Digital Commons Network^™

Speech Function In Persons With Parkinson's Disease: Effects Of Environment, Task And Treatment, Carrie E. Rountrey

Dissertations, 2014-2019

Parkinson’s Disease (PD) is a degenerative neurological disease affecting aspects of movement, including speech. Persons with PD are reported to have better speech functioning in the clinical setting than in the home setting, but this has not been quantified. New methodologies in ambulatory measures of speech are emerging that allow investigation of non-clinical settings.

The following questions are addressed: Is speech different between environments in PD and in healthy controls? Can clinical tasks predict speech behaviors in the home? Is treatment proven effective by measures in the home? What can we glean from methods of measurement of speech function in …

Efficacy According To Viewing Length And Video Content Of Promotional Videos For Sustainability Graduate Education., Bryan T. Ogden

Masters Theses, 2010-2019

Sustainability communication opens up a range of perspectives on the definition and theory associated with concepts of sustainability and communication. An overview of the literature dealing with sustainability communication and its measure is presented with a dialogic perspective in mind. Practical matters of the video length, production methods and design are described. The Project is evaluated with the sustainability testing rubric advanced by Polk, Reilly, Servaes, Shi and Yakupitijage. The study compares three videos of different length and environmental images through an online survey. It is hypothesized that related environmental images and a three minute video will prompt more positive …

Ecologies Of The Moving Image: Cinema, Affect, Nature By Adrian J Ivakhiv, Edie Steiner

The Goose

Review of Adrian J. Ivankhiv's Ecologies of the Moving Image: Cinema, Affect, Nature.

High Clear Bell Of Morning By Ann Eriksson, Lauri Chose

The Goose

Review of Ann Eriksson's High Clear Bell of Morning.

Environmental And Health Disparities In Appalachian Ohio: Perceptions And Realities, Michele Morrone, Natalie A. Kruse, Amy E. Chadwick

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Background. Appalachia is a region of the United States that faces significant environmental and health disparities. Understanding these disparities and the social determinants that contribute to them will help public health practitioners make better decisions. The purpose of this research is two-fold. First, through secondary data analysis, we document environmental and health disparities as well as demographic and economic conditions that may contribute to these disparities between Appalachian and non-Appalachian Ohio. Second, we examine perceptions of environmental health practitioners about the differences in environmental conditions between Appalachian and non-Appalachian Ohio.

Methods. We gathered secondary data about economics, health, and the …

Sybil Unrest By Larissa Lai And Rita Wong, Emily Mcgiffin

The Goose

Review of Sybil Unrest by Larissa Lai and Rita Wong.

Anthropogenic Impacts As Revealed From Sediment Cores From Punderson Lake Ohio, Ronald A. Van Blarcum

ETD Archive

Sediment core archives provide a history of data useful for serving as a long-term monitoring reserve to evaluate chronological events of contamination to lake systems. This could be an effective tool for continual environmental management, monitoring and potential restoration efforts. This method is also very cost-effective without the addition of a water quality monitoring station on site. Taking 3 sediment cores from Punderson Lake Ohio for analysis has allowed associating variations in select metals to anthropogenic events or activities we can determine a time frame with limited uncertainty and resolve the intensity of anthropogenic contamination to the lake starting with …

The Written Collapse: A Comparative Evaluation Of The Terminal Classic Maya Collapse, Mariama Jones

Theses & ETDs

This thesis examines collapse theories of the Terminal Classic southern Maya lowland polities in the 8th and 9th centuries, with specific emphasis on Copán and Tikal. This body of work seeks to catalogue Maya collapse theories, thoroughly analyze two Maya polities and finally analyze both states through comparative study, taking special interest in the environmental and political aspects of their collapses. I have analyzed the many causes of the collapse and I have specifically examined the similarities in the collapses of Tikal and Copán, in an attempt to explain the timelines of their collapses. While there has been dissension on …

The Nature Of Disconnect: Wilderness In The Face Of Climate Change, Sarah Capdeville

Undergraduate Theses, Professional Papers, and Capstone Artifacts

In the midst of a congressional address on the topic of conservation and restoration, President Lyndon B. Johnson stated, “This generation has altered the composition of the atmosphere on a global scale through . . . a steady increase in carbon dioxide from the burning of fossil fuels.” It was 1965. One year prior, Congress had passed the Wilderness Act of 1964, defining wilderness as “an area where the earth and its community of life are untrammeled by man, where man himself is a visitor who does not remain.” When the founders of the Wilderness Act wrote these words, they …

Linking Environmental Restoration And Stewardship In Colorado: Learning From The Rocky Mountain Conservancy, Jordan Carper

Undergraduate Theses, Professional Papers, and Capstone Artifacts

The Rocky Mountain Conservancy (RMC) is a well-known nonprofit organization supporting restoration and environmental stewardship and leadership in Rocky Mountain National Park. The RMC promotes stewardship of Rocky Mountain National Park and similar lands through education and philanthropy. Since 1931, the RMC (previously Rocky Mountain Nature Association) has been producing educational publications, offering seminars, supporting research, and providing aid and philanthropic support to Rocky Mountain National Park and their other public lands partners. The RMC has also established a unique Conservation Corps in which college students work side-by-side with park and forest service teams in Rocky Mountain National Park and …

The State Of Sachets: Ghana’S Private Sector Solution To A Public Infrastructure Problem, Robert J. Little

Pitzer Senior Theses

Known colloquially as “purewater”, sachet water has outcompeted all alternatives to Ghana’s unreliable government water infrastructure and serves as the cheap, portable, omnipresent solution for narrowing the safe water access gap. Each single-use sachet holds 500 ml of filtered potable water and is heat-sealed in a high-density polyethylene bag. Insufficient and often skeptical scholarship exists surrounding the state of sachet water in Ghana, and almost no research incorporates qualitative data into analysis and future recommendations. In the face of incomplete and decontextualized research on sachet water, this study aims to use qualitative data concerning Ghanaian viewpoints to showcase the …

The Effect Of Corruption On Carbon Dioxide Emissions In The Mena Region, Hoda Hassaballa

Economics

Corruption has always been accused of having adverse effects on growth. This is because it decreases productivity, leads to accumulation of additional costs and discourages investment. Recently, high concerns are raised about the impact of corruption on the environment. Corruption plays a substantial role in increasing pollution emissions level. In spite of this, empirical investigation of such an issue is still incomplete. For that, this research work represents a step forward in understanding the relationship between corruption and the environment in general and in filling the gap present in the literature in analyzing this relationship in the Middle East and …

Problems And Prospects Of Grassland Development: Policy Issues, S. Ray Smith

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

There are a range of government and non-government policies that affect grassland development around the world. The objective of this paper is to provide examples of successful policies which have been instrumental in the preservation and maintenance of grasslands and to highlight policies which have resulted in negative consequences. This paper will not attempt to provide a complete overview of policies, but instead will provide examples from representative countries. Policies which affect grasslands can be classified into two broad categories: government policies that cover comprehensive landscape issues like the Grassland Household Contract System (GHCS) in China or the Federal Land …

Dispersal: A Multidisciplinary Investigation Of Plant Life, Alexandra E. Arzt

Theses and Dissertations

Using plants as a basis for exploring the interstices between the human and nonhuman, this thesis investigates ideas of awareness, intelligence, deep time, animism, and the fluctuating human perception of the agency of Nature. It outlines environmental art practices since the 1950s involving vegetal life. In addition, the paper provides a critical analysis of plant perception of Jakob von Uexküll’s work and theories of vital materialism and “critical plant studies” while noting recent studies in plant neurobiology. In my work, plants become active participants via their movement, seeding, and smell. This study takes the form of imitation, purposeful symbiosis, anthropomorphism, …

Neo-Homesteading In The Adirondack North Country: Crafting A Durable Landscape, Brett R. Mcleod

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

This study uses action research as a tool to present an alternative model for reconstructing and promoting a resilient and durable rural landscape in the Adirondack-North Country of northern New York State. Standing in sharp contrast to traditional rural sustainability strategies that repeatedly focus on economic development or capital infusion as the sole means of revitalization, this research suggests a nested, bottom-up approach that capitalizes on the region’s diverse and burgeoning population of neo-homesteaders. This dissertation argues that, collectively, neo-homesteaders serve as an important catalyst in the construction of durable communities, and the promotion of working landscapes at the bioregional …

Using Sustainable Development As A Competitive Strategy, Pat Spearman

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Sustainable development reduces construction waste by 43%, generating 50% cost savings. Residential construction executives lacking adequate knowledge regarding the benefits of sustainable development practices are at a competitive disadvantage. Drawing from the diffusion of innovation theory, the purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore knowledge acquisition within the bounds of sustainable residential construction. The purposive sample size of 11 executive decision makers fulfilled the sample size requirements and enabled the extraction of meaningful data. Participants were members of the National Home Builders Association and had experience of a minimum of 5 years in residential construction. The research question …

Conceptualizing Climate Justice In Kivalina, Marissa Knodel

Seattle University Law Review

Due to climate change, indigenous communities in Alaska are forced to develop in ways that adversely affect their livelihoods and culture. For example, decreases in sea ice, increases in the frequency of sea storms, and melting permafrost have so accelerated the erosion of one barrier island that an entire village faces relocation. These indigenous communities, which have contributed little to causing climate change, are limited in their ability to adapt. After examining three broad questions about the effects of climate change on indigenous communities, this Article reaches four preliminary conclusion about relocation as a climate adaptation strategy and its relations …

The Perfect Pitch: Car Commercials In The Environment, Alyssa P. Beyer, Sara Moyer

Student Publications

Car commercials, like many advertisements, tempt its viewers with comfort, capability, or safety features, as well as being well‐engineered, affordable, attractive, large or compact sized, or fuel efficient. This study examines the pitches in YouTube car commercial video clips from the 1960s until 2014. We coded a total of 263 total car commercials based on pitch, setting, narrator, decade, and country of origin. The analysis revealed that most car commercials were presented in rural settings and capability was pitched most frequently overall. Fuel efficiency was ranked third overall; however, within urban settings, fuel efficiency had the highest frequency. During the …

Teaching Environmental Education To Native American And Alaska Native Students: A Case Study In Interdisciplinary Teaching In Higher Education, Nichlas Emmons, Travis Hardin

Journal of Indigenous Research

Teaching Indigenous students environmental education through an interdisciplinary learning approach takes advantage of a more holistic perspective that these students share. Students enrolled in three different Native American and Indigenous Studies courses were asked to contribute to a class capstone project. The three projects consisted of a land acquisition and management proposal with the Miami Nation of Indiana, a proposal for a forest management plan for the Keeweenaw Bay Indian Community, and environmental histories of the Miami, Potawatomi, and Shawnee in Indiana. The development of these service and community projects in natural resource management and environmental studies promoted an interdisciplinary …

Human Dependence On Nature: How To Help Solve The Environmental Crisis By Haydn Washington, Lorelei Hanson

The Goose

Review of Human Dependence on Nature: How to Help Solve the Environmental Crisis by Haydn Washington.

The Natural, Jeff Clark

Colby Magazine

Just before Thanksgiving Day last November, Kent Wommack '77 got the classic good-news, bad-news, worse-news call. Wommack is head of The Nature Conservancy in Maine, and the caller was a timberland manager who had asked Wommack to back a client in acquiring prime acres of Maine forest on the upper St. John River, one of the most unspoiled waterways left in the United States. The good news was that the owner had agreed to sell the breathtaking chunk of land in the first place. The bad news was that the client was no longer interested in the deal. The worse …

Affluent Populations And Their Effect On Biological Diversity Through The Consumption Of Meat, Electronics, And Motor Vehicles, Melody Flores

Honors College Theses

The human has caused a far greater impact on the planet's biodiversity than any other species in existence, due to the impact of population, afflluence, and technology. This thesis will argue the importance of biological diversity and how affluent populations are reducing biodiversity through the consumption of meat, electronics, and motor vehicles. Aldo Leopold's "The Land Ethic" and Herman Daly's "The Impossibility Theorem", among others, create a rubric evaluating human activities and provide alternative views on economic impossibilities. Consumption is reviewed from an ecocentric perspective, a holistic outlook placing emphasis on the ecosystem. The reader will become cognizant of their …

Living Through The End Of Nature: The Future Of American Environmentalism By Paul Wapner, Taylor Kraayenbrink

The Goose

Review of Living Through The End of Nature: The Future of American Environmentalism by Paul Wapner.

Humanesis By David Cecchetto, Max Ritts

The Goose

Review of Humanesis by David Cecchetto.

The Power To Envision Change: Art As Environmental Activism, Sonja Raven Favaloro

Standard Theses

How do visual and narrative-based approaches to communicating environmental messages inspire action and further awareness? This thesis investigates three artists whose work tells environmental stories in various ways: activists from the Beehive Design Collective, photographer Chris Jordan, and activist/performer Marc Bamuthi Joseph. These artists produce challenging, engaging, emotionally vital art that allows urgent environmental messages to sink in to peoples’ minds and hearts in a different way than scientific information. At this time when our planet is in ever-increasing environmental danger and the need for action becomes ever greater, how we perceive our relation to the issues facing us will …

Waking The Watchdog: Needs, Opportunities, And Challenges Of Environmental Advocacy In Modern Bhutan, Hilary Oliva Faxon

HIMALAYA, the Journal of the Association for Nepal and Himalayan Studies

In a half-century, the Himalayan Kingdom of Bhutan has emerged from isolation to achieve international recognition as a model of alternative development.The small country’s Gross National Happiness philosophy emphasizes sustainable development, cultural preservation, environmental conservation, and good governance over the long-favored global metric of success: Gross Domestic Product. Bhutan’s historic environmental record has been strong, but modernization and the 2008 transition to democracy are changing the ecological and socio-political landscape, requiring the adaptation of conservation strategy. This paper draws on historic and policy analysis, ethnographic observation, and qualitative interviews with 20 of Bhutan’s key stakeholders to identify needs, opportunities, and …

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 …

The Structures And Practices Of Collaboration Among Environmental Organizations In Waterloo Region, Felix P. Munger

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Background: Studies investigating organizational collaboration report increased goal achievement in the case of collaboration but identify that developing effective collaborations is challenging. An increasing number of researchers and practitioners are applying emerging research tools such as social network analysis to study collaborations and many of those who have applied social network analysis suggest, anecdotally, that it is a useful process tool aimed at increasing understanding of collaboration and informed decision-making among collaborative members.

Aims: The main objectives are to: (1) Empirically study networking and collaboration among environmental organizations in Waterloo Region; (2) Contribute to theory and practice development by examining …

Tennessee Forestry Commission Fy 2013 Annual Report, Tennessee. Department Of Agriculture.

Forestry Commission Annual Report

No abstract provided.

Preface To The Special Issue Of Green Mining "Mineral Resources, Mining And Environmental Management In Asean", David A.C. Manning

Applied Environmental Research

This issue of Applied Environmental Research includes seven of the papers that were presented at a Regional Workshop on "Mineral Resources, Mining and Environmental Management in ASEAN", held in Bangkok from 6-8th June, 2013. The theme of the meeting concerned the approach to sustainable mining adopted by the different ASEAN nations that were able to attend, namely Thailand, Laos, Myanmar, Vietnam, and Indonesia, with additional papers from the UK and Germany. An important aspect of the meeting was to compare current practice in individual countries, and this is reflected in the content of the papers published here. Manning's paper on …