Digital Commons Network^™

A Comparison Of The Mm5 And The Regional Atmospheric Modeling System Simulations For Land--Atmosphere Interactions Under Varying Soil Moisture, Astrid Suarez, Rezaul Mamood, Arturo I. Quintanar, Adriana Beltran-Prezekurat, Roger Pielke Sr.

High Plains Regional Climate Center: Staff Publications

A comparison between two mesoscale models, Colorado State University Regional Atmospheric Modeling System (RAMS) version 4.4 coupled with the Land-Ecosystem--Atmosphere Feedback Model (LEAF2) and Penn State/NCAR’s Mesoscale Model (MM5) coupled with NOAH Land Surface Model, was conducted in order to assess the sensitivity of forecasted planetary boundary layer (PBL) variables to anomalous initial volumetric soil moisture conditions. The experiments were conducted using three synoptic events: June 11, 17 and 22, 2006. For each event, one control run and six additional simulations were completed using RAMS and MM5. In each of the events, initial volumetric soil moisture was increased and decreased …

Trade Openness And Economic Growth, Anh Tung Dao

Mark A. Israel '91 Endowed Summer Research Fund in Economics

Trade liberalization has been central to the discussion of development policy in recent decades. In the 1990s, the Washington Consensus, a set of 10 major development policy recommendations from Washington-based institutions such as the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank (WB), regarded trade openness as essential to the achieve higher economic growth. Trade policy, according to the Washington Consensus, should focus on lowering tariffs on imports, especially cheap intermediate inputs that give countries competitive edges in export industries. Although acknowledging the negative effects this type of policy could have on competing domestic industries, the Consensus believed that protection …

No. 67: Migrant Entrepreneurship, Collective Violence And Xenophobia In South Africa, Jonathan Crush, Sujata Ramachandran

Southern African Migration Programme

The remarkable growth of informal migrant entrepreneurship in South Africa since 1990 would have been much lauded had it not been for the striking detail that the actors in question are seen as “foreigners” or “outsiders”. As such, they are uniformly viewed as undesirable and disadvantaging poor South African citizens. The growing presence of migrants in the informal sector has created various tensions in South Africa, including in government circles, ignoring the fact that in the free market economy of South Africa, immigrants and refugees, like citizens and commercial enterprises, would otherwise enjoy the freedom to establish, operate and expand …

No. 66: Xenophobic Violence In South Africa: Denialism, Minimalism, Realism, Jonathan Crush, Sujata Ramachandran

Southern African Migration Programme

Violent xenophobia has become a regular feature of South African life. Everyday animosity frequently spills over into violence against individual migrants and refugees and their economic enterprises. Some of these incidents reach the scrutiny of the media and officialdom, but most remain invisible and unremarked. The fact that most of the violence occurs in marginal urban locations of informal settlements, townships and inner-city suburbs in South Africa has prompted intense debate over the nomenclature and identification of the underlying causes. Explanations for the large-scale anti-migrant violence that swept the country in May 2008, and continues in more isolated and sporadic …

The Stock Market Impact Of Government Interventions On Financial Services Industry Groups: Evidence From The 2007-2009 Crisis, Deborah Smith

Business Faculty Publications

We examine the market reaction and shift in risk from nine prominent government interventions in response to the crisis between February 2007 and July 2009 on four types of institutions: banks, savings and loan associations (S&Ls), insurance companies, and real estate investment trusts (REITs). Overall, with the exception of the Troubled Assets Repurchase Program (TARP), the interventions were wealth-decreasing and risk-increasing events for financial institutions. Leveraged firms and firms with higher trading volumes earn significantly lower abnormal returns. For both during- and post-crisis periods, larger firms experience increases in systematic risk; non-U.S. firms experience lower changes in systematic risk.

Untangling Intra- And Interspecific Effects On Body Size Clines Reveals Divergent Processes Structuring Convergent Patterns In Anolis Lizards, Martha M. Muñoz, Johanna E. Wegener, Adam C. Algar

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Bergmann’s rule—the tendency for body size to increase in colder environments—remains controversial today, despite 150 years of research. Considerable debate has revolved around whether the rule applies within or among species. However, this debate has generally not considered that clade-level relationships are caused by both intra- and interspecific effects. In this article, we implement a novel approach that allows for the separation of intra- and interspecific components of trait-environment relationships. We apply this approach to body size clines in two Caribbean clades of Anolis lizards and discover that their similar body size gradients are constructed in very different ways. We …

Reflective Strength-Giving Dialogue Developed To Support Older Adults In Learning To Live With Long-Term Pain: A Method And A Study Design, Catharina Gillsjö, M. Berglund

College of Nursing Faculty Publications

Background: Long-term musculoskeletal pain is a major health problem that significantly impacts quality of life among older adults. Many lack professional guidance and must learn on their own to live with pain. This calls for a holistic method that addresses older adults’ needs in their situations. The developed method has its foundation in the didactic model: “The challenge – to take control of one’s life with long-term illness.

Aim: The aim was to describe the method, Reflective STRENGTH-Giving Dialogue, and present a study design where the method is learned and used by health careprovidersto support older adults in learning to …

Health Studies Program Newsletter For 2014, Uri Health Studies Program

Public Health Department Publications

The 2014 issue of “Health-e-Newsletter,” a periodical focused on the Health Studies Program events, faculty research and highlights of student achievements.

Subjugated Bodies, Normalized Subjects: Representations Of Power In The Panamanian Literature Of Roberto Díaz Herrera, Rose Marie Tapia And Mauro Zúñiga Araúz, Sara Escobar-Wiercinski

Wayne State University Dissertations

This dissertation examines the dissemination of power represented in the works of Panamanian writers Roberto Díaz Herrera, Rose Marie Tapia and Mauro Zúñiga Araúz. My work focuses on two important periods in Panama's history: the repressive dictatorial era of Manuel Noriega and the post-dictatorial era during which subjugation and power operate in subtle ways, through institutions, mechanisms of civil society, and globalization. The primary sources are Díaz Herrera's testimony, and the novels of Tapia and Zúñiga Araúz. In my analysis, I draw upon the notions of power, subjugation and normalization developed by the French philosoher Michel Foucault. I also draw …

2014 American Incentive System Almanac, Don P. Diffine Ph.D.

Belden Center Monographs

No abstract provided.

Gphy 284.00: Introduction To Gis And Cartography, Kevin Gregory Mcmanigal

University of Montana Course Syllabi

No abstract provided.

Community Satisfaction, James J. Potter, Rodrigo Cantarero

Architecture Program: Faculty Scholarly and Creative Activity

Community has been described as an original phenomenon, namely, the local unity of a group of human beings who live their social, economic, and cultural lives together and jointly recognize and accept certain obligations and hold certain standards of value in common. Satisfaction can be defined as the discrepancy between aspiration and achievement, ranging from the perception of fulfillment to that of deprivation. Satisfaction is highly personal, heavily influenced by past experiences and current expectations. Finally, we can say that the term community satisfaction refers to people’s subjective evaluation of their own well-being as measured by how well their local …

Muslim Journeys, Booth Library

Muslim Journeys: Exhibit Booklet

Exhibit Dates

This exhibit was displayed at Booth Library January 29-April 15, 2014

About the Exhibit

Let’s Talk About It: Muslim Journeys brought together scholars, students and community members to gain new perspectives on Muslim culture. The project sought to familiarize public audiences with the people, places, history, faith and cultures of Muslims in the U.S. and around the world.

Programs included panel discussions, film screenings, research presentations and related lectures. In addition, several campus and community members participated in a five-part book discussion moderated by project scholars.

Program sponsors: Eastern Illinois University, Booth Library, American Library Association, National Endowment …

Joel Kotkin: The New Class Conflict Study Guide, 2014, Steven Alan Samson

Faculty Publications and Presentations

No abstract provided.

Erik Von Kuehnelt-Leddihn: The Intelligent American's Guide To Europe (1979) Study Guide, 2002-2014, Steven Alan Samson

Faculty Publications and Presentations

No abstract provided.

Negotiating North America’S New National Borders, Benjamin Heber Johnson

History: Faculty Publications and Other Works

Covering two hundred years, this groundbreaking book brings together essays on borderlands by leading experts in the modern history of the Americas, Europe, Africa, Asia and Australia to offer the first historical study of borderlands with a global reach.

Chasing The Writer, Joyce Wexler

English: Faculty Publications and Other Works

"Why does the writing make us chase the writer?" Julian Barnes asks in Flaubert's Parrot. In the past, the answer was easy-we studied the writer to understand the writing. But Barnes suggests that now we study the writing to understand the writer. Barnes's interest in the writer marks a new direction in fiction and criticism.

Environmental Considerations Of Small-Scale Hydroelectric Power Plants In Himachal Pradesh, India, Darwin Werthessen

Undergraduate Review

The need for increased energy production in India is high priority and hydroelectric power has been identified as having the greatest potential for achieving energy independence. The Indian government has continually created more streamlined methods for efficient implementation of hydroelectric facilities with an emphasis on small-scale (<25 MW) and micro (<5 MW) facilities in the more remote regions. Himachal Pradesh has effectively achieved one hundred percent electrification due to these initiatives and realized some of the most successful development in the nation with respect to rural electrification and improved infrastructure such as roads, schools, and hospitals. Hydroelectricity, and especially that produced through run of the river type systems, is generally embraced as a renewable source of energy by many established standards. Small scale run of the river facilities are also heralded for the minimal impact to the environment. However, with increased development and construction in continually industrializing areas, measurable human impacts have increased felt within the environment and ecosystems. Several studies and papers published by the Indian government, as well as the state government of Himachal Pradesh, identify these impacts as low to nonexistent. In contrast, a growing number of studies refute this claim and deserve consideration. There is a diversity of opinion on this subject. Some secondary sources indicate minimal to non-existent environmental impacts stemming from projects less than 25 MW, considered as Small Hydro Power (SHP); while other sources express significant concern. Interviews with government officials and researchers in the Indian states of Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand as well as in the capital city of Delhi revealed a wide range of views. This paper presents observations and argues for greater exploration of these issues through future research.

2014 Program, Belmont University

Humanities Symposium Programs

No abstract provided.

Bringing Resilience To Wildlife Management And Biodiversity Protection, Melinda Harm Benson, Matthew E. Hopton

United States Environmental Protection Agency: Publications

Biological diversity can be considered both temporally (Le., evolutionary time) and/or spatially and reflects the number, variety, and variability of organisms. It includes diversity within species (Le., genetic and morphological), between species (Le., alpha and beta), and among ecosystems (Le., beta and gamma). Over the past few hundred years, human activities have increased species extinction rates by as much as 1,000 times above the background rates that were typical over Earth's history (Figure 2.1) (Millennium Ecosystem Assessment 2005; but see He and Hubbell 2011). In the United States, there are approximately 1,900 species listed as threatened or endangered, with potentially …

Interpreting The Paleozoogeography And Sea Level History Of Thermally Anomalous Marine Terrace Faunas: A Case Study From The Last Interglacial Complex Of San Clemente Island, California, Daniel R. Muhs, Lindsey T. Groves, R. Randall Schumann

United States Geological Survey: Publications

Marine invertebrate faunas with mixtures of extralimital southern and extralimital northern faunal elements, called thermally anomalous faunas, have been recognized for more than a century in the Quaternary marine terrace record of the Pacific Coast of North America. Although many mechanisms have been proposed to explain this phenomenon, no single explanation seems to be applicable to all localities where thermally anomalous faunas have been observed. Here, we describe one such thermally anomalous fossil fauna that was studied on the second emergent marine terrace at Eel Point on San Clemente Island. The Eel Point terrace complex is a composite feature, consisting …

Identifying Sources Of Aeolian Mineral Dust: Present And Past, Daniel R. Muhs, Joseph M. Prospero, Matthew C. Baddock, Thomas E. Gill

United States Geological Survey: Publications

Aeolian mineral dust is an important component of the Earth’s environmental systems, playing roles in the planetary radiation balance, as a source of fertilizer for biota in both terrestrial and marine realms and as an archive for understanding atmospheric circulation and paleoclimate in the geologic past. Crucial to understanding all of these roles of dust is the identification of dust sources. Here we review the methods used to identify dust sources active at present and in the past. Contemporary dust sources, produced by both glaciogenic and non-glaciogenic processes, can be readily identified by the use of Earth-orbiting satellites. These data …

Scaling Coastal Dune Elevation Changes Across Storm-Impact Regimes, Joeseph Long, Anouk T.M De Bakker, Nathaniel G. Plant

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

Extreme storms drive change in coastal areas, including destruction of dune systems that protect coastal populations. Data from four extreme storms impacting four geomorphically diverse barrier islands are used to quantify dune elevation change. This change is compared to storm characteristics to identify variability in dune response, improve understanding of morphological interactions, and provide estimates of scaling parameters applicable for future prediction. Locations where total water levels did not exceed the dune crest experienced elevation change of less than 10%. Regions where wave-induced water levels exceeded the dune crest exhibited a positive linear relationship between the height of water over …

Scale Criticality In Estimating Ecosystem Carbon Dynamics, Shuqing Zhao, Shuguang Liu

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

Scaling is central to ecology and Earth system sciences. However, the importance of scale (i.e. resolution and extent) for understanding carbon dynamics across scales is poorly understood and quantified. We simulated carbon dynamics under a wide range of combinations of resolution (nine spatial resolutions of 250 m, 500 m, 1 km, 2 km, 5 km, 10 km, 20 km, 50 km, and 100 km) and extent (57 geospatial extents ranging from 108 to 1 247 034 km²) in the southeastern United States to explore the existence of scale dependence of the simulated regional carbon balance. Results clearly show …

Identifying Priority Conservation Areas For The American Burying Beetle, Nicrophorus Americanus (Coleoptera: Silphidae), A Habitat Generalist, Jessica D. Jurzenski, Christopher F. Jorgensen, Andy Bishop, Roger Grosse, John Riens, W. Wyatt Hoback

United States Fish and Wildlife Service: Publications

Conservation efforts leading to the recovery of the federally endangered American burying beetle (ABB), Nicrophorus americanus Olivier, have been challenging because of the unknown causes of its decline, difficulty in establishing habitat requirements, and unclear population distribution across the species’ range. Extant populations of this widespread generalist species occur in broadly separated regions of North America with varying habitat characteristics. A habitat suitability model for ABB in the Nebraska Sandhills was developed over the course of 3 years resulting in a final cross-validated spatial model. The succession of models from 2009 to 2011 indicated that most of the predictive variables …

Identifying Legal, Ecological And Governance Obstacles, And Opportunities For Adapting To Climate Change, Barbara Cosens, Lance Gunderson, Craig R. Allen, Melinda Harm Benson

Nebraska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit: Staff Publications

Current governance of regional scale water management systems in the United States has not placed them on a path toward sustainability, as conflict and gridlock characterize the social arena and ecosystem services continue to erode. Changing climate may continue this trajectory, but it also provides a catalyst for renewal of ecosystems and a window of opportunity for change in institutions. Resilience provides a bridging concept that predicts that change in ecological and social systems is often dramatic, abrupt, and surprising. Adapting to the uncertainty of climate driven change must be done in a manner perceived as legitimate by the participants …

Regulating Toxics: Sex And Gender In Canada's Chemicals Management Plan, Sarah Lewis, Dayna Nadine Scott

Osgoode Legal Studies Research Paper Series

Chemical substances are found everywhere in our environment. Whether it be at home, outdoors, or in the workplace, we are continuously coming into contact with various chemicals through our air, water, food, cosmetics, clothes, personal care products and everyday household items (Cooper, Vanderlinden, and Ursitti 2011; Program on Reproductive Health and the Environment 2008). As our detection methods improve, we are increasingly forced to confront the evidence of these exposures: biomonitoring studies now show that nearly everyone has measurable amounts of almost all known toxic chemicals stored somewhere in their bodies (CDC 2013; Environmental Defence 2009; Statistics Canada 2012). At …

Households, Terese Desimio

University Libraries' Staff Publications

New to this chapter in the Eighth Edition are e-resources that can be offered as alternatives to print resources. While the e-resources may not be as comprehensive as the print resources, they can provide some good information in the event that access to print resources is not possible. All of the print resources listed are appropriate for a basic library reference collection or circulating collection and most are appropriate for home libraries. From cocktails to cockatiels, this chapter supports a wide variety of reader interests.

Annual Patterns And Budget Of Co2 Flux In An Arctic Tussock Tundra Ecosystem, Walter C. Oechel, Cheryl A. Laskowski, George Burba, Beniamino Gioli, Aram A. M. Kalhori

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

The functioning of Arctic ecosystems is not only critically affected by climate change, but it also has the potential for major positive feedback on climate. There is, however, relatively little information on the role, patterns, and vulnerabilities of CO₂ fluxes during the nonsummer seasons in Arctic ecosystems. Presented here is a year-round study of CO₂ fluxes in an Alaskan Arctic tussock tundra ecosystem, and key environmental controls on these fluxes. Important controls on fluxes vary by season. This paper also presents a new empirical quantification of seasons in the Arctic based on net radiation. The fluxes were computed …

City Magazine Editors And The Evolving Urban Information Environment, Susan Currie Sivek

Faculty Publications

The urban information environment in which city magazines operate is changing dramatically, with the decline of local newspapers and the growth of user-generated local content. City magazine editors are re-envisioning their purpose as local information providers. This study provides a qualitative analysis of in-depth interviews with senior editors at 15 award-winning city magazines. The editors’ responses speak to the changing role of their publications today; the function of new technologies in informing local communities; and the public service that local journalism organizations offer in a constrained economic situation.