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

The number of waterfowl hunters in the United States has declined since the 1980s despite relatively abundant waterfowl populations and liberal hunting regulations. Programs focused on recruiting, retaining, and reactivating (R3) waterfowl hunters have become important to avoid further losses in traditional revenue for habitat management and protection and political support for waterfowl conservation and management. We focus on 4 waterfowl hunter population vital rates (i.e., recruitment rate, retention probability, license purchase probability, realized population growth rate), which can be used to improve the effectiveness of waterfowl hunter R3 activities and initiatives by providing a deeper understanding of waterfowl hunter …

Oregon State Rank Assessment For Pit Roach (Hesperoleucus Mitrulus), Misty Nelson

Institute for Natural Resources Publications

Oregon state conservation status assessment for pit roach (Hesperoleucus mitrulus) using NatureServe methodology, 2023.

Table Of Contents, The Editors

Coal Geology & Exploration

No abstract provided.

Critical Links And Development Trends Of Research On Active Tectonics, Yuan Daoyang, Wang Youlin, Li Shuwu, Wang Wanhe, Li Linyuan, Zou Xiaobo, Wen Yameng

Coal Geology & Exploration

Following a brief introduction of the general characteristics of active tectonics in China, this study analyzed two new features of large earthquakes with M_s ≥ 7 that have struck continental China since the beginning of the 21st century: (1) Large earthquakes occur primarily in clusters along the boundary fault zone of the Bayanhar active tectonic block—part of the Qinghai-Tibet ateau active tectonic block. (2) Reverse fault-fold earthquakes have occurred multiple times within active basins or at basin-mountain boundaries. In response to the new seismic activity features and the new demand for disaster prevention and mitigation of engineering construction and …

Critical Links And Development Trends Of Research On Active Tectonics, Yuan Daoyang, Wang Youlin, Li Shuwu, Wang Wanhe, Li Linyuan, Zou Xiaobo, Wen Yameng

Coal Geology & Exploration

Following a brief introduction of the general characteristics of active tectonics in China, this study analyzed two new features of large earthquakes with M_s ≥ 7 that have struck continental China since the beginning of the 21st century: (1) Large earthquakes occur primarily in clusters along the boundary fault zone of the Bayanhar active tectonic block—part of the Qinghai-Tibet ateau active tectonic block. (2) Reverse fault-fold earthquakes have occurred multiple times within active basins or at basin-mountain boundaries. In response to the new seismic activity features and the new demand for disaster prevention and mitigation of engineering construction and …

New Evidence For Holocene Activity Of The Northern Segment Of The Puqian-Qinglan Fault In Northern Hainan Province, Liu Huaguo, Li Feng, Jia Qichao, Wang Zhicheng, Zhang Pan, Lin Zhen, Zhang Jiehan, Shi Chunhua, Zhang Yanbo, Jia Wei, Li Changlong

Coal Geology & Exploration

The Puqian-Qinglan fault, located in northern Hainan Province, is closely related to the judgment of the seismogenic structure of the Qiongshan M7½ earthquake in 1605. To accurately determine the latest activity characteristics of this fault, this study, adopting artificial shallow seismic exploration with large-tonnage seismic sources combined with small-spacing cross-well stratigraphic correlation, investigated the sedimentary geological conditions of the Quaternary basalt cover and significantly thick marine sand layers in northern Hainan Province through exploration at Qishantou and Dongzhai villages in the Sanjiang Town, Jiangdong New Area, Haikou. Key results are as follows: (1) the Puqian-Qinglan fault dislocates multiple marker …