Digital Commons Network^™

An Introduction To The Colorado River Research Group: Purpose, Membership And Contact Information, Colorado River Research Group

Books, Reports, and Studies

[11] p. : color illustrations ; 28 cm

Aquilegia, Vol. 38 No. 4 - Fall, 2014, Newsletter Of The Colorado Native Plant Society, Jan Loechell Turner, Charlie Turner, Sally L. White, Linda Smith, Rob Pudim, John Vickery, Nan Daniels, Mo Ewing, Sarah Myers, Kelly Ambler, Ann Grant, Jessica Peterson Smith, Erica Cooper, Ronda Koski, Julienne Ng, Robert G. Laport, Rudolf Schmid, Patrick Murphy

Aquilegia - Colorado Native Plant Society

No abstract provided.

Making It Work: Factors That Influence The Success Of Programs At Rural Community Colleges, Rebecca Calwell

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Community colleges are expected to contribute to economic development efforts by implementing new programs that respond to the needs of business and industry. Program development is complex, especially for community colleges in rural areas where business and industry are scarce. This qualitative study explores the factors that influence successful occupational programs at rural community colleges. Participants included administrators, faculty members, and students associated with three rural community colleges in West Virginia, as well as one state-level administrator and a former community college president. This study indicates the importance of five factors that influence the success of occupational programs: demand for …

The Geography Of Stuck: Exceptions To Brain Drain In West Virginia, Lindsay Heinemann

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Brain drain, also known as “human capital flight,” can be defined as “the mass emigration of technically skilled people from one country to another country” (Weeks, 2008, p. 250) or one state to another state. This theory surmises that highly skilled people or those with high education levels are more likely to migrate from places with little to no economic opportunities to places with better economic and job opportunities. West Virginia has largely been a state with few high paying or prestigious job opportunities. So why do highly educated people stay in West Virginia? Using census data and personal interviews, …

West Virginia's Low Percentage Of Population With At Least A Four-Year College Education, Britt Arcadipane

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

This report analyzes key factors concerning West Virginia’s rank as last in the nation with residents that have obtained a four-year bachelor’s degree or higher. This quantitative study will examine political, economic, and sociological components at the state and county level using data collected primarily from various government and state institutions. An emphasis is placed on three main factors: poverty, parental education levels, and low socio-economic status (SES) high schools. Other variables analyzed will be high school graduation and dropout rates, free or reduced-price lunch (FRPL) eligibility, college retention rates, first-generation student population, and the influence of resource-extractive industries. Poverty …

Development Of Moral Didacticism In Children: A Cross-Cultural Study, Sixtus Obinna Iwuji

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The use of folktales and fables in explaining the physical and spiritual worlds to children is cross-cultural, and precedes recorded history. Prior studies indicate a developmental process in children’s understanding of fables and folktales (Jose, D’Anna, & Krieg, 2005; Narvaez, Gleason, Mitchell, & Bentley, 1999). However, no known study has examined whether this developmental process is cross-cultural or culture specific. No known study also, has examined whether children as young as 6 years of age are aware that fables and folktales are non-historical. The present study fills these observed gaps by examining moral didacticism in children aged 6-11 years. The …

Poland’S Place In The Soviet Bloc: Historical And Cultural Linkages, Political Transformation, And Everyday Economic Alternatives In Gdańsk And Wałbrzych, Stephen W. Mays

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The aim of this study is to arrive at a holistic understanding of Poland’s place in the Soviet Bloc, 1945 – 1989. Throughout, the study considers historical and cultural linkages between Poland and Russia, drawing parallels and contrasts which have shaped the destinies of both nations. It explains how Poland became part of the Soviet system, the successes and failures of the system, and how common people adapted to and eventually altered the system. Special emphasis is placed on the ‘lived experience’ of the last decade of socialism (1979 – 1989), including oral histories of subsistence economic strategies, black market …

Discourse Analysis Of Interpersonal Features In Esl And Jsl Textbooks, Yukina Takahira

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Textbooks play an important role in language classrooms. They serve as models for language use in a target community and significantly influence language learners in their development of language use and perceptions of the target community. In traditional grammar teaching, teachers seldom look into linguistic choices at the discourse level and mainly use language textbooks to focus on grammatical accuracy at the sentence level. Language cannot be divorced from the context and culture of its use; contextual and cultural aspects of language are inherent in discourse. Language textbooks provide not only the needed linguistic resources, but also reflect the interpersonal …

Using Ailuropoda Melanoleuca As A Model Species For Studying The Ecomorphology Of Paranthropus, Ryan Andrew King

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Giant pandas (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) have cranial morphology similar to the extinct hominin genus Paranthropus which makes them an excellent model species when studying Paranthropus diet. Both species have wide skulls with flared zygomatic arches adapted for chewing. To gain insight into possible food sources of Paranthropus, I investigated the giant panda’s specialized diet of bamboo. The toughness, hardness, and stiffness of various bamboo species was determined to assess mechanical challenges facing giant pandas during feeding. Bamboo is thought to be tough, but studies on such properties and how they apply to mastication of giant pandas are largely …

The Literature Of Political Things And Places: Reading And Writing Design, Susan Yelavich

Articles

No abstract provided.

A Case Study Of A Priority Middle School Involved In The North Carolina Turnaround Initiative, Jo Beth Clark

Education Dissertations and Projects

In 2007, the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction included low-performing middle schools in its Turnaround Initiative. The purpose of this initiative was to offer support and guidance to designated low-performing middle schools across the state. This research study was a descriptive case study that involved a North Carolina priority middle school located in the north central part of the Piedmont, which served a diverse, low socioeconomic population. This research study investigated how the implementation of the North Carolina Turnaround Initiative impacted the school's culture and reviewed student achievement trends for the years 2007-2010, covering 3 school years.

This descriptive …

Utah State Magazine, Winter 2014, Utah State University

Utah State Magazine

The quarterly magazine for friends and alumni of Utah State University.

Asian-American Studies Curriculum Map 2013-2014, Natalie Tagge, Char Booth, Dani Brecher, M. Sara Lowe, Sean M. Stone

Curriculum Maps

This map displays degree requirements, courses, faculty information, clubs & organizations, and Library resources associated with Asian-American Studies across the seven Claremont Colleges (7Cs) for the 2013-14 academic year. It was compiled using public information drawn from Colleges websites, course schedules and catalogs, and the Claremont Colleges Library website.

This project was completed as part of an IMLS Sparks! Ignition grant in 2013-14.

Effective Treatment Options For Acid Mine Drainage In The Coal Region Of West Virginia, Daniel Kirby

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Coal mining has a long history in the state of West Virginia and until recently mining was unregulated. Due to this history there are several legacy problems of the mining industry being dealt with today. Acid mine drainage (AMD) is one of the major legacy problems being combated today in the state. AMD is the product of oxidation in abandoned mine lands and runs into surface water. There are treatment sites all over the state to combat this problem. This thesis research looks the AMD problem in West Virginia and at the effectiveness of the treatment systems that are currently …

Thoreau As Liberation Thinker, Robert M. Ruehl

Philosophy and Classical Studies Faculty/Staff Publications

In lieu of an abstract, here is the article's first paragraph:

Henry David Thoreau’s claim to be “a mystic, a transcendentalist, and a natural philosopher” took an unexpected turn for me. Spending much time with A Week on the Concord and Merrimack Rivers (my dissertation addresses the idea of religion found between its covers), I encountered a “liberation thinker” resisting the limitations of American culture while honoring the natural world and indigenous peoples. Thoreau’s epigraph reveals how he wants the muse of his dead brother to inspire him, but the book also discloses how he wants the muse of indigenous …

Children's Hospital Association Consensus Statements For Comorbidities Of Childhood Obesity, Elizabeth Estrada, Ihuoma Eneli, Sarah Hampl, Michele L. Mietus-Snyder, Nazrat Mirza, Erinn Rhodes, Brooke Sweeney, Lydia Tinjaero-Deck, Susan J. Woolford, Stephen J. Pont

Pediatrics Faculty Publications

Background: Childhood obesity and overweight affect approximately 30% of US children. Many of these children have obesity-related comorbidities, such as hypertension, dyslipidemia, fatty liver disease, diabetes, polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), sleep apnea, psychosocial problems, and others. These children need routine screening and, in many cases, treatment for these conditions. However, because primary care pediatric providers (PCPs) often are underequipped to deal with these comorbidities, they frequently refer these patients to subspecialists. However, as a result of the US pediatric subspecialist shortage and considering that 12.5 million children are obese, access to care by subspecialists is limited. The aim of this …

Working Together For Global Health Goals: The United States Agency For International Development And Faith-Based Organizations, Clydette L. Powell

Pediatrics Faculty Publications

For many years, and before the term “FBO” was used for faith-based organizations, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has supported the work of FBOs in global health and development. The Agency has long recognized the impact of FBOs within that development space, because these organizations are often well positioned to reach the hard-to-reach and to go the last mile because of their strong ties to the community. Moreover, FBOs deliver a substantial percentage of the health services in some developing countries. Faith partners, whether Catholic, Protestant, Buddhist, Hindu, Muslim, or other, have an important role to play …

An Indirect Method For Predicting Road Surface Temperature In Coastal Areas With Snowy Winters, Jason Covert, Robert Hellström

Geography Faculty Publications

In places that experience snow and ice, road clearing and deicing operations are a necessity to ensure that road networks remain open and safe for travel. Such operations, however, are costly to both taxpayers and the environment making it all the more important that they are used in an efficient manner. Efficient use of road treatment resources takes experience on the part of the road network manager as well as access to reliable road surface temperature (RST) data which are used to determine when roads are conducive to snow and ice accumulation. On major roads and highways, road surface temperature …

Avoidance Of Canopy Gaps By A Common Land Snail, Christopher P. Bloch, Michael Stock

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Because canopy gaps are characterized by elevated temperature and decreased humidity relative to closed-canopy forest, terrestrial gastropods may be exposed to greater desiccation stress in gaps than in undisturbed forest. We placed individuals of Caracolus caracolla at the edges of canopy gaps in montane forest in Puerto Rico and observed their movements. Individuals preferentially moved out of gaps except in one gap on the first night of the study, and the proportion of individuals recaptured inside gaps decreased over time. Individuals moved, on average, farther into forest than into gaps. Juveniles and adults responded similarly. These results suggest that C. …

Development And Characterization Of Seven Polymorphic Microsatellite Loci In Bembidion Atrocaeruleum (Coleoptera: Carabidae), Matt J. O'Callaghan, Debra S. Finn, Mike Williams, Jonathan P. Sadler

College of Natural and Applied Sciences

We isolated seven polymorphic microsatellite loci from a ground beetle (Bembidion atrocaeruleum, Coleoptera, Carabidae (Stephens, 1826)) associated with naturally and regularly disturbed floodplain habitat in northwest Europe. Loci were tested on 157 individuals collected from five distinct habitat patches across two adjacent drainage basins in Wales, United Kingdom, to assess their potential for revealing population structure across a relatively short spatial extent. Alleles per locus ranged from 4 to 12. For a central representative population, expected heterozygosity ranged from 0.23 to 0.78 (mean: 0.63), and observed heterozygosity ranged from 0.16 to 0.94 (mean: 0.56). Analysis of molecular variance indicated significant …

Estimating Water Quality Effects Of Conservation Practices And Grazing Land Use Scenarios, Grace L. Wilson, Brent J. Dalzell, David J. Mulla, Toby Dogwiler, Paul M. Porter

College of Natural and Applied Sciences

Conservation management practices such as reduced tillage, fertilizer management, and buffer strips are well-established means by which to control erosion and nutrient losses from fields planted in annual row crops. However, agricultural systems which include perennial plant cover, such as the perennial forages found in grazing systems, may represent an alternative way to reduce these losses. In this study, management intensive rotational grazing (MIRG) was tested as a means by which to improve water quality on highly vulnerable row crop land, compared to more traditional conservation management schemes in the south branch of the Root River Watershed (a karst-influenced watershed …

Meeting The Challenges Of Instructing International Law Graduate Students In Legal Research, Nina E. Scholtz, Femi Cadmus

Cornell Law Librarians' Publications

Teaching international LL.M. students legal research offers its own peculiar challenges. The brevity of the LL.M. program and the limited time available for thoroughly introducing basic research concepts have made it particularly difficult, but the innovative and creative methods of instruction highlighted in this article have provided good solutions.

People In Nature: Relational Discourse For Outdoor Educators, Thomas Beery

Research in Outdoor Education

Outdoor educators are concerned about a perceived human disconnection from nature. There is awareness of a lack of human affiliation, connection, or identity with nonhuman nature and its impact on attitudes and behaviors. This essay raises the possibility that despite our concern, we may contribute toward this disconnection via language that supports a separation of the natural and the cultural. Our ability to separate ourselves conceptually from the rest of nature may be partially to blame for environmental degradation, therefore challenging the nature-culture dichotomy is both useful and constructive. This essay will present examples of how outdoor educators can …

Good Research (Literally) Pays: The Library Prize For First-Year Research, Amanda Y. Makula

Library and Information Science: Faculty Scholarship & Creative Works

The Tredway Library Prize for First-Year Research recognizes an outstanding research paper written by a first-year Augustana College student for a class in the Liberal Studies or Honors sequence. The award promotes students’ active engagement in the processes of library research and encourages them to synthesize library research skills with the reading, writing, and critical thinking skills developed in the Liberal Studies First Year (LSFY) sequence.

Impact Of Impervious Surfaces On Water Quality By Measurement Of Macroinvertebrates In Rock Island And Moline, Illinois, Kara Noonan

Urban Watershed Project

Streams have been degrading in quality since the introduction of impervious surfaces. Water concentrations have been altered as sediment and other pollutants have been introduced from severe erosion from runoff. As the water continues to change, the biotic integrity becomes disturbed. More specifically, aquatic invertebrate populations begin to change. More organisms that can tolerate poor quality streams are thriving as organisms that can only tolerate high quality streams are beginning to run thin. This study strives to find a spatial relationship between impervious surfaces around Rock Island and Moline, Illinois and the water quality within the streams by looking at …

"Over The River And Through The Woods": An Analysis Of Understory And Canopy Plant Diversity In Urban Riparian Forests, Carlisle R. Evans Peck

Urban Forest Project

As population growth explodes and urban areas expand, studying the ecology of urban areas has become increasingly important. Urban development has been shown to drastically alter native habitats and to severely degrade biodiversity. However, urban landscapes also hold the potential to harbor and support valuable biodiversity especially if managed correctly. We studied the understory herbaceous plant and overstory tree canopy diversity of eight forested ravines in the small cities of Rock Island and Moline IL surrounded by a range of urban development intensity. The goal of the project was to determine whether or not the composition of the plant communities …

2014 Transformations Program, State University Of New York At Cortland

Transformations

Originally established as Scholars' Day in 1997, Transformations is a day-long conference devoted to showcasing the wide array of scholarship, research and creative activities occurring on campus. In 2012, a new emphasis on student research lead to a name change to Transformations: A Student Research and Creativity Conference. This event focuses on student research, which is defined as an original investigation or creative activity through the primary efforts of a student or group of students. The work should show problem-solving skills and demonstrate new conceptual outcomes.

2014 Author Recognition Bibliography, Grand Valley State University

Author Recognition

No abstract provided.

Hog Daddy And The Walls Of Steel: Catch Shares And Ecosystem Change In The New England Groundfishery, Jennifer F. Brewer

Geography

The U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration implemented marketbased fishery management in the New England groundfishery as catch shares, controlling aggregate harvests through tradable annual catch quotas allocated to fishing groups called sectors. Policy supporters assert that resulting markets raise conservation incentives. In compliance with the Magnuson–Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, species assessments permit catch shares to replace more spatially and temporally specific constraints on fishing gear, time, areas, and daily harvest limits. Qualitative evidence from field interviews and participant observation questions the efficacy of catch shares. Fishing industry members observe that increased presence of large trawl vessels in …

Harvesting A Knowledge Commons: Collective Action, Transparency, And Innovation At The Portland Fish Exchange, Jennifer F. Brewer

Geography

While localist visions of alternative food systems advocate for the expansion of local ecological knowledge through more proximate producerconsumer relationships, globalized seafood supply-demand chains persist. Moving beyond this dichotomy, commons scholars recognize that collective action among resource users at the local level can shape cross-scalar producer relations with government and more capitalized firms operating in regional and global markets. In the case of the New England groundfishery, a quasi-public fish auction not only transformed the scalar, logistical, and financial parameters of harvester-buyer relationships, it altered the production and use of local knowledge among some harvesters, and their technological choices. Resulting …