Thesis (M.S.)--West Virginia University, 2009. / Title from document title page. Document formatted into pages; contains xvii, 195 p. : ill. (some col.), col. map. Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references (p. 58-90).

Thesis (M.S.)--Ohio University, November, 2009. / Title from PDF t.p. Includes bibliographical references.

Water treatment facilities have been relying on indicator bacteria to assess the quality of water for decades. The purpose of this group of studies is to investigate the predictive capabilities of conventional and alternative indicators for pathogenic microorganisms in disinfection processes and treated wastewater effluents. In addition, the possibility that diversity of indicator bacteria, as well as overall bacterial diversity, correlate with fecal contamination in water bodies has been investigated. Indicator organisms (total coliforms, fecal coliforms, enterococci, C. perfringens, and coliphages) as well as pathogens (enteroviruses, Giardia, and Cryptosporidium) were enumerated from six wastewater treatment facilities at various stages of treatment. Statistical analyses were conducted to determine if the indicator organisms (individually or as a set) could predict the presence or absence of pathogens. Single indicator organism analysis failed to correlate with the occu rrence pathogens, thus monitoring a suite of indicator organisms may be a better measure to predict the presence of pathogens. The product of chlorine residual concentration and contact time (CT) was identified as a factor for determining the log10 reduction of enteric viruses in wastewater treatment facilities that used chloramines for disinfection.Samples were also collected from river waters and sediments in watersheds with different human population densities to identify the impact of anthropogenic activities on bacterial diversity. 16S rRNA restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP), ribotyping, and denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) were used to determine total coliform, Escherichia coli, and bacterial community population structures, respectively. The concentrations of indicator organisms were significantly different among the river sites in sediments, but not in water column. The population diversity measurements were not significantly different among the river sites; while the indicator population and bacterial community structures were dissimilar in water column vs. associated sediment samples. Accumulation curves demonstrated that greater than 20 isolates must be sampled at most of the sites to represent the dominant populations. A better understanding of the relationship between the indicator organisms and pathogens as well as knowledge of the ecology of indicator organisms in pristine and anthropogenically impacted waters may contribute to water quality restoration and public health protection.

West-central Florida has supplied much of the national and global demand for phosphate for over 100 years. The two main tributaries of the Alafia River, the North and South Prongs, have been extensively modified by the strip mining, benefaction, and chemical processing activities associated with the phosphate mining industry. Using aerial photos, an analysis of landscape change in the South Prong Alafia River drainage basin (357.4 km2) between 1940, 1970, and 2004 was conducted. A modified Florida Land Use, Land Cover, and Forms Classification System code (FLUCCS) was used to classify and measure change through the study period. Change in the study area is characterized by a dramatic decline in the area covered by natural lands and an increase in the area covered by anthropogenic activity. Increasing 43.8 km2 from 1940 -- 1970 and 199.96 km2 from 1970 -- 2004, phosphate mining activity is the primary force of landscape alteration in the study area. The historic headwaters of the main stream, Hooker's Prairie, is completely replaced by mining-induced landforms in 2004. Net change in landscape composition from 1940 -- 2004 is 1) phosphate mining (+243.76 km2), 2) surface hydrology (-113.13 km2), 3) urban (+2.42 km2), agriculture (+19.76 km2), and undisturbed / other (-139.66 km2). The results of this study indicate that the regional environment and hydrology have been heavily impacted by phosphate mining activity. The critical management of the industry's environmental impacts and reclamation practices is essential for the current and future health of the local environment and its inhabitants.

This work argues that Cameroonian cinema is in the thick of cultural reclamation and human rights debates in the country. The crux of the problem is this: in a country colonized for over a century by three major western powers (Germany, France and Great-Britain), what is left of Cameroonians and their indigenous culture? Did colonialism demolish them into a mass of emasculated cultural bastards led by self-loathing elites locked into the country colonial archives, or did some withstand that colonial onslaught to reclaim their humanity, from within, consistent with a genuine, homegrown progressive indigenous culture? To answer these questions, this author argues that three propositions have to be considered: first, for any forms of cultural reclamation and human rights, denials of the past mixed with official thought control do not work in the case of Cameroon. Second, within, this logic, only grassroots democratic and marginal media communication theory can help the viewer to understand how Cameroonian cinema interrogates and critiques the naturalizations of a neo-colonial political order through the construction of counter hegemonic voices. Third, it is essential to show how these counter hegemonic cinematic narratives are building new forms of democratic archives out of the colonial ones. Consequently, this author claims that Cameroonian cinema, one of the few independent media of communication, that for decades has both managed to resist dictatorship and thrive, is keeping a steady drumbeat of freedom on behalf of ordinary Cameroonians by consistently targeting the state in order to demonstrate the dangers of an institution uninterested in the work of cultural reclamation by not allowing proper conditions for artists to create original work. These confrontations with the state give Cameroonian cinema a cachet to voice human rights questions as well. As a result, cinema blurs the line between art and social activism. It brings a new mystic to human rights' work because these filmmakers demonstrate that culture and human rights can no longer be consigned to the margin of Cameroonian society. What is at stake, it is the knowledge that the road ahead, Africa’s future, lies with those with the skills to take advantages of technologies and the contemporary global discourse of human rights, democracy and globalization not the same old beaten paths of neo-colonial clientelism and patronage, lower standards of governance, defining actual Cameroon’s neo-colonial state practices. With this background, both filmmakers and human rights activists are forcing the state to take notice. This work indicates that arguing against technologies and global flows in our contemporary world is akin to try carrying a cat by the tail. / text

The State of Florida ranks fifth in the world's production of phosphate. The phosphate industry relies on surface mining to withdraw the phosphate ore, and this process can devastate the natural environment. One of the most impacted natural resources is wetlands. Federal laws permit the legal destruction of wetlands providing their loss is compensated by the mitigation (i.e., the restoration, creation, or enhancement) of other wetlands, but the complexity of wetland ecosystems makes the mitigation process difficult. One of the goals of this thesis is to review the established Federal, State and non-regulatory guidelines for the development and maintenance of mitigated wetlands, evaluate their efficacy and present some underlying reasons for successful versus unsuccessful mitigation projects.The environmental repercussions of phosphate mining are not only pertinent to Florida or the United States. Wetland mitigation has become a global issue. Laws and programs that facilitate specific countries do not benefit wetland ecosystems on a landscape level. It is important to remain cognizant of the ramifications of wetland destruction and avoid piecemeal solutions to a wide-spread problem. Thus, my second objective is to investigate the progress and status of international wetland preservation. I will examine how different countries and international organizations are addressing the environmental impacts of mining, and underscore the relevant methods and protocols. I will also supplement this review by proposing the use of soil microbial communities as bioindicators of wetland development and sustainability. I will describe the laboratory and field procedures necessary to evaluate the various biological and physical aspects of mitigated wetlands, thereby offering mangers an effective monitoring technique. My intention is to confirm that microorganism development and preservation are critical to wetland health and longevity. My final objective is to document the relevant literature on environmental policy, and provide current scientific and policy review for researchers, managers and legislators. This thesis will synthesize the diverse and often contradictory theories, and suggest possible methodologies to bridge the science-policy gap.Overall, I intend to supply researchers, managers, and government agencies with a source of publications that can assist in evaluating, managing and monitoring wetland mitigation projects.

Small and mid-size cities often struggle with the financial and social costs of brownfield redevelopment, even when they receive funding for environmental remediation from federal and state governments. This paper examines how cities can address the gap between administering technical funding for environmental remediation and creating local economic and social opportunities on redeveloped brownfields sites. Specific attention is paid to mid-size cities, and Rockford, Illinois will be used as an example of a city struggling to attract investors to its abandoned industrial brownfields. / text

published_or_final_version / Zoology / Master / Master of Philosophy

No description available.

Three experiments were conducted to examine restoration of disturbed land in Arizona. The first experiment attempted to revegetate abandoned farmland by direct seeding native seeds and using various soil preparation techniques, amendments, and weeding of Salsola iberica. Only irrigation and weeding had a significant effect on seed germination and canopy cover. Irrigation increased plant cover on plots, but weeds dominated the cover. A seedbank study conducted near the end of the second growing season found the soil was dominated by weeds and contained few viable native seeds. The results illustrate the difficulty of establishing native plants on abandoned desert farmland due to the dominance of weedy species, the presence of salts in the soil, and the lack of adequate soil moisture.The second experiment, a lysimeter study, tested the efficacy of different evapotranspiration (ET) soil cover designs for stabilization of acidic copper mine tailing piles. The study evaluated the effectiveness of capillary barriers (CB) to contain the waste found in tailings and different plants to revegetate the piles. The ET covers reduced infiltration of water into tailings. Copper concentrations increased significantly in plant tissue grown on the ET covers compared to plants grown in the greenhouse. Plants did not exhibit signs of phytotoxicity and concentrations were below levels toxic to all domestic animals except sheep. The CB did not reduce water infiltration into the tailings or upward migration of copper into the soil cover. Vegetation is vital to an effective ET cover. A mix of transplanted shrubs and seeded grasses and forbs establish long-term, sustainable vegetation.The third experiment examined the influence of biosolids on the bacterial communities within mine tailings by bacterial counts and bacterial diversity. The diversity of neutral copper mine tailings two weeks after biosolid application was compared with that of desert soil via cloning and sequencing of PCR amplified community 16S rRNA. Culturable heterotrophic plate counts (HPC) increased following biosolid addition. Total direct counts exceeded HPC by approximately two orders of magnitude. Overall, biosolid-amended tailings contained large numbers of bacteria diverse in nature and with many of the traits of normal desert soil bacterial communities.