Clubbing masculinities: Gender shifts in gay men's dance floor choreographies

This is an Author's Accepted Manuscript of an article published in Journal of Homosexuality, 58(5), 608-625, 2011 [copyright Taylor & Francis], available online at: http://www.tandfonline.com/10.1080/00918369.2011.563660This article adopts an interdisciplinary approach to understanding the intersections of gender, sexuality, and dance. It examines the expressions of sexuality among gay males through culturally popular forms of club dancing. Drawing on political and musical history, I outline an account of how gay men's gendered choreographies changed throughout the 1970s, 80s, and 90s. Through a notion of “technologies of the body,” I situate these developments in relation to cultural levels of homophobia, exploring how masculine expressions are entangled with and regulated by musical structures. My driving hypothesis is that as perceptions of cultural homophobia decrease, popular choreographies of gay men's dance have become more feminine in expression. Exploring this idea in the context of the first decade of the new millennium, I present a case study of TigerHeat, one of the largest weekly gay dance club events in the United States

Conceptualizing Ecological Responses to Dam Removal: If You Remove It, What’s to Come?

One of the desired outcomes of dam decommissioning and removal is the recovery of aquatic and riparian ecosystems. To investigate this common objective, we synthesized information from empirical studies and ecological theory into conceptual models that depict key physical and biological links driving ecological responses to removing dams. We define models for three distinct spatial domains: upstream of the former reservoir, within the reservoir, and downstream of the removed dam. Emerging from these models are response trajectories that clarify potential pathways of ecological transitions in each domain. We illustrate that the responses are controlled by multiple causal pathways and feedback loops among physical and biological components of the ecosystem, creating recovery trajectories that are dynamic and nonlinear. In most cases, short-term effects are typically followed by longer-term responses that bring ecosystems to new and frequently predictable ecological condition, which may or may not be similar to what existed prior to impoundment

Technology enhanced assessment in complex collaborative settings

Building upon discussions by the Assessment Working Group at EDUsummIT 2013, this article reviews recent developments in technology enabled assessments of collaborative problem solving in order to point out where computerised assessments are particularly useful (and where non-computerised assessments need to be retained or developed) while assuring that the purposes and designs are transparent and empowering for teachers and learners. Technology enabled assessments of higher order critical thinking in a collaborative social context can provide data about the actions, communications and products created by a learner in a designed task space. Principled assessment design is required in order for such a space to provide trustworthy evidence of learning, and the design must incorporate and take account of the engagement of the audiences for the assessment as well as vary with the purposes and contexts of the assessment. Technology enhanced assessment enables in-depth unobtrusive documentation or ‘quiet assessment’ of the many layers and dynamics of authentic performance and allows greater flexibility and dynamic interactions in and among the design features. Most important for assessment FOR learning, are interactive features that allow the learner to turn up or down the intensity, amount and sharpness of the information needed for self-absorption and adoption of the feedback. Most important in assessment OF learning, are features that compare the learner with external standards of performance. Most important in assessment AS learning, are features that allow multiple performances and a wide array of affordances for authentic action, communication and the production of artefacts

Distribution of dissolved pesticides and other water quality constituents in small streams, and their relation to land use, in the Willamette River Basin, Oregon, 1996

Water quality samples were collected at sites in 16 randomly selected agricultural and 4 urban subbasins as part of Phase III of the Willamette River Basin Water Quality Study in Oregon during 1996. Ninety-five samples were collected and analyzed for suspended sediment, conventional constituents (temperature, dissolved oxygen, pH, specific conductance, nutrients, biochemical oxygen demand, and bacteria) and a suite of 86 dissolved pesticides. The data were collected to characterize the distribution of dissolved pesticide concentrations in small streams (drainage areas 2.6-13 square miles) throughout the basin, to document exceedances of water quality standards and guidelines, and to identify the relative importance of several upstream land use categories (urban, agricultural, percent agricultural land, percent of land in grass seed crops, crop diversity) and seasonality in affecting these distributions

Phosphorus and E. Coli and their relation to selected constituents during storm runoff conditions in Fanno Creek, Oregon, 1998-99

Water-quality problems in the Tualatin River Basin, Oregon, include low dissolved oxygen (DO), high pH, high water temperature, and high bacterial (Escherichia coli, or E. coli) counts, all of which episodically exceed State of Oregon water-quality standards. Excursions of pH typically are caused by algal blooms that grow in response to long travel times, warm water, and excessive nutrient inputs. In the reservoir system of the Tualatin River, low DO concentrations are most typically caused by sediment oxygen demand and long travel times in the absence of significant levels of photosynthesis and reaeration, although DO in the main stem also can be reduced by nitrification when ammonia concentrations are high (Rounds and Wood, 2001). In response to these and other water-quality problems, the State implemented Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs) in 1988 for the Tualatin River Basin, as required under the Clean Water Act (Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, 1994a, 2001a). During 2001, the original phosphorus and ammonia TMDLs were revised, with new TMDLs added for water temperature, oxygenconsuming substances, and E. coli (Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, 2001b). In 1990, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) entered into a cooperative agreement with Clean Water Services (CWS - formerly the Unified Sewerage Agency) to investigate causes of water-quality problems in the river and evaluate alternatives for their management. Previous reports have described the TMDLs and USGS projects characterizing DO in the Tualatin River during winter (Kelly, 1997), nutrient sources and transport during low flows (Kelly and others, 1999), temperature modeling (Risley, 2000), sediment-oxygen demand (Rounds and Doyle, 1997), water-quality modeling (Rounds and Wood, 2001; Rounds and others, 1999), and phosphorus and bacteria in various tributaries during low-flow conditions (McCarthy, 2000). Technological improvements and programmatic changes have reduced loads of phosphorus and ammonia to the Tualatin River from point sources since 1991 (Rounds and Wood, 2001). However, because of continuing water-quality problems and ongoing urbanization, attention has increasingly turned to nonpoint sources for opportunities to further reduce contaminant loads. Tributary streams, which integrate nonpoint runoff from their entire watersheds, can be important transport pathways; however, water quality is a concern in some tributaries regardless of the effects on downstream receiving waters. Whereas the 1988 TMDL considered tributaries as a source of the phosphorus that was causing problems in the main stem, the 2001 TMDL focuses on problems in both the tributaries and the main stem. For instance, in the 2001 TMDL, Fanno Creek is allowed a summer median concentration of total phosphorus (TP) of 0.13 milligram per liter (mg/L) (Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, 2001a), and its phosphorus load during summer is considered part of the total 1,272 pounds allowed in the lower Tualatin during the same season. Thus, CWS and other resource managers are faced with the necessity of either controlling the concentration of TP in runoff or reducing the volume of runoff over the summer months. Loads of E. coli bacteria from point sources also are regulated on a seasonal basis, with higher cumulative concentrations allowed from these sources during summer storms (12,000 counts/100 mL) than during winter storms (5,000 counts/100 mL) (Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, 2001a). The State Standard for E. coli bacteria in a single, instantaneous stream sample is 406 counts/100 mL, or a monthly geometric mean of 126 colonies/100 mL for multiple samplings. Chlorophyll a concentrations in Fanno Creek occasionally exceed the State's action level of 15 micrograms per liter (µg/L) (Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, 2001a), although concentrations appear to have been decreasing in recent years (Jan Miller, Clean Water Services, written commun., April 2002). Total volatile suspended solids (TVSS) is regulated in the Tualatin River TMDL for control of sediment oxygen demand. McCarthy (2000) documented nutrients and bacteria concentrations in selected Tualatin River tributaries, including Fanno Creek, during summer low-flow conditions. Among her findings were that ground-water discharge could account for the phosphorus concentrations measured at most sites in the subbasin, but that local sources other than ground water were evident, possibly including avian waste materials and sediments resuspended from off-channel ponds. E. coli concentrations also were elevated at 70 percent of the sites sampled, possibly due to domestic pet and wildlife wastes, septic systems, or hobby farms. That study provided indications of the processes contributing nutrients during summer steady state, low-flow conditions, a period that is arguably the most sensitive regarding the effects of nutrients on eutrophication. Nonetheless, nutrients that enter creeks during other periods may be retained in the system, for example as particulate material in the bed sediments, and become biologically available during critical periods. Storm runoff is a significant process contributing sediment, nutrients, and bacteria to streams in urban areas, and likely provides part of the loads of these and other constituents to Fanno Creek. The purpose of this report is to characterize water quality, including sources and transport of nutrients and bacteria, during storm runoff conditions in the Fanno Creek Subbasin. Findings from this report ultimately will improve the understanding of dominant sources and transport processes in the basin and help improve water quality by strengthening the management of urban streams. During three storms from 1998 to 1999, data on nutrients, bacteria (E. coli), and constituents relating to their sources or transport (discharge, suspended solids) or their effects on water quality (biochemical oxygen demand, DO) were collected. Samples also were collected for analysis of trace elements and other inorganic constituents in water - data for those samples are stored in the CWS database but are not interpreted in this report. Multiple samples were collected at three sites during each storm, with the intent of characterizing conditions throughout individual storm hydrographs. Statistical relations among constituents are analyzed among all samplings, with exceptions unique to individual storms evaluated where they indicate important processes. Patterns and linkages from upstream to downstream also are explored

Water-quality and algal conditions in the North Umpqua River Basin, Oregon, 1992-95, and implications for resource management

Abstract This report describes the results of a synoptic waterquality and algal investigation during July 1995 at 36 stream sites in a 1,350 square-mile area of the North Umpqua River Basin, Oregon. The study area includes a headwaters hydroelectric project area, a Wild and Scenic reach in the main stem immediately downstream, and the watersheds of several major tributaries. Additional data from previous investigations are reviewed, and impacts on water quality in the Wild and Scenic reach from resource management, including forestry and reservoir operations, are inferred where sufficient data exist. Water-quality standards were occasionally exceeded for dissolved oxygen and pH, and daily maximum stream temperatures in the Wild and Scenic reach were higher than both the 1996 standard for the State of Oregon and the optimal temperature ranges for many anadromous fish. Dissolved oxygen in the basin was controlled more by stream temperature and reaeration than by primary production. Arse

Occurrence of selected trace elements and organic compounds and their relation to land use in the Willamette River Basin, Oregon, 1992-94

Between 1992 and 1994, the U.S.Geological Survey conducted a study of trace elements and organic compounds in the Willamette River Basin, Oregon, as part of the Willamette River Basin Water Quality Study. Low-level analyses were performed for trace elements, volatile organic compounds, organochlorine compounds, and pesticides. Overall, 94 water samples were collected from 40 sites, during predominantly high-flow conditions, representing urban, agricultural, mixed, and forested land uses. Although most observed concentrations were relatively low, some exceedances of water-quality criteria for acute and chronic toxicity and for the protection of human health were observed. Concentrations of chromium, copper, lead, and zinc in unfiltered water were well correlated with concentrations of suspended sediment. The highest trace-element concentrations generally were found at urban sites that receive a large portion of their runoff from industrial areas, particularly at high suspended-sediment concentrations. In contrast, concentrations of trace elements in some urban streams draining primarily residential areas appeared to approach a maximum as sediment concentrations increased. Whether this difference was due to a difference in the nature of the suspended sediments or to different concentrations in the aqueous phases from the two site types was not addressed. Eight organochlorine compounds were detected at 14 sites. Lindane, dieldrin, and DDT or its metabolites were each detected in about 30 percent of the samples, predominantly in samples collected from agricultural and urban areas. Polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) compounds were detected in samples from two urban sites. For samples in which DDT and its metabolites were examined for partitioning, the largest proportion of the mass of DDT and its metabolites was associated with suspended sediment. In contrast, dieldrin and lindane were almost completely (greater than 99%) associated with the dissolved phase. Sixty-one of the 94 pesticides analyzed in filtered water were documented to have been used in the basin in 1987; 43 of these were detected at least once during 1992-94. An additional five were detected that were not documented in the 1987 estimates. Although a comparison between the frequency of detected pesticides and 1987 estimates of pesticide usage in the basin showed generally little correlation, some patterns of detections did appear to reflect land use in the basin. Of the 25 most frequently detected pesticides, 3 were found primarily at urban sites, 6 were found primarily at agricultural sites, and 7 were found at all types of sites except forested. The four most commonly detected pesticides in the basin, observed at all except forested site types, were atrazine, metolachlor, simazine, and diuron. A greater variety of compounds was detected at sites in the northern portion of the basin than in the southern portion of the basin probably because the northern portion has more diverse agricultural practices and a larger urban component. Possible reasons for the lack of agreement between pesticide detections and pesticide usage estimates include (1) uncertainty in the usage estimates due to spatial and temporal variability or due to changes in agricultural practices since the 1987 estimates were compiled, (2) chemical or biological transformations in the compounds after application, (3) variable hydrologic conditions among sites at the time of sampling, or (4) the ability of laboratory analytical procedures to detect low concentrations of some analytes. Results from repeated samplings at two sites during sequential storms in the fall of 1994 indicated that concentrations and loads of several constituents, including suspended sediment, suspended organic carbon, DDT, metolachlor, and atrazine were highest during peak flows of the first or second significant storms of the fall. Samplings during subsequent storms indicated that instantaneous concentrations and loads were generally reduced; however, data were not sufficient to compare overall transport during sequential storms

Ecological Effects on Streams from Forest Fertilization-Literature Review and Conceptual Framework for Future Study in the Western Cascades

Fertilization of forests with urea-nitrogen has been studied numerous times for its effects on water quality. Stream nitrogen concentrations following fertilization are typically elevated during winter, including peaks in the tens-of-thousands of parts per billion range, with summer concentrations often returning to background or near-background levels. Despite these increases, waterquality criteria for nitrogen have rarely been exceeded. However, such criteria are targeted at fish toxicity or human health and are not relevant to concentrations that could cause ecological disturbances. Studies of the responses of stream biota to fertilization have been rare and have targeted either immediate, toxicity-based responses or used methods insensitive to ongoing ecological processes. This report reviews water-quality studies following forest fertilizations, emphasizing Cascade streams in the Pacific Northwest and documented biological responses in those streams. A conceptual model predictin