Rabies on the Last Frontier: A Phylogeographical Look at Red (Vulpus vulpus) and Arctic (Vulpus lagopus) Fox with Respect to Mitochondrial DNA and the Spatial Diffusion of Rabies

Vulpus vulpus and Vulpus lagopus are terrestrial animals that live in Alaska. They are also common carriers of the rabies virus. It has been determined that there are three different clades of rabies in Alaska being vectored by these two species of fox, but it is not clear why there are no endemic rabies in the Interior. We are interested in the migration patterns of Vulpus vulpus and Vulpus lagopus, the spread and maintenance of the rabies virus as a function of climate warming. We hypothesize that there is some element, whether biological or geographical, that restricts the virus from spreading into the interior and maintaining itself as much as it does in the coastal regions of Alaska. This research provides a model for determining how the virus spreads under retreating Arctic conditions, as the globe warms

Hyperbanana Graphs

A bar-and-joint framework is a finite set of points together with specified distances between selected pairs. In rigidity theory we seek to understand when the remaining pairwise distances are also fixed. If there exists a pair of points which move relative to one another while maintaining the given distance constraints, the framework is flexible; otherwise, it is rigid. Counting conditions due to Maxwell give a necessary combinatorial criterion for generic minimal bar-and-joint rigidity in all dimensions. Laman showed that these conditions are also sufficient for frameworks in R^2. However, the flexible "double banana" shows that Maxwell's conditions are not sufficient to guarantee rigidity in R^3. We present a generalization of the double banana to a family of hyperbananas. In dimensions 3 and higher, these are (infinitesimally) flexible, providing counterexamples to the natural generalization of Laman's theorem

Global Property Rights in Genetic Resources: Do They Involve Sound Economics? Will They Conserve Nature and Biodiversity?

In recent years, growing economic globalisation has been accompanied by rising social support for market systems as a means of managing resource-use. In turn, the free market movement considers definite and secure property rights (especially private rights and, sometimes, communal rights) in resources to be the necessary basis for a desirable market system. Global policies for managing the Earth’s genetic resources have been influenced by this approach. As outlined in this article, there has been a global expansion of property rights in genetic resources, and further extensions have been advocated. In order to assess the possible social benefits and costs of granting property rights in genetic resources, these are classified. This classification is shown to be useful in discussing economic and legal reasons for granting or denying property rights in genetic resources. Furthermore, this classification is demonstrated to be pertinent to the consideration of market failures that may accompany the granting of property rights in genetic resources and which limit the potential social economic benefits from establishing property rights in these resources. It is concluded that many of those who advocate the management of genetic resources by means of secure property rights and market systems have been overly optimistic about the economic potential of this policy, its social benefits, its impact on the conservation of biodiversity, and its workability. There is a need for more informed debate on these matters before concluding that wholesale global extension of property rights in genetic material is desirable. In addition to the above, this paper compares and assesses the approach on property rights in wildlife and nature adopted in the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) with that advocated in the international Convention on Biological Diversity

Renewable Energy Transition: Dynamic Systems Analysis, Policy Scenarios, and Trade-offs for the State of Vermont

There is broad consensus that a transition to renewable energy and a low-carbon economy is crucial for future development and prosperity, yet there are differing perspectives on how such a transition should be achieved. The overarching goal of this dissertation, which is comprised of three interrelated studies, is to analyze and compare energy futures scenarios to achieve a renewable energy transition and low-carbon economy in the State of Vermont. In the first study, an analysis is presented of the role of energy pricing regimes and economic policy in the context of pursuing a renewable energy transition in the State of Vermont. Through the development and application of a system dynamics model, results address the limits to technological substitution due to path dependence on nonrenewable energy. The role of complementary economic policy is also highlighted to shift from a goal of quantitative growth to qualitative development in order to decouple economic welfare from energy consumption. In the second study, an analysis is presented of the impact of modeled energy transition scenarios to address energy development and land use trade-offs. Simulations with a spatio-temporal land cover change model find that Vermont could achieve a complete transition to renewable electricity using in-state resources through developing between 11,000 and 100,000 hectares of land for solar and wind, or up to four percent of state land area, including some environmentally sensitive land. This approach highlights the need for integration of energy policy and land use planning in order to mitigate potential energy-land use conflict. In the final study, trade-offs between energy, economic, environmental, and social dimensions of Vermont\u27s renewable energy transition are explored through the use of a multi-criteria decision analysis. Energy transition alternatives were designed to reveal trade-offs at the intersection of economic growth and carbon price policy. While there were no optimal pathways to achieving Vermont\u27s energy transition, some energy transition alternatives achieve a more socially desirable balance of benefits and consequences. Navigating the trade-offs inherent in the ongoing energy transition will require an adaptive approach to policymaking that incorporates iterative planning, experimentation, and learning

Benchmarking Air Emissions of the 100 Largest Electric Power Producers in the United States

The 2015 Benchmarking report is the eleventh collaborative effort highlighting environmental performance and progress in the nation's electric power sector. The Benchmarking series uses publicly reported data to compare the emissions performance of the 100 largest power producers in the United States. The current report is based on 2013 generation and emissions data.The Benchmarking report facilitates the comparison of emissions performance by combining generation and fuel consumption data compiled by EIA with emissions data on sulfur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen oxides (NOx), carbon dioxide (CO2) and mercury compiled by EPA; error checking the data; and presenting emissions information for the nation's 100 largest power producers in a graphic format that aids in understanding and evaluating the data. The report is intended for a wide audience, including electric industry executives, environmental advocates, financial analysts, investors, journalists, power plant managers, and public policymakers