Digital Commons Network^™

Just Preservation, Adrian Treves, Francisco J. Santiago-Ávila, William S. Lynn

Animal Sentience

We are failing to protect the biosphere. Novel views of conservation, preservation, and sustainability are surfacing in the wake of consensus about our failures to prevent extinction or slow climate change. We argue that the interests and well-being of non-humans, youth, and future generations of both human and non-human beings (futurity) have too long been ignored in consensus-based, anthropocentric conservation. Consensus-based stakeholder-driven processes disadvantage those absent or without a voice and allow current adult humans and narrow, exploitative interests to dominate decisions about the use of nature over its preservation for futurity of all life. We propose that authentically non-anthropocentric …

The Intrinsic Value Of Nature, Joanna E. Lambert

Animal Sentience

Treves et al. explain the need to preserve the rights of nonhuman species, human youth, and future generations. Although conservation biology has claimed to have an intrinsic valuation ethic since its inception in the 1980s, many aspects of the field have taken a decidedly anthropocentric and instrumentalist trajectory. This has important consequences for conservation-related policy and practice at all scales: local, regional, and global.

Mobilizing Heads And Hearts For Wildlife Conservation, Valérie A. M. Schoof, Simon L'Allier

Animal Sentience

Highlighting the shared evolutionary relationships between humans and animals — and recognizing that all species, including humans, are unique in their own way — may facilitate caring for and conserving animals by tapping into a human emotion: empathy.

Microbial Synthesis And Characterization Of Silver Nanoparticles Using Alternaria Alternata, Sarafadeen O. Kareem, Oluwagbenga T. Familola, Adejare R. Oloyede, Enock O. Dare

Applied Environmental Research

In this study, extracellular biosynthesis of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) was carried out using Alternaria alternata. AgNPs were synthesized using vegetative and cell-free filtrate methods. Silver nitrate (AgNO3) solution was reduced with fungal mycelial mass and cell-free filtrate at a ratio of 1:4 (v/v). Further, the effects of biosynthesis parameters (reaction time, reaction temperature, light and dark incubation, and static and agitated conditions) were determined. The structural integrity of the synthesized AgNPs was investigated through UV-visible spectrophotometry, X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis, and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Parameter optimization revealed that cell-free filtrate AgNP synthesis at 40 °C with constant agitation and …

Assessment Of Hearing Loss Among Workers In A Power Plant In Thailand, Pensri Watchalayann, Laksana Laokiat

Applied Environmental Research

Noise exposure in the working environment is a major cause of hearing impairment for workers; an audiogram hearing threshold level above 20 dB is considered irregular. In this study, audiometric data were analyzed with the objective of assessing hearing loss among power plant workers based on their age, noise exposure level, years of working, and work characteristics. A cross-sectional study was conducted to assess hearing level data for 672 workers reserved by the Health Care Unit of the power plant. The most recent audiometric data presented during 2013-2015 were used in the statistical analysis at 5 % level of significance. …

Synthesis Of Calcium Oxide From River Snail Shell As A Catalyst In Production Of Biodiesel, Sasiprapha Kaewdang, Rotjapun Nirunsin

Applied Environmental Research

This research studied synthesis of calcium oxide from river snail shells by calcination at 700,800 and 900 °C for 4 h, and its subsequent use as a catalyst for biodiesel production. The calciumoxide fraction in calcined river snail shell was analyzed by X-ray fluorescence (XRF), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The XRF result showed calciumoxide levels of 59.499 %, 70.113 % and 73.88 1%, respectively, at corresponding calcination temperatures of 700, 800 and 900 °C. The SEMimages revealed porous, rough, and fragile surfaces which became agglomerated at elevated temperatures. The calcium oxide obtained from each calcination temperature …

Reduction Of Ghg Emissions Using Zeolite 4a Under Different Fertilizer Usages In Rice Cultivation, Patthanant Natpinit, Borisut Chantrawongphaisal, Rewadee Anuwattana, Thitirat Ditkaew, Chotika Kongsomboon, Phavit Thapnui, Phongsak Hongcharoensri

Applied Environmental Research

This investigation examined the potential of zeolite 4A to reduce emission of greenhouse gases (GHGs) in rice cultivation under different fertilizer regimes. A completely randomized design was used with four treatments (different fertilizer application method) and 2 blocks (zeolite 4A application, using rice variety RD-41 sown at a seed rate of 15.625 g m-2, and harvested in 105 d in Lam Ta Khong Research Station, Nakhon Ratchasima. The experimental results demonstrated that significant reduction in GHG emissions in zeolite 4A treated plots, either alone or in combination with chemical fertilizers, with GHG reduction of 43.27 % and 34.69 %, respectively. …

The Pursuit Of Compassionate Hope: Repurposing The University Through The Sustainable Development Agenda, A Morgan, P Warwick, W Miller

Plymouth Institute of Education

No abstract provided.

High Resolution Spatial Variability In Spring Snowmelt For An Arctic Shrub-Tundra Watershed, Branden J. Walker, Philip Marsh Dr

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Arctic tundra environments are characterized by spatially heterogeneous end-of-winter snow cover because of high winds that erode, transport and deposit snow over the winter. This spatially variable end-of-winter snow cover subsequently influences the spatial and temporal variability of snowmelt and results in a patchy snowcover over the melt period. Documenting changes in both snow cover area (SCA) and snow water equivalent (SWE) during the spring melt is essential for understanding hydrological systems, but the lack of high-resolution SCA and SWE datasets that accurately capture micro-scale changes are not commonly available, and do not exist for the Canadian Arctic. This study …

The Geography Of Crime: Placing Geographers In The Space Of Criminologists, Anthony Wv Piscitelli

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The Geography of Crime consists of five articles. The first article, Exploring opportunities for geographers to explain the spatial distribution of crime, serves as a key conceptual link between each of the other four articles. This paper provides a broad introduction to the dissertation showing what gaps in the crime literature exist, especially those ripe for analysis by geographers. Three primary directions emerged as a focus of this dissertation: overarching theoretical contributions, specialized geographic quantitative techniques, and qualitative approaches centred on the concept of place.

The second article, Connecting social disorganization theory to broken windows and routine activities proposes …

Toward Using High-Frequency Coastal Radars For Calibration Of S-Ais Based Ocean Vessel Tracking Models, Ben Freidrich

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Most of the world relies on ships for transportation, shipping, and tourism. Automatic Identification System messages are transmitted from ships and provide a wealth of positional data on these open ocean vessels. This data is being utilized to determine the optimal path for ships, as well as predicting where a ship may be going in the near future. It has only been in the past decade that Automatic Identification Systems (AIS) signals have been easily received with satellites (S-AIS) so there have been few studies that look at using available information and pairing it with the new abundance of ship …

Using Paleolimnology To Establish Baseline Conditions For Metal Contaminants In Advance Of Proposed Mining To Inform A Northern Community-Led Aquatic Monitoring Program, Tłı̨Chǫ Lands, Northwest Territories, Canada., James Telford

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The Marian Watershed Stewardship Program (MWSP), a community-driven aquatic ecosystem monitoring program, was developed by the Tłı̨chǫ Government to address concerns regarding the cumulative impacts of multiple potential stressors. In particular, the MWSP aims to develop methods that will be effective for detecting potential pollution from the proposed cobalt-gold-copper-bismuth NICO mine within Tłı̨chǫ Lands. In collaboration with the MWSP, paleolimnological methods and geochemical normalization are used to establish pre-mine baselines of lake sediment metals concentrations in the Marian River watershed prior to mine development. This baseline framework can be used to assess for pollution from surficial sediment once the mine …

Spatial Big Data Analytics: The New Boundaries Of Retail Location Decision-Making, Joseph M. Aversa

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This dissertation examines the current state and evolution of retail location decision-making (RLDM) in Canada. The major objectives are: (i) To explore the type and scale of location decisions that retail firms are currently undertaking; (ii) To identify the availability and use of technology and Spatial Big Data (SBD) within the decision-making process; (iii) To identify the awareness, availability, use, adoption and development of SBD; and, (iv) To assess the implications of SBD in RLDM. These objectives were investigated by using a three stage multi-method research process. First, an online survey of retail location decision makers across a range of …

Understanding Motor Vehicle-Based Travel: Examining The Experiences Of Yukon Tourists, Natalia Wegrzyn

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

In the past several decades, scholarly research has simultaneously expanded in three research areas: northern tourism, drive tourism and the tourist experience. This study used an exploratory approach to understand the relationship between those three areas through a case study of the Yukon. Lead by four guiding questions 1) what are motor vehicle-based tourists’ expectations of Yukon? 2) how do Yukon tourists’ expectations influence their motor vehicle travel? 3) how does the motor vehicle influence tourists’ experience in the Yukon? and 4) how is Yukon reflected in the narratives of motor vehicle-based tourists? a mixed methods approach was used to …

Biogeochemical And Hydrological Impacts Of A Low-Severity Wildfire In The Wetland-Dominated Zone Of Discontinuous Permafrost, Caren J. Ackley

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Northern regions are experiencing rapid climate warming. As these regions warm, the occurrences of naturally ignited wildfires are increasing in frequency, severity and area burned, calling for a more thorough understanding of post-fire eco-hydrological impacts. Changes in runoff chemistry, and soil moisture and thermal regimes, have been attributed to the significant loss of organic matter (OM) and exposure of deeper soils, leading to enhanced permafrost degradation, ground surface subsidence and the conversion of peat landscapes from long-term C sinks to sources. However, low-severity wildfires often result in minor OM loss. Due to the significant and immediate threats posed to the …

Border Disorder: 'Irregular Bangladeshis', Xenophobia And Crimmigration Control In India, Sujata Ramachandran

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

In India, the crisis of migration tied to the entry, presence and assimilation of the so-called ‘irregular’, ‘illegal Bangladeshi migrants’ is now an undisputed reality, seemingly affecting all geographical areas located within the national territories in multiple adverse ways. A decidedly strident xenophobic rhetoric attaches the presence of such migrants in an indiscriminate fashion to unending anxieties and urgent problems, whilst constantly drawing attention to the inefficacies of immigration enforcement and deficiencies of (interior and exterior) borders controls. This dissertation addresses key moments in the making and deepening of this national crisis and its management by state authorities over the …

Expression Of Alternative Oxidase In The Copepod T. Californicus When Exposed To Environmental Stressors, Carly Tward

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

In addition to the typical electron transport system in animal mitochondria responsible for oxidative phosphorylation, some species possess an alternative oxidase (AOX) pathway, which causes electrons to bypass proton pumping complexes. Although AOX appears to be energetically wasteful, studies have revealed its wide taxonomic distribution, and indicate it plays a role in environmental stress tolerance. AOX discovery in animals is recent, and further research into its expression, regulation, and physiological role has been impeded by the lack of an experimental model organism. DNA database searches using bioinformatics revealed an AOX sequence present in the arthropod Tigriopus californicus. Multiple sequence …

Policy, Plans And Processes For Developing And Improving The Use Of Hazard Maps In Climate Change Adaptation For Yukon Communities, Stephanie Pike

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Climate change has quickly become one of the most commonly discussed topics in northern Canada. Communities located in Canada’s north are facing impacts to every aspect of life. Hazard mapping is one of the tools used to predict risk from climate change impacts and thus assist communities in adaptation planning. The Northern Climate ExChange in Yukon has developed hazard maps for seven communities across Yukon. While hazard maps are a useful tool, in order for them to reach their maximum potential, users need to be well educated and trained to use them. Capacity and communication are arguably the most significant …

Use Of Pre-Industrial Baselines To Assess Sources And Pathways Of Metals In Surface Sediment Of Floodplain Lakes In The Peace-Athabasca Delta (Alberta, Canada), Tanner Owca

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The effects of natural resources exploitation in northern Canada on downstream aquatic ecosystems is a concern. Assessing these effects requires comprehensive monitoring practices to better inform stakeholders and environmental stewardship decisions. Here, a monitoring approach is developed and applied to assess metals concentrations in lake surface sediments of the Peace-Athabasca Delta (PAD), northern Alberta, Canada. Since the ecological integrity of the PAD is strongly tied to river floodwaters that are critical for replenishing the delta, and the PAD is located downstream of the Alberta oil sands, concerns have been raised over the potential transport of metal contaminants to the PAD …

Development And Application Of Hydrological And Limnological Monitoring In Lake-Rich Landscapes Of Canada’S Subarctic National Parks, Hilary Emma White

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Arctic and subarctic environments are being adversely influenced by human-caused climate change across our entire planet. Canada’s northern freshwater ecosystems are influenced by a variety of environmental stressors and are particularly sensitive to climate change, since small shifts in climate have the potential to substantially alter their hydrological, limnological, and biogeochemical conditions. Some other indirect effects on northern freshwater landscapes are the expansion of vegetation as well as changes in wildlife and waterfowl populations and distribution. It is, therefore, critical to understand the observed and predicted influences of climate change and other environmental stressors on these northern freshwater environments dominant …

The Social Construction Of A Disaster Typology To Enhance Operational Emergency Planning For K-8 Public Schools In Southern Ontario, Patricia Martel

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This dissertation outlines the development of a disaster typology that could be used as a tool for developing operational emergency plans for K-8 public schools with the potential to be applied more generally to other facilities that host vulnerable groups. The theoretical framework used to inform this study is the theory of the social construction of disasters. This theory conceptualizes disasters as being the result of the interaction between social factors, such as risk perception and vulnerability, and the hazards.The author of this dissertation is an emergency management practitioner and brought a perspective informed by both theory and practice of …

Connectedness To Nature And Pro-Environmental Behaviour From Early Adolescence To Adulthood: A Comparison Of Urban And Rural Canada, Daniel Anderson

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Previous research has demonstrated that emotional connectedness to nature (ECN) is one of the strongest predictors of pro-environmental behaviour (PEB). This study investigated the influence of age, gender and living context on ECN and PEB in two Canadian samples.

Study participants completed an environmental survey, which assessed demographic data as well as their levels of ECN and PEB. Project I, which contained 1251 participants, investigated what group factors (age, urban vs. rural living context, male vs. female) contributed to ECN and PEB, as well as whether ECN mediated the relationship between age and PEB. Project II, which contained 84 adolescents, …

The Legitimation & Networked Unification Of #Nodapl: Diverse Discourses Of Value Validate A Collective Identity, Jacqueline Marie Ouellette

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

NoDAPL was, first and foremost, an Indigenous-led resistance against the construction of a pipeline in North Dakota. It was also a movement that built solidarity, bridging networks between international Indigenous peoples, Black Lives Matter activists, veterans, and feminists. This discourse analysis of social media and digital texts addresses the networked publics, collective identities, social capital, and intersectionality in applying Van Leeuwen’s (2007) understanding of legitimation. In doing so, the practice of reproducing and extending the values, themes, and images of various algorithmic imaginaries will be explored, as they relate to network homophily, identity construction, and mobilization. This study will argue …

Does Perceived Ecological Integrity Affect Restorative Health Outcomes? An Examination Of Visitor Experiences In Diverse Environments In An Ontario Protected Area, Catherine E. Reining

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The human health and well-being benefits associated with nature contact is well established. Parks and other forms of protected areas contribute significantly to these benefits by providing access to nature. However, limited research has been done on how different environments within protected areas (e.g., forests, coasts, areas being restored) and the perceived quality (i.e., ecological integrity) of these environments affect the health and well-being outcomes of visitors. This study builds on previous work to better understand how visitor experiences provided by diverse natural and built environments in Pinery Provincial Park affect perceived restorative outcomes as one aspect of health and …

Maple Syrup And Climate Change In Ontario: Assessing Transdisciplinary Research Across Multiple, Related Projects, Kendra Serbinski

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The aim of this research was to critically evaluate the transdisciplinary process being utilized on the SSHRC and related research projects being led by Dr. Brenda Murphy. The approach was two-fold: first, a document analysis was performed using secondary data, and second, a questionnaire was conducted based on six themes that emerged from the literature. These themes were: Degree of Collaboration, The Value of Working Together over Time, Mutual Learning, Integration of Team Members, Complexity of the Problem Being Investigated and Bridging the Research-Societal Gap. Based on findings in the literature and responses to the questionnaire the themes were assessed …

Pestel Analysis With Neutrosophic Cognitive Maps To Determine The Factors That Affect Rural Sustainability. Case Study Of The South-Eastern Plain Of The Province Of Pinar Del Río, C. Barrionuevo De La Rosa, B. Cárdenas Bolaños, H. Cárdenas Echeverría, R. Cabezas Padilla

Neutrosophic Sets and Systems

No abstract provided.

Projected Sea Level Rise And The Conservation Ecology Of The Micronesian Megapode (Megapodius Laperouse Senex) In Palau, Micronesia, Paul M. Radley

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Climate change has been a subject of numerous studies. While findings suggest that most biological taxa will be affected by its manifestations, aspects of a species life history may increase its susceptibility to climate change. Given their reliance on environmental sources of heat to incubate their eggs, I examined the vulnerability to climate change of the avian family Megapodiidae. I also assessed habitat use, susceptibility to sea level rise, and the effect of introduced rats and tourist presence, as added stressors to climate change, on the Micronesian Megapode (Megapodius

laperouse senex) in Palau.

Based on available literature, I …

The Use Of Ict By Science Teachers In Middle Secondary Science Education In The Himalayan Kingdom Of Bhutan, Sampa Tshewang

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This research investigated Bhutanese middle secondary science teachers’ ICT knowledge, skills, perceptions and attitudes, patterns of ICT use, and associated factors linked to effective ICT implementation in their classrooms. The study was based on the hypothesis that the use of ICT in secondary science education in Bhutan was affected by the teachers’ attitudes and perceptions towards the use of ICT; their knowledge and skills related to ICT; their TPACK and the barriers associated with effective implementation of ICT.

The research was primarily an exploratory study accommodating a post-positivist approach employing mixed design of both quantitative and qualitative approaches. A questionnaire …

Simulating Rewetting Events In Intermittent Rivers And Ephemeral Streams: A Global Analysis Of Leached Nutrients And Organic Matter, Oleksandra Shumilova, Dominik Zak, Thibault Datry, Daniel Von Schiller, Roland Corti, Arnaud Foulquier, Biel Obrador, Klement Tockner, Daniel C. Allan, Florian Altermatt, María Isabel Arce, Shai Arnon, Damien Banas, Andy Banegas‐Medina, Erin Beller, Melanie L. Blanchette, Juan F. Blanco‐Libreros, Joanna Blessing, Iola Gonçalves Boëchat, Kate Boersma, Michael T. Bogan, Núria Bonada, Nick R. Bond, Kate Brintrup, Andreas Bruder, Ryan Burrows, Tommaso Cancellario, Stephanie M. Carlson, Sophie Cauvy‐Fraunié, Núria Cid, Michael Danger, Bianca De Freitas Terra, Anna Maria De Girolamo, Ruben Del Campo, Fiona Dyer, Arturo Elosegi, Emile Faye, Catherine Febria, Ricardo Figueroa, Brian Four, Mark O. Gessner, Pierre Gnohossou, Rosa Gómez Cerezo, Lluís Gomez‐Gener, Manuel A.S. Graça, Simone Guareschi, Björn Gücker, Jason L. Hwan, Skhumbuzo Kubheka, Simone Daniela Langhans, Catherine Leigh, Chelsea J. Little, Stefan Lorenz, Jonathan Marshall, Angus Mcintosh, Clara Mendoza‐Lera, Elisabeth Irmgard Meyer, Marko Miliša, Musa C. Mlambo, Marcos Moleón, Peter Negus, Dev Niyogi, Athina Papatheodoulou, Isabel Pardo, Petr Paril, Vladimir Pešić, Pablo Rodriguez‐Lozano, Robert J. Rolls, Maria Mar Sanchez‐Montoya, Ana Savić, Alisha Steward, Rachel Stubbington, Amina Taleb, Ross Vander Vorste, Nathan Waltham, Annamaria Zoppini, Christiane Zarfl

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Climate change and human pressures are changing the global distribution and the extent of intermittent rivers and ephemeral streams (IRES), which comprise half of the global river network area. IRES are characterized by periods of flow cessation, during which channel substrates accumulate and undergo physico‐chemical changes (preconditioning), and periods of flow resumption, when these substrates are rewetted and release pulses of dissolved nutrients and organic matter (OM). However, there are no estimates of the amounts and quality of leached substances, nor is there information on the underlying environmental constraints operating at the global scale. We experimentally simulated, under standard laboratory …

Addressing The Environmental, Community And Health Impacts Of Resource Development: Challenges Across Scales, Sectors And Sites, Margot W. Parkes, Sandra Allison, Henry G. Harder, Dawn Hoogeveen, Diana Kutzner, Melissa Aalhus, Evan Adams, Lindsay Beck, Ben Brisbois, Chris G. Buse, Annika Chiasson, Donald C. Cole, Shayna Dolan, Anne Fauré, Raina Fumerton, Maya K. Gislason, Louisa Hadley, Lars K. Hallström, Pierre Horwitz, Raissa Marks, Kaileah Mckellar, Helen Moewaka Barnes, Barbara Oke, Linda Pillsworth, Jamie Reschny, Dionne Sanderson, Sarah Skinner, Krista Stelkia, Craig Stephen

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Work that addresses the cumulative impacts of resource extraction on environment, community, and health is necessarily large in scope. This paper presents experiences from initiating research at this intersection and explores implications for the ambitious, integrative agenda of planetary health. The purpose is to outline origins, design features, and preliminary insights from our intersectoral and international project, based in Canada and titled the “Environment, Community, Health Observatory” (ECHO) Network. With a clear emphasis on rural, remote, and Indigenous communities, environments, and health, the ECHO Network is designed to answer the question: How can an Environment, Community, Health Observatory Network support …