PENAL INSTITUTIONS Pardons and Paroles: Require Further Education as Condition of Parole; Require Alcohol and Drug Use Risk Reduction Program as Condition of Parole

The Act mandates further education as a condition of parole for those inmates who do not have a high school diploma or a general educational development equivalency diploma (GED). The requirement may be fulfilled by obtaining a GED or by attending a trade or business school. The Act also requires inmates whose criminal offense or history suggests an alcohol or drug problem to participate in an Alcohol or Drug Use Risk Reduction Program before becoming eligible for parole

Delving Too Greedily: Analyzing Prejudice Against Tolkien\u27s Dwarves as Historical Bias

Tolkien\u27s writings are imbued with the perspectives of their narrators and within them, the narrators\u27 biases. This is most evident in the bias against the dwarves, particularly in the third age. Dismissing testimonials from neutral sources and dwarves alike, scholars have continuously inaccurately treated the anti-dwarf bias as a criticism of the Dwarves’ relationship with nature. The criticisms levelled by scholars have led to the dwarves being dismissed as particularly environmentally destructive, a direct contradiction to how the dwarves interact with natural spaces and how they construct their own. Consequently, a more nuanced reading of the dwarves lends itself to the dismantling of the negative prejudices and stereotypes levied against the Dwarves and offers them a more just treatment in their own history

Monitoring Phenology as Indicator for Timing of Nutrient Inputs in Northern Gulf Watersheds

Nutrient over-enrichment defined by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as the anthropogenic addition of nutrients, in addition to any natural processes, causing adverse effects or impairments to the beneficial uses of a water body has been identified as one of the most significant environmental problems facing sensitive estuaries and coastal waters. Understanding the timing of nutrient inputs into those waters through remote sensing observables helps define monitoring and mitigation strategies. Remotely sensed data products can trace both forcings and effects of the nutrient system from landscape to estuary. This project is focused on extracting nutrient information from the landscape. The timing of nutrients entering coastal waters from the land boundary is greatly influenced by hydrologic processes, but can also be affected by the timing of nutrient additions across the landscape through natural or anthropogenic means. Non-point source nutrient additions to watersheds are often associated with specific seasonal cycles, such as decomposition of organic materials in fall and winter or addition of fertilizers to crop lands in the spring. These seasonal cycles or phenology may in turn be observed through the use of satellite sensors. Characterization of the phenology of various land cover types may be of particular interest in Gulf of Mexico estuarine systems with relatively short pathways between intensively managed systems and the land/estuarine boundary. The objective of this study is to demonstrate the capability of monitoring phenology of specific classes of land, such as agriculture and managed timberlands, at a refined watershed level. The extraction of phenological information from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) data record is accomplished using analytical tools developed for NASA at Stennis Space Center: the Time Series Product Tool and the Phenological Parameters Estimation Tool. MODIS reflectance data (product MOD09) were used to compute the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index, which is sensitive to changes in vegetation canopies. The project team is working directly with the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality to understand end-user requirements for this type of information product. Initial focus areas are identification of time frames for pre-plant fertilizer applications (prior to start of season), side-dress fertilizer applications (during rapid green-up), and periods of plant decomposition (during and after senescence). Prototypical maps of phenological stages related to these time frames have been generated for watersheds in the northern Gulf of Mexico. Where feasible, these maps have been compared to existing in situ nutrient monitoring data, but the in situ data is temporally sparse (monthly frequency or less), which makes interpretation challenging. Future work will include integrating effects of rainfall and seeking couplings with estuarine remote sensing

Spoil Type Influences Soil Genesis and Forest Development on an Appalachian Surface Coal Mine Ten Years After Placement

Surface mining for coal (or other mineral resources) is a major driver of land-use change around the world and especially in the Appalachian region of the United States. Intentional and well-informed reclamation of surface-mined land is critical for the restoration of healthy ecosystems on these disturbed sites. In Appalachia, the pre-mining land cover is predominately mixed hardwood forest, with rich species diversity. In recent years, Appalachian mine reforestation has become an issue of concern, prompting the development of the Forestry Reclamation Approach, a series of mine reforestation recommendations. One of these recommendations is to use the best available soil substitute; however, the characteristics of the “best” soil substitute have been an issue. This study was initiated to compare the suitability of several types of mine spoil common in the Appalachian region: brown sandstone (Brown), gray sandstone (Gray), mixed spoils (Mixed), and shale (Shale). Experimental plots were established in 2007 with each spoil type replicated three times. These plots were planted with a mix of native hardwood species. Ten years after plot construction and planting, tree growth and canopy cover were highest in Brown, followed by Shale, Mixed, and Gray. Soil conditions (particularly pH) in Brown and Shale were more favorable for native tree growth than Mixed or Gray, largely explaining these differences in tree growth and canopy cover. However, soil chemistry did not clearly explain differences in tree growth between Brown and Shale. These differences were more likely related to differences in near-surface soil temperature, which is related to soil color and available shade