Digital Commons Network^™

What Do We Know About Metal Recycling Rates?, T. E. Graedel, Julian Allwood, Jean-Pierre Birat, Matthias Buchert, Christian Hagelűken, Barbara K. Reck, Scott F. Sibley, Guido Sonnemann

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

The recycling of metals is widely viewed as a fruitful sustainability strategy, but little information is available on the degree to which recycling is actually taking place. This article provides an overview on the current knowledge of recycling rates for 60 metals. We propose various recycling metrics, discuss relevant aspects of recycling processes, and present current estimates on global end-of-life recycling rates (EOL-RR; i.e., the percentage of a metal in discards that is actually recycled), recycled content (RC), and old scrap ratios (OSRs; i.e., the share of old scrap in the total scrap flow). Because of increases in metal use …

Teaching Intrapersonal Intelligence As A Lawyering Skill: Introducing Values Systems Into The Environmental Law Syllabus, Michael Burger

Sabin Center for Climate Change Law

The ranges and types of problems with traditional law school curricula, pedagogies, and learning cultures are well-rehearsed, and have been framed, narrated, and analyzed in a number of prominent venues, along with suggested improvements and proposals for systemic reform. This Essay addresses one aspect of the ongoing and pervasive critique: the need to develop in law students the diverse intellectual competencies that the practice of law requires. Working within the framework of Professor Howard Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences, I argue that intrapersonal intelligence and the self-reflexive analytic process it invokes are important tools in the practicing lawyer’s toolbox, and …

Evaluating Repeat Photography In Documenting Natural And Cultural Landscape Changes: A Changing Crown Of The Continent Ecosystem Between 1899 And 2010, Dusty Leigh Waltner

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Photography can be an invaluable tool in human geographical research, for example, to better understand the importance of place to people. Increasingly, geographers are looking at how photography can play an active role in the construction of geographical knowledge, that is, how photographs are seen rather than what they show. This study examines the use of repeat photography as a research method by conducting a case study on landscape change in the Crown of the Continent Ecosystem. Grounded in extensive archival research on the past, present, and future uses of photography as a research method, a repeat photography survey was …

Developing Successful Wilderness Stewardship Partnerships, Heather Day

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Partnerships between federal land management agencies and non-profit organizations have existed in various forms for decades, benefiting public lands in myriad ways. However, the consistent decline in agency budgets and available staffing dedicated to Wilderness stewardship have created a need for and subsequent boom of Wilderness stewardship -focused nonprofit organizations across the country. Previous literature addresses the elements of a successful partnership in a more generalized fashion, leaving a need for more empirical examination of the key components of a successful Wilderness stewardship partnership. Thirty semi-structured interviews were conducted with Wilderness stewardship nonprofit staff and staff from the Forest Service, …

The Relationship Between Overweight And Obesity And Acculturation Of 12- To 19-Year-Old Mexican American Children, Elsa Ramirez-Brisson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Mexican Americans, one of the fastest growing segments of the population, have been identified as having above-average rates of obesity. Yet, among this group, obesity rates seem to differ by immigrant status: recent immigrants, immigrants who have lived in the United States more than 15 years, and U.S.-born Mexican Americans. Guided by the acculturation phenomenon and the social ecological model, the current study assessed all 1,732 Mexican American children 12-19 years old who participated in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey between 2003 and 2008 to determine the association between body mass index (BMI) and language, years living in …

Atrophy Or Progress? Evaluating The Evolution Of Environmental Policy By Comparing Large Scale Oil Spills In The United States, Nicole Henken

Harriet L Wilkes Honors College Theses 2010 - 2019

Many political theorists accept that focusing events effect the cycle of environmental policy change without agreeing on the specifics of how events impact the construction of legislation. Pessimistic theories (consisting of Down’s “Issue Attention Cycle” and Freudenburg’s “Atrophy of Vigilance”) and optimistic theories (including the “Punctuated Equilibrium Model” and Busenberg’s “Evolution of Vigilance Model”) offer opposing views of policy creation. As focusing events, the Exxon Valdez and Deepwater Horizon oil spills together serve as effective cases for assessing and comparing the validity of pessimistic and optimistic policy change models. The analysis of each set of theories adds to the understanding …

Unm Libqual+ 2011 Survey, Association Of Research Libraries

Assessment and Statistics

No abstract provided.

Health Impact Assessment Of Pesticide Use In Northern Thai Farmers, Ratana Sapbamrer, Arrak Damrongsat, Prajak Kongtan

Applied Environmental Research

The present study aims to assess health impacts on pesticide use in 136 farmers from Baan Mai Ras Bam Rung Village, San Kong Subdistrict, Dok Kham Tai District, Phayao. Questionnaire and laboratory examination were used as tools. Pesticide use in questionnaire consisted of objectives, type and reasons of pesticide use, prevention practices from exposure, etc. Health impacts questionnaire included physical, mental, social, and spiritual health. The results showed that most farmers planted rice crop and the major pesticide use was insecticides (79.4 %), followed by herbicides, fungicides, and acaricides, respectively (78.7, 40.4 and 33.1 %). The reasons for the use …

Risk Ratio Of Benzene, Toluene, Ethylbenzene, And Xylene (Btex) Exposures And Their Relations To Biological Parameters Of Gasoline Workers In Bangkok, Thailand, Tanasorn Tunsaringkasrn, Panthira Ketkaew, Kalaya Zapaung, Anusorn Rugsiyothin, Surasak Taneepanichkul

Applied Environmental Research

Gasoline station is a common source of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emissions around its perimeter. In order to conduct a monitoring of the VOC's emission, measurements of biological markers of blood benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylene (BTEX) in gasolinestation workers are recommended. The purposes of this study were to evaluate exposure risk ratio (110 gasoline station workers from 11 gasoline stations in Bangkok Metropolitan area compared to 10 office workers in the same station as control group) and to determine the relations between blood BTEX and biological parameters of the gasoline workers. Results showed that blood BTEX levels of gasoline …

Multi-Element Composition Of Triglochin Maritima L. From Contrasting Habitats Including Hot Springs And Metal Enriched Areas, Sharmila Sunwar

Environmental and Conservation Sciences

The aim of this PhD research was to study multi-element composition in wetland plants from contrasting habitats, including hot springs, temporary wetlands, and metal-rich areas. Triglochin maritima L. (seaside arrowgrass) was chosen for the study because this species is common in alkaline/saline soils and is adapted to diverse habitats. Eleocharis rostellata, Juncus balticus, Salix exigua, S. boothii, and S. wolfii were also included in the study. Field studies and greenhouse experiments were conducted to study the multi-element composition in plants. In the greenhouse experiment the effects of temperature and soil biota on multielement uptake in T. maritima were studied. Root-zone …

Effects Of Major Flooding On Water And Sediment Characteristics In An Urban Enviromnent, Adam Christopher Guy

Soil Science

Spring flooding of the Red River of the North is a common phenomenon, but no infonnation exits on how these flooding events impact both water and sediment quality within an urban area. The objectives of this study were to assess if urban enviromnents affect floodwater quality and to determine the quality of sediment deposited in an urban environment after floodwaters recede. Water samples were taken on 12 dates from two locations before and after the city limits of Pargo, North Dakota and Moorhead, Minnesota (F-M), and were measured for 12 variables including total sediment, P04, 17/3-estradiol, and diesel range organics. …

China's Greentech Programs And The Ustr Investigation, Joel B. Eisen

Law Faculty Publications

The issue of China's support for renewables has taken center stage in a United States Trade Representative ("USTR") complaint alleging that China unfairly subsidizes its greentech industries, in violation of its obligations as a member of the World Trade Organization ("WT0"). Well before that investigation began, numerous Americans believed the United States was less engaged in greentech promotion than China, and many feel the United States is falling behind. New York Times columnist Thomas L. Friedman has been perhaps the most active proponent of this view, but he has plenty of company. If recent reports are to be believed, China …

Cultivating Environmental Stewardship In Middle School Students, Kelly Anne Fischer

Dissertations and Theses

Environmental stewardship is an important attribute for students and populations of all ages to have. This study looked at the effect of middle school students of a teacher who participated in a summer field ecology training program taking part in a long-term ecology project, and the impact of the experience on their environmental stewardship attitude. A variety of qualitative and quantitative techniques were used to look at changes in students' environmental stewardship attitudes including: surveying in a pre/post format, teacher, parent, and student focus groups, and teacher interviews. The teacher's experience with the summer field ecology training provided a foundation …

Incorporating Sustainability Into Urban Infrastructures: The Tension Between Bio-Cultural Aspects And Environmental Considerations, Shane Epting

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The following arguments focus on how to think about sustainability as it relates to technology and the non-human world within an anthropocentric framework. We end up with a picture showing that humankind needs to change the ways in which we look at anthropocentric concerns. Secondly, the discussion that leads up to the final picture details the urgency that guides the thinking behind the implementation of sustainability. Because, as the West learns to live in an entirely new sense that is consistent with holding humankind's desire for existence as a permanent situation, one finds that this notion must be paramount for …

Satisficing: A Decision-Making Strategy For School Choice, Kristine Anne Thompson

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate parent decision-making regarding school choice. Data were collected through a survey on how parents approached the decision making task of choosing a school for their child. Parents of kindergarten and first grade students in one public school district in Minnesota and five private schools in surrounding communities were invited to participate.

Four bodies of literature provide the theoretical basis of the study. They are education reform; school choice in Minnesota; factors parents consider when choosing schools; and decision-making theory.

Satisficing, a concept drawn from Herbert Simon's (1955, 1956) theory of bounded rationality …

Determining Anchoring Systems For Marine Renewable Energy Devices Moored In A Western Boundary Current, Michael G. Seibert

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2010 - 2019

In this thesis anchoring systems for marine renewable energy devices are examined for an area of interest off the coast of Southeast Florida that contains both ocean current and thermal resources for future energy extraction. Bottom types observed during previous regional benthic surveys are compiled and anchor performance of each potential anchor type for the observed bottom types is compared. A baseline range of environmental conditions is created by combining local current measurements and offshore industry standards. Numerical simulations of single point moored marine hydrokinetic devices are created and used to extract anchor loading for two potential deployment locations, multiple …

Firm Bidding Behavior In Highway Procurement Auctions: An Analysis Of Single-Bid Contracts, Tacit Collusion, And The Financial Impact On Kentucky, David R. Barrus

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

Recently, the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) indicated lack of competition and single-bid contracts in asphalt paving as a major issue facing state transportation departments. Single-bid contracts indicate a lack of competition which increases costs to state and local governments. During the period from 2005-2007 in Kentucky, 42 percent of all bids were awarded with only one firm bidding on the project. Of the asphalt paving jobs, 63 percent of those jobs were awarded to a single bidder.

The analysis of this dissertation focuses on detecting tacit collusion in asphalt paving jobs in Kentucky. A focal …

Fate Of Stable Isotope Label During Predation Of 15N-Tagged Wild-Type Escherichia Coli By Protozoa, Ashley M. Barton

University of Kentucky Master's Theses

Currently, bacterial movement in karst aquifers is not well understood. Use of stable isotopes to label non-pathogenic Escherichia coli as a particulate groundwater tracer in karst systems has been examined in previous studies. Loss of the stable isotope signal is anticipated in traces greater than 500 m in length. Potential loss of ¹⁵N due to predation by protozoa was examined. Filter-sterilized water from Royal Spring in Georgetown, Kentucky, was inoculated with a mixture of either Tetrahymena pyriformis or Colpoda steinii and ¹⁵N-enriched E. coli and stored in the dark at 14°C. Samples were analyzed for their nitrogen isotope …