Digital Commons Network^™

Eutrophication Weakens Stabilizing Effects Of Diversity In Natural Grasslands, Yann Hautier, Eric W. Seabloom, Elizabeth T. Borer, Peter B. Adler, W. Stanley Harpole, Helmut Hillebrand, Eric M. Lind, Andrew S. Macdougall, Carly J. Stevens, Jonathan D. Bakker, Yvonne M. Buckley, Chengjin Chu, Scott L. Collins, Pedro Daleo, Ellen I. Damschen, Kendi F. Davies, Philip A. Fay, Jennifer Firn, Daniel S. Gruner, Virginia L. Jin, Julia A. Klein, Johannes M. H. Knops, Kimberly J. La Pierre, Wei Li, Rebecca L. Mcculley, Brett A. Melbourne, Joslin L. Moore, Lydia R. O’Halloran, Suzanne M. Prober, Anita C. Risch, Mahesh Sankaran, Martin Schuetz, Andy Hector

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

Studies of experimental grassland communities^1–7 have demonstrated that plant diversity can stabilize productivity through species asynchrony, in which decreases in the biomass of some species are compensated for by increases in others^1,2. However, it remains unknown whether these findings are relevant to natural ecosystems, especially those for which species diversity is threatened by anthropogenic global change^8–11. Here we analyse diversity–stability relationships from 41 grasslands on five continents and examine how these relationships are affected by chronic fertilization, one of the strongest drivers of species loss globally⁸. Unmanipulated communities with more species had greater …

Introduction To Aesthetics Of Everyday Life: East And West, Curtis Carter

Philosophy Faculty Research and Publications

No abstract provided.

Environmental Sustainability, Cultural Awareness, And Personal Growth: A Short-Term Study Abroad Program Design For The University Of Colorado, Boulder, Jana K. Howlett

Capstone Collection

The University of Colorado (CU), as with many academic institutions in the United States, has seen a consistent increase in the number of students opting for short-term study abroad programs. A growing concern in the field of international education is whether it is possible for students to mature in cultural competence from such a short time spent abroad. In an initiative to deliberately increase students’ intercultural growth during short-term excursions, Global Seminar: Environmental Sustainability and Cross-Culture Contact in Costa Rica (GSCR) proposes a program that implements two new aspects to CU’s study abroad options: a course-linked program and an …

Metolachlor Metabolite (Mesa) Reveals Agricultural Nitrate-N Fate And Transport In Choptank River Watershed, Gregory Mccarty, Cathleen Hapeman, Clifford Rice, Dean Hively, Laura Mcconnell, Ali Sadeghi, Megan Lang, David Whitall, Krystyna Bialek, Peter Downey

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

Over 50% of streams in the Chesapeake Bay watershed have been rated as poor or very poor based on the index of biological integrity. The Choptank River estuary, a Bay tributary on the eastern shore, is one such waterway, where corn and soybean production in upland areas of the watershed contribute significant loads of nutrients and sediment to streams. We adopted a novel approach utilizing the relationship between the concentration of nitrate-N and the stable, water-soluble herbicide degradation product MESA {2-[2-ethyl-N-(1- methoxypropan-2-yl)-6-methylanilino]-2-oxoethanesulfonic acid} to distinguish between dilution and denitrification effects on the stream concentration of nitrate-N in agricultural subwatersheds. The …

2014-2015 Lynn University Academic Catalog, Lynn University

Academic Catalogs

No abstract provided.

Energy Law—Not Balancing Well Interests Well: How The Supreme Court Of Pennsylvania Mismanaged Oil And Gas Lease Policy In T.W. Phillips Gas &Oil Co. V. Jedlicka, Joseph R. Plukas

Western New England Law Review

In 2012, the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania endeavored to bring the 1899 decision in Young v Forest Oil Co. into the twenty-first century via T.W. Phillips Oil & Gas Co. v. Jedlicka. The Court implemented the good faith business judgment standard as the criterion for determining whether an oil and gas lease is producing “in paying quantities.” This Note examines how courts interpreted the term “in paying quantities” prior to Jedlicka. The Author argues that the good faith business judgment standard was inappropriately included in the test for determining when an oil and gas lease is producing in …

Evaluation Of Groundwater Recharge Estimates In A Partially Metamorphosed Sedimentary Basin In A Tropical Environment: Application Of Natural Tracers, Felix Oteng Mensah, Clement Alo, Sandow Mark Yidana

Department of Earth and Environmental Studies Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

This study tests the representativeness of groundwater recharge estimates through the chloride mass balance (CMB) method in a tropical environment. The representativeness of recharge estimates using this methodology is tested using evaporation estimates from isotope data, the general spatial distribution of the potential field, and the topographical variations in the area. This study suggests that annual groundwater recharge rates in the area ranges between 0.9% and 21% of annual precipitation. These estimates are consistent with evaporation rates computed from stable isotope data of groundwater and surface water in the Voltaian Basin. Moreover, estimates of groundwater recharge through numerical model calibration …

Montanan, Winter 2014, University Of Montana--Missoula

Montanan Magazine, 1969-2024

This is the magazine of the University of Montana with news about the University for UM alumni as well as current faculty, students, staff, and administrators. This is volume 31, number 1.

Assessing The Impact Of Untreated Sewage On The Coral Reef System Off The Coast Of Caye Caulker, Belize: Applying The Foram Index, Kristen Lynn Emrich

USF St. Petersburg campus Master's Theses (Graduate)

Human raw sewage pollution is one of several environmental concerns in coastal waters of Belize. This study utilizes foraminiferal assemblage distribution in combination with fecal sterols to determine the presence of human sewage and its effects on a coral reef system off the coast of Caye Caulker-Belize. A total of 125 sediment samples were collected off the coast of Caye Caulker. Fecal sterol concentrations (coprostanol), grain analysis (mud percent), foraminiferal ecological indices (species richness, density, and diversity), foraminiferal assemblages, and the FORAM Index (FI) were assessed. Coprostanol analysis showed higher concentrations nearest the eastern shore of Caye Caulker, with lower …

Past On A Plate: An Exploration Of ‘Heirloom’ Cultivars As Politically Palatable, Cady Gonzalez

Theses & ETDs

The anthropological study of food reveals the power of cumulative tradition to shape food behavior. Through processes of production and consumption, food refers to a larger set of themes and situations within the social environment, implying a system of communication and signification. Through participant observation and ethnographic interviews, I track the dynamic political and personal meanings of ‘heirloom’ through the supply chain. Following three ‘heirloom’ commodities through three ‘locally conscious’ restaurants in the Tampa Bay Area, this thesis analyzes the political economy of food communication in relation to agrobiodiversity conservation. By examining the founding ‘heirloom’ cultivar ideals and comparing these …

Sociobiophysicality And The Necessity Of Critical Theory: Moving Beyond Prevailing Conceptions Of Environmental Sociology In The Usa, Alex Stoner

Journal Articles

Today, to perceive the link between society and environment does not require that we engage in an effort of great abstraction. What remains paradoxical is that the intensity and scale of societally induced environmental degradation, which rose to historically unprecedented levels during the latter half of the 20th century, is synchronous with an equally impressive increase in public concern for and attention to the biophysical world. This article examines values-based and traditional Marxist-oriented approaches to environmental sociology in the USA in order to assess whether or not – and if so, how exactly – these approaches help us make sense …

President's Report, 2014, University Of Montana (Missoula, Mont.). Office Of The President

University of Montana President’s Report, 1993-2016

The President’s Report of the University of Montana, produced by University Relations on behalf of the President’s Office.

Plant Community Composition And Structure Monitoring For Agate Fossil Beds National Monument, 2013 Annual Report, Isabel W. Ashton, Michael Prowatzke

United States National Park Service: Publications

Introduction

During the last century, much of the prairie within the Northern Great Plains has been plowed for cropland, planted with non-natives to maximize livestock production, or otherwise developed, making it one of the most threatened ecosystems in the United States. Within Nebraska, greater than 77% of the area of native mixed-grass prairie has been lost since European settlement (Samson and Knopf 1994). The National Park Service (NPS) plays an important role in preserving and restoring some of the last pieces of intact prairies within its boundaries. The stewardship goal of the NPS is to “preserve ecological integrity and cultural …

Google Vs. The Library (Part Ii): Student Search Patterns And Behaviors When Using Google And A Federated Search Tool, Helen Georgas

Publications and Research

This study examines the information-seeking behavior of undergraduate students within a research context. Student searches were recorded while the participants used Google and a library (federated) search tool to find sources (one book, two articles, and one other source of their choosing) for a selected topic. The undergraduates in this study believed themselves to be skilled researchers, but their search queries and behaviors did not support this belief. Students did not examine their topics to identify keywords and related terms. They relied heavily on the language presented to them via the list of research topics and performed natural language or …

Mobilizing Cedar Spring Baptist Church, Spartanburg, South Carolina, For Creation Care Through Project "C.A.R.E." (Christians Assuming Responsibilty For The Earth), Malcolm Todd Lowe

Doctor of Ministry Projects

For many Baptist churches, the theology and practice of environmental stewardship has historically been viewed as irrelevant to the Great Commission. However, as environmental degradation increasingly affects the lives of people and the earth's ecosystems, it is imperative that Christians understand the connection between the care of the environment and God's redemptive work for humanity. Through a designed project called C.A.R.E. (Christians Assuming Responsibility for the Earth) which involved the congregation and a Bible study group from Cedar Spring Baptist Church in Spartanburg, South Carolina, this project proves that theological education can positively influence attitudes towards environmental stewardship.

“By Goodly River's Uninhabited” Waterways And Plymouth Colony, Jordan Coulobme

Open Access Master's Theses

The colonists of Plymouth were dependent on aquatic environments for the dispersal and acquisition of ideas, goods, and people. This thesis builds on of the work of Donald Worster and Michael Rawson amongst others to examine the importance of water in Plymouth Colony.Ultimately this study utilizes primary documents to argue that the abundance of aquatic environments in the colonies played a crucial role in allowing for the establishment of a permanent colony in New England. The rise of environmental history over the past several decades presents a natural tool for analyzing the experiences of Plymouth's earliest settlers. Between the years …

Microplate Methodologies Applied To Environmental Biotechnology, Farrah Solomon

Open Access Master's Theses

Microarray technology is a high-throughput technique that allows a researcher to reduce the amount of reagents for each experiment as well as conduct multiple experiments with varying conditions simultaneously with the capability of analyzing this data quickly. Such microarray techniques have been applied in different fields such as environmental, pharmaceutical, microbiology, and biomedical among others (Kricka 2001).

Chapter 1 provides an introduction to microarray technology with a description of three different techniques: Phenotypic Microarray, DNA Microarray and Protein Microarray, used to study different aspects of microorganisms.

Chapter 2 presents the first manuscript, “A novel application of microarray technology to respiration …

Raché Manyok Bay Té-A Blanche: Deforestation In Haiti And The Power Of An Image, Gerline Christophe

Harriet L Wilkes Honors College Theses 2010 - 2019

Media representations perpetuate stereotyped images of Haiti and Haitians. Such expressions typically emphasize extreme poverty, mismanagement, exploitation, hopelessness, and also environmental degradation. The environmental image of Haiti is that it is massively deforested, and the connection of deforestation to poverty and other problems has been captured in an iconic aerial photograph of the Haitian and Dominican Republic (DR) border. First appearing in National Geographic in 1987 and replicated since in various sources, the image displays a stark contrast between the tropical lushness of the DR and a desert-like Haiti, stripped of its vegetation. The stark image in effect dichotomizes a …

Letter From The Dean, Michael Vayda

Discovery, The Student Journal of Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences

No abstract provided.

Mineral Resources Potential Of Vietnam And Current State Of Mining Activity, Nguyen Ngoc Khoi

Applied Environmental Research

Vietnam, with an area of 331,210 km2, occupies the eastern side of the Indochina peninsula. It forms a narrow (locally only 40-70 km)band of land, extending over 1,500 km along the East Sea (South China Sea). Vietnam is constituted mainly by the folded belts surrounding two shields, cratonised in the Upper Proterozoic: the Yangtze craton and the Indochina shield, located in the Mekongbasin and occupying most of Cambodia and the contiguous parts of Laos and Vietnam. The folding occurred during the lateHercynian (early Triassic) orogenic movements, active mainly in the central and southern Vietnam and the Indosinian(late Triassic, anteNorian) orogeny. …

Locating "Climate Justice" Within A National Context, Rebeca Leonard, Jacques-Chai Chomthongdi

Applied Environmental Research

Many explorations of climate justice have focused on the international sphere, centring attention on the historical responsibilities of industrialised nations for the reductionof greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and the financing of climate change policies,the imbalance in geopolitical power that has influenced and stalled decisions at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), and the structural changes needed as the world re-thinks development. This article presents a discussion of articulations of climate justice in a national context, exploring the case of Thailand, a middle-income country with a fast growing economy and a high trajectory of increasing emissions, but not …

Environmental And Economic Of Flooring Building Materials, Nachawit Tikul

Applied Environmental Research

Green building design requires use of building materials that minimize environmental impact, necessitating selection of building materials by their environmental profile as well as economic cost-benefit considerations. The objective of this research is to determine the environmental impacts per square meter of three flooring materials; ceramic tiles, marble tiles, andparquet produced in Thailand. Life cycle cost (LCC) of the three materials are determined and compared. The study finds that ceramic tiles cause the greatest environmental impact, especially during the material extraction phase. When calculating all costsincurred throughout the life-cycle, the cost of untreated solid wood parquet is highest.

Variation Of Vocs Inside A New Car During The First Year And Their Relationship To Temperature, Maneerat Ongwandee, Thabtim Chatsuvan, Theerapong Sairat, Kritsanaphong Lephol

Applied Environmental Research

Passenger exposure to volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emitted from vehicle interiors hasincreasingly drawn public concern over their potential health risks. This study aimed to investigate ambient levels of in-cabin VOCs in a new car over the period of one year after first delivery. The relationship between VOC concentrations and in-cabin temperature was also studied. Seventeen active air samplings inside a parked new car were conducted from February 2012 to February 2013 using sorbent tubes. Six VOCs were measured with first-month average concentrations of 215 µgm-3for benzene, 65.6 µgm-3for toluene, 151 µgm-3for 1,2,3-trimethylbenzene, 806 µgm-3for ethyl acetate, 183 µgm-3for formaldehyde, and …

The Parkinsonian Mimetic, 6-Ohda, Impairs Axonal Transport In Dopaminergic Axons, Xi Lu, Jeong Sook Kim-Han, Steve Harmon, Shelly E. Sakiyama-Elbert, Karen L. O'Malley

Open Access Publications

No abstract provided.

Promoting A Shared Vision: Identifying Intersections Between Food And Fiber Systems Literacy Benchmarks And Illinois State Board Of Education Standards, Daniel P. Ingold Mr.

Research Papers

Understanding of agricultural systems has been an accepted and necessary aspect of a child’s education for centuries. Conventional agricultural education has proven effective in creating well-trained agricultural professionals and scholars, but has had the unintentional effect of limiting access to agricultural concepts to the non-agricultural student. This effect has potentially negative cultural consequences considering the importance agricultural issues. In response, agricultural educators have carried out an initiative to promote agricultural literacy in the classroom through an integration of agricultural concepts into core curriculum. A Guide to Food and Fiber Systems Literacy Benchmarks (Leising, 1998) is an example of programs that …

Environmental Management And Monitoring Of Mining Operation In Lao Pdr, Phengkhamla Phonvisai, Jiragorn Gajaseni

Applied Environmental Research

Overall, mining projects make a significant contribution to gross of domestic product (GDP) in Lao People's Democratic Republic (Lao PDR). Benefits include increased export revenues, provision of royalty and tax income to the government, technology transfer, worker training and the creation of a skilled workforce. This can also lead to improved social, physical, legal and financial infrastructure due to development around the mining areas such as roads, electricity and water distribution. Managed properly, economic benefits from mining projects can benefit future generations,even after operations have ceased. For Lao PDR, rapid expansion of the mining sector is seen as vital to …

Sustainable Mining In Thailand: Paradigm Shift In Environmental Management, Saneh Niyomthai, Annuwat Wattanawan

Applied Environmental Research

Thailand'smining industry has always been considered as an industrial activity generating significant environmental burdens. This is because environmental management in the sectorwas given lower prioritycompared with economic benefits. The resulting adverse environmental effects in areas surrounding some mining areas required government interventions.Accordingly, the sustainable development of mineral resources requires a delicate balance of economic, environmental and societal considerations. To respond to this challenge, Thailand needs a paradigm shift in environmental management towards sustainablemining, in order to maximize benefits from exploitation of the mineral resources,whilst ensuring co-existence and mutual benefits of mining activities and their surrounding communities.This article seeks to provide …

Utilization Of Cellular Glass Insulation Waste In Construction Materials, Thitikorn Buasomboon, Orathai Chavalparit

Applied Environmental Research

This research investigated the feasibility of using cellular glass insulation waste as fine aggregate in concrete paving block production. The effect of mixing proportions of cellular glass insulation waste at 0-40% by volume was studied. Results show that the amount of cellular glass waste can be used as a substitute for fine aggregate or sand up to 20%. Concrete specimens tested for compressive strength were found to be within an acceptable range of the interlocking concrete blockpavingstandard set byThailand Industrial Standards Institute. The compressive strength at 28 d was 41.50 MPa, with density ranging from 2.18 to 2.20 g cm-3. …

Risd Fact Book 2014, Institutional Research

RISD Fact Books

The Office of Institutional Research is pleased to present the Rhode Island School of Design Fact Book 2014. The Fact Book is a summary of institutional data gathered from many areas of the College, compiled to capture the 2013 Fiscal and Academic Year, as well as the beginning of Academic Year 2013-14. Where appropriate, multiple years of data are provided for historical perspective. While not all-encompassing, the Fact Book provides pertinent facts and figures and is made available as a reference to administrators, faculty, staff and students.

Uri Undergraduate And Graduate Course Catalog 2014-2015, University Of Rhode Island

URI Course Catalogs Archive

This is a downloadable PDF version of the University of Rhode Island course catalog.