Digital Commons Network^™

Forecasting Construction Material Prices Using Macroeconomic Indicators Of Trading Partners, Ahmed Shiha, Islam H. El-Adaway

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Supply chain instabilities and inflated material prices have had a disruptive impact on cost estimating of construction projects. While several research efforts used national macroeconomic indicators to forecast the prices of domestically produced construction materials, none of the existing studies investigated whether the lagged macroeconomic indicators of the main trading partners could enhance the predictability of the prices of cement, steel, and lumber in the US construction sector. This paper fills this knowledge gap. The authors adopted a multi-step methodology that included: (1) collecting data on the target variables and the candidate leading indicators; (2) identifying the structural breaks in …

Overview And Impact Of Young Feminist Organizing In Mexico: Rapid Evidence Assessment, Esperanza Basurto-Alcalde, Natalia E. Tenorio Tovar, Paulina Márquez González, Anel Julieta Bobadilla Negrete, Sonia Cruz Del Águila, Ricardo Regules-García

Adolescents and Young People

In Mexico, young feminists and youth-led feminist movements are already leading the way and pursuing radical approaches to addressing social injustice, such as gender-based violence (GBV), lack of sexual and reproductive health care, and gender discrimination. Although young feminist organizations (YFOs) in Mexico are showing an increasing ability to advocate for and effect change, there is limited systematized evidence on YFO strategies and impact. This Rapid Evidence Assessment (REA) provides an overview of the YFO landscape strategies, and impact on policy and social change in Mexico from 2010 to 2023. Young feminists were defined as those aged 15 to 30. …

Rapid Evidence Assessment On The Landscape And Impact Of Young Feminist Organizing In Kenya, Chantalle Okondo, Beth Kangwana, S. Ndolo, N. Maina, Jerry Okal

Adolescents and Young People

Globally, adolescent girls, young women, and youth-led initiatives have been a crucial part of feminist and social justice struggles. In Kenya, young feminist activists, young feminist organizing / organizations (YFO) have been historically rooted in grassroots movements and are now being positioned and brought into formal spaces to play a vital role in rejuvenating, strengthening, and sustaining feminist activism. There continue to be power dynamics, systematic barriers, and harmful policies that underestimate, lock out, or disregard young feminists. This Rapid Evidence Assessment aims to provide an overview of the YFO landscape, strategies, impact on policy and social change, and challenges …

The Psychometric Properties Of The Swahili Version Of The Primary Care Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Screen For Dsm-5 Among Adults In Kenya, Patrick Nzivo Mwangala, Joseph Newton Guni, Paul Mwangi, Millicent Makandi, Anita Kerubo, Rachel Odhiambo, Amina Abubakar

Institute for Educational Development, East Africa

Background: The psychometric properties of the Primary Care PTSD Screen for DSM-5 (PC-PTSD-5) are undocumented in Kenya and sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) at large. This study aimed to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Swahili version of the tool, S-PC-PTSD-5, in a community sample of adults 18 years and older drawn from Nairobi, Mombasa and Kwale counties in Kenya.

Methods: Analysis of cross-sectional data from 1431 adults from the community was conducted, examining the reliability, factorial structure, measurement invariance, and convergent and divergent validity of the interviewer-administered S-PC-PTSD-5.

Results: Out of 1431 adults who completed the S-PC-PTSD-5, 666 (46.5%) reported experiencing …

Disappearing Immigrant Shadows: A New Analytical Framework And Typology For Second-Generation Chinese American Ethnic Engagement, Annie Wang

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This capstone challenges the predominant narrative that upwardly mobile, second-generation individuals prefer to socially distance themselves from working-class, first-generation co-ethnics, a concept referred to here as ethnic distancing. It argues that this narrative fails to capture the second generation’s affinity and capacity for ethnic engagement, which includes desired and actual participation in ethnic-based activities ranging from casual consumption to more meaningful volunteerism, activism, and community building with co-ethnics of diverse socioeconomic backgrounds. Drawing on 32 interviews with second-generation Chinese Americans aged 18-35, I argue that we can better understand ethnic engagement in New York City’s Manhattan Chinatown by …

Understanding Climate Change Adaptation And Gentrification Through The Framework Of Uneven Coastal Development In Keansburg, New Jersey, Zachary Paganini

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This study examines the rapid acceleration of coastal development in the United States despite projections of climate change-induced sea level rise. Like no other developed country, the U.S. has transformed its fragile coastline into sites for leisure, consumption, and retirement. These spaces now face the prospect of more frequent and severe storms, as well as land loss and inundation, due to climate change. This dilemma has sparked debates around coastal resilience, adaptation, retreat, and climate gentrification.

While many studies seek to measure perceptions of climate change risk and vulnerability, this dissertation reverses the question by positioning risk perceptions as an …

Opening Up The In-House: A Model For Collaborative Holistic Services And Education In Law School Clinical Programs, Melina Healey

Scholarly Works

Individual in-house clinics too commonly operate autonomously behind separate walls. These barriers impair the meaningful holistic representation of clients and the educational opportunities of clinic students. This article provides an argument and framework for opening the doors between clinics to enrich clinic student education and enhance client representation. Part I identifies the benefits of holistic inter-clinic collaboration for both clinic students and the clients they serve. Part II shares a model for how to integrate education and client service across practice areas of clinical programs. A forthcoming article, published separately, will further describe how clinical programs can be improved by …

Cover And Forewords, Steven M. Schnell

The Geographical Bulletin

Cover and Forewords

Using Willingness-To-Pay Surveys When Assessing Dam Removal: A New Hampshire Case Study, Jo Beth Mullens, Veronica Wanstreet

The Geographical Bulletin

As dams in the United States age and become obsolete and river restoration emerges as a new priority, dam removals have increased . Feasibility studies serve to detail the costs and benefits of such proposed dam removals; however, most do not consider intangibles such as the benefits derived from reconnecting seasonal fish habitat or improving the biological diversity within a river . In this research, a willingness-to-pay survey was used to assign a monetary value to intangible goods associated with the proposed removal of an historic dam on the Ashuelot River in southwestern New Hampshire . Within the town where …

Commentary: The Precarious Position Of Teaching As A Graduate Student, Candice R. Luebbering, Korine N. Kolivras

The Geographical Bulletin

Although elementary and secondary education teachers often undertake years of schooling and practice before taking charge of the classroom, graduate students can be called upon as instructors shortly after their f irst arrival to campus . With little time to review or develop course elements, graduate students are thrown headfirst into dealing with the dramatic daily role reversal of being both a student and a professor . This article, in contrast to formal pedagogy papers, provides a narrative by a graduate student intended for fellow graduate students about to assume the title of instructor . It is an informal collection …

Volume 51-2 Complete Issue, Steven M. Schnell

The Geographical Bulletin

Volume 51-2 Complete Issue

Photosystem Stress Of Understory Balsam Fir (Abies Balsamea) In Ontario, Canada As Measured By Chlorophyll Fluorescence, Shannon R. Mccarragher, David Goldblums

The Geographical Bulletin

The goal of this research was to assess the health and physiological stress of understory balsam fir (Abies balsamea) seedlings and saplings within Lake Superior Provincial Park (LSPP) in Ontario, Canada to provide an indication of the degree to which they are affected by ambient light levels . The photochemical efficiency of balsam fir photosystem II was tested by measuring fluorescence . Seedlings and saplings within four sites were sampled and measured for their daily photochemical efficiencies . It was hypothesized that the sampled balsam fir would display little, if any, light stress because balsam fir is relatively shade tolerant …

A New Technique For Predicting The Sky-View Factor For Urban Heat Island Assessment, Richard R. Shaker, Taly Dawn Drezner

The Geographical Bulletin

The urban heat island (UHI) has been documented in large and small urban areas worldwide . Many metrics have been created to model the UHI . Among these, sky-view factor (SVF) has been accepted as a robust survey technique for capturing the urban geometry associated with longwave radiation storage and thus the urban heat island . SVF assessment has improved both in collecting and processing, but has limitations for modeling the UHI, as its accuracy is limited to areas of high urban density and geometry commonly found in the arrangement of human built landscapes . This paper develops a simple, …

Cover And Forewords, Steven M. Schnell

The Geographical Bulletin

Cover and Forewords

Interview: Douglas Deur, Steven M. Schnell

The Geographical Bulletin

Doug Deur is currently a consultant and research faculty member, working with groups of native peoples on issues relating to tribal land and resource use, cultural significance of landscapes, and sense of place . Trained in cultural geography and anthropology at the University of Oregon, Simon Fraser University, and Louisiana State University, he currently dwells in the mist-shrouded forests of the Oregon coast

Volume 51-1 Complete Issue, Steven M. Schnell

The Geographical Bulletin

Volume 51-1 Complete Issue

Geolinguistics: The Incorporation Of Geographic Information Systems And Science, Shawn Hoch, James J. Hayes

The Geographical Bulletin

Modern geographic information systems (GIS) and its incorporated spatial analysis tools allow sophisticated and efficient analysis of spatial data by researchers in many fields . Although the field of linguistics has long been of interest to geographers and spatial variation of language to linguists, researchers have made little use of the power of GIS and GIScience theory to address hypotheses regarding spatial variation of language and correlated physical and social variables . Discussion of modern GIS tools for spatial analysis, quantitative analysis, and cartography in geolinguistics has been largely absent from the literature . Linguists have applied GIS technology in …

Long-Term Change Around Skytrain Stations In Vancouver, Canada: A Demographic Shift-Share Analysis, Nicole M. Foth

The Geographical Bulletin

This study examines the long-term demographic implications of the SkyTrain, a lightrail rapid transit system, on surrounding neighbourhoods in Vancouver, Canada . Using demographic Census data from 1981 and 2006, shift-share analysis shows the residents’ characteristics change over time . Results demonstrate that SkyTrain neighbourhoods near stations have become physically denser, wealthier and more educated compared to Vancouver as a whole . From these results, the article explores the contextual reasons why denser development occurred around the SkyTrain stations and the effect on residential demographics in the area

Tropical Deforestation In The Ecuadorian Chocó: Logging Practices And Socio-Spatial Relationships, Santiago López, Rodrigo Sierra, Milton Tirado

The Geographical Bulletin

This article examines the implications of forest management on biodiversity at a local level and the relationships between deforestation and its geographic and demographic contexts at a regional level in the Ecuadorian Chocó region . We evaluated the implications of logging practices on biodiversity through the comparison of two 5-ha vegetation quadrats in two areas with and without forest management . Results of the local evaluation showed that the managed forest had higher tree density, larger basal area, and more commercial tree species per hectare than the unmanaged area . Yet, forest gaps were notably large in both research sites …

A Note From The Editor, Casey D. Allen

The Geographical Bulletin

A Note from the Editor

Cover And Forewords, Casey D. Allen

The Geographical Bulletin

Cover and Forewords

Volume 59-2 Complete Issue, Casey D. Allen

The Geographical Bulletin

Volume 59-2 Complete Issue

Predicting Gypsy Moth Population Size In Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park Using A Satellite Disturbance Index, Jonathan B. Thayn, Courtney M. Ballard, Emily L. Eichholzer, Michael J. Genard, Jordan A. Hawks, John P. Richard

The Geographical Bulletin

The pattern of gypsy moth defoliation in the Apostle Islands suggests that moths arrived first to the most isolated islands, not those that are nearest the mainland or the most visited by tourists. Gypsy moths are primarily wind-dispersed, so at least some of the moths may have been blown across Lake Superior. The Porcupine Mountains, about 55 km away, are a potential source for these moths. We used a satellite image-based disturbance index to map the extent of defoliation in and around Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park. Using these data and moth trap data provided by the Slow the Spread …

Analyzing Tornadic Frequency And Regional Climate Change Relationships In Kansas, 1950-2016, Michael S. Molloy, Bimal K. Paul

The Geographical Bulletin

Due to climate change, severe thunderstorms with the potential to produce tornados are expected to be less frequent and more intense over the next several decades. The goal of this research is to determine whether regional climate change is occurring and inf luencing the frequency of tornadic activity occurring in Kansas. Using decadal averages of temperature and precipitation along with decadal tornado totals, we conducted multiple regression analyses to determine if there is a relationship between tornados, precipitation, and temperature from CE 1950 to 2016. We found that four out of seven decades were above the 30-year average of 12.1 …

Relationship Of Flood Peaks To 24-Hour Rainfall In The Eastern Texas Hill Country, South-Central Texas, Richard A. Earl, Jeanett Bosarge, Heather Wooten, Sarita Hedgepeth, Joel Sherrouse

The Geographical Bulletin

The eastern Texas Hill Country is noted for its extreme storm rainfall amounts and the resulting flood discharges. The resulting flash f loods contribute to Texas leading the U.S. in automobile-related, flood fatalities. These f loods produce considerable groundwater recharge to the Edwards Aquifer. A better knowledge of relations between precipitation and peak flood discharges can improve f lood hazard warning and provide estimates of groundwater recharge from ungauged ephemeral streams. The purpose of this study was to analyze the relationship between 24-hour precipitation amounts and peak discharge for four ephemeral streams, with drainage areas between 0.3 to 18.8 mi.2 …

Heat Reduction Capabilities Of Urban Tree Species, Renee Baker

The Geographical Bulletin

Cities are predicted to house 61% of the world’s population within the next 30 years and their ecological footprints extend much farther than the extent of developed land. In addition, they trap 15-30% more radiation than their rural counterparts, making air temperatures 0.6 - 1.3° C warmer. Higher temperatures drive chemical reactions and increases the energy expended in buildings for cooling. In this study, the thermal effects of tree species in Santa Barbara, California were observed using data from the Airborne Visible Infrared Imaging Spectrometer-Next Generation (AVIRIS-NG) satellite on June 3, 2014, and MASTER data from June 4, 2014. A …

Review Of Emily Sun’S On The Horizon Of World Literature, Jing Yang

CLCWeb: Comparative Literature and Culture

No abstract provided.

Chinese Ideas And American Politics: Confucius As A Guideline For Leadership, Alfred Hornung

CLCWeb: Comparative Literature and Culture

In his article "Chinese Ideas and American Politics: Confucius as a Guideline for Leadership", Alfred Hornung traces the influence of Chinese ideas on American politics with a focus on the works of Confucius. The more than 2.500-year-old impact of the Chinese philosopher on public conduct and his pursuit of virtuous perfection has served as a guideline for leadership emanating from China to Europe and America. For this trajectory of ideas, the historic and the new Silk Road play a decisive role. The exchange of goods along the land-based and maritime routes, which inform Xi Jinping's Belt and Road Initiative, also …

Enhancing Community Flood Resilience By Incorporating Landscape Hydrological Sensitivity And Connectivity, Wenlong Feng

Dissertations

Rapid urban expansion and dramatic climate change have significantly increased the intensity and frequency of floods worldwide. With rising flood risks, conventional flood defense strategies that rely on structural measures become ineffective. The present designations for flood-prone areas, such as FEMA's flood maps, are becoming unreliable. Flood risk management is shifting toward enhancing community flood resilience, highlighting the importance of non-structural approaches. Landscape resilience has become a foundation of community flood resilience. However, past urban development typically undermined natural hydro-ecological functions and landscape resilience because of poor recognition of landscapes' ecological role, hydrological sensitivity, and hydrological connections. This study aims …

Data Driven Decision Making For Sustainable Planning And Operations Of Large Scale Networks, Bahareh Kargar

Dissertations

This dissertation explores data-driven decision-making networks, focusing on sustainable planning and operations for large-scale systems such as healthcare supply chains and power systems. One significant application in healthcare is the optimization of vaccine supply chains. An agent-based simulation-optimization modeling framework is developed to enhance the efficiency and sustainability of vaccine distribution. First, an agent-based epidemiological model of COVID-19 is extended to capture disease transmission dynamics and forecast the number of susceptible individuals and infections. Then, a sustainable vaccine supply chain considering the impacts of greenhouse gases is developed and integrated with the simulation model to minimize total costs and environmental …