Developing an Interdependent Relationship between Preservation and Recreation: Managing Mountain Bicycling in National Parks

Increasing demand from mountain bikers for greater access to riding in National Park Service (NPS) units is driving the need for park managers to seriously look at the impacts from and feasibility of permitting this recreational use. Currently, NPS units that permit mountain bicycling do not have formal mountain bicycling management plans. An analysis of recreational policies and existing research was conducted to identify criteria for effective mountain bicycling management strategies. Criteria were developed for trail selection, establishment, use, closures and rehabilitation. Criteria were also developed for user education, participatory planning and monitoring. This study shows that the NPS needs formal mountain bicycling management plans that focus on the preservation of natural and cultural resources and consider the appropriateness of proposed recreational uses.

Development of a Household Pharmaceutical Waste Collection Program for Atlanta, Georgia: An Analysis of Risk Factors and Public Awareness with a Comprehensive Collection Plan

Decades of mixed messages from three federal agencies left many Americans unaware of the hazards associated with the indiscriminate disposal of unwanted or expired medicines. For this Capstone project, a systematic review of state and federal regulations was undertaken to determine how these laws obstruct household pharmaceutical waste collection. In addition, a survey of 654 Atlanta residents was conducted to evaluate unwanted medicine disposal habits, awareness of pharmaceutical compounds being detected in drinking water, surface, and ground waters, and willingness to participate in a household pharmaceutical waste collection program. Survey responses were tabulated to provide overall results and by age group, gender, and race. A household pharmaceutical waste collection plan was developed for the city and included as an appendix.

Development of a Cleanup Management Plan for the San Benito River in San Benito County, California

Trash and car/truck bodies in the San Benito River and along its banks continue to present a challenge as state mandated basin plans often fail to address these pollutants. To measure the extent of the problem, an assessment of trash and car/truck bodies was completed along four locations of the river. The survey results indicated a need for a Cleanup Management Plan that should include a streamlining process for the removal of car/truck bodies, as well as guidelines for river cleanups. Existing cleanup plans and internet resources were analyzed for creation of the Cleanup Management Plan for the San Benito River.

A Regulatory Compliance Plan for Decommissioning a Sodium Phosphate Manufacturing Plant

Sodium phosphates are a class of chemicals that have been widely employed in commercial and consumer applications. However, declining use of these chemicals due to environmental concerns has lead to restructuring within the industry that has caused, and is likely to continue to cause, reduction of sodium phosphate production capacity. Closure of a sodium phosphate manufacturing plant necessitates decommissioning and decontamination activities that are subject to a variety of federal, state, and local regulations. A compliance plan was developed to provide a blueprint for ensuring that all federal regulatory requirements are met, however, site dependent state and local requirements were excluded. The compliance plan provides a framework that addresses project team formation and project planning, regulatory requirements, identification of affected processing equipment, plant pre-shutdown activities, waste stream identification and waste management facilities, safety, training, and emergency preparedness planning, and project decommissioning remedial actions. This regulatory compliance plan will enable sodium phosphate plant operators to complete decontamination and decommissioning work in a timely, efficient, compliant, and cost effective manner.

Onsite Wastewater Model Performance Code Implementation Plan

As the population of Colorado continues to grow, the impacts from individual sewage disposal systems, or onsite wastewater systems (OWS), are becoming more apparent. Increased use of OWS impacts not only water quality but land use and development as well. These impacts have led to the need for a new generation of wastewater regulations in the state, a transition from the historic prescriptive requirements to a more progressive, performance-based system. A performance-based system will allow smarter growth, improved water quality, and cost savings for both the regulatory agencies and the OWS industry in Colorado. This project outlines the challenges and essential elements required to make this transition, and provides guidance on how to meet the challenges and overcome barriers to implementing a performance code in Colorado.

Guide to Writing a Programmatic Resource Management Plan/ Environmental Impact Statement for the Bureau of Land Management

This guide is written for Booz Allen Hamilton (BAH) employees assigned to the Public Lands team who may have some National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) knowledge, possibly have experience with writing Environmental Impact Statements (EIS), and with little or no experience writing programmatic EIS documents. The guide contains information encompassing the preparation of a complete Resource Management Plan/Environmental Impact Statement (RMP/EIS) for the Bureau of Land Management. The RMP/EIS is a programmatic NEPA document which has many differences and nuances distinct from a typical project type EIS. This guide provides the information necessary for a BAH Public Lands team member to understand the project process and the RMP/EIS document to successfully maneuver through the entire project from beginning to end.

Sustainable Energy Plan for a Small Island Economy: St. Vincent & the Grenadines

This paper defines a sustainable energy plan to provide the basis for renewable energy initiatives that will increase energy security, reduce negative economic impacts and provide a cleaner environment. The hotel, agriculture, transportation, construction, utility, government and private sectors will play pivotal roles in achieving targets and will see significant gains. Government policies, educational campaigns and financial incentives will be required to facilitate and encourage renewable energy development and entrepreneurship. Utilization of solar energy, energy conservation measures and the use of efficient and alternative fuel vehicles by the commercial/industrial and private sectors will be crucial in meeting targets. The utility company will be charged with developing large scale renewable energy applications and with improving efficiency of the electrical system.

Slaying the Hydra: Al Qaeda's Evolution and America's Plan of Attack

In response to 9/11, the U.S. launched airstrikes in Afghanistan against al Qaeda to diminish its ability to conduct future attacks. Next, the U.S. turned its attention to Iraq. A series of problems and missteps there subsequently created an opportunity for al Qaeda to evolve, aligning itself with active insurgencies and other terrorist groups around the world. This paper identifies the largely preemptive strategies employed by the U.S. and analyzes how those efforts positively and negatively impacted the War on Terror. While some significant gains were made, the results show that al Qaeda remains a threat to the international community and demands more effective U.S. and international counter-radicalization strategies, including diplomacy and aid, to curb its global appeal.

Developing Civil Society and a New Leadership Class in Iraq: A Comprehensive Analysis and Business Plan

Following De-Ba'athification, forming a new leadership class will be critical to the success of creating a strong civil society in modern-day Iraq. Implementation of youth educational exchange programs, specifically promoting leadership skills, is a significant part of the solution to stimulating a new generation of leaders. Using the reign of Saddam Hussein and his toppling as a frame of reference, a brief history of Iraq's civil society reveals a need for a new leadership class through the lens of democratic transition and consolidation. After exploring the leadership challenges of post-war nation building, the proposed business plan focuses on implementing a youth leadership program in Iraq, employing a wider participation model, and a lengthier, more involved learning model from existing programs.

Conversion of a digital camera into a non-contact colorimeter for use in stone cultural heritage: The application case to Spanish granites

In this study, a digital CMOS camera was calibrated for use as a non-contact colorimeter for measuring the color of granite artworks. The low chroma values of the granite, which yield similar stimulation of the three color channels of the camera, proved to be the most challenging aspect of the task. The appropriate parameters for converting the device-dependent RGB color space into a device-independent color space were established. For this purpose, the color of a large number of Munsell samples (corresponding to the previously defined color gamut of granite) was measured with a digital camera and with a spectrophotometer (reference instrument). The color data were then compared using the CIELAB color formulae. The best correlations between measurements were obtained when the camera works to 10-bits and the spectrophotometric measures in SCI mode. Finally, the calibrated instrument was used successfully to measure the color of six commercial varieties of Spanish granite.

Análisis lexicométrico de la especificidad de la escritura digital del adolescente en WhatsApp

El artículo presenta una investigación en la que se analizan, desde una perspectiva lexicométrica y factorial, los aspectos lingüísticos y paralingüísticos más relevantes de la escritura digital síncrona del adolescente español, en uno de los programas de mensajería instantánea más utilizados en la actualidad (WhatsApp©). La escritura en soportes digitales móviles (smartphones y tabletas) es una de las actividades más realizadas en nuestra sociedad y constituye un componente esencial de la competencia comunicativa en la Sociedad de la Información. La comunicación digital forma parte de nuestras vidas y el análisis del uso comunicativo digital y ubicuo con dispositivos y programas tiene amplias repercusiones sociales, lingüísticas y pedagógicas. La investigación se ha contextualizado en una muestra de 417 conversaciones de WhatsApp de estudiantes de enseñanza secundaria, de entre 13 y 16 años, en cuatro provincias españolas. La metodología de investigación ha sido de corte cuantitativa para abordar el análisis lexicométrico del corpus lingüístico-digital con referencia a los elementos lingüísticos y paralingüísticos más relevantes; para, posteriormente, realizar el análisis de las correlaciones entre diferentes variables independientes que expliquen patrones lingüísticos y de uso en la escritura digital. Los resultados muestran que la escritura digital en este tipo de programas tiene una serie de características específicas ortotipográficas y audiovisuales condicionadas por variables de uso, el tamaño de la pantalla del dispositivo, la horas de conversación y la relación establecida entre los interlocutores.

O patrimônio invisível: arquitetura popular urbana de municípios do período colonial brasileiro

No Brasil, ações institucionais de preservação de bens imóveis tem foco principal na arquitetura erudita, colocando em segundo plano de importância a arquitetura produzida por indivíduos com formação escassa e empírica. Este trabalho contribui para o reconhecimento da arquitetura popular (vernácula) como patrimônio cultural. Trabalha-se na criação de acervo fotográfico de edificações e equipamentos urbanos produzidos durante o período colonial, nos municípios de Tiradentes, Mariana, Ouro Preto e Diamantina (Minas Gerais). São realizadas visitas in loco para reconhecimento e seleção de objetos a serem fotografados. O registro fotográfico é realizado com câmera digital reflex de objetiva simples, privilegiando-se objetos cuja deterioração permite a observação de materiais e técnicas construtivas. Como resultado parcial da pesquisa, foram produzidas 4.522 imagens, documentando o abandono de edificações residenciais e chafarizes setecentistas e oitocentistas, bem como a descaracterização de exemplares de edificações coloniais populares habitadas, cujas paredes de adobe e pau-a-pique são substituídas por alvenaria de tijolos pelos moradores. Tornam-se necessárias ações para o reconhecimento – no âmbito do Poder Público e das comunidades locais – da relevância histórica da arquitetura popular, entendida como produto articulado e coerente de contribuições das culturas distintas que formaram essa região do Brasil.

London, England, postal office plan, 1843 (Raster Image)

This layer is a georeferenced raster image of the historic paper map entitled: Post office plan of London. It was published by Ja.s Wyld in 1843. Scale [ca. 1:16,830]. The image inside the map neatline is georeferenced to the surface of the earth and fit to the British National Grid coordinate system (British National Grid, Airy Spheroid OSGB (1936) Datum). All map collar and inset information is also available as part of the raster image, including any inset maps, profiles, statistical tables, directories, text, illustrations, index maps, legends, or other information associated with the principal map. This map shows features such as roads, omnibus routes, drainage, built-up areas, selected buildings, Borough and Parish boundaries, parks, cemeteries, docks, and more. Includes notes on demarcations and furlong chart for measuring hackney coach & cab fares. This layer is part of a selection of digitally scanned and georeferenced historic maps from The Harvard Map Collection as part of the Imaging the Urban Environment project. Maps selected for this project represent major urban areas and cities of the world, at various time periods. These maps typically portray both natural and manmade features at a large scale. The selection represents a range of regions, originators, ground condition dates, scales, and purposes.

Plan of Back Bay, Boston, Massachusetts, 1859 (Raster Image)

This layer is a georeferenced raster image of the historic paper map entitled: Part of a plan presented to the Commissioners for the improvement of the Back Bay, [by] T. & J. Doane's Office, published in 1859. Scale [1:2,400]. It shows a plan for a 36 acre lake and surrounding area, Back Bay, Boston, Massachusetts. This is an updated version of the 1854 ed. "Amended for the use of the City: Boston, Janr. 5th, 1859." The image inside the map neatline is georeferenced to the surface of the earth and fit to the Massachusetts State Plane Coordinate System, Mainland Zone (in Feet) (Fipszone 2001). All map collar and inset information is also available as part of the raster image, including any inset maps, profiles, statistical tables, directories, text, illustrations, or other information associated with the principal map. This map shows features such as roads (with street and alley dimensions), drainage, property lots with dimensions, land ownership boundaries with names of landowners, parks, and more. This layer is part of a selection of digitally scanned and georeferenced historic maps of Massachusetts from the Harvard Map Collection. These maps typically portray both natural and manmade features. The selection represents a range of regions, originators, ground condition dates (1755-1922), scales, and purposes. The digitized selection includes maps of: the state, Massachusetts counties, town surveys, coastal features, real property, parks, cemeteries, railroads, roads, public works projects, etc.

Chinese plan of the city of Peking

T.B. Jervis; the chinese characters and explanations rendered into English were furnished by Mr. Samuel Birch, from a comparison of the above documents and the notes appended to the original by the students in the Missionary College at Naples.