Digital Commons Network^™

Vegetation Change Surrounding Parks And Reserves In Costa Rica From 1990-2000, Olivia Collins

CLAS: Colby Liberal Arts Symposium

The objective of this project was to analyze vegetation changes around and within the borders of national parks in Costa Rica over the time period from 1990 to 2014. Edge effects are a common occurrence where two different habitats or ecological communities border one another. The majority of the national parks and reserves in Costa Rica have been placed under protection during the last 35 years. During this time period, tourism in the country has increased as conservation efforts have strengthened. The goal of this analysis is to use Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) to determine if conservation of protected …

Copenhagen: A Case Study Of One Of The Most Sustainable Cities In The World, Sophia Samuels, Altinay Karasapan

CLAS: Colby Liberal Arts Symposium

Across the globe, people are increasingly feeling the effects of climate change. With fluctuating temperatures, severe weather, and increased droughts and floods, it is time for global leaders to finally take firm action to alleviate these incoming problemsespecially in urban areas where the effects will be the most extreme. One of the global leaders in climate change mitigation is Copenhagen, Denmark. Because Copenhagen is a coastal city, it is especially vulnerable to these climatic changes, and is innovating urban planning to adapt to the severe weather that is likely to come. By improving energy efficiency, water use, and transportation, the …

Roles Of Community Engagement And Church Leadership In Participatory Forest Management: A Case Study Of Woji Church Forest In Northern Ethiopia, Grey Benjamin

CLAS: Colby Liberal Arts Symposium

Research on participatory forest management (PFM) typically involves the study of ownership-use relationships among local communities and state or federal governments. This study examines the management of natural resources by a religious institution--the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahido Church (EOTC)--whose followers protect thousands of small fragments of indigenous Afromontane forest scattered all across Northern Ethiopia. Using social surveys, group discussions, and community mapping we identify differences in norms and forest management activities of three distinct groups--priests, farmers, and women--living in and around Woji Church Forest in Northern Ethiopia. Community members offered a first-hand look into how their religious beliefs and leadership affect …

Does Bisphenol-A Cause Obesity In Humans?, Xuan Du, Lidia Henderson

CLAS: Colby Liberal Arts Symposium

This project will analyze the link between bisphenol-A and obesity in humans using epidemiological and toxicological research.

Rail Transporation News August 2013-April 2014, Rail Transportation Program

Rail News

No abstract provided.

Testing And Data Recovery Excavations At 11 Native American Archeological Sites Along The U.S. Highway 271 Mount Pleasant Relief Route, Titus County, Texas Volume Ii, Ross C. Fields, Virginia L. Hatfield, Damon Burden, Eloise Frances Gadus, Michael C. Wilder, Karl W. Kibler

Index of Texas Archaeology: Open Access Gray Literature from the Lone Star State

Register of Historic Places and State Antiquities Landmark testing of 11 prehistoric sites that will be impacted by construction of the proposed U.S. Highway 271 relief route around Mount Pleasant in Titus County, Texas. The work was done in 2005 for the Texas Department of Transportation’s Environmental Affairs Division under Contract No. 575XXSA006, Work Authorization No. 57501SA006. This research design provides support for a scope of work for testing, prepared as a separate document. The primary relevant historic context for future work on this project is The Development of Agriculture in Northeast Texas Before a.d. 1600 (Kenmotsu and Perttula 1993). …

Testing And Data Recovery Excavations At 11 Native American Archeological Sites Along The U.S. Highway 271 Mount Pleasant Relief Route, Titus County, Texas Volume I, Ross C. Fields, Virginia L. Hatfield, Damon Burden, Eloise Frances Gadus, Michael C. Wilder, Karl W. Kibler

Index of Texas Archaeology: Open Access Gray Literature from the Lone Star State

This report deals with three episodes of archeological work that began in 2005 and concluded in 2010 for the proposed U.S. Highway 271 Mount Pleasant relief route in Titus County, Texas. The early part of the work was done for the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT), Environmental Affairs Division. The later part was done for PTP, LP, acting on behalf of Titus County. The work was done to address the requirements of Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act and the Texas Antiquities Code and was governed by the terms of Texas Antiquities Permit Nos. 3786, 4303, and 5495. …

Academic Affairs Division Newsletter, May 2014, San Jose State University

Academic Affairs Division Newsletter

No abstract provided.

University Of Minnesota, Morris 2014 Commencement, University Relations

UMM Commencement

The University of Minnesota, Morris's Fifty-First Commencement Saturday, May 10, 2014 1:30 p.m., Campus Mall

Mandala Spring/Summer 2014, Center For Southeast Asian Studies

Mandala

No abstract provided.

Validation Of Satellite Rainfall Products For Western Uganda., Jeremy E. Diem, Joel N. Hartter, Sadie J. Ryan, Michael W. Palace

Geography

Central equatorial Africa is deficient in long-term, ground-based measurements of rainfall; therefore, the aim of this study is to assess the accuracy of three high-resolution, satellite-based rainfall products in western Uganda for the 2001–10 period. The three products are African Rainfall Climatology, version 2 (ARC2); African Rainfall Estimation Algorithm, version 2 (RFE2); and 3B42 from the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission, version 7 (i.e., 3B42v7). Daily rainfall totals from six gauges were used to assess the accuracy of satellite-based rainfall estimates of rainfall days, daily rainfall totals, 10-day rainfall totals, monthly rainfall totals, and seasonal rainfall totals. The northern stations had …

The Fierce Green Fire: Vol. 4 Issue 22, Wofford College Environmental Studies Program

The Fierce Green Fire

No abstract provided.

May 2014, Inland Empire Business Journal

Inland Empire Business Journal

News and Features

Is Employee Cynicism Killing Your Culture?

Strategic Ways to Re-Configure It Around Trust

Rich Karlgaard says employee cynicism is a red flag

signaling a serious dearth of trust—and explains

what you can do to fix it. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

3 Lessons on Retirement Planning From 2 Classic

Cars An old story from car aficionado David

Rosell holds valuable lessons on retirement planning. . 26

Exit Planning: The Necessary Beast—

Due Diligence No experienced buyer purchases

a company …

Intercultural Communication In Florida: The Immigrant Story - A Program For Adult Learners, Stephanie V. Wobensmith

Capstone Collection

Although participation in university study abroad programs has grown steadily within the United States in recent years, many students are still being left without access to the important intercultural learning that it allows. Adult learners, students over the age of 25 who often have family and work responsibilities outside of the academic setting, are frequently included in this underrepresented demographic. In order to create a more accessible program for these students, the Intercultural Communication in Florida: The Immigrant Story (ICC in Florida) program uses the same learning paradigm as short-term study abroad but combines it with lessons learned through newer …

Appalink, Appalachian Studies Association

Appalink

No abstract provided.

College Of Arts And Sciences E-News Issue 13: May 2014, College Of Arts And Sciences

College of Arts and Sciences news

• CAS News
• lnterdisciplinary freshwater science and sustain ability degree offered
• Dean and department chair named outstanding administrators
• Department of Gender and Women's Studies receives Bronco Pride Advocacy Award
• CAS employees Make a Difference
• Faculty Feature
• Dr. Wafa Hassan earns STARTALK grant
• Alumni Profiles
• After 14 years in foster care, Amanda Shelton '14 graduates with highest undergraduate honor
• Bradford Shovlin '03, new executive chef at Iron Horse Hotel
• Student Story
• WMU students lobby in Lansing

Mimicking Early Stages Of Diagenesis In Modern Metasequoia Leaves Implications For Plant Fossil Lagerstätten, Caitlyn Witkowski

Master of Science in Global Environmental Studies

Remarkably well-preserved plants from rich fossil deposits (known as lagerstätten) provide insights into paleoenvironmental and paleoclimatic reconstructions. However, it is difficult to distinguish whether proxy signals from fossil lagerstätten represent original environmental information or modified data due to degradation. To better understand molecular and morphological changes of plant leaves over time, modern Metasequoia, a well-studied “living fossil,” was degraded to mimic early stages of diagenesis and then compared with its ancient counterpart. Two sample series were used: 1) a laboratory decay experiment with samples in a closed, controlled environment and 2) a natural decay experiment with samples collected …

Geothermobarometry Of Cordierite-Bearing Metapelites Of The Hudson Highlands, Southeastern Ny, Jay Patel

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Various P-T determinations have been reported on metasedimentary rock suites in the New Jersey and Hudson Highlands using different geothermobarometers, but all have yielded relatively large P-T ranges and none have used cordierite in a quantitative way. The presence of variable cordierite and its narrow stability field in metapelitic gneisses provides an excellent opportunity to better constrain the peak P-T conditions. Calcium depleted, clay-rich, arkosic sedimentary protolith was deposited during the Mesoproterozoic in a continentaloceanic arc basin during the Elzevirian orogeny (~1300-1200 Ma). The Ottawan metamorphic event (~1090-1020 Ma) transformed this protolith into the metasedimentary unit exposed in the Hudson …

Watershed-Based Water Quality Management, Benjamin Barnett Witherell

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

In response to landscape alteration and increased knowledge of environmental systems, government regulation for the protection of water quality has undergone several adaptations since the landmark Clean Water Act of 1972. Most recently, in 2000, USEPA moved its emphasis from an effluent-based approach to an ambient or watershedbased approach. Prior watershed studies have uncovered relationships between the type of land cover in a watershed and water quality. These studies have generally indicated correlations between urbanized watersheds and degradation of water quality and aquatic ecosystem health. This dissertation is both an extension of these previous studies to the area of water …

Assessing The Landscape: In Search Of A Coherent Value Theory For Environmental Ethics, Alex J. Hamilton

Standard Theses

Environmental Ethics is concerned with developing a set of moral duties towards the natural world based upon a value theory, or a conception of what bears value. However, many environmental ethicists concern themselves primarily with the former and are lacking in the latter. This work surveys several prominent environmental ethicists and assesses their value theories, dividing them into two main schools: Kantian/individualist and holist. Both are found to be problematic in their articulation of a value theory. I propose a distinct value theory with a basis in the Buddhist metaphysical doctrine of codependent origination. In accepting this metaphysic, we are …

Supporting Global Environmental Change Research: A Review Of Trends And Knowledge Gaps In Urban Remote Sensing, Michail Fragkias

Economics Faculty Publications and Presentations

This paper reviews how remotely sensed data have been used to understand the impact of urbanization on global environmental change. We describe how these studies can support the policy and science communities’ increasing need for detailed and up-to-date information on the multiple dimensions of cities, including their social, biological, physical, and infrastructural characteristics. Because the interactions between urban and surrounding areas are complex, a synoptic and spatial view offered from remote sensing is integral to measuring, modeling, and understanding these relationships. Here we focus on three themes in urban remote sensing science: mapping, indices, and modeling. For mapping we describe …

Retracted: Comparing Throughfall And Litterfall Nutrient Fluxes In A Rubber (Hevea Brasiliensis Willd. Muell-Arg) Plantation Agro-Ecosystem At Ikenne, South-West Nigeria, Oludare H. Adedeji, Adeniyi S. Gbadegesin

Applied Environmental Research

This study compares nutrient fluxes (throughfall and litterfall) in a rubber (Hevea brasiliensisWilld. Muell-Arg) plantation agro-ecosystem at Ikenne, SW Nigeria. Throughfallsamples were collected bi-weekly under the rubber canopies (40-, 15-, and 5-year-old) using throughfall funnel collectors with 10 replicates. Litterfall was collected on a monthly basis in the three rubber stands using twenty-four 0.25 m2litter traps (eight replicates in each of the three rubber stands) positioned randomly to estimate total annual litter production (dry biomass)and its main fractions. Throughfall and litterfall samples were analyzed for total nitrogen, sodium, phosphorus, calcium, potassium and magnesium. The annual means of throughfall in the …

Effect Of Edta And Dtpa On Cadmium Removal From Contaminated Soil With Water Hyacinth, Aekkacha Tananonchai, Pantawat Sampanpanish

Applied Environmental Research

The effects of ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) and diethylene triaminepentaacetic acid (DTPA) on cadmium (Cd) uptake by water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes) in Cd-contaminated soilwas studied. Experimental samples were separated into 4 treatment groups: 1) Untreated control, 2) EDTA addition, 3) DTPA addition, and 4) mixture of EDTA and DTPA (1:1) addition. The plants were harvested at 20, 40, 60, 80 and 100 days. Cd levels were measured in soil samples, water samples and two parts of the plant: shoot (stem and leaves) and root. The results showed that Cd accumulation in plants with added EDTA and DTPA were higher than the …

The Challenge Of Promoting Greater Use Of Economic Instruments In Thailand: Lessons Learned From The Draft Act On Economic Instruments For Environmental Management, Sujitra Vassanadumrongdee, Panate Manomaivibool

Applied Environmental Research

Current policies and plans geared toward green growth/green economy emphasize the greater use of economic instruments. This paper reviews the past and current application of economic instruments (EIs) in environmental management in Thailand. Insights gained from documentary research indicate that EIs such as product taxes through collection of excise taxes have been relatively effective, whilst user charges for solid waste and waste water treatment have been found to be unsuccessful in Thailand. Lessons learned from the draft Act on Economic Instruments for Environmental Management indicate several institutional constraints towards the extensive application of EIs. This paper provides some suggestions to …

Changes In The Discharge Characteristics Of The Hudson River, Elen Kenny Teo

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

The Hudson River watershed has undergone significant urbanization in some areas and reforestation in others during the past century. The watershed has also recently experienced extreme flood events, including from Hurricane Irene, which caused 49 deaths and an estimated $15.8 billion in damage nationally. However, it is unclear how much changes in land use and/or climate have caused shifts in river discharge and the contributions of runoff and baseflow to the river. Determining the existence and magnitude of these shifts are important for managing water resources. This study analyzes changes in daily flows and maximum annual discharge events at multiple …

A Theology Of Creation Lived Out In Christian Hymnody, Beth Hoeltke

Doctor of Philosophy Dissertation

Hoeltke, Beth June “A Theology of Creation Lived Out in Christian Hymnody.” Ph.D. diss., Concordia Seminary, 2014. 308 pp.

A seminal article written by Lynn White in the mid-1960’s indicted Christianity as a major cause affecting the ecological crisis of the day. White emphasized that the Christian tradition practiced domination rather than dominion and ownership rather than stewardship. Since White’s article Christian theologians have challenged his interpretation. One of the unexamined sources of the church’s teaching on creation is hymnody. This dissertation examines this source. Hymns play a vital role in the church’s teaching as they have the ability to …

Modeling Groundwater Flow At A Hydraulic Fracturing Site Near Pavillion, Wyoming, David Colombini

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

This thesis uses the GIS-conceptual model approach to create groundwater models investigating groundwater contamination near Pavillion, Wyoming. This area was part of a study by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in 2009 that claims domestic water well contamination originated from hydraulically fractured natural gas wells. Hydraulic fracturing is the process of injecting water, sand, and chemicals into gas and oil wells in order to stimulate well production. This has caused concern over groundwater contamination. The models show natural groundwater flow systems generally move from west to east, however, a recharge area near the center of the model locally disrupts …

Anthropogenic Disturbance Of The Herpetofauna In The Northeast Us : Wildlife Disease And Habitat Modification, Paola Dolcemascolo

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Herpetofauna represent some of the most striking examples of the consequences of human impact on biotic communities. They experience the full range of anthropogenically-derived stressors: habitat loss, habitat modification and degradation, pollution, collection for food and the pet trade, nuisance killings, road mortality, and disease. In this study, I examined some of the main threats faced by herpetofauna of the Northeastern United States and their implications for management of reptile and amphibians in New Jersey. I first used molecular techniques to document and assess the prevalence of two amphibian diseases, chytridiomycosis (caused by the chytrid fungus, Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis) and Ranavirus, …

Modeling A Green Decision Support System For Data Center Sustainability, Michael Joseph Pawlish

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

The objective of this dissertation is developing more energy efficient data centers while focusing on the environment as well as meeting the increasing computing needs. Reliability of data centers will be the number one priority for management; however, the focus will be to implement a design by incorporating free cooling, applying thermal profiling, utilizing data mining, and continuing virtualization to create more efficient green data centers that are good for the environment. Since the fall of 2009, electrical consumption patterns were measured in the main data center for the servers and the air-conditioners at Montclair State University (MSU) to quantify …

Determining Effect Of Defaults On Grid Parity, Jacob M. Smith

Department of Environmental Studies: Undergraduate Student Theses

Human activities emitting greenhouse gases (e.g. carbon dioxide) are the main cause of observed warming since the mid-20^th century. Because a large fraction of human emissions are from conventional power sources it will be important to adopt carbon neutral technologies such as alternative energy sources (IPCC, 2013). Grid parity is the point at which alternative energy sources reach a levelized cost of electricity that is less than or equal to conventional power sources (Ueckhardt, 2013). It is thought that once it is reached alternative energy will be adopted en masse (Yang, 2010). But this concept ignores marketplace choice and …