Children as Change Agents: The Influence of Integrating Environmental Education into Home Learning Projects on Families and Community Members

Environmental education focusing on sustainability should be integrated into the elementary curriculum. Learning experiences should include home learning projects that are relevant to the students, involve active participation, and stimulate discussions with their families. Students can use their knowledge and skills to influence the attitudes and behavior of their parents and other community members.

The utility of an Integrated Qualitative /Quantitative Data Analytic Strategy (IQ -DAS) to evaluate the impact of youth development interventions to positive qualitative change in the life course

This study reports one of the first controlled studies to examine the impact of a school based positive youth development program (Lerner, Fisher, & Weinberg, 2000) on promoting qualitative change in life course experiences as a positive intervention outcome. The study built on a recently proposed relational developmental methodological metanarrative (Overton, 1998) and advances in use of qualitative research methods (Denzin & Lincoln, 2000). The study investigated the use the Life Course Interview (Clausen, 1998) and an integrated qualitative and quantitative data analytic strategy (IQ-DAS) to provide empirical documentation of the impact the Changing Lives Program on qualitative change in positive identity in a multicultural population of troubled youth in an alternative public high school. The psychosocial life course intervention approach used in this study draws its developmental framework from both psychosocial developmental theory (Erikson, 1968) and life course theory (Elder, 1998) and its intervention strategies from the transformative pedagogy of Freire's (1983/1970). ^ Using the 22 participants in the Intervention Condition and the 10 participants in the Control Condition, RMANOVAs found significantly more positive qualitative change in personal identity for program participants relative to the non-intervention control condition. In addition, the 2X2X2X3 mixed design RMANOVA in which Time (pre, post) was the repeated factor and Condition (Intervention versus Control), Gender, and Ethnicity the between group factors, also found significant interactions for the Time by Gender and Time by Ethnicity. ^ Moreover, the directionality of the basic pattern of change was positive for participants of both genders and all three ethnic groups. The pattern of the moderation effects also indicated a marked tendency for participants in the intervention group to characterize their sense of self as more secure and less negative at the end of the their first semester in the intervention, that was stable across both genders and all three ethnicities. The basic differential pattern of an increase in the intervention condition of a positive characterization of sense of self relative to both pre test and relative to the directionality of the movement of the non-intervention controls, was stable across both genders and all three ethnic groups. ^

Acculturation and Hispanic identity/ethnicity as a predictor of change on the brief situational confidence questionnaire

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether level of acculturation among Hispanic adolescent males (n = 174) influenced treatment outcome in a substance abuse program, specifically on the Brief Situational Confidence Questionnaire (BSCQ) which measures relapse confidence. It was hypothesized that lower levels of acculturation were likely to be predictive of positive change, whereas higher levels of acculturation were likely to be predictive of no change or negative change. It was found that adolescents changed over time in BSCQ scores regardless of which acculturation variable was measured. Contrary to expectations, for those adolescents placed in family treatment, place of birth was not significantly associated with treatment response. However, both, U.S. and non-U.S. born adolescents demonstrated a change over time when receiving family treatment, suggesting that the family substance abuse treatment utilized in this intervention effected change over time.

The utility of an integrated qualitative/quantitative data analytic strategy (IQ-DAS) to evaluate the impact of youth development interventions on positive qualitative change in the life course

This study reports one of the first controlled studies to examine the impact of a school based positive youth development program (Lerner, Fisher, & Weinberg, 2000) on promoting qualitative change in life course experiences as a positive intervention outcome. The study built on a recently proposed relational developmental methodological metanarrative (Overton, 1998) and advances in use of qualitative research methods (Denzin & Lincoln, 2000). The study investigated the use the Life Course Interview (Clausen, 1998) and an integrated qualitative and quantitative data analytic strategy (IQDAS) to provide empirical documentation of the impact the Changing Lives Program on qualitative change in positive identity in a multicultural population of troubled youth in an alternative public high school. The psychosocial life course intervention approach used in this study draws its developmental framework from both psychosocial developmental theory (Erikson, 1968) and life course theory (Elder, 1998) and its intervention strategies from the transformative pedagogy of Freire's (1983/1970). Using the 22 participants in the Intervention Condition and the 10 participants in the Control Condition, RMANOVAs found significantly more positive qualitative change in personal identity for program participants relative to the non-intervention control condition. In addition, the 2X2X2X3 mixed design RMANOVA in which Time (pre, post) was the repeated factor and Condition (Intervention versus Control), Gender, and Ethnicity the between group factors, also found significant interactions for the Time by Gender and Time by Ethnicity. Moreover, the directionality of the basic pattern of change was positive for participants of both genders and all three ethnic groups. The pattern of the moderation effects also indicated a marked tendency for participants in the intervention group to characterize their sense of self as more secure and less negative at the end of the their first semester in the intervention, that was stable across both genders and all three ethnicities. The basic differential pattern of an increase in the intervention condition of a positive characterization of sense of self relative to both pre test and relative to the directionality of the movement of the non-intervention controls, was stable across both genders and all three ethnic groups.

Patterns of weight change after the diagnosis of type 2 diabetes in Scotland and their relationship with glycaemic control, mortality and cardiovascular outcomes: a retrospective cohort study

Acknowledgements The authors would like to thank the Scottish Diabetes Research Network Epidemiology Group for granting permission to use this database. They also thank the data management team in the University of Aberdeen who were the initial conduit for access to these data and also provided validation to the various data cleaning criteria applied. Jeremy J Walker, University of Edinburgh, was invaluable for the original funding application and initial exploration of data. HSRU is funded by the Chief Scientist Office of the Scottish Government Health and Social Care Directorates. Funding Chief Scientist Office (CSO) reference number: CZG/2/571.

Full of Hot Air? Three Examinations of Climate Change in the American Political Information Environment

<p>Climate change is thought to be one of the most pressing environmental problems facing humanity. However, due in part to failures in political communication and how the issue has been historically defined in American politics, discussions of climate change remain gridlocked and polarized. In this dissertation, I explore how climate change has been historically constructed as a political issue, how conflicts between climate advocates and skeptics have been communicated, and what effects polarization has had on political communication, particularly on the communication of climate change to skeptical audiences. I use a variety of methodological tools to consider these questions, including evolutionary frame analysis, which uses textual data to show how issues are framed and constructed over time; Kullback-Leibler divergence content analysis, which allows for comparison of advocate and skeptical framing over time; and experimental framing methods to test how audiences react to and process different presentations of climate change. I identify six major portrayals of climate change from 1988 to 2012, but find that no single construction of the issue has dominated the public discourse defining the problem. In addition, the construction of climate change may be associated with changes in public political sentiment, such as greater pessimism about climate action when the electorate becomes more conservative. As the issue of climate change has become more polarized in American politics, one proposed causal pathway for the observed polarization is that advocate and skeptic framing of climate change focuses on different facets of the issue and ignores rival arguments, a practice known as ���talking past.��� However, I find no evidence of increased talking past in 25 years of popular newsmedia reporting on the issue, suggesting both that talking past has not driven public polarization or that polarization is occurring in venues outside of the mainstream public discourse, such as blogs. To examine how polarization affects political communication on climate change, I test the cognitive processing of a variety of messages and sources that promote action against climate change among Republican individuals. Rather than identifying frames that are powerful enough to overcome polarization, I find that Republicans exhibit telltale signs of motivated skepticism on the issue, that is, they reject framing that runs counter to their party line and political identity. This result suggests that polarization constrains political communication on polarized issues, overshadowing traditional message and source effects of framing and increasing the difficulty communicators experience in reaching skeptical audiences.</p>

Historical comparisons reveal multiple drivers of decadal change of an ecosystem engineer at the range edge

Biogenic reefs are important for habitat provision and coastal protection. Long-term datasets on the distribution and abundance of Sabellaria alveolata (L.) are available from Britain. The aim of this study was to combine historical records and contemporary data to (1) describe spatiotemporal variation in winter temperatures, (2) document short-term and long-term changes in the distribution and abundance of S. alveolata and discuss these changes in relation to extreme weather events and recent warming, and (3) assess the potential for artificial coastal defense structures to function as habitat for S. alveolata. A semi-quantitative abundance scale (ACFOR) was used to compare broadscale, long-term and interannual abundance of S. alveolata near its range edge in NW Britain. S. alveolata disappeared from the North Wales and Wirral coastlines where it had been abundant prior to the cold winter of 1962/1963. Population declines were also observed following the recent cold winters of 2009/2010 and 2010/2011. Extensive surveys in 2004 and 2012 revealed that S. alveolata had recolonized locations from which it had previously disappeared. Furthermore, it had increased in abundance at many locations, possibly in response to recent warming. S. alveolata was recorded on the majority of artificial coastal defense structures surveyed, suggesting that the proliferation of artificial coastal defense structures along this stretch of coastline may have enabled S. alveolata to spread across stretches of unsuitable natural habitat. Long-term and broadscale contextual monitoring is essential for monitoring responses of organisms to climate change. Historical data and gray literature can be invaluable sources of information. Our results support the theory that Lusitanian species are responding positively to climate warming but also that short-term extreme weather events can have potentially devastating widespread and lasting effects on organisms. Furthermore, the proliferation of coastal defense structures has implications for phylogeography, population genetics, and connectivity of coastal populations.

Historical comparisons reveal multiple drivers of decadal change of an ecosystem engineer at the range edge

Biogenic reefs are important for habitat provision and coastal protection. Long-term datasets on the distribution and abundance of Sabellaria alveolata (L.) are available from Britain. The aim of this study was to combine historical records and contemporary data to (1) describe spatiotemporal variation in winter temperatures, (2) document short-term and long-term changes in the distribution and abundance of S. alveolata and discuss these changes in relation to extreme weather events and recent warming, and (3) assess the potential for artificial coastal defense structures to function as habitat for S. alveolata. A semi-quantitative abundance scale (ACFOR) was used to compare broadscale, long-term and interannual abundance of S. alveolata near its range edge in NW Britain. S. alveolata disappeared from the North Wales and Wirral coastlines where it had been abundant prior to the cold winter of 1962/1963. Population declines were also observed following the recent cold winters of 2009/2010 and 2010/2011. Extensive surveys in 2004 and 2012 revealed that S. alveolata had recolonized locations from which it had previously disappeared. Furthermore, it had increased in abundance at many locations, possibly in response to recent warming. S. alveolata was recorded on the majority of artificial coastal defense structures surveyed, suggesting that the proliferation of artificial coastal defense structures along this stretch of coastline may have enabled S. alveolata to spread across stretches of unsuitable natural habitat. Long-term and broadscale contextual monitoring is essential for monitoring responses of organisms to climate change. Historical data and gray literature can be invaluable sources of information. Our results support the theory that Lusitanian species are responding positively to climate warming but also that short-term extreme weather events can have potentially devastating widespread and lasting effects on organisms. Furthermore, the proliferation of coastal defense structures has implications for phylogeography, population genetics, and connectivity of coastal populations.

Climate change and the long-term viability of the World���s busiest heavy haul ice road

Climate models project that the northern high latitudes will warm at a rate in excess of the global mean. This will pose severe problems for Arctic and sub-Arctic infrastructure dependent on maintaining low temperatures for structural integrity. This is the case for the economically important Tibbitt to Contwoyto Winter Road (TCWR)���the world���s busiest heavy haul ice road, spanning 400 km across mostly frozen lakes within the Northwest Territories of Canada. In this study, future climate scenarios are developed for the region using statistical downscaling methods. In addition, changes in lake ice thickness are projected based on historical relationships between measured ice thickness and air temperatures. These projections are used to infer the theoretical operational dates of the TCWR based on weight limits for trucks on the ice. Results across three climate models driven by four RCPs reveal a considerable warming trend over the coming decades. Projected changes in ice thickness reveal a trend towards thinner lake ice and a reduced time window when lake ice is at sufficient thickness to support trucks on the ice road, driven by increasing future temperatures. Given the uncertainties inherent in climate modelling and the resultant projections, caution should be exercised in interpreting the magnitude of these scenarios. More certain is the direction of change, with a clear trend towards winter warming that will reduce the operation time window of the TCWR. This illustrates the need for planners and policymakers to consider future changes in climate when planning annual haulage along the TCWR.

The EU Referendum and the UK Environment: An Expert Review:How has EU membership affected the UK and what might change in the event of a vote to Remain or Leave

This expert review provides a detailed review of the academic evidence on how EU membership has influenced UK policies, systems of decision making and environmental quality. Containing 14 chapters and over 60,000 words, it documents how the EU has affected UK environmental policy and how, in turn, the UK has worked through the EU to shape wider, international thinking. It has been authored by 14 international experts, who have drawn on the findings of over 700 publications to offer an impartial and authoritative assessment of the evidence.

Climate change and the evolution of loggerhead sex-ratio in Cabo Verde

<p>[EN] Global warming can affect nesting success of sea turtles due to the rise of the sea level and the subsequent increased inundation or erosion of nesting beaches. Moreover, it can reduce male production to levels that can alter reproduction due to their temperature dependant sex determination (TSD). Now, mean nest temperatures all around the world predict a predominance of female hatchlings, and this trend may increase with global warming in the next decades.</p>

Assessing trends in land use change in the Borana rangeland Ethiopia as one cause of greenhouse gas emissions and carbon sequestration variations

Landnutzungs��nderungen sind eine wesentliche Ursache von Treibhausgasemissionen. Die Umwandlung von ��kosystemen mit permanenter nat��rlicher Vegetation hin zu Ackerbau mit zeitweise vegetationslosem Boden (z.B. nach der Bodenbearbeitung vor der Aussaat) f��hrt h��ufig zu gesteigerten Treibhausgasemissionen und verminderter Kohlenstoffbindung. Weltweit dehnt sich Ackerbau sowohl in kleinb��uerlichen als auch in agro-industriellen Systemen aus, h��ufig in benachbarte semiaride bis subhumide Rangeland ��kosysteme. Die vorliegende Arbeit untersucht Trends der Landnutzungs��nderung im Borana Rangeland S��d��thiopiens. Bev��lkerungswachstum, Landprivatisierung und damit einhergehende Einz��unung, ver��nderte Landnutzungspolitik und zunehmende Klimavariabilit��t f��hren zu raschen Ver��nderungen der traditionell auf Tierhaltung basierten, pastoralen Systeme. Mittels einer Literaturanalyse von Fallstudien in ostafrikanischen Rangelands wurde im Rahmen dieser Studie ein schematisches Modell der Zusammenh��nge von Landnutzung, Treibhausgasemissionen und Kohlenstofffixierung entwickelt. Anhand von Satellitendaten und Daten aus Haushaltsbefragungen wurden Art und Umfang von Landnutzungs��nderungen und Vegetationsver��nderungen an f��nf Untersuchungsstandorten (Darito/Yabelo Distrikt, Soda, Samaro, Haralo, Did Mega/alle Dire Distrikt) zwischen 1985 und 2011 analysiert. In Darito dehnte sich die Ackerbaufl��che um 12% aus, ��berwiegend auf Kosten von Buschland. An den ��brigen Standorten blieb die Ackerbaufl��che relativ konstant, jedoch nahm Graslandvegetation um zwischen 16 und 28% zu, w��hrend Buschland um zwischen 23 und 31% abnahm. Lediglich am Standort Haralo nahm auch ���bare land���, vegetationslose Fl��chen, um 13% zu. Faktoren, die zur Ausdehnung des Ackerbaus f��hren, wurden am Standort Darito detaillierter untersucht. GPS Daten und anbaugeschichtlichen Daten von 108 Feldern auf 54 Betrieben wurden in einem Geographischen Informationssystem (GIS) mit thematischen Boden-, Niederschlags-, und Hangneigungskarten sowie einem Digitales H��henmodell ��berlagert. Multiple lineare Regression ermittelte Hangneigung und geographische H��he als signifikante Erkl��rungsvariablen f��r die Ausdehnung von Ackerbau in niedrigere Lagen. Bodenart, Entfernung zum saisonalen Flusslauf und Niederschlag waren hingegen nicht signifikant. Das niedrige Bestimmtheitsma�� (R��=0,154) weist darauf hin, dass es weitere, hier nicht erfasste Erkl��rungsvariablen f��r die Richtung der r��umlichen Ausweitung von Ackerland gibt. Streudiagramme zu Ackergr����e und Anbaujahren in Relation zu geographischer H��he zeigen seit dem Jahr 2000 eine Ausdehnung des Ackerbaus in Lagen unter 1620 m��NN und eine Zunahme der Schlaggr����e (>3ha). Die Analyse der ph��nologischen Entwicklung von Feldfr��chten im Jahresverlauf in Kombination mit Niederschlagsdaten und normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) Zeitreihendaten dienten dazu, Zeitpunkte besonders hoher (Begr��nung vor der Ernte) oder niedriger (nach der Bodenbearbeitung) Pflanzenbiomasse auf Ackerland zu identifizieren, um Ackerland und seine Ausdehnung von anderen Vegetationsformen fernerkundlich unterscheiden zu k��nnen. Anhand der NDVI Spektralprofile konnte Ackerland gut Wald, jedoch weniger gut von Gras- und Buschland unterschieden werden. Die geringe Aufl��sung (250m) der Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) NDVI Daten f��hrte zu einem Mixed Pixel Effect, d.h. die Fl��che eines Pixels beinhaltete h��ufig verschiedene Vegetationsformen in unterschiedlichen Anteilen, was deren Unterscheidung beeintr��chtigte. F��r die Entwicklung eines Echtzeit Monitoring Systems f��r die Ausdehnung des Ackerbaus w��ren h��her aufl��sende NDVI Daten (z.B. Multispektralband, Hyperion EO-1 Sensor) notwendig, um kleinr��umig eine bessere Differenzierung von Ackerland und nat��rlicher Rangeland-Vegetation zu erhalten. Die Entwicklung und der Einsatz solcher Methoden als Entscheidungshilfen f��r Land- und Ressourcennutzungsplanung k��nnte dazu beitragen, Produktions- und Entwicklungsziele der Borana Landnutzer mit nationalen Anstrengungen zur Eind��mmung des Klimawandels durch Steigerung der Kohlenstofffixierung in Rangelands in Einklang zu bringen.

Integrating functional connectivity and climate change in the design of protected area networks

Le rapide d��clin actuel de la biodiversit�� est inqui��tant et les activit��s humaines en sont la cause directe. De nombreuses aires prot��g��es ont ��t�� mises en place pour contrer cette perte de biodiversit��. Afin de maximiser leur efficacit��, l���am��lioration de la connectivit�� fonctionnelle entre elles est requise. Les changements climatiques perturbent actuellement les conditions environnementales de fa��on globale. C���est une menace pour la biodiversit�� qui n���a pas souvent ��t�� int��gr��e lors de la mise en place des aires prot��g��es, jusqu����� r��cemment. Le mouvement des esp��ces, et donc la connectivit�� fonctionnelle du paysage, est impact�� par les changements climatiques et des ��tudes ont montr�� qu���am��liorer la connectivit�� fonctionnelle entre les aires prot��g��es aiderait les esp��ces �� faire face aux impacts des changements climatiques. Ma th��se pr��sente une m��thode pour concevoir des r��seaux d���aires prot��g��es tout en tenant compte des changements climatiques et de la connectivit�� fonctionnelle. Mon aire d�����tude est la r��gion de la Gasp��sie au Qu��bec (Canada). La population en voie de disparition de caribou de la Gasp��sie-Atlantique (Rangifer tarandus caribou) a ��t�� utilis��e comme esp��ce focale pour d��finir la connectivit�� fonctionnelle. Cette petite population subit un d��clin continu d�� �� la pr��dation et la modification de son habitat, et les changements climatiques pourraient devenir une menace suppl��mentaire. J���ai d���abord construit un mod��le individu-centr�� spatialement explicite pour expliquer et simuler le mouvement du caribou. J���ai utilis�� les donn��es VHF ��parses de la population de caribou et une strat��gie de mod��lisation patron-orient�� pour param��trer et s��lectionner la meilleure hypoth��se de mouvement. Mon meilleur mod��le a reproduit la plupart des patrons de mouvement d��finis avec les donn��es observ��es. Ce mod��le fournit une meilleure compr��hension des moteurs du mouvement du caribou de la Gasp��sie-Atlantique, ainsi qu���une estimation spatiale de son utilisation du paysage dans la r��gion. J���ai conclu que les donn��es ��parses ��taient suffisantes pour ajuster un mod��le individu-centr�� lorsqu���utilis�� avec une mod��lisation patron-orient��. Ensuite, j���ai estim�� l���impact des changements climatiques et de diff��rentes actions de conservation sur le potentiel de mouvement du caribou. J���ai utilis�� le mod��le individu-centr�� pour simuler le mouvement du caribou dans des paysages hypoth��tiques repr��sentant diff��rents sc��narios de changements climatiques et d���actions de conservation. Les actions de conservation repr��sentaient la mise en place de nouvelles aires prot��g��es en Gasp��sie, comme d��finies par le sc��nario propos�� par le gouvernement du Qu��bec, ainsi que la restauration de routes secondaires �� l���int��rieur des aires prot��g��es. Les impacts des changements climatiques sur la v��g��tation, comme d��finis dans mes sc��narios, ont r��duit le potentiel de mouvement du caribou. La restauration des routes ��tait capable d���att��nuer ces effets n��gatifs, contrairement �� la mise en place des nouvelles aires prot��g��es. Enfin, j���ai pr��sent�� une m��thode pour concevoir des r��seaux d���aires prot��g��es efficaces et j���ai propos�� des nouvelles aires prot��g��es �� mettre en place en Gasp��sie afin de prot��ger la biodiversit�� sur le long terme. J���ai cr���� de nombreux sc��narios de r��seaux d���aires prot��g��es en ��tendant le r��seau actuel pour prot��ger 12% du territoire. J���ai calcul�� la repr��sentativit�� ��cologique et deux mesures de connectivit�� fonctionnelle sur le long terme pour chaque r��seau. Les mesures de connectivit�� fonctionnelle repr��sentaient l���acc��s g��n��ral aux aires prot��g��es pour le caribou de la Gasp��sie-Atlantique ainsi que son potentiel de mouvement �� l���int��rieur. J���ai utilis�� les estimations de potentiel de mouvement pour la p��riode de temps actuelle ainsi que pour le futur sous diff��rents sc��narios de changements climatiques pour repr��senter la connectivit�� fonctionnelle sur le long terme. Le r��seau d���aires prot��g��es que j���ai propos�� ��tait le sc��nario qui maximisait le compromis entre les trois caract��ristiques de r��seau calcul��es. Dans cette th��se, j���ai expliqu�� et pr��dit le mouvement du caribou de la Gasp��sie-Atlantique sous diff��rentes conditions environnementales, notamment des paysages impact��s par les changements climatiques. Ces r��sultats m���ont aid��e �� d��finir un r��seau d���aires prot��g��es �� mettre en place en Gasp��sie pour prot��ger le caribou au cours du temps. Je crois que cette th��se apporte de nouvelles connaissances sur le comportement de mouvement du caribou de la Gasp��sie-Atlantique, ainsi que sur les actions de conservation qui peuvent ��tre prises en Gasp��sie afin d���am��liorer la protection du caribou et de celle d���autres esp��ces. Je crois que la m��thode pr��sent��e peut ��tre applicable �� d���autres ��cosyst��mes aux caract��ristiques et besoins similaires.