The Roots of Wellbeing: Positive Effects of Nature Writing

Fostering healthy relationships between humans and the environment is beneficial for people and for the natural world around us. Efforts to foster these relationships are more important now than ever before due to the rapid deterioration of the climate and the growing divide between people and nature. There is abundant research documenting the positive physical, psychological, and social effects of time spent in nature, such as positive mood, life satisfaction, connection to nature, pro-environmental behavior, and feelings of transcendence. However, actual experiences in nature may be inconvenient, inaccessible, or otherwise unavailable. Addressing this concern, researchers are now examining the possible outcomes of experiencing nature by proxy. One approach is through reflecting on and writing about significant life experiences in nature. This study of university students (N = 42) was designed to further investigate human-nature relationships, wellbeing, and sustainable behavior. In particular, it was hypothesized that writing about a positive childhood memory in nature would be associated with higher mood, nature connectedness, life satisfaction, and pro-environmental behavior. Mood outcomes were examined pre- to post intervention using a paired samples t-test followed by a one-way ANOVA. Nature connectedness, life satisfaction, and pro-environmental behavior were examined using a one-way ANOVA. The transcripts from the writing intervention were coded in a qualitative analysis to assess overall themes with particular interest in transcendent values. Results showed that mood was significantly increased from pre- to post intervention, but there was no significant difference between groups. In the test of group differences, the nature writing intervention had a significant effect only on aspects of pro-environmental behavior. In conclusion, this study confirms that autobiographical memory writing can boost mood and that nature writing is associated with environmental behavior intention and transcendence

An Allegory for Life: An 18th century African-influenced cemetery landscape, Nassau, Bahamas

I use W.E.B. Du Bois\u27 reference to the worlds \u27within and without the veil\u27 as the narrative setting for presenting the case of an African-Bahamian urban cemetery in use from the early eighteenth century to the early twentieth century. I argue that people of African descent lived what Du Bois termed a \u27double consciousness.\u27 Thus, the ways in which they shaped and changed this cemetery landscape reflect the complexities of their lives. Since the material expressions of this cemetery landscape represent the cultural perspectives of the affiliated communities so changes in its maintenance constitute archaeologically visible evidence of this process. Evidence in this study includes analysis of human remains; the cultural preference for cemetery space near water; certain trees planted as a living grave site memorial; butchered animal remains as evidence of food offerings; and placement of personal dishes on top of graves.;Based on the manufacture dates for ceramic and glass containers African-derived cultural behavior was no longer practiced after the mid-nineteenth century even though the cemetery remained in use until the early twentieth century. I interpret this change as evidence of a conscious cultural decision by an African-Bahamian population in Nassau to move away from obviously African-derived expressions of cultural identity. I argue that the desire for social mobility motivated this change. Full emancipation was granted in the British Empire by 1838. People of African descent who wanted to take advantage of social opportunities had to give up public expressions of African-derived cultural identity in order to participate more fully and successfully in the dominant society

Jillian Grace Turner in a Senior Coloratura Soprano Recital

This is the program for the senior coloratura soprano Jillian Grace Turner. Ms. Turner was accompanied by Phyllis Walker on the piano. This recital took place on January 22, 2015,in the McBeth Recital Hall in the Mabee Fine Arts Center

Maile Andrade: Contemporary Oceania

https://scholar.utc.edu/global-contemporary-artists/1002/thumbnail.jp

Missed opportunities for primary prevention of stroke and transient ischaemic attack (TIA) and residual impairments after TIA

The research investigated: (i) potential missed opportunities for primary prevention of stroke and transient ischaemic attack (TIA) with pharmacotherapy through a retrospective case series analysis and (ii) fatigue, psychological and cognitive impairment following TIA through a systematic review and retrospective cohort study. The case series and cohort studies used electronic primary care medical records from The Health Improvement Network (THIN). The case series analysis found preventative drugs were under prescribed to people with clinical indications for these drugs prior to stroke or TIA. There were potential missed opportunities for prevention in 49% (7,836/16,028) of people with stroke or TIA who were eligible for lipid lowering drugs, 52% (1,647/3,194) for anticoagulant drugs and 25% (1,740/7,008) for antihypertensive drugs. Improving prescription of these drugs has the potential to reduce the incidence and subsequent burden of stroke and TIA. The systematic review revealed there were few high quality studies investigating residual impairments in people with TIA and minor stroke; however, there was limited evidence to suggest a relatively high prevalence of cognitive impairment and depression post-TIA and minor stroke. The retrospective cohort study found that TIA patients were significantly more likely to consult in primary care for fatigue, psychological and cognitive impairment compared to matched controls. This association remained when adjusted for the potential confounding variables and the presence of the impairment prior to TIA. These findings suggest that impairments exist after initial symptoms of TIA have resolved and challenge the ‘transient’ characterisation of TIA. Residual impairments should be considered by primary care clinicians when treating patients following TIA

Minimal effects of oyster aquaculture on local water quality: Examples from southern Chesapeake Bay

As the oyster aquaculture industry grows and becomes incorporated into management practices, it is important to understand its effects on local environments. This study investigated how water quality and hydrodynamics varied among farms as well as inside versus outside the extent of caged grow-out areas located in southern Chesapeake Bay. Current speed and water quality variables (chlorophyll-a fluorescence, turbidity, and dissolved oxygen) were measured along multiple transects within and adjacent to four oyster farms during two seasons. At the scale of individual aquaculture sites, we were able to detect statistically significant differences in current speed and water quality variables between the areas inside and outside the farms. However, the magnitudes of the water quality differences were minor. Differences between sites and between seasons for water quality variables were typically an order of magnitude greater than those observed within each site (i.e. inside and outside the farm footprint). The relatively small effect of the presence of oysters on water quality is likely attributable to a combination of high background variability, relatively high flushing rates, relatively low oyster density, and small farm footprints. Minimal impacts overall suggest that low-density oyster farms located in adequately-flushed areas are unlikely to negatively impact local water quality. Associated datafiles available at: https://doi.org/10.25773/wwva-tz1

Environmental and Ecological Benefits and Impacts of Oyster Aquaculture Chesapeake Bay, Virginia, USA

To better quantify the ecological benefits and impacts of oyster aquaculture, we sampled water quality, sediment quality, benthic macrofaunal communities and oysters at four oyster aquaculture sites located on the western shore of Chesapeake Bay in Virginia, USA. At each site, we collected samples from within the footprint of the aquaculture cages and from nearby areas with similar physical and environmental conditions but far enough away to be minimally influenced by aquaculture operations. Data collected from the water column included chlorophyll concentrations, turbidity, pH, dissolved oxygen concentrations, light attenuation, particle concentration, median particle size, total suspended solids and their organic content, and dissolved nutrient concentrations. Sediment and macrofauna community data collected included sediment grain size and organic content and macrofauna identity, abundance, biomass and species richness. In addition to assessing the potential impacts of oyster aquaculture on the water column and benthos, we also assessed differences in the oysters harvested Environmental and ecological benefits and impacts of oyster aquaculture at each site and estimated the total amount of nitrogen and phosphorus harvested at each site. Differences in water quality, sediment quality, and macrofauna community structure between areas within and outside the farm footprint were rare and of small magnitude and varying direction (i.e. negative versus positive impact) when they did occur. Aquaculture sites varied by an order of magnitude in size, annual harvest and harvest per unit area. They also varied by an order of magnitude in the total amount of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) harvested per unit area. In contrast to the negative environmental impacts associated with other forms of animal protein production for human consumption, oyster harvest from aquaculture sites studied here resulted in the removal of 21-372 lbs. of N and 3-49lbs of P per farm per year

A Data Repository for Minimal Effects of Oyster Aquaculture on Water Quality: Examples from Southern Chesapeake Bay

The objective of this study was to quantify the effects of oyster aquaculture on water quality, sediment quality, and hydrodynamics at select sites in southern Chesapeake Bay. To this end, information was gathered over the course of approximately one year from February 2017 to October 2017 at four operating commercial farms. Farms were sampled during spring, summer, and fall seasons during times of oyster filtration activity when temperatures were greater than 10oC. Aquaculture sites differed in environmental setting, in terms of their exposure to waves and resulting sediment characteristics. Sites had mesohaline salinities (ranging from 15-22 psu) and mean water depths of ~1 m (ranging from 0.5 to 2 m depending on distance from shore and tidal stage). Site characterization was conducted at each oyster farm using standard sedimentological measurements with a PONAR grab to map sediment characteristics throughout the extent of each oyster farm and surrounding area. Following site characterization, hydrographic, water clarity, and water quality data were collected using high frequency spatial water quality mapping of transects on a moving vessel and an instrumented profiler at discrete point samples. On high frequency spatial water quality mapping (transect) cruises, the vessel was driven along 10-30 transects including approximately half inside and half outside the extent of cages while vessel-mounted instruments sampled continuously. On discrete point sample (instrumented profiler) cruises, data were collected at five designated stations along a central transect of the farms with three stations within the extent of cages and two stations outside. The two smallest oyster farms were sampled only during Summer 2017. Two of the larger oyster farms were sampled during Summer and Fall 2017. Additionally, during Summer 2017 at Windmill Point, a stationary upward facing acoustic Doppler profiler collected data over one month