Digital Commons Network^™

Developing A Hybrid Model To Predict Student First Year Retention And Academic Success In Stem Disciplines Using Neural Networks, Ruba Alkhasawneh

Theses and Dissertations

Understanding the reasoning behind the low enrollment and retention rates of Underrepresented Minority (URM) students (African Americans, Hispanic Americans, and Native Americans) in the disciplines of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) has concerned many researchers for decades. Numerous studies have used traditional statistical methods to identify factors that affect and predict student retention. Recently, researchers have relied on using data mining techniques for modeling student retention in higher education [1]. This research has used neural networks for performance modeling in order to obtain an adequate understanding of factors related to first year academic success and retention of URM at …

Novel Methodology For Assessing Phytoplankton Response To Pco2 Enrichment In Fresh And Saltwater, Susan B. Gifford

Theses and Dissertations

Atmospheric CO2 emissions are on the rise and are expected to reach 780 parts per million by the year 2100. Research investigating the impacts of increasing CO2 is a relatively new field and the response of phytoplankton communities is largely unknown, especially in coastal and freshwater ecosystems where no CO2 manipulation studies have completed. The present study attempts to encourage uniformity in methods utilized in CO2 perturbation studies and identifies changes in phytoplankton abundance in freshwater (James River) and coastal ocean (Atlantic, Cape Hatteras) sites. A novel bubbling method to manipulate pCO2 was compared with the classic method of acid …

Ecological Profiling Of Bird-Mosquito Interactions In Central Virginia, Anna Riggan

Theses and Dissertations

Current methods of mosquito surveillance estimate general population abundances, but fail to represent the relationship of vector abundance to host density important to determining transmission risk of mosquito-borne pathogens (MBP). We sought to address this limitation by creating a novel mosquito trap that directly sampled mosquitoes seeking to feed on nesting birds. The primary objectives of this study were to (1) assess the efficiency of the Nest Mosquito Trap (NMT) and how this is affected by nest box size. (2) assess whether the NMT affects bird, specifically nest success in Prothonotary Warblers (Protonotaria citrea), and adult behavior. (3) compare our …

Survival, Breeding Frequency, And Migratory Orientation In The Jefferson Salamander, Ambystoma Jeffersonianum, Stephen P. De Lisle, Kristine L. Grayson

Biology Faculty Publications

Accurate estimates of demographic parameters, such as survival and breeding frequency, are necessary for the conservation and management of animal populations. Additionally, life-history data are required for gaining an empirical understanding of the ecology of natural populations. We monitored a population of Jefferson Salamanders (Ambystoma jeffersonianum) breeding in a permanent mountain-top pond at the southern limit of this species’ geographic range in Virginia over four years. We used closed multistate mark-recapture models with Pollock's robust design to estimate the demographic parameters of this population. Additionally, we used point-of-capture data to compare the orientation of migrations into and out …

Global Warming Symposium 2010 Zero1, Sara Gevurtz

SWITCH

The 2010 “Global Warning” symposium, part of the ZERO1 Biennial in San Jose, explored the role of artists in addressing climate change. Keynote speaker Dr. Kathleen Dean Moore, co-editor of Moral Ground, argued that solving environmental crises requires appealing to society’s moral conscience, not just presenting scientific information. Moore explained that artists can inspire a sense of wonder and connection to nature, making climate change more tangible for the public

The Art Of Beatriz Da Costa, Sara Gevurtz

SWITCH

In this article, the author interviews Beatriz da Costa, an interdisciplinary artist whose work combines art, science, engineering, and politics to address environmental and social issues. While in residence at Montalvo Arts Center in 2010, she developed The Endangered Species Finder, a smartphone app that guides users to the habitats of threatened species in the UK, encouraging real-world encounters beyond museum displays.

Climate Change And Water Resources: The Role Of Risk Management Methods, David C. Major

Journal of Contemporary Water Research and Education

Risk management methods in water resources in the
United States and elsewhere have been applied within the
context of highly developed sets of planning criteria. In
considering these methods, many of which are listed here,
it is helpful to distinguish between the use of these
techniques to assess risk and to manage risk. While the
use of risk assessment and management methods for
water resources planning varies widely among agencies,
the robustness and resiliency of existing methods for risk
management in water planning have the potential to serve
effectively as the basis for adapting to changes in the
supply and …

The Value Of Water Quality Information For National Environmental Regulation, Dennis R. Helsel

Journal of Contemporary Water Research and Education

No abstract provided.

Invertebrate Fossils From Cave Sediments: A New Proxy For Pre-Quaternary Paleoenvironments, O. T. Moldovan, A. Mihevc, L. Miko

KIP Articles

Five samples of clastic sediments from interior cave facies taken in three Slovenian relic caves (Trhlovca, Račiška pečina, and a cave in Črnotiče Quarry, Classical Karst, SW Slovenia) provided invertebrate fossil remains. Most of them belong to Oribatida but sparse individuals of Cladocera and insects were also identified. They represent the first pre-Quaternary invertebrate fossils found in sediments of continental temperate climate. The Pliocene/Pleistocene age of the sediments was determined by paleomagnetic dating chronologically calibrated by micromammal biostratigraphy. Invertebrate fossils could be validated as new proxy for the study of cave sediments due to their suitability for ecological and paleogeographic …

Identifying The Crucial Elements Of States' Collaboration Over The Long Haul: The Transportation Of Nuclear Waste To New Mexico, Kerry E. Rodgers

New Mexico Law Review

No abstract provided.

Growth Of Age-0 Atlantic Menhaden (Brevoortia Tyrannus) In Two Tidal Freshwater Tributaries Of Chesapeake Bay, Peter M. Sturke

Theses and Dissertations

Few studies have described growth rates of age-0 Atlantic menhaden (Brevoortia tyrannus). Growth rates from tidal freshwater habitats of the Mattaponi and James Rivers, Virginia in 2009 were described and compared using otolith microstructural analyses. Larval tidal freshwater growth rates were significantly faster in the culturally eutrophic James River when compared to those collected from the Mattaponi River (p-value < 0.001). Elevated primary production within tidal freshwater habitats promotes favorable conditions for larval Atlantic menhaden growth. No differences between river habitats for juvenile growth rates were evident. Comparisons of age-0 growth rates to higher salinity habitats indicate that tidal freshwater habitats should be considered essential habitat for age-0 Atlantic menhaden.

Improving Water Use Efficiency In Jamaican Hotels And Resorts Through The Implementation Of Environmental Management Systems, Bill Meade, Patricio Gonzalez-Morel

Journal of Contemporary Water Research and Education

No abstract provided.

Hotline Press Newspaper- July 2011 Vol 29 No 5, Hotline Press Newspaper

Hotline Press Newspaper 2011

No abstract provided.

Footnotes, Issue 9, Spring-Summer 2011, Department Of English

Footnotes: Department of English Newsletter (2008-2012)

No abstract provided.

Baselines Newsletter, No. 8, Summer/Fall 2011, University Of Colorado Boulder. Natural Resources Law Center

Baselines: The Natural Resources Law Center Newsletter (2007-2011)

No abstract provided.

Island Times, Jul 2011, Kevin Attra

Island Times Newspaper, 2011

No abstract provided.

You've Gotta Read This: Summer Reading At Musselman Library (2011), Musselman Library

You’ve Gotta Read This: Summer Reading at Musselman Library

Each year Musselman Library asks Gettysburg College faculty, staff, and administrators to help create a suggested summer reading list to inspire students and the rest of our campus community to take time in the summer to sit back, relax, and read. These summer reading picks are guaranteed to offer much adventure, drama, and fun!

The Pillar July 2011, College Of Education And Human Development

College of Education and Human Development News

No abstract provided.

Camas, Summer 2011

Camas

Life on the River / Rick Bass -- A Water Education / Emerald LaFortune -- Leaving Arizona / Sarah Weatherby -- Ounces and Pounds / Micah Sewell -- High Water Mark / Tom Larsen -- Fixing a Hole in the Ocean / Kim Heacox -- Kiros / Alice Bolin -- In the Season of Rivers / Maya Jewell Zeller -- A Humane Way of Killing Animals / Mackenzie Cole -- Columbiano / Steven Aguilar -- Electricity / Nicola Fucigna -- Bonnie from Harlowton / Jim Skogen -- The Year We Didn’t Swim in the River / Noel Thistle Tague -- …

Sustainability Series: Creating Student Sustainable Practices Within Sfs And Beyond, Staci Hagen

Capstone Collection

The School for Field Studies (SFS) is a non-profit environmental research based study abroad program that integrates academic, research, social and community activities in a holistic education model. One of the six SFS centers is the Center for Coastal Studies (CCS) in Baja California Sur, Mexico. At CCS, students take courses that explore local and regional environmental, social and economic problems and they have the opportunity to design their own research project. Even though students study these problems and come up with sustainable solutions, it does not mean that they make personal choices with the least impact on the environment. …

Factors Affecting Farmer's Readiness For Entitling The Standard Swine Farm, Siranee Sriwichian, Kampanat Vijitsrikamol, Am-On Angsuratana

Applied Environmental Research

The objectives of the study were to obtain: 1) farm management of the farmers under the swine farm standard and 2) factors affecting farmer's readiness for entitling the standard swine farm. The samples were drawn from 78 swine farmers in Sam Khwai Phueak Sub-district, Mueang District, Nakhon Pathom Province. The analytical tools of the study comprised descriptive statistics and a multinomial logit model for analyzing the factors affecting farmer's readiness for entitling the standard swine farm. The finding indicated that according to the swine farm standard, the majority of the farmers have performed as follows: 1) farm composition aspect: the …

Modeling Of Sediment Transport In Mae Tao Creek, Tak Province, Thailand, Wunvisa Tharathammathigorn, Pichet Chaiwiwatworakul

Applied Environmental Research

This research focused on the bed sediment transport during wet season in Mae Tao Creek, Mae Sot District, Tak Province. Sediment was the main source of cadmium transport in Mae Tao Creek. MIKE 11 was used to model the channel flow and bed sediment transport. The model was run in hydrodynamic (HD) and sediment transport module (ST). Time series of water depth from May to October were used to calibrate the hydrodynamics of the creek. The reliability of hydrodynamic results was evaluated based on the correlation coefficient (CC) and Root Mean Square Error (RMSE). The CC and RMSE obtained during …

Techniques To Promote Garry Oak Seedling Growth And Survival In Areas With High Levels Of Herbivory And Competition, David R. Clements, Seth Luginbill, David A. Jordan, Randall Dragt

University Faculty Publications and Creative Works

Though regeneration of Garry oak (Quercus garryana) seedlings within Garry oak ecosystems is important to maintain this threatened habitat, seedling regeneration is often poor. Two independent studies were initiated in the early 2000s to examine questions surrounding Garry oak recruitment: one at the Crow's Nest Ecological Research Area (CNERA) on Salt Spring Island, BC, and another at the Pacific Rim Institute for Environmental Stewardship (PRI) on Whidbey Island, WA. In both areas, Garry oak seedlings were caged and monitored for growth and relative health. Over 8 years at CNERA, growth of caged plants outpaced growth of controls, which was indicative …

The Voice, Summer 2011: Volume 56, Issue 4, Dordt College

The Voice Archive

Keeping up with the Times; There Really Is a Difference; Timmer Demonstrates a Residential Solar-Assisted Hot Water System; What Students Want Profs to Know; Library Now Sports Both Their Names and Their Photo; Grad Ed Will Now Prepare Principals; Student Photographers Take NYC by Storm During Spring Break; Students Play Cowboy and More on the Range; Concrete Canoe Team Is Elated with Results of First Year's Work; Dordt College Is Well Represented at Princeton's Annual Kuyper Conference; New Mural Brings the Prairie Inside; Students Head to the Cities; From One Student's Perspective... ; A Look Back: Photos from Graduate Andrew …

Environmental Knowledge, Attitudes, And Behaviours : A Cross Cultural Study Of Malaysian Consumers., Cheong Hui Lu

Student Works (2010-2019)

This study attempted to examine Malaysian consumers across multi-cultural roots; mainly Malay, Chinese and Indian in terms of their environmental knowledge, attitudes and behaviours. A survey was carried out using a selfadministered questionnaire. A total of 300 Malaysian respondents (150 Malays, 100 Chinese and 50 Indians) were targeted and recruited through quotaconvenience- sampling. Surveys were distributed in various locations in Klang Valley such as hospitals, shopping malls, recreational parks, university and business centres. The respondents were required to complete the questionnaire in 15 minutes and return it back on the spot. The questionnaire was divided into four parts: Part A …

Summer 2011, University Of North Dakota Alumni Association

ALL: UND Alumni Review Master List

Summer 2011 issue of "The University of North Dakota Alumni Review." 60 pages

Volume 94, Number 2

Developing A Sustainable Business Plan At The Shopping Center Of Southpointe Mall In Lincoln, Nebraska, Jessica Marie Hanson

Department of Environmental Studies: Undergraduate Student Theses

This project consists of creating sustainable business plans for a group of diverse retail stores at the mall of SouthPointe Pavilions in Lincoln, Nebraska. A series of interviews took place with five managers at the businesses including: Scheels, Old Chicago, Bed Bath and Beyond, Von Maur, and Barnes and Noble. The questions were based around five different topics including: Technological, Environment, Socio-Cultural, Economic, and Public Policy. The Technological area includes processes with the product (or service) that occur before it arrives, during, and after it is sold. The Public Policy area includes if the business has an environmental policy, how …

Su People

Syracuse University Magazine

No abstract provided.

Techniques To Promote Garry Oak Seedling Growth And Survival In Areas With High Levels Of Herbivory And Competition, David R. Clements, Seth Luginbill, David A. Jordan, Randall Dragt

University Faculty Publications and Creative Works

Though regeneration of Garry oak (Quercus garryana) seedlings within Garry oak ecosystems is important to maintain this threatened habitat, seedling regeneration is often poor. Two independent studies were initiated in the early 2000s to examine questions surrounding Garry oak recruitment: one at the Crow's Nest Ecological Research Area (CNERA) on Salt Spring Island, BC, and another at the Pacific Rim Institute for Environmental Stewardship (PRI) on Whidbey Island, WA. In both areas, Garry oak seedlings were caged and monitored for growth and relative health. Over 8 years at CNERA, growth of caged plants outpaced growth of controls, which was indicative …

Review Of Painting Indians And Building Empires In North America, 1710-1840 By William H. Truettner, John Hausdoerffer

Great Plains Quarterly (through 2013)

Just when the problematic relationship between Indian portraits and the cultural politics of nineteenth- century America seemed thoroughly explored, William Truettner's new book adds vital detail to our understanding of "portrait diplomacy" and "artistic imperialism." Truettner opens with an insightful distinction between the "Noble Savage" of eighteenth-century British artists and the "Republican Indian" of artists in nineteenth-century America. British "Noble Savage" imagery depicted Mohawks as a "sovereign people" and as "visiting royalty." Truettner shows how artists such as William Hodges, Thomas Hardy, and Benjamin West portrayed Indian leaders as both active in the future of colonial politics and comfortable with …