Digital Commons Network^™

A Navigational System For Uncharted Waters: The London Convention And London Protocol's Assessment Framework On Ocean Iron Fertilization, Melissa Eick

Tulsa Law Review

No abstract provided.

Issue 01: Backgrounder On Health And Safety For Migrant Farmworkers In Canada, Janet Mclaughlin, Jenna Hennebry

International Migration Research Centre

Annually, approximately 30,000 migrant farmworkers come to work across Canada from countries such as Mexico, Jamaica, Guatemala, the Philippines and Thailand through Canada’s Seasonal Agricultural Workers Program (SAWP) and the Pilot Project for Occupations Requiring Lower Levels of Formal Training (NOC C and D). Their health and safety has long been a neglected area of research, but several recent studies have now shed light on some important issues of concern. Despite these studies’ diverse contexts (Ontario and British Columbia) and methods (quantitative questionnaires and qualitative ethnography) the similar findings in each study demonstrate consistent patterns. The purpose of this backgrounder …

Salmon For Terrestrial Protected Areas, Chris T. Darimont, Heather M. Bryan, Stephanie M. Carlson, Morgan D. Hocking, Misty Macduffee, Paul C. Paquet, Michael H. H. Price, Thomas E. Reimchen, John D. Reynolds, Christopher C. Wilmers

Environment and Nature Conservation Collection

Although managers safeguard protected areas for migratory species, little consideration has been given to how migratory species might benefit parks. Additionally, whereas land‐sea connections are considered in management of protected areas, most effort has focused on reducing negative “downstream” processes. Here, we offer a proposal to promote positive “upstream” processes by safeguarding the seasonal pulse of marine nutrients imported into freshwater and riparian ecosystems by spawning migrations of Pacific salmon. Currently, high rates of fishing limit this important contribution to species and processes that terrestrial parks were designed to protect. Accordingly, we propose limiting exploitation in areas and periods through …

Does Socio/Economic Status Affect Environmental Awareness In Elementary School Children Interacting With School Gardens?, Grady C. Erickson

Department of Environmental Studies: Undergraduate Student Theses

This is a case study involving three elementary schools in the greater Lincoln, Nebraska area. These schools were chosen to provide insight to three different economic backgrounds. Saratoga and Randolph from Lincoln Public Schools, and Norris Elementary part of Norris Public Schools 160 was the third school involved in the study. This case study focused on seeing whether socio/economic background had any effect on environmental awareness. To do so, surveys were handed out to each school to help measure environmental awareness. These surveys also helped determine where the environmental literacy standards were in the elementary schools of Lincoln, Nebraska. The …

How Are The Torres Strait Islander's Traditional Hunting Practices Affected By The Current Rate Of Decline In Dugong And Sea Turtle Populations And The Australian Government's Co-Management Policies On Marine Preservation?, Katilyn Price

Department of Environmental Studies: Undergraduate Student Theses

This paper will attempt to identify the extent to which the Torres Strait Islanders traditional hunting practices have been disrupted by the overall decline in dugong and sea turtle populations, which has directly correlated to an increase in hunting restrictions put in place by the Australian Government. The traditional hunting of dugongs and sea turtles provides not only a food source, but brings prestige to the men who catch them and serves as an educational platform to teach the younger generations about their culture. There are many environmental threats that impact the populations of sea turtles and dugongs though the …

Is Orthoptera Abundance And Distribution Across A Small Grassland Area Affected By Plant Biomass, Plant Species Richness, And Plant Quality?, Caitlin Falcone

Department of Environmental Studies: Undergraduate Student Theses

The choice of a specific microhabitat represents a compromise among a number of different factors organisms use to monitor habitat suitability. Grassland vegetation structure can vary widely along environmental gradients over a relatively small area. This vegetation structure can have a large influence on habitat selection by grasshoppers (Orthoptera). However, it is not clear which vegetation characteristics are most important in determining grasshopper abundance. We found that plant biomass, plant species richness, and plant quality all have an effect on grasshopper abundance and distribution. We observe that these affects vary both within and among the two years of data collection. …

The Influence Of Sediment Bays On Reducing Incoming Sediment In Holmes Lake, Lincoln, Nebraska, Alex Fischer

Department of Environmental Studies: Undergraduate Student Theses

Lakes in the urban environment are often challenged with issues of water quality. Holmes Lake, located in Lincoln, Nebraska, has experienced such problems. In an effort to improve water quality in Holmes Lake, the city installed several control devices. One of the devices installed were sediment bays. This study evaluated the effectiveness of those sediment bays by measuring turbidity and suspended sediment after rain events at different locations in and out of the bays. The study found that the bays helped to reduce sediment in some cases, but in other cases no reduction was shown.

The Effect Of Enso On Nebraska Winter Snowfall, Jonathan Burnham

Department of Environmental Studies: Undergraduate Student Theses

No abstract provided.

Educators' Attitudes Toward Outdoor Classrooms And The Cognitive Benefits In Children, Carlie Speedlin

Department of Environmental Studies: Undergraduate Student Theses

A case study was organized at a K-5 elementary school in Lincoln, Nebraksa. This school is Saratoga Elementary School and is a United States Title I Distinguished School1 under No Child Left Behind. It has a population of 266 students, with 47% being minority, 1% gifted, and 28% special education (LPS School Profile Brochure). 80% of the student population is eligible for free/reduced meals, implying that it’s a school with a lower socioeconomic status. At this school a garden space was constructed and an after school garden club was implemented for this case study. The club had been running since …

Communication For Mate Selection In Anurans: Dominant Frequency Versus Snout-Vent-Length, Shari Jean Kunert

Department of Environmental Studies: Undergraduate Student Theses

No abstract provided.

Recent Legislation To Promote Wind Energy In Nebraska, Ryan Lemke

Department of Environmental Studies: Undergraduate Student Theses

Nebraska is currently ranked 4th in the nation for wind energy potential, but ranks low in actual wind power production. The lack of wind energy production could be the result of Nebraska’s unique public power districts that have eminent domain of distribution and retail sales of electricity in the State. Public Power districts are prohibited from receiving benefits of state and federal tax incentives for the development of wind farms, however some Nebraska power districts still pursue wind energy as a renewable source of energy.

Recent legislation changes, including the passing of laws LB629 and LB1048, have provided the State …

An Assessment Of The Practices And Strategies That Contribute To The Success Of High School Service-Learning Programs, James E. Taylor

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Service-learning is widely recognized as a form of experiential learning that positively impacts students. Studies have supported academic and inter-personal growth as a result of student involvement in an organized service-learning program. While some educators report that student participation is all that is required, this research demonstrates that the teaching practices implemented and strategies employed are the foundational elements necessary for a successful service-learning program. A successful service-learning project should be intentionally selected and developed with built-in opportunities for preparation activities prior to the service-learning event, a thoroughly planned service-learning opportunity, and planned debrief to solidify student comprehension and application …

Sustainable Practices And Related Performance Measures At State Highway Agencies, Lenahan O’Connell

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

This report identifies seven ways in which an SHA can harm the environment: (1) excessive consumption of virgin materials; (2) unnecessary levels or amounts of storm water runoff; (3) release of environmental contaminants by SHA employees and contractors; (4) inadequate environmental training of employees and contractors; (5) wasteful use of energy by SHA employees and contractors; (6) the promotion of excessive driving by the public and concomitant release of green house gases; and (7) inadequate oversight mechanisms and procedures to prevent unsustainable practices. The report then identifies the sustainable practices and related performance measures SHAs can use to prevent or …

The Communicator, Volume 6, Issue 2, December 2010

The Communicator: News from the Nebraska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit

New and Changing Faces: Chris Chizinski, Corinne Kolm, Natalie Luben, Nick Smeenk, and Dan Uden

Publications: Adaptive Management of Natural Resources in the Journal of Environment Management

New Research: Scenarios of Climate Change and Land Use Change and Biological Invasions in the High Plains
Platte River Watershed Ecosystems Services in Native Restored Grasslands

Research Highlight: Angler Behavior in Response to Management Actions on Nebraska Reservoirs

ANNUAL MEETING

Conferences/Meetings/Workshops:
The Wildlife Society meeting, February 26 in Norfolk, NE.
Nebraska Chapter of the American Fisheries Society conference in Ponca, NE.
Dakota Chapter of the American Fisheries Society Annual Meeting in Spearfish, SD …

46 | The Ramat Bet Shemesh Regional Project: The Gazetteer, Yehuda Dagan

IAA Reports—Monograph Series of the Israel Antiquities Authority

The Ramat Bet Shemesh Project was initiated by the IAA following plans to transform a large undeveloped area of the Judean Shephelah into a densely-built urban center. The aim of the project was to conduct a high-resolution regional study in the designated area, including archaeological and prehistoric, as well as ecological and environmental surveys, in order to record the ancient remains and the natural environment that were to be completely destroyed. This first volume presents all the sites surveyed during the project, as well as the results of 100 small-scale excavations and some preliminary interpretations by the excavators.

Recreational Boats As Potential Vectors Of Marine Organisms At An Invasion Hotspot, Ian C. Davidson, Chela J. Zabin, Andrew L. Chang, Christopher W. Brown, Mark Sytsma, Gregory M. Ruiz

Center for Lakes and Reservoirs Publications and Presentations

With more than 200 aquatic nonindigenous species (NIS), San Francisco Bay (California, USA) is among the world’s most invaded harbors. Hard-substratum benthic (biofouling) organisms, which dominate NIS richness, have arrived primarily as a result of shipping and aquaculture activity over past centuries. To date there has been no assessment of the leisure craft vector in the Bay. We aimed to characterize (1) biofouling on boats’ submerged surfaces and (2) boater behavior likely to affect the risk of NIS transfers. We used an underwater pole-cam, specimen collections, and a boater questionnaire to quantify the extent and composition of biofouling on recreational …

Ecology And Transmission Of Buruli Ulcer Disease: A Systematic Review, Richard W. Merritt, Edward D. Walker, Pamela L. C. Small, John R. Wallace, Paul D. R. Johnson, Mark Eric Benbow, Daniel A. Boakye

Biology Faculty Publications

Buruli ulcer is a neglected emerging disease that has recently been reported in some countries as the second most frequent mycobacterial disease in humans after tuberculosis. Cases have been reported from at least 32 countries in Africa (mainly west), Australia, Southeast Asia, China, Central and South America, and the Western Pacific. Large lesions often result in scarring, contractual deformities, amputations, and disabilities, and in Africa, most cases of the disease occur in children between the ages of 4–15 years. This environmental mycobacterium, Mycobacterium ulcerans, is found in communities associated with rivers, swamps, wetlands, and human-linked changes in the aquatic environment, …

The University Symphony Orchestra, Department Of Music, University Of Richmond

Music Department Concert Programs

No abstract provided.

Xavier University Newswire, Xavier University (Cincinnati, Ohio)

All Xavier Student Newspapers

No abstract provided.

Twenty-Eight Years Of The Us-Lter Program: Experience, Results, And Research Questions, James R. Gosz, Robert B. Waide, John J. Magnuson

Long Term Ecological Research Network

The U.S. Long Term Ecological Research program (hereafter US-LTER) concentrates on ecological processes that play out at the time scales spanning decades to centuries. This focuses US-LTER research between the most common time scales for ecological studies (1-3 years; Tilman 1989; Figure 1) and the much longer temporal fact of disciplines such as paleoecology. The importance of the decade-to-century time scale is particularly evident in light of the rapid changes in ecological forcing functions that are occurring at a broad range of spatial scales (Millennium Ecosystem Assessment 2005, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change 2007). Long-term data sets from programs such …

Collection Management And Sistainability In The Digital Age: Chasing The Holy Grail, Tony Horava

Against the Grain

No abstract provided.

Getting There From Here: Changing The Ecological And Social Footprint Of Our Professional Conferences, Michael Smith

Against the Grain

No abstract provided.

Depth And Time Related Variations Of Microbial Communiites In An Emergent Freshwater Wetland, Amy Jenkins

Theses and Dissertations

Soils, and the microbial communities contained within them, are vital for most chemical, physical, and biological processes. This study investigated how microbial community structure responded to environmental changes, such as hydrology, across vertical space (depth) and time in an emergent fresh water wetland. Research was conducted in a non-tidal freshwater wetland along the James River (Charles City County, Virginia) by establishing plots in two areas that experienced different hydrologic regimes and plant communities. Soil cores (30 cm) were collected monthly from January 2008 to February 2009, and then every two to three months thereafter until October 2009, for a total …

The Usu Tree Inventory Website: A Case Study Of An Interactive Online Woody Plant Education Resource, Benjamin W. Harris

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

The USU tree inventory website is an interactive, online tree education resource that I developed to allow students and community members to locate, identify and learn about trees on the USU campus. Students in two USU courses that teach woody plant material used the website during one semester and were surveyed about their experience. Less than half of the students accessed the website, but those that did found it useful as a supplement to traditional instruction. Most students were likely to recommend the website to another person and to use the website in the future.

Preventing Accidents In Offshore Oil And Gas Operations: The U.S. Approach And Some Contrasting Features Of The Norwegian Approach, Michael S. Baram

Faculty Scholarship

This working paper deals with the U.S. approach for governing the safety of offshore oil and gas operations and preventing major accidents during exploratory drilling and production. It evaluates the statutory and regulatory framework, and agency implementation and reliance on industrial standards, and then suggests reforms to improve the efficacy of this governance system. References are made to the blowout at the drilling rig operated by British Petroleum to support the evaluation and reforms. References are also made to Norwegian laws and regulations governing oil and gas operations in the North Sea. As one of the world’s largest sources of …

December 2010 News Releases, University Of Montana--Missoula. Office Of University Relations

University of Montana News Releases, 1928, 1956-present

No abstract provided.

Design Standards Within Constructed Wetlands For The Reduction Of Mosquito Populations In Clark County, Nevada, Phillip C. Bondurant

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Wetlands are considered one of the most productive ecosystems in the world and provide many benefits to the environment. However, the slow moving and sometimes stagnant water created by the vegetation in the wetland creates an ideal environment for the proliferation of mosquitoes. Mosquitoes are the most important insect disease vector worldwide. The presence of mosquitoes within wetlands increases the risk of disease transmission among workers and visitors creating a public health concern. Effective design standards aimed at reducing mosquito breeding habitat should be implemented during the construction and planning phase of wetland development to effectively reduce the mosquito populations. …

Chemical Composition And Antioxidant Properties Of Maya Nut (Brosimum Alicastrum), Hatice Kubra Tokpunar

All Theses

ABSTRACT
Maya nut was investigated in term of its moisture, ash content, antioxidant activities, phenolic components by high pressure liquid chromatography-ultraviolet detector (HPLC-UV) and fatty acid composition by gas chromatography-flame ionization detector (GC-FID). The results showed that Maya nut was mainly composed of 55.06% linoleic acid (C18:2 n6), 27.2% palmitic acid (C16:0), 6.26% stearic acid (C18:0), 9.9% linolenic acid (C18:3 n3), and 3.36% Cis-11-Eicosenoic (C20:1). Maya nut possesses a higher content of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) (linoleic and linolenic acid), but lower content of monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs) than canola oil and olive oil. The antioxidant capacities and total phenolic …

Development, Characterization, And Technical Applications Of An Atlantic Killifish Ahr-2 Specific Monoclonal Antibody (Mab 5b6), Josephine Wojdylo

All Theses

The aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) functions as a ligand-activated transcription factor normally found in the cytoplasmic compartment of cells held by chaperones and immunophilin-like proteins. Ligand binding dissociates the AhR/ligand from chaperone proteins, allowing translocation to the nucleus with subsequent transcription of a suite of responsive genes, most notably Phase I, II, and III drug metabolism genes. Select environmental contaminants such as co-planar PCBs, planar polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and halogenated aromatic hydrocarbons (HAHs) are potent AhR agonists, with 2,3,7,8 -tetrachlorodibenzodioxin (TCDD) being one of the most potent. Adverse effects of exposure to these potent environmental AhR ligands include immune suppression, …

Commentary. Earth Observation, The Environment, Space, And Remote Sensing Law In The Pacific Rim: Meeting And Live Blogcast Presented By The National Center For Remote Sensing, Air, And Space Law (Honolulu, Hawaii, Usa, June 16-18, 2010), Reviewer’S Comments, Masami Onoda

Journal of Space Law

No abstract provided.