Digital Commons Network^™

More Sorry Than Safe: Assessing The Precautionary Principle And The Proposed International Biosafety Protocol, Jonathan H. Adler

Faculty Publications

Part I of this paper provides a brief overview of the development of biotechnology, its regulation and its use, with a particular emphasis on agricultural biotechnology. Part II outlines the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity, which provides an international legal framework for a biosafety protocol and summarizes the results of recent protocol negotiations, such as those conducted in Cartagena, Colombia in February 1999, which continued in Montreal in January 2000. Part III explains why the proposed protocol embodies a variant of the precautionary principle and why such policies may do more harm than good. This paper concludes with some …

Ecological Legacies: Impacts On Ecosystems Of The Mcmurdo Dry Valleys, Daryl L. Moorhead, Peter T. Doran, Andrew G. Fountain, W. Berry Lyons, Diane M. Mcknight, John C. Priscu, Ross A. Virginia, Diana H. Wall

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Physical Controls On The Taylor Valley Ecosystem, Antarctica, Andrew G. Fountain, W. Berry Lyons, Melody B. Burkins, Gayle L. Dana, Peter T. Doran, Karen J. Lewis, Diane M. Mcknight, Daryl L. Moorhead, Andrew N. Parsons, John C. Priscu, Diana H. Wall, Robert A. Wharton, Ross A. Virginia

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Seasonal Patterns And Controls On Net Ecosystem Co2 Exchange In A Boreal Peatland Complex, Jill L. Bubier, Patrick M. Crill, Tim R. Moore, Kathleen Savage, Ruth K. Varner

Faculty Publications

We measured seasonal patterns of net ecosystem exchange (NEE) of CO2 in a diverse peatland complex underlain by discontinuous permafrost in northern Manitoba, Canada, as part of the Boreal Ecosystems Atmosphere Study (BOREAS). Study sites spanned the full range of peatland trophic and moisture gradients found in boreal environments from bog (pH 3.9) to rich fen (pH 7.2). During midseason (July‐August, 1996), highest rates of NEE and respiration followed the trophic sequence of bog (5.4 to −3.9 μmol CO2 m−2 s−1) < poor fen (6.3 to −6.5 μmol CO2 m−2 s−1) < intermediate fen (10.5 to −7.8 μmol CO2 m−2 s−1) < rich fen (14.9 to −8.7 μmol CO2m−2 s−1). The sequence changed during spring (May‐June) and fall (September‐October) when ericaceous shrub (e.g., Chamaedaphne calyculata) bogs and sedge (Carex spp.) communities in poor to intermediate fens had higher maximum CO2 fixation rates than deciduous shrub‐dominated (Salix spp. and Betula spp.) rich fens. Timing of snowmelt and differential rates of peat surface thaw in microtopographic hummocks and hollows controlled the onset of carbon uptake in spring. Maximum photosynthesis and respiration were closely correlated throughout the growing season with a ratio of approximately 1/3 ecosystem respiration to maximum carbon uptake at all sites across the trophic gradient. Soil temperatures above the water table and timing of surface thaw and freeze‐up in the spring and fall were more important to net CO2 exchange than deep soil warming. This close coupling of maximum CO2 uptake and respiration to easily measurable variables, such as trophic status, peat temperature, and water table, will improve models of wetland carbon exchange. Although trophic status, aboveground net primary productivity, and surface temperatures were more important than water level in predicting respiration on a daily basis, the mean position of the water table was a good predictor (r2 = 0.63) of mean respiration rates across the range of plant community and moisture gradients. Q10 values ranged from 3.0 to 4.1 from bog to rich fen, but when normalized by above ground vascular plant biomass, the Q10 for all sites was 3.3.

Effect Of Naturally Occurring Bromophenols On Sulfate Reduction And Ammonia Oxidation In Intertidal Sediments, C. Giray, G. M. King

Faculty Publications

We examined the effect on ammonium oxidation and sulfate reduction of several brominated compounds [4-bromophenol, 2,4-dibromophenol (2,4-DBP), 2,6-dibromophenol and 2,4,6-tribromophenol] that occur naturally in enteropneusts. We compared rates of these processes with and without bromoorganics using bulk intertidal sediments and burrow wall sediments from 3 enteropneust species (2 containing 2,4-DBP and 1 containing 2,3,4-tribromopyrrole), a mollusc (Mya arenaria) and a polychaete (Nereis virens). Sulfate reduction in bulk sediment was unaffected by bromophenols at concentrations sediment, but was inhibited temporarily at 1 μmol cm-3. Sulfate reduction in burrow wall sediments differed from bulk sediments, but was not correlated with concentrations of …

Country/Region Reports -- United States Of America, Linda A. Malone

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Small Business Transformation: The Meds Approach, Ravi S. Behara, David E. Gundersen

Faculty Publications

In today's rapidly changing business environment, small businesses must gain a deeper understanding of the future to develop strategies that will provide them with sustainable competitive advantage. The traditional approaches to strategy formulation are inadequate in an environment that is complex and dynamic. This paper investigates a "new" approach that helps small businesses "see the future." It discusses an application of the multi­ equilibrium dissipative structures (MEDS) approach to strategy formulation within the context of a small business involved in medical management software development. The dissipative systems approach can be used to evaluate the critical discontinuities that a small business …

An Ecological Vocabulary Essential To Environmental Education, James L. Isleib

Faculty Publications

This study verified a basic ecological vocabulary essential to environmental education and measured the effect of Texas Environmental Education Advisory Committee {TEEAC) endorsed teacher in service programs on participants' ecological vocabulary. The study results may be used in the development and assessment of environmental interpretation programs.

On-Site Water Retention Strategies: Solutions From The Past For Dealing With Jordan's Present Water Crisis, Oystein S. Labianca

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Application Of A Tetrazolium Salt With A Water-Soluble Formazan As An Indicator Of Viability In Respiring Bacteria, P. Roslev, G. M. King

Faculty Publications

The tetrazolium salt sodium 3'-{1-[(phenylamino)-carbonyl]-3,4- tetrazolium}-bis (4-methoxy-6-nitro)benzene-sulfonic acid hydrate (XTT) was examined for use as a colorimetric indicator of viability in respiring bacteria. XTT was reduced to an orange, water-soluble formazan product by Methylosinus trichosporium OB3b, Pseudomonas putida, Escherichia coli, and Bacillus subtilis. Formazan production was proportional to live cell biomass, and XTT was reduced by all cultures in the absence of added electron-coupling agents. XTT reduction by M. trichosporium OB3b was linear over several hours and was stimulated by the presence of an exogenous substrate (methanol). Addition of cyanide to cultures incubated under oxic conditions gave an initial 10-fold …

Tree Content And Taper Functions For Loblolly And Slash Pine Trees Planted On Non-Old-Fields In East Texas, J. David Lenhart, Terry L. Hackett, Charlie J. Laman, Thomas J. Wiswell, Jock A. Blackard

Faculty Publications

Equations are presented to estimate total or partial stem content in cubic feet and pounds (green or dry) for loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) and slash pine (Pinus elliotti Engelm.) trees planted on non-old-fields in East Texas. Equations are included to estimate the content of the complete tree (stem and branches). In addition, a set of compatible stem taper functions are described. South. j. Appl. For. 11(3):147-151

Justice Scalia: Standing, Environmental Law And The Supreme Court, Michael A. Perino

Faculty Publications

President Reagan's appointment of Antonin Scalia to the United States Supreme Court raises concern among liberals that Justice Scalia will help lead the Court away from a number of liberal positions toward a new conservatism. The Reagan Administration's requirement that judicial appointments advance the Administration's preference for judicial restraint and strict constructionism enhances this concern. These new executive requirements mean that federal courts should accord greater authority to the democratically elected branches of the government. Justice Scalia's primary areas of study, administrative law and separation of powers, reflect his adherence to judicial self-restraint.

One aspect of administrative law and separation …

Thinking About Federal Jurisdiction — Of Serpents And Swallows, Thomas E. Baker

Faculty Publications

In this essay, Professor Baker assumes that the decision to get into or stay in federal court has been made, for whatever reason. His concentration is focused on providing a checklist of some of the typical challenges to jurisdiction and to highlight some uncommon responses. Organizationally, he first considers general issues which apply to all cases, and then considers separately some issues in diversity cases and in federal question cases.

Continuing Education Needs Of Natural Resource Professionals, Steven H. Bullard, Thomas J. Straka

Faculty Publications

New products, technology and changing social attitudes have created continuing education needs in many natural resource-related professions. Environmental educations rapidly become obsolete without continued study, and many professional organizations are addressing this problem. Causes of professional obsolescence· are briefly reviewed with emphasis on natural resource managers. Foresters' needs and continuing education efforts are discussed to illustrate continuing education concepts in an environmental and natural resource-related profession.

Agriculture, Agribusiness, And Renewable And Natural Resource Program Review, B. Delworth Gardner

Faculty Publications

The State University System of Florida has es tab 1 i shed A "Quest for Excellence11 in its Master Plan. It is a bold plan of action that will "unleash the University System from those time-bound constraints which would allow only gradual change. 11 It is also clear that the State University System of Florida plans to compete successfully with the very best academic universities. In its mission statement the University of Florida, as a land-grant institution, administers the In"s·t itute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS), a special unit providing statewide food and .agricultural teaching, res.earch, and extension services. …

Magnetic Anisotropy In The Trenton Limestone: Results Of A New Technique, Anisotropy Of Anhysteretic Susceptibility, Chad Mccabe, Michael Jackson, Brooks B. Ellwood

Faculty Publications

A new method for determining magnetic anisotropy using anhysteric remanence susceptibility is described. The magnetic fabric of a collection of Trenton Limestone specimens has been determined using this method, as well as by conventional anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility. The results demonstrate the usefulness of the new method for finding the magnetic fabric of rock units such as the Trenton in which the bulk magnetic susceptibilities are low. A model is proposed to explain the observed foliated and lineated fabric as a consequence of overburden compaction and regional horizontal stresses. The original fabric is inferred to have been isotropic; the anisotropy …

The "Facts" Of Federal Subject Matter Jurisdiction, William P. Marshall

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Issues Concerning Phreatophyte Clearing, Revegetation, And Water Savings Along The Gila River, Arizona, William L. Graf, Duncan T. Patten, Bonnie Turner

Faculty Publications

A detailed analysis of the published results of the U. S. Geological Survey Phreatophyte Project conducted in the area of interest for the Corps of Engineers Camelsback Dam study provides the following results. It appears that the figure of 18.53 inches per year for water savings from phreatophyte clearing along the Gila River in southeast Arizona should not be used for predicting potential water salvage because of large sampling errors, measurement errors, and the inherent variability of the natural processes of evapotranspiration. An extensive literature review shows that no dependable values are available for the Gila River project area. It …

Comment On David Guillet's "Toward A Cultural Ecology Of Mountains: The Central Andes And The Himalayas Compared", Thomas Love

Faculty Publications

Thomas Love comments on David Guillet's essay "Toward a Cultural Ecology of Mountains: The Central Andes and the Himalayas Compared."

Standing After Havens Realty: A Critique And An Alternative Framework For Analysis, Paul A. Lebel

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Establishment Clause Standing: The Not Very Revolutionary Decision At Valley Forge, William P. Marshall, Maripat Flood

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Proton Induced X-Ray Emission Analysis - A Complement To Analytical Methods Used In Environmental Studies, N. F. Mangelson, D. J. Eatough, N. L. Eatough, L. D. Hansen, M. W. Hill, M. L. Lee, L. R. Phillips, M. E. Post, B. E. Richter, J. F. Ryder

Faculty Publications

Particle induced X-ray emission (PIXE) analysis is a highly versatile method of element analysis. Thus it is well suited for use as a complement to other methods of analysis in experimental programs requiring both chemical and elemental analyses. This paper reports some results of two projects where PIXE was used in conjunction with titration calorimetry, ion chromatography, atomic absorption spectroscopy, gas chromatography/mass spectrometry, X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy and some other methods. The first is a study of sulfur chemistry in a copper smelter plume. Arsenic was found to be a conservative tracer of the plume and was used for calculation of …

Damages: A Remedy For The Violation Of Constitutional Rights, Jean C. Love

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Compact Compacts: Models: A Simple (And Tasty) Model For Electron Clouds, John T. Moore

Faculty Publications

A simple (and tasty) model for demonstrating the electron cloud concept; and a classroom visualization of ethylene II and II* molecular orbitals.

The Distribution Of Glaciers In The American Rocky Mountains, William L. Graf

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.