Nicaragua: a society in transition

Between December 1980 and March 1981, I spent three months in Nicaragua undertaking a documentary thesis project for a Master of Fine Arts degree in Photography. Initial preparation for the trip began in May 1980. My thesis exhibition was held October 11-16, 1981. The purpose of the thesis was to integrate creative expression with social/political concerns by photographing aspects of societal change that have grown out of the popular revolution in Nicaragua. This report is an accounting of that project from its inception to its completion. The project has been a rewarding experience, full of learning and growth. I have attempted herein to share many details of this experience in the hope that you, the reader, may be enriched by them as I have been

Human Rights and the New Reality of Climate Change: Adaptation\u27s Limitations in Achieving Climate Justice

In 2005, the Inuit of Canada and the United States filed a petition with the Inter American Commission on Human Rights, alleging that their respective governments had violated their human rights by failing to mitigate climate change harms. The Inuit alleged violations of several specific human rights, including the right to enjoy their culture; the right to enjoy and use the lands they have traditionally occupied; the right to use and enjoy their personal property; the right to health; the right to life, physical integrity, and security; the right to their own means of subsistence; and the right to residence and movement and inviolability in the home. Although the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights ultimately rejected the petition, the Inuit’s petition marked the beginning of worldwide attempts to recognize the adverse effects of climate change on human rights

The Boston University-Chelsea Partnership or the Role of Networking for School System Reform

The longstanding partnership between Boston University and the Chelsea Public School District of Chelsea, Massachusetts is unique for many reasons. Perhaps the most recognizable feature of this Partnership, however, is that it is the only example of an American university engaging in the day-to-day management of a public school system. The BU/Chelsea partnership will come to an official end in 2008. The original intent of the partnership has always been to provide Chelsea with the strong foundation to run its schools autonomously. In an effort to build this foundation, the university has, over the years, made a point of sharing its managerial and educational expertise. The future development and the effective and efficient management of the Chelsea School District will not depend solely upon whether the university has shared its expertise effectively, however. If that were the case, at the termination of the project, even the intangible assets, e.g. knowledge, upon which the success of the District was based, will be lost. Instead, Chelsea¿s opportunity to continue to achieve excellent performance results depends on how well Boston University, the ¿flagship business¿ of the Partnership, has been able to share, with the other members of the Network, the responsibility of managing the system. Moreover, continuing the good work begun almost twenty years ago depends on the intellectual capital the District has managed to ¿accumulate¿, and on the ability to produce new capital, through the promotion of knowledge-management processes. This report endeavors to determine how the Partnership changed the involvement of staff members, students, their families and the community as a whole, thereby promoting the creation of a network of primarily private and non-profit institutions (already in existence or created at the time) to improve the schooling system.JRC.G.9-Econometrics and applied statistic

Effects of Oil and Gas Development on Mule Deer Populations in Western North Dakota and Eastern Montana

Oil and gas production are becoming a significant part of the economy and landscape of western North Dakota and eastern Montana.  Much of the areas being developed overlap with mule deer ranges.  Our ongoing research aims to identify and quantify the direct and indirect effects of oil and gas energy development on mule deer abundance, survival, recruitment, movements and resource selection.  Since February, 2013, we have deployed 240 GPS collars in three main areas of breaks habitat: 1) in North Dakota along the Little Missouri River; 2) the east side of the Yellowstone River; and 3) just south of Culbertson, MT. These collars are being used to collect spatial data about mule deer distributions and monitor survival across areas of low, medium, high energy development.  We will also use digitized aerial survey data to estimate abundance and recruitment across various levels of development. To date we have collared 99 adult females and 110 fawns, gathering more than 300,000 deer locations, conducted 39 lab necropsies on full and partial carcasses, and conducted biannual aerial surveys in North Dakota (2 years) and Montana (1 year). Our research will address potential impacts to mule deer populations, but will also provide mitigation strategies to help minimize disturbances from further development

Wildflowers and the Oklahoma Department of Transportation

Horticultur

Supramolekulare Strukturbildung von Polymer- und Flüssigkristallsystemen im nanoskaligen Confinement

Die Arbeit beschreibt die Synthese diskotischer Flüssigkristalle in monomerer und polymerer Form. Die Synthese von diskotischen Seitenkettenpolymeren und Blockcopolymeren wird ebenfalls beschrieben. Der Einfluss nanoskaligen zylindrischen Confinements auf die Systeme, inbesondere auf deren Mesophasenstruktur, wurde in Abhängigkeit von Temperatur, Komposition, Oberfläche und Größe des Confinements unter anderem mit Röntgendiffraktometrie und dynamischer Differenzkalorimetrie untersucht. Die Mikrophasenseparation des synthetisierten Blockcopolymers wurde mittels Transmissionselektronenmikroskopie untersucht

Inmate satisfaction with correctional institution clothing

Relatively little, if any, research has been done in the area of attitudes of inmates toward the clothing, and clothing policies of correctional institutions. The purpose of this study was to provide exploratory research in the area of inmate attitude toward correctional institution clothing. The variables investigated were: age, race, educational level, vocational training, length of confinement, number of confinements, prior clothing worn, conformity to dress code, visibility of institutional marking on clothing, type of clothing worn (uniform or non-uniform), inmate voice in clothing codes, and number and type of personal items inmate is allowed to keep upon admission. The population was limited to the minimum security cell block inmates in three western maximum security prisons. An attitude measure was constructed, employing the Q-sort technique, to measure inmate attitude toward correctional institution clothing. A minimum sample of 50 inmates was randomly selected at each institution. Ten face-to-face interviews were conducted at Institution I. The remainder of the questionnaires were sent to the three institutions, distributed by staff, and returned by the inmates. Seventy-nine usable questionnaires were returned. The data were analyzed at two levels, institutional and group, or total sample. At the institutional level correlation coefficient and test of non-additivity (interaction) were used. At the group level, correlation coefficient, t-test, and analysis of variance were employed. The level of significance selected for this study was .10 or less. Of the three institutions, two permitted a choice between uniforms and non-uniform clothing. The third allowed only uniforms. The majority of the inmates were: 21-30 years of age, white, and had completed at least the twelfth grade. Forty percent had had some vocational training. Approximately half had served 1-5 years in the present institution, and were non-recidivists. The majority had worn casual clothing (Levi's, sport shirts) prior to confinement. Seventy-one percent wore uniforms, and 58 percent had made no modification in the uniform. Significant relationships between clothing attitude scores and the variables length of confinement and type of clothing worn were found at the institutional level. The results indicated: 1) The greater the length of confinement the more negative the attitude toward inmate clothing, 2) The wearing of uniforms was associated with more negative clothing attitudes. The most negative aspect of the inmate clothing was the dehumanizing effect of the uniform, followed by the color and pattern. It was recommended that the findings of this study may be helpful to those interested or actively involved with correctional institutions, especially administrators and those involved in program design, evaluation and modification