Meadows in the Sierra Nevada Mountains are an important ecological resource that have degraded in quality and distribution due to several environmental and anthropogenic stressors. The encroachment of conifers beyond forest meadow ecotones is largely responsible for the decline of meadow habitat throughout the past century. Currently, there is little research that quantifies the hydrologic response to removal of conifers encroaching meadows in terms of implicating successful meadow restoration. This study has implemented a before after control intervention (BACI) study design to determine the hydrologic response associated with the removal of conifers from a historic meadow encroached by conifers. The primary goals of this research were to: (1) establish a method to evaluate the weekly water balance of an encroached meadow before and after conifer removal (restoration) (2) characterize the hydrology of an encroached meadow and a nearby control meadow prior to restoration (3) assess the effectiveness of electrical resistivity tomography in improving the spatial interpretation of subsurface hydrology on our study site. A water budget approach was developed to quantify the hydrology of a control and study meadow (Marian Meadow) before and after restoration. In order to determine weekly changes in groundwater depth, 14 Odyssey water level capacitance instruments were installed to a 1.5 meter depth in PVC wells. In order to quantify changes in soil moisture storage, 14 soil moisture probes were installed to a ~1 ft (30 cm) depth. Both sets of instruments were installed using a spatially balanced random sampling approach. Electrical resistivity tomography was conducted on both meadows on three separate dates during: September 9-10 2013, May 5 2014 and September 6-7 2014. A method to quantify runoff from a stream that drains Marian Meadow (Marian Creek) was also established. The Priestley Taylor model was used to estimate daily evapotranspiration from both meadows. Electrical resistivity tomography improved the spatial interpretation of groundwater recharge and facilitated the use of a recession curve analysis to model groundwater recharge when the water table receded beyond instrument detection depths. Electrical resistivity also demonstrated a change in hydrologic characteristics across a forest –meadow ecotone. Analysis of the pre-removal hydrologic characteristics from September 2013 to December 2014 indicates that Marian Meadow may be a favorable candidate for restoration (in terms of hydrology). On Marian Meadow, volumetric soil moisture was higher than the Control Meadow from May-November 2014. Sufficient soil moisture in the summer months is thought to be critical to the maintenance of endemic meadow flora. The water table depth on Marian Meadow and the Control Meadow was similar throughout the analysis period, but Marian Meadow had a shallower water table during the summer months. The Control Meadow had near surface groundwater during short periods from February-April 2014 and December 2014. If conifer removal from Marian Meadow causes an increase in seasonal volumetric soil moisture and a decrease in seasonal groundwater depth, an augmented version of the stable hydrologic system already present on Marian Meadow may result in hydrologic conditions more favorable to meadow restoration.

No description available.

The timing and kinematics of terrane accretion and translation on the Paleozoic margin of Gondwana remains contentious. Multiple models exist for the accretion of the MARA and Precordillera terranes, but deviate in timing and kinematics of accretion, the nature of involved terranes, Laurentian versus Gondwanan origin, and the extent of translation along the margin. The Valle Fertil Fault Zone (VFFZ) marks the suture zone between the Pampean margin and the MARA terrane, which was accreted and translated via thrusting or transpression between 515-400 Ma. The VFFZ projects northward to the Sierra de Maz region, which is transected by ductile shear zones that lie along strike with the boundary and separate assemblages with varied magmatic and metamorphic history. Sierra de Maz is underlain by Mesoproterozoic-Neoproterozoic igneous and metamorphic units assigned to the MARA terrane, known as the Maz and El Taco Complexes, which are juxtaposed with El Zaino Complex, a clastic assemblage that has a simple metamorphic history. Ramaditas lies to the east of the main sierra, and is comprised of granulite facies units with poorly constrained origin. Characterization of Sierra de Maz and Ramaditas involved U/Pb analysis of 17 igneous zircon and 2 in-situ titanite samples by SHRIMP-RG methods, 6 igneous zircon and 8 detrital zircon samples by LA-ICP-MS methods, and trace element analyses of selected samples. Microstructural analyses and Ti-in-Zr geothermometry were used to analyze the timing of metamorphic conditions and kinematics. This collaborative study was performed in conjunction with petrologic analysis, geochronologic analyses of Lu/Hf garnet and Ar/Ar suites, and detailed structural analyses executed by two M.S. students from Western Washington University and University of California-Davis. The U/Pb data suggests that the Proterozoic basement and Maz Shear Zone experienced widespread metamorphism and deformation from ca. 430 to 420 Ma in the Maz and El Zaino Complexes, and from ca. 430-460 Ma in the Taco Complex and Ramaditas. Metamorphic assemblages and kinematic indicators suggest this took place at granulite to greenschist facies conditions in a sinistral transpressional regime, with localized dextral slip. The magmatic and metamorphic history is similar to that observed west of the VFFZ to the south, suggesting that Sierra de Maz records a complex late Ordovician to early Devonian history of convergence and translation of the MARA terrane along the Pampean margin.

The Sierra Nevada snowpack is vital to the water supply of California, the world’s sixth largest economy. Though tree ring and instrumental records show the dramatic influence of environmental change on California’s hydroclimate over the last millennium, few proxy archives assess winter precipitation variability farther back in time. Here, we use diatoms from a ~3,200 yr. old sediment core to reconstruct the paleolimnology of June Lake, a hydrologically closed glacial lake in the eastern Sierra Nevada. We test the hypothesis that limnologic and climatic changes control diatom assemblages at June Lake. Fossil diatom assemblages from June Lake sediments chiefly consist of the planktic genera Stephanodiscus and Lindavia; their relative abundances in sediments are controlled by lake response to changes in the length of the winter season. We establish a Lindavia:Stephanodiscus index to infer winter length; our results indicate three periods where winter seasons are longer than average: ~3.2-2.9 ka, ~2.2-1.7 ka, and ~0.6 ka-0.05 ka. Over the last ~100 yrs., June Lake has experienced stronger water column stratification and an expansion of the available benthic diatom habitat, indicating significantly warmer winters and lower lake levels. It is possible that this change is the result of anthropogenic climate warming.

Magister Legum - LLM / The Republic of South Sudan became independent from the Republic of Sudan on 9 July 2011. South Sudan has an area of 644, 329 km2 and a total estimated population of around 12, 6 million.1The original state of Sudan was intensely divided along ethnic, religious and ideological lines. The general population of the Republic of Sudan is mainly Sunni Muslim whereas the South Sudanese are mostly Christian, with small populations that still practice African indigenous religions.2While the Republic of Sudan is predominantly Arabic-speaking, English and over sixty local languages are spoken in South Sudan.3 The new Republic of South Sudan was born after one of the longest and most ruthless wars fought in Africa. The war between the government of Sudan and the Southerners had its roots in 1955 as resistance to “Sudanisation” began in the run-up to Sudanese independence. Provincial administration4favouring the better-educated northerners over southerners and further conflict fuelled by "Islamisation" strategies and the inability to actualise a government framework that would ensure self-governance for the South led to a protracted civil war between the north and south.5 The Addis Ababa Agreement that ended the first civil war in 1972 did not resolve political pressures and when Sharia law was introduced in 1983, it reignited the north-south conflict.6 The Second Sudanese Civil War ended with the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) in January 2005. The CPA ended a period of constant war between 1955 and 2005 barring an eleven-year truce that isolates two savage stages.7

Despite decades of the implementation of the directly observed therapy short-course (DOTS), Sierra Leone is ranked among the 30 highest TB-burdened countries. Several factors account for unfavorable treatment outcomes, among which are patient characteristics. Previous studies have only focused on treatment compliance without any consideration for the factors that lead to noncompliance to treatment. The purpose of this study was to investigate patient characteristics that are associated with treatment noncompliance (treatment not completed) among TB patients undergoing the DOTS program in Sierra Leone. A retrospective longitudinal quantitative design was used to analyze secondary data from the completed records of 1,633 TB patients, using the Andersen's behavioral model of health services utilization as a theoretical framework work. Descriptive statistics and bivariate and multivariate logistic regressions were used to analyze the data. The results show that there was no significant association between treatment completion and age, gender, and TB-case category. On the other hand, being HIV-positive decreases the odds of treatment completion. Also, the educational level, geographic location, and year of treatment were significantly associated with treatment completion. Overall, program performance improved as the number of dropouts decreased significantly between 2013 and 2015. The social change implication of this study was that it identified HIV-positive patients and rural communities as areas needing specific attention such as the assignment of case managers to ensure compliance thereby improve DOTS program performance, thereby reducing the incidence and transmission of TB

The Salamanca Accord advocating the implementation of inclusive education for learners with special needs was signed in 1994, as well as the Convention of the Right of Person's with Disabilities in 2006. Yet, Sierra Leone faces challenges to implement fully inclusive education in schools. The purpose of this mixed-method study was to examine teachers' attitudes towards inclusion in mainstream classrooms. The conceptual framework for this study was premised on Azden's theory of planned-behavior, which maintains that attitude and behaviors are products of experiences acquired. Using a Spearman rho correlations and descriptive statistics to analyze the data, gender, age, educational background, and teaching experience were examined to determine if they had any significant relationship with attitudes of teachers towards inclusion in Sierra Leone. In this mixed-method study, 100 primary and secondary teachers in Sierra Leone completed the Attitudes toward Inclusion in Africa Scale, and 10 teachers took part in a one-on-one interview. The results showed no significant relationship between the independent variables (gender, age, educational background, and teaching experience) and the dependent variables (attitudes towards inclusion). Despite the absence of a statistically significant relationship, the participants' interview data analyzed using Nvivo revealed an in-depth understanding of the negative attitude of teachers toward inclusive education in Sierra Leone. Findings may encourage positive social change by providing information that may be used by the Ministry of Education to develop a comprehensive inclusion model with the help of teachers. This study could be used to help create a platform for teachers' training that will ensure a positive attitude towards inclusive education in the country.

Female genital mutilation or cutting (FGM/C), a common practice among Sierra Leonean women, carries significant psychological and physical risks. Prior to this study, a substantial need existed for inquiry of the experiences and belief systems within this cultural group to better understand the effects of FGM/C on women and girls. Guided by feminist theory and the theory of cultural relativism, the goal of this phenomenological study was to review the cultural perspectives and experiences of Sierra Leonean women who underwent FGM/C to investigate their concerns about safety and their perceptions of the practices. In addition, this study explored concerns among Sierra Leonean women about the procedure performed on their daughters and to what they attributed the continued practice of FGM/C. Participants included a purposeful sample of 12 women from Sierra Leone who had experienced FGM/C. Data were collected via in-person, semi-structured interviews and analyzed thematically. Analysis revealed differences in participant definitions of FGM/C, cultural and social aspects of the procedure, personal beliefs and perceptions of the procedures. Results provide new understandings to help health and human rights organizations implement proactive safety measures for these women and girls. Positive social change from this investigation may occur via proper education about FGM/C. Goals include helping women understand the risks associated with the practice and to make their own informed decisions regarding the procedure. Findings revealed that a powerful strategy for protecting women's health and well-being related to FGM/C may be through education on the facts of the procedure.

<p>The recruitment, enlistment and use of children younger than fifteen to participate actively in hostilities is prohibited in customary international law as well as in several international legal instruments. The use of child soldiers is, despite of the prohibition, a widespread phenomenon with 300 000 as the estimated number of child soldiers in national armies as well as in various rebel and insurgent groups in the world today. Although the problem is world-wide; most recent focus have been on Africa where children have served and still serve in ongoing conflicts in various functions including but not limited to front line soldiers, messengers, guards and sex-slaves. Many of the world‟s child soldiers are girls that are facing the risks of sexual abuse and discrimination. In this thesis the 1996-2002 civil war in Sierra Leone will serve as an example of a conflict were children were used as soldiers.Prohibition against the use of child soldiers can be found in international legal instruments in both human rights law and international humanitarian law. It can also be found in instruments in the fields of international labor law and prohibition against slavery. The provisions differ in their definition of a child soldier; concerning age limit as well as the child‟s function during the conflict. There are also differences in the responsibility of states to protect children against being used as soldiers. This particularly affects girl soldiers since they often have their primary tasks behind the front line and thus are not usually included in the more narrow definitions of child soldiers.Two courts; the International Criminal Court (ICC) and the Special Court for Sierra Leone (SCSL) are used as examples of enforcement mechanisms. The SCSL as being the first court to deliver convictions for the use of child soldiers as well as thoroughly discussing the illegality of the use of child soldiers has been of importance in the fight against the use of child soldiers. The ICC will be the enforcement mechanism of the future and it has already prosecuted for the use of child soldiers. The SCSL has raised the awareness and started the struggle against impunity for those responsible for using child soldiers but it is the ICC that will have to continue the fight, although with some obstacles to overcome.</p>

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Illinois State University, 2006. / Title from title page screen, viewed on April 27, 2007. Dissertation Committee: Cynthia Huff (chair), Ronald Strickland, Rebecca Saunders, Perle Besserman. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 216-230) and abstract. Also available in print.