Digital Commons Network^™

Darfur: Rainfall And Conflict, Michael Kevane, Leslie C. Gray

Economics

Data on rainfall patterns only weakly corroborate the claim that climate change explains the Darfur conflict that began in 2003 and has claimed more than 200,000 lives and displaced more than two million persons. Rainfall in Darfur did not decline significantly in the years prior to the eruption of major conflict in 2003; rainfall exhibited a flat trend in the thirty-years preceding the conflict (1972-2002). The rainfall evidence suggests instead a break around 1971. Rainfall is basically stationary over the pre- and post-1971 sub-periods. The break is larger for the more northerly rainfall stations, and is less noticeable for En …

May 19th 2008, Csusb

Coyote Chronicle (1984-)

No abstract provided.

Commencement Program [Spring 2008], Clark University

Commencement Programs

Annual Commencement Program for graduation ceremonies at Clark University, held on May 18th, 2008.

Further Reading Recommendations On China Earthquake

China Beat Blog: Archive 2008-2012

1. David Bandurski has written an interesting comparison of official and commercial coverage of the earthquake in China at China Media Project.

2. Increasingly, Chinese people are calling for probes into why so many schools collapsed in the earthquake. Recent coverage includes a report by Richard Spencerfor the Telegraph and several from AFP: one here and another here.

3. Meanwhile, domestic Chinese media has begun to report that Western media is praising China’s relief efforts. Indeed, Monroe Price at Huffington Post (we have linked to several of his columns recently) writes about Western media’s “Olympic truce” with China.

4. For …

The University Of Alaska: How Is It Doing?, Theodore Kassier, Alexandra Hill

ISER Reports

Recent reports on higher education in the U.S. say it’s in trouble— that it’s too expensive, doesn’t offer enough need-based aid, isn’t educating people for today’s jobs, doesn’t demand enough of instructors or students, and isn’t sufficiently accountable to policymakers and taxpayers.1 Is the University of Alaska (UA)—the state’s only public university —offering a good, affordable education for Alaskans? This paper looks at that question. It first presents the available data on various measures and then summarizes successes and continuing challenges for UA. It ends with a discussion of how UA and the state are addressing higher-education issues and what …

School Of International Studies Diploma And Hooding Ceremony, University Of The Pacific

Commencement Programs

No abstract provided.

163rd University Of Notre Dame Commencement And Mass Program, University Of Notre Dame

Commencement Programs

163rd Commencement and Mass Program

Saturday, May 17, 2008

2008 Commencement Program, State University Of New York College At Cortland

Commencement Programs

May commencement. Undergraduate ceremony.

State Of Alaska Election Security Project Phase 2 Report, Stephanie Martin, Luann Picard, Mark Ayers, David B. Hoffman, Kenrick Mock

ISER Reports

A laska’s election system is among the most secure in the country, and it has a number of safeguards other states are now adopting. But the technology Alaska uses to record and count votes could be improved— and the state’s huge size, limited road system, and scattered communities also create special challenges for insuring the integrity of the vote. In this second phase of an ongoing study of Alaska’s election security, we recommend ways of strengthening the system—not only the technology but also the election procedures. The lieutenant governor and the Division of Elections asked the University of Alaska Anchorage …

[2008-05-16] May 16, 2008 A Regular Meeting Of The Board Of Visitors, Virginia Commonwealth University. Board Of Visitors

VCU Board of Visitors Minutes

Official minutes of the VCU Board of Visitors and its Executive Committee.

Mustang Daily, May 16, 2008

Cal Poly Student Newspaper

Student newspaper of California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, CA.

Commencement Convocation Exercises - May 2009, Prairie View A&M University

Commencement and Convocation Exercises

No abstract provided.

On-Farm Profitability Of Remote Sensing In Agriculture, Frank Tenkorang, James Lowenberg-Deboer

Journal of Terrestrial Observation

Remote sensing is used in agriculture to guide application of fertilizer, pesticides and other farm inputs. Its application in agriculture is well documented. However, evidence of profitability to farmers remains fuzzy. The objective of this study is to summarize publicly available information on the economic benefits of remote sensing in agriculture. Out of the hundreds of agricultural remote sensing documents reviewed only a few reported economic benefit estimates. Many of those documents do not provide details on how the economic benefit was estimated. Clues in the reports and the fact that the numbers are often much larger than those for …

Small-Hold Alternatives For Land Redistribution Projects In The Western Cape, South Africa: A Case Study, Megan Grinde

Geography Honors Projects

After the official end of apartheid in South Africa, land reform was one of the most highly prioritized items on the new ANC government's agenda, both as a matter of economic restructuring and redressing past injustices. Although numerous land reform programs and initiatives have been implemented since 1994, they have largely failed to reach any of the redistribution goals set forth for them. There is a high rate of failure among land redistribution projects, which are often managed by up to one hundred people. This complicated group management situation is necessitated by the combination of the small grant size available …

Businesses As Cultural Icons: Their Application Towards Understanding Urban Morphology, Stephanie Lawrence

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Icons surround us but are so ubiquitous they are difficult to observe. Specifically urban cultural icons are a scientific sub-topic under urban morphology's heading and as well are closely related to economic development issues. This study premises that businesses are urban cultural icons which can be computed into four rankings: local cultural icons, focal, zonal, and global cultural icons. And through using dimensional measurement an index is measured. This index can then be used to assess urban morphology. The data set ranges from businesses opening in 1865 to the present. Some are globally-distributed "big boxes"; others are unique one-store shops. …

Ovgtsl 2008 Technical Services Taking Flight: Soaring To New Heights Of Innovation Conference Newsletter, Ohio Valley Group Of Technical Services Librarians

Ohio Valley Group of Technical Services Librarians

The 2008 annual conference newsletter for the Ohio Valley Group of Technical Services Librarians discusses the various events and presentations that occurred at the conference.

Transient Elevation Of Corticosterone Alters Begging Behavior And Growth Of White-Crowned Sparrow Nestlings, Haruka Wada, Creagh W. Breuner

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Developing animals may face a cost–benefit tradeoff during growth mediated through hormones such as glucocorticoids, as the hormone is essential for development but can have detrimental consequences. To investigate potential tradeoffs caused by brief, moderate elevations of corticosterone in avian young, we artificially elevated the hormone levels in two ways: feeding corticosterone-containing worms and applying corticosterone dermal patches. The former experiment tested the effects of an acute corticosterone elevation (25 min) on begging behavior, whereas the latter explored the effects of artificially elevated corticosterone for 24 to 48 h on growth. Corticosterone altered both begging behavior and growth of white-crowned …

Source 2008 Program And Abstracts, Central Washington University

Symposium Of University Research and Creative Expression (SOURCE)

This year represents the thirteenth year of annual multidisciplinary conferences dedicated to student scholarship at Central Washington University. In 1996, CWU sponsored the first Undergraduate Research Symposium, a showcase of faculty-mentored undergraduate student research. This event was an innovative forum for developing student scholarship that gained attention far beyond CWU. Since 1996, the undergraduate symposium expanded to include other student scholarly activity, and the broader scope was reflected in a new name in 1998, the Symposium on Undergraduate Research and Creative Expression, commonly referred to as SOURCE.

Habitat Selection By A Rare Forest Antelope: A Multi-Scale Approach Combining Field Data And Imagery From Three Sensors, Lyndon Estes, G. S. Okin, A. G. Mwangi, H. H. Shugart

Geography

It can be difficult to further scientific understanding of rare or endangered species that live in inaccessible habitat using traditional methods, such as probabilistic modeling based on field data collection. Remote sensing (RS) can be an important source of information for the study of these animals. A key advantage of RS is its ability to provide information over an animal's complete range, but models incorporating RS data are limited by RS's ability to detect important habitat features. In this study, we focus on the rare, poorly-understood mountain bongo antelope (Tragelaphus euryceros isaaci) which survives in the wild in isolated pockets …

The 2007 Economic And Fiscal Impact Of Omaha’S Henry Doorly Zoo On Omaha And Nebraska, Eric Thompson

Bureau of Business Research Publications

The City of Omaha, and the State of Nebraska, benefit from the presence of a leading national zoo in the city. The nationally-known Henry Doorly Zoo makes a significant contribution to the Omaha economy. The Zoo attracted over 1.3 million visitors, and their spending, in 2007 including many visitors from outside of Omaha and outside of the State of Nebraska. The Zoo also makes a significant contribution to the quality of life in Omaha and Nebraska, and by many indicators, Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo is among the largest, and most affordable zoos to visit in North America.

This study estimates …

Measures Of International Transport Cost For Oecd Countries, Stephen S. Golub, B. Tomasik

Economics Faculty Works

This paper presents new estimates of country-specific international transport costs for 21 OECD countries over the period 1973-2005. The methodology is based on direct measures of air, maritime, and road transport costs rather than on cif/fob ratios or other balance of payments data employed in previous studies. Transport costs are calculated as costs per kilogramme for each mode of transport at a bilateral level and then aggregated. Australia and New Zealand are found to have the highest transport costs among the OECD countries considered, followed by Japan. The time trends are sensitive to the choice of deflator, but the results …

The Portland Spectator, May 2008, Portland State University. Student Publications Board

Portland Spectator

Editor: Tessie M. Lopez

Articles in this issue include: Dirty politics: A play-by-play of a Portland Mayoral debate at Portland State University; Environmental arrogance: An exploration into the effects of global environment efforts; Nuclear power: Discussion on the forgotten ‘clean’ power; and Ecological economics: Questions on whether one person can really make a difference on the environment.

Undergraduate Curriculum And Academic Policy Committee Minutes, May 14, 2008

Undergraduate Curriculum and Academic Policy Committee Minutes

Minutes from the Wright State University Faculty Senate Undergraduate Curriculum and Academic Policy Committee meeting held on May 14, 2008.

Lott Leadership Institute For Rising Ninth Graders Names 2008 Class, Staff Report

University of Mississippi News

OXFORD, Miss. - Forty-one outstanding students from around the state have been chosen for the 2008 Trent Lott Leadership Institute for Rising Ninth Graders, scheduled June 8-July 4 at the University of Mississippi.

Natives, Nostalgia, And Nature In Children's Popular Film Narratives, C. Richard King

CLCWeb: Comparative Literature and Culture

In his paper "Natives, Nostalgia, and Nature in Children's Popular Film Narratives," C. Richard King offers a critical reading in an effort to appreciate the entanglements of nature, natives, and nostalgia in children's narratives. In this context, an analysis of Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron Spirit affords an ideal occasion for such a reading because it centers on the relations between Native Americans, Euroamericans, and the natural world as it tells the story of a wild mustang living in western North America in the late nineteenth century. Indeed, as close examination reveals, the film uses race, gender, civilization, and wildness …

Understanding Nature-Based Tourism: What North Dakota Can Tell Us, Cheryl A. Burkhart-Kriesel

Cornhusker Economics

Rural communities, not only in the United States but also in foreign countries, are increasingly looking toward the tourism industry as a source for potential economic growth. One particular aspect of tourism, nature-based tourism, is often a good match for rural areas. Historically, businesses that provided hunting and fishing were some of the first nature-based tourism ventures. But today, nature-based tourism in rural areas encompass everything from guesthouse lodging and catering, to bird watching, canoeing and ranch or farm stays.

A 2008 article in Great Plains Research highlighted research results from a survey of business owners involved in rural tourism …

Polly Bemis, Pedagogy, And Multiculturalism In The Classroom, Katy Fry

CLCWeb: Comparative Literature and Culture

As Katy Fry suggests in her paper "Polly Bemis, Pedagogy, and Multiculturalism in the Classroom," the history of the US-American West is too often taught in mythological terms. This is especially true in grade school classrooms, where children are told that the West was settled by courageous men and women who dared to come to and conquer a wild, untamed place. The notion of what it meant to be a pioneer remains simple and uncomplicated. As Fry points out, however, there were pioneers of a different sort, such as the Chinese immigrant Polly Bemis. Fry's article examines the various pedagogic …

Spectator 2008-05-14, Editors Of The Spectator

The Spectator

No abstract provided.

Participatory Modelling And Decision Support For Natural Resources Management In Climate Change Research, Carlo Giupponi, Jaroslav Mysiak, Alessandra Sgobbi

Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei Working Papers

The ever greater role given to public participation by laws and regulations, in particular in the field of environmental management calls for new operational methods and tools for managers and practitioners. This paper analyses the potentials and the critical limitations of current approaches in the fields of simulation modelling (SM), public participation (PP) and decision analysis (DA), for natural resources management within the context of climate change research. The potential synergies of combining SM, PP and DA into an integrated methodological framework are identified and a methodological proposal is presented, called NetSyMoD (Network Analysis – Creative System Modelling – Decision …

Differences In Preferences Towards The Environment: The Impact Of A Gender, Age And Parental Effect, Benno Torgler, María A. García Valiñas, Alison Macintyre

Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei Working Papers

The paper investigates empirically the differences in preferences towards protection of the environment. Using seven different dependent variables to focus on the impact of age, gender and children we use a large micro data set covering data from 33 Western and Eastern European countries. The results indicate that women have both a stronger preference towards the environment and a stronger willingness to contribute. Moreover, we observe the tendency of a negative correlation between age and environmental preferences. However, a positive effect is visible once we focus on the impact of age on social norms (environmental morale). Finally, we were not …