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Moving Beyond The "Old Boys' Club" In Environmental Organizations: Investigating The Behaviors, Attitudes And Perspectives Of Men And Women, Kat Pardoe Jan 2018

Moving Beyond The "Old Boys' Club" In Environmental Organizations: Investigating The Behaviors, Attitudes And Perspectives Of Men And Women, Kat Pardoe

Honors Theses

This study interrogates the exclusionary culture of environmentalism with respect to gender, and in doing so, illuminates elements of function and dysfunction with respect to gender dynamics in environmental organizations. I utilize social science-based quantitative and qualitative methods as a foundation for my analysis. My research investigates the role of gender both at the micro level, with individuals, and the macro level, by evaluating the persistence of the “Old Boys’ Club” culture in environmental organizations. Thirteen people participated in interviews, and forty people responded to an online survey. Personal reflections gathered from the survey reveal gendered trends in environmental problem …

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Virunga: Guns, Gorillas, And The Construction Of Transnational Natures, Adriana Disilvestro Jan 2018

Virunga: Guns, Gorillas, And The Construction Of Transnational Natures, Adriana Disilvestro

Honors Theses

The recent western media attention surrounding Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo, has brought up significant scholarly questions about the discursive portrayal of “ideal” Natures. In this thesis, I undertake a discursive analysis of western media materials about Virunga National Park in order to understand how ideas of Nature are transnationally constructed. In order to do this, undertake an analysis of the western oriented discursive material associated with three socio-political processes within the park: green militarization, gorilla trekking, and the ecotourist industry. Ultimately, I conclude that the discursive material portrays a highly spectacularized and commodified “ideal” nature, …

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Climate And Crime: Examining The Relationship Between Extreme Weather Events And Crime Rates In The United States, Erin Tully Jan 2018

Climate And Crime: Examining The Relationship Between Extreme Weather Events And Crime Rates In The United States, Erin Tully

CMC Senior Theses

This study attempts to determine whether there is a relationship between extreme weather events and crime rates. Due to the increasing effects of climate change, it is critical we understand the societal effects of extreme weather. Here, a panel data fixed effects regression was used to analyze state and year level data. It was hypothesized that there would be a relationship between crime and extreme events, but the results did not show a statistically significant relationship. Further research with increased geographic and temporal controls is encouraged.

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Using Renewable Energy To Increase Tribal Sovereignty: A Feasibility Study For A Biomass Energy Plant On The Cocopah Reservation, Lauren Katrina D'Souza Jan 2018

Using Renewable Energy To Increase Tribal Sovereignty: A Feasibility Study For A Biomass Energy Plant On The Cocopah Reservation, Lauren Katrina D'Souza

CMC Senior Theses

Native American reservations in the United States are often located on mineral-rich lands, making them a target for fossil fuel development in already socioeconomically disadvantaged areas. As environmentally damaging as they are, coal and oil industries can bring invaluable jobs and money to isolated reservations, causing tribes to rely on fossil fuels for mere economic survival. In these instances of corporations or the federal government exploiting Native American labor and land, tribes lose the most fundamental principle of tribal governance: tribal sovereignty. Replacing fossil fuels and securing energy independence with a stable, renewable energy source is key to reclaiming that …

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Residential Solar In Washington State, Sam Pfeifer Jan 2018

Residential Solar In Washington State, Sam Pfeifer

All Master's Theses

Electricity generated through residential solar provides a low carbon source of electricity. However, diffusion of residential solar remains low across the United States. Growing this diffusion takes an understanding of localized uptake trends, which can focus policy and business efforts to help increase residential solar market penetration. This is the first research to investigate residential solar uptake in Washington State and to examine environmental education as a potential driver of residential solar uptake. Through a snapshot analysis which considers environmental, economic, education, and cultural variables the present research fills this gap. Triangulated results include mapping of variables, ordinary-least squares multiple …

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Analysis Of Land Use/Land Cover Change Impacts Upon Ecosystem Services In Montane Tropical Forest Of Rwanda: Forest Carbon Assessment And Redd+ Preparedness, Mcard Joseph Mlotha Jan 2018

Analysis Of Land Use/Land Cover Change Impacts Upon Ecosystem Services In Montane Tropical Forest Of Rwanda: Forest Carbon Assessment And Redd+ Preparedness, Mcard Joseph Mlotha

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

Changes in forest cover especially changes within tropical forests, affect global climate change, together with ecosystems and forest carbon. Forests play a key role in both carbon emission and carbon sequestration. Efforts to reduce emissions through reduced deforestation and degradation of forests have become a common discussion among scientists and politicians under the auspices of the United Nations Programme on Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (UN-REDD Programme). This dissertation research assessed the impacts of land use land cover change upon ecosystem services from a protected area focusing on forest carbon distribution and vegetation mapping using remote sensing and …

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The Ecosystem Services And Biodiversity Of Novel Ecosystems: A Literature Review, Cody Evers, Chloe Wardropper, Benjamin Branoff, Elise F. Granek, Shana Hirsch, Timothy E. Link, Sofia Olivero-Lora, Codie Wilson Jan 2018

The Ecosystem Services And Biodiversity Of Novel Ecosystems: A Literature Review, Cody Evers, Chloe Wardropper, Benjamin Branoff, Elise F. Granek, Shana Hirsch, Timothy E. Link, Sofia Olivero-Lora, Codie Wilson

Environmental Science and Management Faculty Publications and Presentations

Scientists, policy makers, and managers use ecosystem services and biodiversity metrics to inform management goals of novel ecosystems. Fragmented knowledge of the ecosystem services provided by novel ecosystems contributes to disagreement over these systems and how they should be managed. To address this gap, we conducted a systematic review of refereed articles to understand how novel ecosystems have changed ecosystem services and biodiversity. Despite anthropogenic drivers of change, we found that the literature on novel ecosystems is focused on ecological rather than social aspects of novel systems. Our review highlights the frequency that novel ecosystems enhance both ecosystem services and …

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2018-2019 Undergraduate Bulletin, Rochester Institute Of Technology Jan 2018

2018-2019 Undergraduate Bulletin, Rochester Institute Of Technology

RIT Digital Archives

No abstract provided.

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2018-2019 Graduate Bulletin, Rochester Institute Of Technology Jan 2018

2018-2019 Graduate Bulletin, Rochester Institute Of Technology

RIT Digital Archives

No abstract provided.

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Effects Of Scale And The Biophysical Environment On Sense Of Place In Northeastern Wisconsin's Bioregions, Francis R. Eanes, Janet M. Silbernagel, Patrick Robinson Jan 2018

Effects Of Scale And The Biophysical Environment On Sense Of Place In Northeastern Wisconsin's Bioregions, Francis R. Eanes, Janet M. Silbernagel, Patrick Robinson

All Faculty Scholarship

Understanding individuals’ and groups’ sense of place can provide insights into how people interact with and treat both natural and built environments, and inform understandings of proenvironmental behavior, place-protective action, management of regional amenities, participatory landscape planning, and environmental education initiatives. Notwithstanding these invaluable contributions, the empirical place scholarship has paid relatively little attention to several key dynamics, including the existence and implications of broad-scale sense of place, whether sense of place occurs in low- or mixed-amenity areas, and the biophysical (and bioregional) dimensions of sense of place. Accordingly, this empirical, phenomenological study investigates the scale at which sense of …

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Four Years Of Unmanned Aerial System Imagery Reveals Vegetation Change In A Sub-Arctic Mire Due To Permafrost Thaw, Jessica Delgreco Jan 2018

Four Years Of Unmanned Aerial System Imagery Reveals Vegetation Change In A Sub-Arctic Mire Due To Permafrost Thaw, Jessica Delgreco

Master's Theses and Capstones

Warming trends in sub-arctic regions have resulted in thawing of permafrost which in turn induces change in vegetation across peatlands both in areal extent and composition. Collapse of palsas (i.e. permafrost plateaus) has also been correlated with increases in methane (CH4) emission to the atmosphere. Vegetation change provides new microenvironments that promote CH4 production and emission, specifically through plant interactions and structure. By quantifying the changes in vegetation at the landscape scale, we will be able to scale the impact of thaw on CH4 emissions in these complex climate-sensitive northern ecosystems. We combine field-based measurements of vegetation composition and Unmanned …

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Economic Resilience In Great Britain: An Examination Of The Determinants Of The 2008 Crisis Impact On Gb's Local Authority Districts, Anastasios Kitsos Jan 2018

Economic Resilience In Great Britain: An Examination Of The Determinants Of The 2008 Crisis Impact On Gb's Local Authority Districts, Anastasios Kitsos

Other Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Business Theses

In 2008, a severe economic crisis hit economies around the world. Its effects included a significant loss of GDP and employment which led to several social ills associated with recessions. However, the crisis did not impact all places with the same severity. This thesis investigates the crisis impact across GB Local Authority Districts during 2008-2014 within a framework that utilises the concept of economic resilience. However, this concept does not have a universally accepted definition or methodology of investigation. Hence, the study adopts an operational definition, comparing the conditions in local labour markets before and after the start of the …

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Exploring Lifelong Influence Of Participating In The Junior Audubon Club During Childhood, Amy Weidensaul Jan 2018

Exploring Lifelong Influence Of Participating In The Junior Audubon Club During Childhood, Amy Weidensaul

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

There is limited research looking at the role that specific programs play in the formation of environmental identity, or lifelong influences of specific environmental programs. This study looks to address this gap by exploring the salient and memorable experiences of past Junior Audubon Club members who participated in the program as children, and how they describe the influences of the program on their environmental identities. Based on this study, there were specific components of the Junior Audubon Club that proved most influential and lasting for the participants, including active learning in nature, supportive adults who shared similar interest and passions, …

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Front Matter Jan 2018

Front Matter

The Synapse: Intercollegiate science magazine

No abstract provided.

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New Studies In Rio Grande Valley History, Milo Kearney, Anthony K. Knopp, Antonio Zavaleta, Thomas Daniel Knight Jan 2018

New Studies In Rio Grande Valley History, Milo Kearney, Anthony K. Knopp, Antonio Zavaleta, Thomas Daniel Knight

Studies in Rio Grande Valley Regional History Series

Spanglish, a poem / Mario Barrera -- Place identity formation in the Lower Rio Grande Valley: the identity of Brownsville / Elim Zavala -- The complexity of land custody in 19th century deep South Texas / Eugene Fernandez -- Not in Kansas anymore: selling midwesterners the 'Magic Valley' of South Texas / Craig H. Roell with Ruth May Euler Roell -- Alexander Headley, public servant or scoundrel? / Norman Rozeff -- Rebels at the Rio Grande: naval actions on the international border in 1863 / Walter E. Wilson -- Matamoros en la época de la constitución de 1917 / Rosaura …

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Gold Standard For Green Spiders: Proposals For Excellence In Sustainability At The University Of Richmond, Harleen Bal, Quinn Egner, Ganon Hingst, Ashley James, Mary Kate Jaromin, Caroline Jones, Maria Psarakis, Callie Rountree-Jablin, Peter D. Smallwood Jan 2018

Gold Standard For Green Spiders: Proposals For Excellence In Sustainability At The University Of Richmond, Harleen Bal, Quinn Egner, Ganon Hingst, Ashley James, Mary Kate Jaromin, Caroline Jones, Maria Psarakis, Callie Rountree-Jablin, Peter D. Smallwood

Environmental Studies Senior Seminar Projects

The University of Richmond should commit to achieving the Gold Standard rating by the AASHE Campus Sustainability Index by 2024. Gold Standard for Green Spiders includes eight proposals that taken together, will move UR up from our current silver rating to gold. This volume also includes short summaries of the sustainability programs of eight of the top ten most sustainable liberal arts colleges in the nation. The eight student authors of these chapters completed their works as part of the Environmental Studies Senior Seminar course, the capstone course for Environmental Studies majors.

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Models For High Dimensional Spatially Correlated Risks And Application To Thunderstorm Loss Data In Texas, Tobias Merk Jan 2018

Models For High Dimensional Spatially Correlated Risks And Application To Thunderstorm Loss Data In Texas, Tobias Merk

Masters Theses

"Insurance claims caused by natural disasters exhibit spatial dependence with the strength of dependence being based on factors such as physical distance and population density, to name a few. Accounting for spatial dependence is therefore of crucial importance when modeling these types of claims. In this work, we present an approach to assess spatially dependent insurance risks using a combination of linear regression and factor copula models. Specifically, in loss modeling, observed dependence patterns are highly nonlinear, thus copula-based models seem appropriate since they can handle both linear and nonlinear dependence. The factor copula approach for estimating the spatial dependence …

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Comparative Toxicology Of Nio And Ni(Oh)₂ Nanoparticles, Melissa Hope Cambre Jan 2018

Comparative Toxicology Of Nio And Ni(Oh)₂ Nanoparticles, Melissa Hope Cambre

Masters Theses

“Understanding the potential toxicity of nanoparticles (NPs) is important to ensure that these new products do not impose harmful effects to human and environmental health. Paper I is a literature review in which we discuss characteristics of nanomaterials, with an emphasis on transition metal oxide nanoparticles that influence cytotoxicity. Identification of those properties may lead to the design of more efficient and safer nanosized products for various industrial purposes and provide guidance for assessment of human and environmental health risk. We then investigate biochemical and molecular mechanisms of cytotoxicity that include oxidative stress-induced cellular events and alteration of the pathways …

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Can The Vaquita Be Saved From Extinction?, Gerardo Rodríguez-Quiroz, Wenceslao Valenzuela-Quiñonez, Héctor A. González-Ocampo, Alfredo Ortega-Rubio Jan 2018

Can The Vaquita Be Saved From Extinction?, Gerardo Rodríguez-Quiroz, Wenceslao Valenzuela-Quiñonez, Héctor A. González-Ocampo, Alfredo Ortega-Rubio

Human–Wildlife Interactions

The vaquita (Phocoena sinus) is considered the world’s most endangered marine mammal. It is the smallest member of the porpoise family endemic to the upper part of the Gulf of California. The current population is estimated at less than 30 individuals. The primary reasons for the species decline includes limited habitat and incidental mortalities associated with illegal gillnet fishing activities. Since 2008, the Mexican government has taken environmental and economic actions to protect the vaquita’s focusing in reducing by-catch deaths to zero. In 2015, a federal Agreement decreed by the Secretaría de Agricultura, Ganadería, Desarrollo Rural, Pesca y …

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American Black Bear Den-Site Selection And Characteristics In An Urban Environment, Toryn L. J. Schafer, Stewart W. Breck, Sharon Baruch-Mordo, David L. Lewis, Kenneth R. Wilson, Julie S. Mao, Thomas L. Day Jan 2018

American Black Bear Den-Site Selection And Characteristics In An Urban Environment, Toryn L. J. Schafer, Stewart W. Breck, Sharon Baruch-Mordo, David L. Lewis, Kenneth R. Wilson, Julie S. Mao, Thomas L. Day

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Selection of den sites is a crucial aspect of American black bear (Ursus americanus) life history. High-quality dens provide thermal insulation, protection from disturbance, suitable environment for parturition and cub development, and proximity to available forage upon emergence. Black bears are increasingly coexisting with people in human-dominated landscapes; however, little is known about whether urban environments influence characteristics of dens and den site selection. Our objective was to determine the effect of housing density (a proxy for human activity and availability of anthropogenic resources) on selection of den sites in years of good and poor natural forage.We additionally …

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Commencement Program (December 2018), Csusb Jan 2018

Commencement Program (December 2018), Csusb

CSUSB Commencement Programs

No abstract provided.

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Environmental Activism Of Teacher-Scholars In The Neoliberal University, Wendy Highby, Sarah T. Romano Jan 2018

Environmental Activism Of Teacher-Scholars In The Neoliberal University, Wendy Highby, Sarah T. Romano

University Libraries Publications

This article takes a case study approach to examine social justice-oriented environmental activism of faculty in the context of neoliberalism. As an evolving trend, university corporatization places new economic burdens on universities and their students and has contributed to a tenuous landscape for faculty in terms of academic freedom and job security. In particular, we examine a faculty-led response to hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, at the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley, Colorado. Drawing on participant observation, semi-structured interviews, and campus-wide survey data, we document this response as a “tempered grassroots leader-ship” approach to workplace inquiry and activism. We discuss …

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Environmental Impact Assessment Of Natural Radioactivity And Heavy Metals In Drinking Water Around Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant In Mersin Province, Gürsel Karahan, Hali̇m Taşkin, Nesli̇ Bi̇ngöldağ, Eni̇s Kapdan, Yusuf Zi̇ya Yilmaz Jan 2018

Environmental Impact Assessment Of Natural Radioactivity And Heavy Metals In Drinking Water Around Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant In Mersin Province, Gürsel Karahan, Hali̇m Taşkin, Nesli̇ Bi̇ngöldağ, Eni̇s Kapdan, Yusuf Zi̇ya Yilmaz

Turkish Journal of Chemistry

The aim of this study was to determine natural radioactive and heavy element concentrations in Mersin drinking water samples before the commissioning of the Akkuyu nuclear power plant and to collect data for possible environmental contaminations in the future. Drinking water samples were taken from the provincial center, districts, and populated villages. The annual effective dose of natural radionuclides and cancer risks were calculated for each person living in the city. Hazard index and cancer risk were calculated, which were caused by heavy elements. Mean gross alpha and beta radioactivity concentrations in drinking water were 0.059 Bq/L and 0.120 Bq/L, …

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2018 Alaska's Construction Spending Forecast, Linda Leask, Oliver Scott Goldsmith Jan 2018

2018 Alaska's Construction Spending Forecast, Linda Leask, Oliver Scott Goldsmith

ISER Reports

The total value of construction spending “on the street” in Alaska in 2018 will be $6.6 billion, up 4% from 2017.1, 2,3 The increase is due to a recovery in Petroleum sector spending which will grow 15% to $2.6 billion from its low of $2.2 billion last year. All other construction spending will be $4.0 billion, a decline of 2% from $4.1 billion last year. Private spending, excluding petroleum, will be about $1.5 billion, down 5% from $1.6 billion last year—while public spending will decline 1% to $2.5 billion. Wage and salary employment in construction will decline 3% to 14.5 …

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Managing Grazing Lands To Improve Soils And Promote Climate Change Adaptation And Mitigation: A Global Synthesis, Marcia Delonge, Andrea D. Basche Jan 2018

Managing Grazing Lands To Improve Soils And Promote Climate Change Adaptation And Mitigation: A Global Synthesis, Marcia Delonge, Andrea D. Basche

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

The potential to improve soils to help farmers and ranchers adapt to and mitigate climate change has generated significant enthusiasm. Within this discussion, grasslands have surfaced as being particularly important, due to their geographic range, their capacity to store substantial quantities of carbon relative to cultivated croplands and their potential role in mitigating droughts and floods. However, leveraging grasslands for climate change mitigation and adaptation will require a better understanding of how farmers and ranchers who rely on them for their livelihoods can improve management and related outcomes. To investigate opportunities for such improvements, we conducted a meta-analysis of field …

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Personal Space: Explorations Of Environment, Surroundings, And Sense Of Place, Maggie Smith Jan 2018

Personal Space: Explorations Of Environment, Surroundings, And Sense Of Place, Maggie Smith

Honors Theses

This thesis is a mixed collection of prose poetry and creative nonfiction focused on the author's relationship to her surroundings and environment. The poems and essays that make up this thesis are divided into three separate sections based on a shift in environment: childhood in Madison, MS, college in Oxford, MS, and travels outside of the state of Mississippi. While much of this thesis concerns natural environment and landscape in terms of its relationship to the author, the term environment also includes relationships with friends, family and lovers, abstract environments of educational institutions like Catholic school and public university, and …

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Max Neuhaus, R. Murray Schafer, And The Challenges Of Noise, Megan Elizabeth Murph Jan 2018

Max Neuhaus, R. Murray Schafer, And The Challenges Of Noise, Megan Elizabeth Murph

Theses and Dissertations--Music

In this dissertation, I analyzed Max Neuhaus’s (1939-2009) and R. Murray Schafer’s (b. 1932) commentary and work regarding noise, its control, and its relationship with the environment from the 1960 to the 1980s. Both Neuhaus and Schafer as well as those more directly involved with noise abatement research and policy were responding to the challenges and possibilities that noise posed in the latter twentieth century. In this project, I delved into these substantial links and argued that responding to and engaging with noise abatement policies was a key impetus to much of their work, which scholarship has yet to critically …

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A Global Investigation Of Cloud-Radiative Properties Through An Integrative Analysis Of Observations And Model Simulations, Erica Kay Dolinar Jan 2018

A Global Investigation Of Cloud-Radiative Properties Through An Integrative Analysis Of Observations And Model Simulations, Erica Kay Dolinar

Theses and Dissertations

The cloud and radiative properties simulated in an assortment of global climate models (GCMs) and reanalyses are examined to identify and assess systematic biases based upon comparisons with multiple satellites observations and retrievals. The global mean total column cloud fraction (CF) simulated by the 33-member multimodel mean is 7% and 17% lower than the results from passive (Moderate Resolution Infrared Spectroradiometer, MODIS) and active (CloudSat and Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observation, CALIPSO) satellite remote sensing platforms. The simulated cloud water path (CWP), which is used as a proxy for optical depth, on global average, has a negative bias …

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Fill-In-The-Blank-Emotion In Dogs? Evidence From Brain Imaging, Alexandra Horowitz, Becca Franks, Jeff Sebo Jan 2018

Fill-In-The-Blank-Emotion In Dogs? Evidence From Brain Imaging, Alexandra Horowitz, Becca Franks, Jeff Sebo

Animal Sentience

What is needed to make meaningful claims about an animal’s capacity for subjective experience? Cook et al. (2018) attempt to study jealousy in dogs by placing them in a particular context and then seeing whether they display a particular brain state. We argue that this approach to studying jealousy falls short for two related reasons. First, the relationship between jealousy and the selected context is unclear. Second, the relationship between jealousy and the selected brain state (indeed, any single brain state) is unclear. These and other issues seriously limit what this study can show. It is important not to see …

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Do As They Did: Peer Effects Explain Adoption Of Conservation Agriculture In Malawi, Andrew Reid Bell, Jennifer Zavaleta Cheek, Frazer Mataya, Patrick S. Ward Jan 2018

Do As They Did: Peer Effects Explain Adoption Of Conservation Agriculture In Malawi, Andrew Reid Bell, Jennifer Zavaleta Cheek, Frazer Mataya, Patrick S. Ward

Natural Resource Management Faculty Publications

Adoption of the trinity of practices known commonly today as conservation agriculture (CA)—maintaining soil cover, reducing tillage, and enhancing soil nitrogen through legumes—is a critical process to the management of erosion in rural landscapes, and maintenance of aquatic habitats and hydropower potential. However, the large literature on the benefits and risks of CA fails to find any universal determinants of adoption, with competing uses for crop residues, availability of labor, and access to physical inputs common constraints appearing in different contexts. We conduct a study in the specific context of Malawi, using ethnographic interviewing to draw out possible decision criteria …

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