Digital Commons Network^™

Community Forestry Frameworks In Sub-Saharan Africa And The Impact On Sustainable Development, Lalisa A. Duguma, Joanes Atela, Alemayehu N. Ayana, Dieudonne Alemagi, Mathew Mpanda, Moses Nyago, Peter A. Minang, Judith M. Nzyoka, Divine Foundjem-Tita, Cécile Ngo Ntamag-Ndjebet

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

Community based forest management (CBFM) has been implemented in Africa since the 1980s. Three main objectives, which are currently part of the sustainable development goals (SDGs), underlie the formation of CBFM. They are (1) enhancing community engagement in forest management, (2) reducing rural poverty, and (3) promoting forest resources conservation. We examine CBFM frameworks in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) and CBFM schemes’ contribution to selected sustainable development goals relevant to the forestry sector. Five SSA countries, Ethiopia, Kenya, Cameroon, Uganda, and Tanzania were chosen for the study because of their long-term engagement in CBFM. The analysis was based on desk review …

Using The Theory Of Planned Behavior To Understand University Students Recycling Behavior, Vanessa Sonnenfeld

Department of Environmental Studies: Undergraduate Student Theses

Improving recycling behavior is an important means to reducing the ever-increasing amount of waste sent to landfills. When discussing sustainable behaviors, such as recycling, the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) can be used to explain why people make the decisions they do. The Theory of Planned Behavior utilizes attitude, subjective norm and perceived behavioral control to be the predictors of behavioral intention. Once we can better explain why students decide to recycle or not to recycle we can utilize this data to increase recycling rates. The Theory of Planned Behavior was used as a basis for this study in order …

High-Precision Lead Isotope Analysis On Modern Populations To Determine Geolocation Reliability, Gennifer M. Goad

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Forensic anthropologists increasingly use chemical isotope analysis in the investigation of unidentified human remains, as biochemical georeferencing continually improves with the development of modern reference data of known origins. Isotope variations in trace elements such as strontium (Sr) and lead (Pb) in human teeth are some of the most useful indicators of past domicile in archaeological research and thus have high potential for modern, forensic applications. In this study, high-precision lead isotope analysis was conducted on 63 modern human teeth, which were previously analyzed for strontium isotopes. The results present new lead isotope data for the following countries: United States …

Climate Futures 1| Climate Futures, Design And The Just Transition, Schedule, Liberal Arts Division, Ncss Graduate Program

Climate Futures Symposia

Schedule of events distributed at the Symposium.

2018 Celebration Of Scholarship, Creativity And Engagement, Eastern Illinois University

Programs

Scholarship, creativity, innovation, and the many forms of collaborative engagement that shape faculty life and student learning are central to the mission of Eastern Illinois University. For that reason, our faculty, department chairs, college deans, the provost, and the entire campus community celebrate the achievements and outstanding contributions of our colleagues and students to their disciplines and professions every year.

And, as the following pages illustrate, faculty engaged in continuing scholarly and creative activities provide outstanding mentoring experiences for our undergraduate and graduate students.

In addition to recognizing faculty performances, shows, publications, grants and other professional efforts, the University will …

Three-Dimensional Flow, Morphologic Change, And Sediment Deposition And Distribution Of Actively Evolving Neck Cutoffs Located On The White River, Arkansas, Derek Allen Richards

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Neck cutoffs are important and prominent features of alluvial rivers yet detailed field-based research of neck cutoffs has been insufficient to fully characterize three-dimensional flow, morphologic change, and sediment deposition and distribution. The main objectives of this research are to examine the formation and evolution of neck cutoffs by characterizing the flow field, morphology, and sediment distribution through neck cutoffs with complex planform configurations located on the White River, Arkansas. Results led to the production of two conceptual models. The flow model has main hydrodynamic characteristics of (1) tight bend flow resulting from flow redirection of nearly 180° through the …

The Santa Clara, 2018-10-11, Santa Clara University

The Santa Clara

No abstract provided.

A Bit Like Cash: Understanding Cash-For-Bitcoin Transactions Through Individual Vendors, Stephanie J. Robberson, Mark R. Mccoy

Journal of Digital Forensics, Security and Law

As technology improves and economies become more globalized, the concept of currency has evolved. Bitcoin, a cryptographic digital currency, has been embraced as a secure and convenient type of money. Due to its security and privacy for the user, Bitcoin is a good tool for conducting criminal trades. The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) has regulations in place to make identification information of Bitcoin purchasers accessible to law enforcement, but enforcing these rules with cash-for-Bitcoin traders is difficult. This study surveyed cash-for-Bitcoin vendors in Oklahoma, Texas, Arkansas, Missouri, Kansas, Colorado, and New Mexico to determine personal demographic information, knowledge of …

Perceptions And Physical Realities Of Flood Risk In Cerro Punta, Chiriquí, Panamá, Julia Stanganelli

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Flooding is an issue of increasing global importance. With climate change and land-use alteration affecting hydrological cycles globally, certain regions of the world are experiencing more frequent or severe flooding. In the Chiriquí Province of Panamá, the town of Cerro Punta has been subject to several severe flooding events in the last few decades. This study aimed to understand perceptions of flood risk amongst residents of Cerro Punta, as well as evaluate physical flood risk in the area. Residents were interviewed regarding their perceptions of flooding as an increasing issue, possible causes, vulnerable areas and populations, and preparedness for future …

Strategic Players For Identifying Optimal Social Network Intervention Subjects, Miles Q. Ott, John M. Light, Melissa A. Clark, Nancy P. Barnett

Statistical and Data Sciences: Faculty Publications

We present a method whereby social network ties are used to identify behavioral leaders who are situated in the network such that these individuals are: 1) able to influence other individuals who are in need of and most receptive to intervention, thereby optimizing the impact of the intervention; and 2) not embedded with ties to individuals that are likely to be behaviorally antagonistic to the intervention or that would compromise the optimal impact of intervention. In this study we developed a method that we call Strategic Players, which is a solution for identifying a set of players who are close …

Non-Locality, Precognition & Spirit From The Physics Point Of View, Florentin Smarandache, Victor Christianto

Branch Mathematics and Statistics Faculty and Staff Publications

There are various supernatural phenomena which can hardly be explained by the existing mainstream science, for instance non-local interactions (e.g. ESP) and also precognitive interdictions. And there are other problems such as how to include the Spirit in the framework of physics. For example, it has been known for long time that intuition plays significant role in many professions and human life, including entrepreneurship, government, and also in detective or law enforcement activities. Despite these examples, such a precognitive interdiction is hardly accepted in mainstream science. In this paper, we discuss non-local interactions and advanced solutions of Maxwell equations, and …

Communiqué: College Of Humanities, Arts & Sciences Alumni Magazine, Volume 7, Fall 2018, University Of Northern Iowa. College Of Humanities, Arts, And Sciences.

Communiqué: College of Humanities, Arts & Sciences Alumni Magazine

Contents:

EVERY ISSUE
--4 Message from the Dean
--5 Donor Feature
--34 CHAS Briefs
--42 New Faculty
--44 Class Notes
FEATURES
--6 Printmaking Awards
--10 Micro-CT
--14 YWCA Partnership
--22 Science in the Media
STORIES
--18 Mastodon Tusk
--20 Documentary Film Clips
--21 Tom Hockey’s Asteroid
--26 Conference Table
--28 Lake Michigan Ozone Study
--30 Strong Estate Marketing
--32 Wetland Restoration
--36 Alumni at NASA
--37 Theatre CR Artistic Director
--38 Human Rights Fight
--40 Summer Undergraduate Research Program

Livelihoods Of The People Of Mazumbai: A Collection Of Stories And Portraits, Tanga Region, Tanzania, Joseph Baldus

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Despite rapid urbanization in Tanzania, agriculture remains central to the nation, the economy, and the livelihoods of a large portion of the population. Smallholder farmers account for the vast majority of agricultural production, yet are an extremely vulnerable population due to poverty, single-sourced income, and climate-dependency for both subsistence and cash-crop agriculture (Rapsomanikis, 2015). This report explores these dynamic rural livelihoods through interviews and portrait photographs in a case study on Mazumbai, Tanga region, Tanzania. Semi-structured interviews explore the people’s modes of economic subsistence, domestic lives, education, challenges, and life stories. Excerpts from these interviews combined with portrait photographs create …

Computational Evaluation Of The Thermal Performance Of Underground Bunkers: The Case Of Albania, Rudina Breçani, Sokol Dervishi

International Building Physics Conference 2018

The present paper studies the thermal and energy performance and potential adaptive reuse of the lost underground bunkers of Kukës, Albania. The approach is exemplified using a 150-m long cross-section of the underground network selected for the parametric computational simulations. Data regarding local climate, design typology, and building materials is used to generate a finite-element simulation model of the underground tunnels. Different scenarios including insulation of the outer walls, occupancy patterns, and ventilation regimes are tested. The results show that indoor air temperature ranges from 15-18°C during winter and 23-28°C during summer. During January, the temperatures are higher by 3-5 …

Dynamic Life Cycle Assessment Integrating Cultural Value, Ming Hu

International Building Physics Conference 2018

Lack of spatial and temporal flexibility is a well-known limitation of current life cycle assessment (LCA). Exclusion of human and time consideration in LCA can also limit the potential of results. This paper explicitly proposes a dynamic life cycle framework and assessment model and demonstrated the potential importance of the method by integrating the cultural theory of risk. Cultural theory (CT) of risk was developed by anthropologist Mary Douglas and is originally a societal social anthropology approach based on the structure and functioning of groups within societies. Different society produces its own selected view of the natural environment, a view …

Shifting Echo Chambers In Us Climate Policy Networks, Lorien Jasny, Amanda M. Dewey, Anya Galli Robertson, William Yagatich, Ann H. Dubin, Joseph Mccartney Waggle, Dana R. Fisher

Sociology, Anthropology, and Social Work Faculty Publications

Although substantial attention has focused on efforts by the new Administration to block environmental policies, climate politics have been contentious in the US since well before the election of Donald Trump. In this paper, we extend previous work on empirical examinations of echo chambers in US climate politics using new data collected on the federal climate policy network in summer 2016. We test for the similarity and differences at two points in time in homophily and echo chambers using Exponential Random Graph Models (ERGM) to compare new findings from 2016 to previous work on data from 2010. We show that …

Achieving The Promise Of Integration In Social-Ecological Research: A Review And Prospectus, Neil Carter

Human-Environment Systems Research Center Faculty Publications and Presentations

An integrated understanding of both social and ecological aspects of environmental issues is essential to address pressing sustainability challenges. An integrated social-ecological systems perspective is purported to provide a better understanding of the complex relationships between humans and nature. Despite a threefold increase in the amount of social-ecological research published between 2010 and 2015, it is unclear whether these approaches have been truly integrative. We conducted a systematic literature review to investigate the conceptual, methodological, disciplinary, and functional aspects of social-ecological integration. In general, we found that overall integration is still lacking in social-ecological research. Some social variables deemed important …

Impact Of Climate Change On The Transition Of Neanderthals To Modern Humans In Europe, Michael Staubwasser, Virgil Drăgușin, Bogdan P. Onac, Sergey Assonov, Vasile Ersek, Dirk L. Hoffman, Daniel Veres

School of Geosciences Faculty and Staff Publications

Two speleothem stable isotope records from East-Central Europe demonstrate that Greenland Stadial 12 (GS12) and GS10—at 44.3–43.3 and 40.8–40.2 ka—were prominent intervals of cold and arid conditions. GS12, GS11, and GS10 are coeval with a regional pattern of culturally (near-)sterile layers within Europe’s diachronous archeologic transition from Neanderthals to modern human Aurignacian. Sterile layers coeval with GS12 precede the Aurignacian throughout the middle and upper Danube region. In some records from the northern Iberian Peninsula, such layers are coeval with GS11 and separate the Châtelperronian from the Aurignacian. Sterile layers preceding the Aurignacian in the remaining Châtelperronian domain are coeval …

Husband’S Support For Their Wives In Antenatal Care Visit, Awalia Hanifah, Hadi Pratomo, Giang Hoang

Kesmas

Di wilayah Puskesmas Cimanggis, Kota Depok, cakupan kunjungan antenatal pertama (K1) dan kunjungan ke-4 (K4) sebesar 99,4% (2013) dan 91% (2014). Dukungan suami ibu hamil merupakan salah satu faktor yang berperan penting dalam kunjungan antenatal pada ibu hamil. Penelitian ini bertujuan menilai faktor predisposisi, pemungkin dan penguat dari dukungan suami terhadap ANC istrinya dengan menggunakan pendekatan kualitatif dengan desain Rapid Assessment Procedure. Lima suami dan istrinya yang sedang hamil dipilih sebagai informan serta dua bidan puskesmas sebagai informan kunci. Analisis data menggunakan matriks data kualitatif dan teknik analisis tematik. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa faktor predisposisi, pemungkin dan penguat dari suami …

Of Typicality And Predictive Distributions In Discriminant Function Analysis, Lyle W. Konigsberg, Susan R. Frankenberg

Human Biology Open Access Pre-Prints

While discriminant function analysis is an inherently Bayesian method, researchers attempting to estimate ancestry in human skeletal samples often follow discriminant function analysis with the calculation of frequentist-based typicalities for assigning group membership. Such an approach is problematic in that it fails to account for admixture and for variation in why individuals may be classified as outliers, or non-members of particular groups. This paper presents an argument and methodology for employing a fully Bayesian approach in discriminant function analysis applied to cases of ancestry estimation. The approach requires adding the calculation, or estimation, of predictive distributions as the final step …

Evaluating Climate Change Policy Through The Endangered Species Act, Richie Donahou

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This research sets out to address a growing knowledge gap of climate change science in regards to the state of Arkansas. Within the coming chapters, the goal of this research is to examine climate data and to identify if any evidence of climate change can be detected and what are the policies in place to adapt to these potential changes. Furthermore, the scope of this research will be narrowed to a few counties over the southwest Arkansas, and a specific endangered species, the Leopard Darter. Upon examination of previous environmental and ecological climate change related research it became clear that …

Characterization And Remediation Of Wastewater From Unconventional Oil And Gas Development, Tiffany Michelle Liden

Chemistry & Biochemistry Dissertations - Archive

Increasing energy demands from the nation and technological advancement in well development have led to the rapid expansion of unconventional oil and gas extraction. Current disposal methods for wastewater generated from the development of low porosity formations are not environmentally sustainable. The billions of gallons of highly variable, chemically-rich wastewater, referred to as produced water, is frequently sequestered in subsurface, non-productive stratum through injection wells. Cost-effective options to treat produced water are being sought as an alternative to injection wells to prevent the loss of water from the water cycle and decrease anthropologically induced seismic events. Ultimately, it has been …

Cultural Conundrums In African Land Governance: Agribusiness In Sierra Leone, Fenda A. Akiwumi

School of Geosciences Faculty and Staff Publications

This paper deals with the disjuncture between recognition of the important role of culture in sustainable development discourse embedded in African regional and state policies and legal instruments and the reality of externally driven neoliberal land-based development agendas in African nations. Using postcolonial theoretical notions of identity, subalterns and representation, and the centuries-old African landlord-stranger institution as an important customary land management system operating at the local level, I explore some inherent conflicts between the landlord-stranger institution and state land governance. I interrogate this dilemma in the context of agribusiness development projects and land grabbing claims in Sierra Leone, West …

Potential For Participatory Big Data Ethics And Algorithm Design: A Scoping Mapping Review, Madisson Whitman, Chien-Yi Hsiang, Kendall Roark

Libraries Faculty and Staff Scholarship and Research

Ubiquitous networked data collection and algorithm-based information systems have the potential to disparately impact lives around the planet and pose a host of emerging ethical challenges. One response has been a call for more transparency and democratic control over the design and implementation of such systems. This scoping mapping review focuses on participatory approaches to the design, governance, and future of these systems across a wide variety of contexts and domains.

The Upside Of Down Syndrome: Math Is My Superpower!, Heidi Berger

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

My son Isaac has Down syndrome. He was born in 2015, within a year of me receiving tenure at Simpson College. The experience of being his mother has had a profound effect on me as a mathematician. Having been with him through eleven surgeries over sixteen hospitalizations, I wanted to learn about his medical complexities and, more generally, about coordinated health care for those with chronic illness. To accomplish these goals, I’ve looked to my teaching and research. In the spring of 2016, I designed a sophomore-level mathematical modeling course on the respiratory system. In the summer of 2016, I …

The Situatedness Of Mathematics In Motherhood And Academia, Jennifer Schenk Sacco, Jill Shahverdian

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

The authors, a mathematician and a political scientist, examine mathematics, motherhood, and academia, and argue that feminist epistemology is necessary to explain the intersection. Relying on the principles of feminist epistemology laid out by philosophers Naomi Scheman and Marianne Janack, the authors consider how work, the concept of time, teaching, arts and crafts, and decision-making all reveal the situatedness of knowing and using mathematics.

Surf: Understanding And Predicting Urban Convection And Haze, X. Liang, S. Miao, J. Li, R. Bornstein, X. Zhang, Y. Gao, F. Chen, X. Cao, Z. Cheng, Craig Clements, W. Dabberdt, A. Ding, D. Ding, J. J. Dou, J.X. Dou, Y. Dou, C.S.B. Grimmond, J. E. González-Cruz, J. He, M. Huang, X. Huang, S. Ju, Q. Li, D. Niyogi, J. Quan, J. Sun, J.Z. Sun, M. Yu, J. Zhang, Y. Zhang, X. Zhao, Z. Zheng, M. Zhou

Faculty Publications, Meteorology and Climate Science

Urbanization modifies atmospheric energy and moisture balances, forming distinct features [e.g., urban heat islands (UHIs) and enhanced or decreased precipitation]. These produce significant challenges to science and society, including rapid and intense flooding, heat waves strengthened by UHIs, and air pollutant haze. The Study of Urban Impacts on Rainfall and Fog/Haze (SURF) has brought together international expertise on observations and modeling, meteorology and atmospheric chemistry, and research and operational forecasting. The SURF overall science objective is a better understanding of urban, terrain, convection, and aerosol interactions for improved forecast accuracy. Specific objectives include a) promoting cooperative international research to improve …

Future Melting Away: Water Stress As A Threat To Human Security In Bangladesh And The Role Of International Community, Farzana Afroz Chowdhury

Theses and Dissertations

Bangladesh is considered as one of the frontline states in the global climate change; its policy agendas attempt to respond to the perceived security threats emanating from such changes. Water stress is one of the key problems the country is facing. Yet, links between glaciers in the Hindu Kush Himalaya, Bangladesh’s climate, growing water stress, and its implications for human security have seldom been studied. Drawing on the concepts of climate change, human security and water stress, the thesis examines the causes of Bangladesh’s freshwater crisis and its contribution to the human insecurity. Here in this study, the influence of …

Mainland Southeast Asia In The Longue Durée: A Zooarchaeological Test Of The "Broad Spectrum Revolution" In Northern Thailand, Cyler Norman Conrad

Anthropology ETDs

In northern Thailand, previous zooarchaeological research suggests that hunter-gatherers consumed a broad diversity of animal resources during the Pleistocene-Holocene transition and afterwards (Gorman 1971a). This is a pattern characteristic of Kent Flannery’s (1969) “broad spectrum revolution” hypothesis. Based primarily on presence and absence evidence, faunal assemblages in northern Thailand typically include species of mammals, reptiles, birds, fish and shellfish, suggesting that prehistoric foragers consumed a wide range of taxa within this mainland Southeast Asian tropical environment. Although zooarchaeological analyses commonly identify this pattern within prehistoric cave and rockshelter sites, past investigations have 1) not attempted to formally test Flannery’s hypothesis, …

Mooring Impacts On Zostera Marina Meadows And Associated Epifauna In Nantucket Harbor, Massachusetts, Usa, Andrew Wright Mccandless

Dissertations and Theses

Seagrass ecosystems are some of the most productive in the world and provide a variety of ecosystem services but are facing global decline chiefly due to anthropogenic disturbance. Mechanical disturbances to seagrass meadows from anchoring, propeller scars, and mooring scars result in losses or damage to both shoots and the underlying rhizome. I conducted a literature synthesis on the extent of, recovery from, and ecological impacts of these mechanical disturbances to seagrass meadows. The literature suggests that anchoring damage tends to be worst in deeper water where larger vessels anchor and can cause large (>100m²) loss per …