Geography Commons^™

Lithium In Drinking Water And Suicide Mortality: Interplay With Lithium Prescriptions, Marco Helbich, Michael Leitner, Nestor D. Kapusta

Faculty Publications

Background: Little is known about the effects of lithium intake through drinking water on suicide. This intake originates either from natural rock and soil elution and/or accumulation of lithium-based pharmaceuticals in ground water. Aims: To examine the interplay between natural lithium in drinking water, prescribed lithium-based pharmaceuticals and suicide in Austria. Method: Spatial Bayesian regressions for males, females and pooled suicide mortality rates were estimated. Results: Although the expected inverse association between lithium levels in drinking water and suicide mortality was confirmed for males and for total suicide rates, the relationship for females was not significant. The models do not …

A New Hope? A Critical Assessment Of Gentrification And Hope In Memphis, Tennessee, Daniel Russell Gadeke

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Gentrification is the manifestation of the Social change within urban residential neighborhoods as a result of uneven development in cities. These gentrification processes are a contextually dependent phenomenon, which vary both spatially and temporally when compared betwixt cities. Since the 1990s, local and state governments have developed more creative discourses for the promotion of gentrification which have overshadowed the positive outcomes of gentrification. The adoption of neoliberal policies has attacked many forms of the Keynesian welfare-state, most notably federal public housing. The United States’ Department of Urban Housing and Development’s (HUD) initiative Homeownership Opportunities for People Everywhere (HOPE VI) emerged …

Solubility And Detectability Of Hydrocarbons On The Surface Of Titan, Sandeep Singh

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Titan’s thick atmosphere is enriched with organic compounds and its surface holds reservoirs of hydrocarbons. This makes Titan the only other candidate in our solar system (apart from Earth) to have stable liquid at the surface. The stability and characteristics of liquid and ices on the surface of Titan are of high importance in understanding its surface-atmosphere interactions. Titan’s hydrological cycle is similar to what we see on Earth, with the exception of methane (CH4) and ethane (C2H6) taking the place of water. The smoggy atmosphere veils the surface of Titan from the view of Cassini spacecraft, except at seven …

The International Surface Pressure Databank Version 2, Thomas A. Cram, Gilbert P. Compo, Xungang Yin, Robert J. Allan, Chesley Mccoll, Russell S. Vose, Jeffrey S. Whitaker, Nobuki Matsui, Linden Ashcroft, Renate Auchmann, Pierre Bessemoulin, Theo Brandsma, Philip Brohan, Manola Brunet, Joseph Comeaux, Richard Crouthamel, Byron E. Gleason, Pavel Y. Groisman, Hans Hersbach, Philip D. Jones, Trausti Jónsson, Sylvie Jourdain, Gail Kelly, Kenneth R. Knapp, Andries Kruger, Hisayuki Kubota, Gianluca Lentini, Andrew Lorrey, Neal Lott, Sandra J. Lubker, Jürg Luterbacher, Gareth J. Marshall, Maurizio Maugeri, Cary J. Mock, Et. Al.

Faculty Publications

The International Surface Pressure Databank (ISPD) is the world's largest collection of global surface and sea-level pressure observations. It was developed by extracting observations from established international archives, through international cooperation with data recovery facilitated by the Atmospheric Circulation Reconstructions over the Earth (ACRE) initiative, and directly by contributing universities, organizations, and countries. The dataset period is currently 1768–2012 and consists of three data components: observations from land stations, marine observing systems, and tropical cyclone best track pressure reports. Version 2 of the ISPD (ISPDv2) was created to be observational input for the Twentieth Century Reanalysis Project (20CR) and contains …

Pedestrian Exposure To Near-Roadway Pm2.5 In Mixed-Use Urban Corridors: A Case Study Of Omaha, Nebraska, Bradley Bereitschaft

Geography and Geology Faculty Publications

Compact, mixed-use, and pedestrian-oriented urban developments may offer numerous environmental and health benefits, yet they may also facilitate pedestrian exposure to air pollution within the near-roadway environment. This research examines ambient concentrations of fine particulate matter (PM_2.5) across six sites situated within central Omaha, Nebraska, a mid-sized metropolitan area located in the Midwest US. The sites ranged from a low-density, strip-mall development to moderate-density entertainment, commercial, and retail districts with varying degrees of horizontal and vertical mixed-use. Tracing approximately two kilometer routes along the sidewalk, factors affecting average and peak PM_2.5 concentrations at each site were identified …

Lidar And Machine Learning Estimation Of Hardwood Forest Biomass In Mountainous And Bottomland Environments, Bowei Xue

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Light detection and ranging (lidar) has been applied in various forest applications, such as to retrieve forest structural information, to build statistical models for identification of tree species, and to monitor forest growth. However, despite significant progress in these areas, the choice of regression approach and parameter tuning remains an ongoing critical question. This study focused on choosing the right spatial generalization level to transform lidar point clouds to 2D images which can be further processed by mature image processing and pattern recognition approaches. It also compared the prediction ability of popular machine learning algorithms applied to aboveground forest biomass …

Developing Utah Juniper Into A Useful Species For Dendrochronology, Calli Nielsen, Dr. Matthew F. Bekker

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Utah juniper is rarely used by dendrochronologists in tree-ring applications. In the global species database, Utah juniper has a score of 1, which means that it typically only crossdates within its own site, and is therefore not useful in tree-ring research. This mentored research project was conducted to demonstrate that it is a potentially very valuable species. Our preliminary research showed a very high correlation among other juniper sites in Utah, making us confident that if we moved forward, our further results would prove the usefulness of this species. In northern Utah, traditionally used species aren’t available because we are …

Missing Teeth: The Economic Impact Of Holes In The Urban Fabric, Andrew Van Leuven, Dr. Ryan Jensen

Journal of Undergraduate Research

One of the more widespread issues facing twenty-first century planners and policymakers is that of urban decline, especially in the midwest and northeastern United States.

Deer In Their Own Coats, Daniel Coleman

The Goose

Urban deer are requiring a renegotiation of settler-Six Nations relations in Hamilton, Ontario. In this article, Daniel Coleman attempts to get to know one doe group that share his neighbourhood in an effort to understand what their presence has to say about how Hamiltonians and members of the Hodinoso:ni Confederacy can honour the spirit of an eighteenth-century treaty in ways that enable us all to live with "the good mind" here at the Head of Lake Ontario in the twenty-first century.

Dialogical Interspecies Ethics: Ataraxia, Desire And Hope In The Post-Human World Of Anne Carson's Pastoral, Thomas Bristow Dr

The Goose

This review essay implicitly revisits human and non-human power relations within a critical animal studies context that understands the affective conjunction between the manipulation of our worlds (action, partly through knowledge) and degrees of involvement with these others that live in our worlds (comportment via emotions). I take Louise Westling’s new study as the platform for an analysis of two book-length poems, The Autobiography of Red (1998) and red doc> (2013), which centre on the life of a shepherd, Geryon. Rather than revisit classical pastoral, these texts extract power-relations that classical myth and pastoral spatialise. In so doing, I argue, …

The Foundation Of Cistercian Monasteries In France 1098-1789: An Historical Gis Evaluation, Jon Eric Klingenberg Rasmussen

Masters Theses

Historical geography focuses upon those relationships which have shaped the evolution of place and landscape over time. One fundamental approach used to achieve this objective is the set of theories associated with spatial diffusion. This includes the spatial and chronological paths, the periodicities and rates of spread, as well as the identification of areas of void or avoidance. An emerging trend in historical geography is the use of Geographic Information Systems (GIS). A GIS provides the researcher with the necessary tools to re-evaluate and challenge long-standing interpretations of any given event, historical or otherwise, as well as develop new insights …

Diffusion Of The Kroger Presence Through Expansion And Acquisition, Gary W. Clark

Undergraduate Research – Geography, Geology, and the Environment

Kroger Foods is the largest of second largest supermarket chain in 41 of 49 major markets. This essay will focus on the growth of a small grocery story to the supermarket giant it is today.

Les Rues Des Tableaux. Géographie Du Marché De L'Art Parisien (1815-1955), Léa Saint-Raymond, Félicie De Maupeou, Julien Cavero

Artl@s Bulletin

Continuation of a first socioeconomic analysis of the "art dealers" in Paris between 1815 and 1955 (Artl@s Bulletin 2, no. 2), this paper presents the results of a spatial study of the Parisian art market at that time. Departing from serial geographical data given by a homogeneous source, the Bottin du commerce, we mapped a 140 years spatial evolution of the "art dealers", using a geocoding system with composite locators. The article exposes the spatial dynamics of this market and studies them in a multi-scalar way, making the connection between the global evolution of the Parisian economy and …

A Research-Based Model For Digital Mapping And Art History: Notes From The Field, Paul B. Jaskot, Anne Kelly Knowles, Andrew Wasserman, Stephen Whiteman, Benjamin Zweig

Artl@s Bulletin

Most digital mapping in art history today divides the research process from the visualization aspects of the project. This problem became the focus of a summer institute that Paul Jaskot and Anne Kelly Knowles ran at Middlebury College with the support of the Samuel H. Kress Foundation. Our article both reports on the institute and suggests how research questions can complement digital mapping methods. We conclude with three case studies of spatial questions in art history and discuss the Fellows’ use of GIS to explore examples from Qing Dynasty China, medieval Gotland, and contemporary New York City.

Evaluation Of Three Modis-Derived Vegetation Index Time Series For Dryland Vegetation Dynamics Monitoring, Linlin Lu, Claudia Kuenzer, Cuizhen Wang, Huadong Guo, Qingting Li

Faculty Publications

Understanding the spatial and temporal dynamics of vegetation is essential in drylands. In this paper, we evaluated three vegetation indices, namely the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), the Soil-Adjusted Vegetation Index (SAVI) and the Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI), derived from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) Surface-Reflectance Product in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, China (XUAR), to assess index time series’ suitability for monitoring vegetation dynamics in a dryland environment. The mean annual VI and its variability were generated and analyzed from the three VI time series for the period 2001–2012 across XUAR. Two phenological metrics, start of the season …

Place Matters: New Social Indicators, Mimi Abramovitz, Jochen Albrecht

Publications and Research

No abstract provided.

Translations Of Climate Change: Perspectives From A Florida Suburb, Christopher Noel Metzger

Suburban Sustainability

A disconnect exists between the scientific knowledge of global climate change, arguably the most important issue of our time, and the publics’ interpretations and acceptance of that knowledge. Without broad-based public support for mitigation policies and adaption strategies, irreversible climate “tipping points” could be breached, according to some of the most prominent climate scientists, over the course of the next few decades. This study examines why the preponderance of scientific evidence surrounding climate change has not produced a sea change in public perceptions of the climate change problem consistent with the dire projections of climate science. This cognitive disjuncture is …

Analysing Chemical Attraction Of Gravid Anopheles Gambiae Sensu Stricto With Modified Bg-Sentinel Traps, Michael N. Okal, Manuela Herrera-Varela, Paul Ouma, Baldwyn Torto, Steven W. Lindsay, Jenny M. Lindh, Ulrike Fillinger

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

Background: Cues that guide gravid Anopheles gambiae sensu lato to oviposition sites can be manipulated to create new strategies for monitoring and controlling malaria vectors. However, progress towards identifying such cues is slow in part due to the lack of appropriate tools for investigating long-range attraction to putative oviposition substrates. This study aimed to develop a relatively easy-to-use bioassay system that can effectively analyse chemical attraction of gravid Anopheles gambiae sensu stricto. Methods: BG-Sentinel™ mosquito traps that use fans to dispense odourants were modified to contain aqueous substrates. Choice tests with two identical traps set in an 80 m2 screened …

Influence Of Changes In Political Barriers And Of Geographic Distance On Kinship Inferred From Surnames And Migration Data In Olivenza (Spain) And Surrounding Portuguese Areas, J. Román-Busto

Human Biology Open Access Pre-Prints

The existing relationship between human populations is a function of their migratory and genetic exchange which will be inversely proportional to the distance separating them. The effect of geographic distance on population structure may be estimated by means of isonymic methods which use information on the surnames present in a territory as an approximation to the distribution of allele frequencies. The objective of this study is to analyse whether the modification in 1801 of the political border in an area surrounding the town of Olivenza, which experienced a change of sovereignty from Portugal to Spain, has had noticeable influence on …

Book Review: Warning Signs Of Genocide: An Anthropological Perspective, Christopher Powell Ph.D.

Genocide Studies and Prevention: An International Journal

No abstract provided.

Spatial Patterns Of Drought Persistence In Xinjiang (A.R), China, Guzhaliayi Sataer

Masters Theses

Droughts have become one of the crucial hazards affecting Xinjiang, Northwest China, the biggest agricultural province and an important area for the grazing husbandry industry in China. Investigations about droughts in Xinjiang have been conducted from various perspectives by previous researchers. However, there are very few studies that focus on drought persistence and seasonal drought frequency. These issues are particularly important as they influence water resource management and forecasting, crop yields, agricultural development and energy consumption. Seasonal drought persistence describes how well drought conditions persist from one season to next season and is expressed as probability of persistence. In this …

Structural Controls On The Distribution Of Groundwater In Southern Sinai, Egypt: Constraints From Geophysical And Remote Sensing Observations, Lamees Mohamed

Dissertations

An integrated (Very Low Frequency [VLF] electromagnetic, magnetic, remote sensing, field, and Geographic Information System [GIS]) study was conducted over the basement complex in Southern Sinai (Feiran watershed) for a better understanding of the structural controls on the groundwater flow. The increase in satellite-based radar backscattering values following a large precipitation event (date: 17, 18 Jan 2010; amount: 34 mm) was used to identify water-bearing features, here interpreted as preferred pathways for surface water infiltration. Findings include: (1) The distribution of the water bearing features (conductive features) correspond to that of fractures, faults, shear zones, dike swarms, and wadi networks; …

Evaluation Of Web Gis Functionality In Academic Libraries, Ningning Kong, Tao Zhang, Ilana Stonebraker

Libraries Faculty and Staff Scholarship and Research

The rise of web-based GIS resources has expanded the scale and scope of spatial information seeking in most, if not all, academic libraries. Even without formal GIS training, users can search for spatial information, create customized maps, as well as perform simple spatial analysis. However, few systematic evaluations have been conducted to summarize common web GIS functionalities as GIS moving from traditional desktop applications to the web. In this study, we evaluated and assessed the major functionalities of web GIS applications and their potential value for information discovery and access, using six most popular applications in the academic libraries. In …

Estimating Sediment And Nutrient Loading In The Davis Creek Watershed Using Soil And Water Assessment Tool (Swat), Fatma Ulku Karatas

Masters Theses

The Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) is a physically model to estimate impact of land cover on water, sediment, and agricultural chemical yields in large, complex yields in large, complex watersheds with fluctuating soils, land use, and management conditions for long periods of time. ln order to simulate the movement of sediment and nutrients, the Davis Creek Watershed is subdivided into 31 homogeneous sub basins, having unique soil and land use properties. The data for each subbasin is grouped into categories of land cover, soil, management within sub basin, draining the sub basin.

The objectives of this study are …

Organizations Of Women: Towards An Equal Future In Palestine, Beatrice S. Longshore-Cook

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

The development and struggle for nationalism in Palestine, as seen through an historical lens of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, demonstrates the complexity of gendered spaces and narratives inherent in any conflict. Women’s roles have often been confined to specific, gendered spaces within their society. However, through the utilization of these roles, women are circumnavigating the gendered spaces of their society in order to effectively alter the political and social systems of Palestine. Through a discussion of two specific women’s organizations – the Jerusalem Center for Women (JCW) and the Women’s Centre for Legal Aid and Counselling (WCLAC) – this work will …

High Carbon And Biodiversity Costs From Converting Africa's Wet Savannahs To Cropland, Timothy D. Searchinger, Lyndon Estes, Philip K. Thornton, Tim Beringer, An Notenbaert, Daniel Rubenstein, Ralph Heimlich, Rachel Licker, Mario Herrero

Geography

Do the wet savannahs and shrublands of Africa provide a large reserve of potential croplands to produce food staples or bioenergy with low carbon and biodiversity costs? We find that only small percentages of these lands have meaningful potential to be low-carbon sources of maize (1/42%) or soybeans (9.5-11.5%), meaning that their conversion would release at least one-third less carbon per ton of crop than released on average for the production of those crops on existing croplands. Factoring in land-use change, less than 1% is likely to produce cellulosic ethanol that would meet European standards for greenhouse gas reductions. Biodiversity …

Using Spatiotemporal Methods To Fill Gaps In Energy Usage Interval Data, Kristin K. Graves

Theses and Dissertations

Researchers analyzing spatiotemporal or panel data, which varies both in location and over time, often find that their data has holes or gaps. This thesis explores alternative methods for filling those gaps and also suggests a set of techniques for evaluating those gap-filling methods to determine which works best.

Health Exposure, Socio-Economic Vulnerability, And Infrastructure At Risk To Current And Projected Coastal Flooding In New York City, Lesley Patrick

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This work uses a GIS-based methodology to develop and map a composite physical exposure, social vulnerability, and critical facilities index for New York City populations exposed to the current and predicted 100- and 500- year coastal floods. The objective is to illustrate how sea-level rise may affect future 100- and 500-year coastal floods in New York City, how these changes in future flood scenarios will affect the number and distribution of people at risk and their associated physical and socioeconomic impacts, and how these impacts will vary among neighborhoods.

Sea-level rise throughout the 21st century will result in increased flood …

Carbon Emission Policy In The United States: State Patchwork Vs. National Policy, Samuel T. Frank

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The lack of a national law in the United States to mitigate climate change has prompted many states and cities to take the lead in implementing policies to reduce their carbon emissions and adapt to the threats posed by a warming planet. This project adopts two established systems that classify states by their relative involvement in climate policy (Wheeler 2010; Lutsey et al. 2008) and combines them into a single, six-point ranking scale. States are then cross-tabulated against EPA data showing the amount and trajectory of each state's carbon emissions from the electrical power sector over the period 2005-2010. States …

Super Fun Superfund: Polluted Protection Along The Gowanus Canal, Jessica Ty Miller

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This research reflects on the patterns of uneven development occurring in the Gowanus Canal in Brooklyn, social and physical changes taking place there, and how these elements of the canal relate to the changing purpose of urban waterways. Gowanus has mimicked the development of New York City since the 1600's through several phases: city settlement and development, abandonment, and redevelopment. The redevelopment phase in Gowanus couples environmental clean up with gentrification and displacement. Using an urban political ecology framework, this research attempts to answer the following questions: Why, after many years of pollution, is the area being cleaned up? Will …