For several years libraries, especially larger libraries and research libraries, have been more and more desperately seeking systems and tools to help them manage electronic resources for several years. To date, most libraries seeking support for the full life cycle of electronic resource management (ERM) from selection through purchase, access, license management, and renewal or cancellation, have had to build their own systems, and many have done so. In addition to these homegrown systems, commercial sources have emerged to support ERM: there are those from third party serial and/or serial data vendors, such as EBSCO, SerialsSolutions, and TDNet; and those from major vendors of integrated library systems (ILS), such as Innovative Interfaces Inc. (III), which has an ERM system currently on the market, and other ILS vendors who are in varying stages of developing ERM functionality.[1] This article is an overview of the latter market.

Quantification of groundwater recharge is a crucial prerequisite for sustainable groundwater resource management, particularly in semi-arid areas where there are large demands for groundwater supplies. This research presents an alternative approach for recharge estimation based on the soil water balance technique. The purpose is to develop a model which provides a suitable balance between physical credibility and data which realistically can be gathered. A spreadsheet model was written based on the conceptual representation of the principal physical processes which actually affect recharge in a semi-arid area. Alternative procedures were included in order to represent: (a) the estimation of runoff, (b) the inclusion of the period with predominant bare soil evaporation and (c) the accounting for evapotranspiration following rainfall on dry soil. The model was tested using real data from a semi-arid region (Northeast Nigeria) making use of selected periods of days and years in order to illustrate the principal model characteristics. The results were presented in the form of diagrams and graphs helping to visualise the interactions between the physical components and the effect of the additional procedures on recharge estimation. The credibility of the model was investigated using an alternative concept of 'analysis of plausibility'. This concept makes use of as wide as possible a range of quantitative and qualitative information from the hydrological system in order to verify the robustness of the model when extensive datasets required by conventional validation techniques are not available. The results suggested that the modelled recharge is physically sound and it is in line with the overall determination of recharge in semi-arid areas by a range of methods. The soil water balance model was utilised to explore important aspects of recharge in semi-arid regions showing the effect of the field variability on the model's output. The preliminary results show that the developed concept reasonably represents the inherent field variability, thus corroborating the strength of the approach for recharge estimation in semi-arid regions.

This thesis investigates talent management challenges in public and private organizations in Saudi Arabia. The lack of studies into talent management challenges has motivated the researcher’s work, in particular focusing on whether talent management challenges are applicable to both private and public organizations. In order to answer the research questions, the researcher reviews previous research related to talent management in general and talent management challenges in particular. A list of talent management challenges was provided and then those challenges were linked to institutional theory. The researcher used semi-structured interviews to collect primary data. 18 human resource managers, 8 private organizations, and 8 public organisations were interviewed. The researcher after that transcribed the interview one by one. This was followed by applying manual coding. The researcher’s findings suggest that there are three types of challenges, firstly, challenges those can be found in private and public organizations, secondly, talent management challenges that can be found in public organizations, thirdly, talent management challenges that can be found in private organizations.

<p> River herring, the collective name given to North American populations of Alewife (<i>Alosa pseudoharengus</i>) and Blueback Herring (<i> A. aestivalis</i>), are iteroparous, anadromous members of the family Clupeidae, with similar morphology, ecological roles, and overlapping distributions. Once abundant in coastal rivers of New Hampshire, many factors including commercial fishing, habitat degradation, and dam construction resulted in a precipitous decline of the species along the entire coast. Successful efforts to restore populations have included the construction of fish ladders at dams. However, fish ladders require constant operation and maintenance to efficiently pass river herring, and only provide access to spawning habitat up to the next barrier, all too often, man-made.</p><p> Alewife passage efficiency in fish ladders of all designs has received little attention historically, but is important to understand how to interpret annual counts, that for many rivers are the only index used in current stock assessments. In this study, passive integrated transponder (PIT) tags were used to assess the passage efficiency of a Denil fish ladder on the Lamprey River in Newmarket, New Hampshire. The data collected allow for a better understanding of the movements and diel behavior of river herring in fishways, as well as insight into how the selectivity of fish ladders my shape the population demographics within a river system.</p><p> A breached dam located at Wadleigh Falls on the Lamprey River in Lee, New Hampshire was examined to determine if river herring were able to pass the existing structure or if it should be considered the upper extent of their annual spawning migration. Telemetry data indicated that Alewives were unable to pass the breached Wadleigh Falls Dam site and that it should be considered the uppermost extent of their migratory access. Results also show that migrating fish arriving at the location had a strong preference for the river-right channel when migrating upriver and exhibited very little exploratory behavior to seek alternate pathways upriver before emigrating back downriver, approximately two weeks after river entry. These in-river residence times were very similar to those found in other telemetry studies of anadromous Alewives. </p><p> Successful management and effective stock assessment for any species requires an understanding of its reproduction and recruitment. Fecundity is one measure of the reproductive potential of a species and was assessed in this study. Mature adult Alewives were collected at the head-of-tide dam on the Lamprey River in Newmarket, New Hampshire during the vernal spawning migration in 2012. A gonadosomatic index was used to determine that fish were sampled before spawning occurred, and egg diameters were quantified to examine distribution of eggs throughout the ovary. Fecundity was estimated gravimetrically using two techniques for comparison, and no difference between the methods was found. These findings show that image analysis is a fast and reliable method for fecundity estimation that does not require the use of a commonly used, toxic solution for ovary preservation. Fecundity estimates using image analysis ranged from 147,400 eggs at 24 cm to 332,500 eggs at 34 cm and aligns with previous findings of a clinal trend along the Atlantic Coast. Fecundity increased with total length, somatic weight, and age. Simple linear regressions exhibited good fits for fecundity-total length and fecundity-somatic weight, with age being the best predictor.</p><p>

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In the environment, oxidized mercury (Hg) can be converted to more toxic chemical species, such as methylmercury (MeHg), as a result of both abiotic and biotic reactions. Hg and MeHg are present in aquatic ecosystems that flow into the Lake St. Francis region of the St. Lawrence River, but their origin is still being debated. A study of mercury and methylmercury contamination in Lake St. Francis in cooperation with the Raisin Region Conservation Authority (RRCA) is ongoing, in collaboration with the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food, and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) and the Great Lakes Program. A recent report detailed the experimental results for one portion of the area of concern, the Raisin River. The goal of the present project is to update and expand upon the previous work in order to include other existing and new data for this river and several other watercourses feeding Lake St. Francis. Special attention was paid to the MeHg hotspots in an attempt to link methylation and subsequent mobilization to different types of land use and nutrient profiles compiled from new and existing data. It was predicted that water draining off wetlands would have higher MeHg concentrations than water from catchments with other land use profiles. Total and methylmercury were expected to be correlated to the concentrations of nitrogen compounds, sulfate, phosphorus, dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC), and especially dissolved organic carbon (DOC). However, wetlands could not be correlated to MeHg as predicted but the area of crop land was correlated positively with the percentage of THg present as MeHg. Forest and impermeable areas were associated with a decrease in mercury. There was no difference in mercury during wet years compared to dry years when compared on an annual basis, but a significant seasonal difference exists between the two categories. MeHg was positively correlated to DOC, NH3, and BOD. THg was positively correlated to BOD, TSS, Escherichia coli, and fecal coliforms. The percentage of THg present as MeHg (%MeHg) was positively correlated to phosphorus. There were also some statistically significant negative correlations. Forest and impermeable area were negatively correlated with the quantity of MeHg, and impermeable area was negatively correlated with %MeHg. Greater predictor strength and more numerous significant correlations are expected under more thorough sampling and more data.

This analysis of faunal remains from Goodman Point Pueblo (5MT604), a large village occupied just before the ancestral Puebloans permanently left southwestern Colorado at the end of the thirteenth century, explores the effect of dietary stress during abandonment in the Four Corners region. As archaeologists, we interpret what these former cultures were like and what resources they used through what they left behind. By specifically looking at faunal remains, or remains from food resources, environmental change and dietary stress can be assessed. Identifications of taxa identified at Goodman Point are made explicit via a systematic paleontology. This is followed by site-level taxonomic abundances and spatial analysis. Then, effects of technological innovations, environmental change, and sample quality are examined as alternate explanations of shifts in foraging efficiency, particularly related to animal hunting. Analyzing why and if the availability of faunal resources changes over time helps to clarify why the ancestral Puebloans left southwestern Colorado.

Water resources management is high on the agenda both locally and globally because of its important role in social, economic and environmental development. For example, as part of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, all United Nations Member States adopted 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in 2015 that covered thematic issues including water, energy, climate, oceans, urbanization, transport, science and technology. Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) no.6, which targets universal access to safe and affordable drinking water for all by 2030, is of particular interest in this study. The mining industry contributes to socio-economic development; however, it has also contributed to declining water quality in rivers and lakes in many regions globally. In this study, the status and governance of water resources within the Copperbelt province of Zambia over the period 2000 to 2020 was examined. The study investigated population and economic growth within the region and its correlation with changes in water quality and quantity. The research also focused on understanding the ways copper mining is affecting local water resources. The study also investigated challenges faced by regulators and institutions in the water sector, and considered how these challenges could be addressed. Secondary data was obtained from government institutions within Zambia such as National Water Supply and Sanitation Council (NWASCO), Water Resources Management Authority (WARMA) and Zambia Environmental Management Agency (ZEMA), which are the key institutions in the water sector and the environment. Semi-structured interviews were also conducted with the three key institutions in the water and pollution control sectors. The results showed that the total population in the Copperbelt province has increased by 20% since 2000 to a total of 1 972 317 in 2010. The population is projected to be 2 669 635 in 2020, representing about 27% increase from 2010. The rural population is projected to be 423 511 in 2020, representing about 11% increase from 2010 while the urban population will be 2 246 124 in 2020 representing about 29% increase from 2010. The majority of this growth has occurred in urban areas, which grew by about 30% from 2000 to a total of 1 595 456 in 2010. Rural population has increased by 8% since 2000 to a total of 376 861. The results also showed increased economic activities driven mainly by copper mining. Water abstraction has generally declined since 2000 mainly due to decrease in mining activities. In 2000, about 1 million m3 /day was abstracted in the Copperbelt province and about 600 000 m3 per day in 2005. The reduction in 2005 could be attributed to reduction in mining activities and institutional changes in the water sector. Water production and consumption from commercial utilities has generally been in decline from 2000 to 2017. This is also the case with water consumption per capita and water production per capita. For example, water consumption per capita per day in 2001 was 203 liters and reduced to 113 liters in 2017, representing a 44% reduction in consumption. The results showed that water consumption from 2004 to 2008 averaged 100 million m3 while the production averaged 160 million m3 per year. NWASCO attributed the general downward trend in water production and consumption in the province to maintenance and rehabilitation of water infrastructure, and investment in new infrastructure, thereby reducing the unaccounted-for water. The other reason could be that new housing developments prefer to use groundwater sources rather than utility water (supplied by water companies). The reduction could also be attributed to the cost of water and that consumers needed to adjust from the background where utility services such as water supply and sanitation were the sole responsibilities of the mines (ZCCM), prior to privatization. In terms of water supply and sanitation coverage, there has been an increased coverage since 2000. In 2001, the population that had access to water supply and sanitation was 81% and 46%, respectively. Therefore, roughly 50% of the population had no access to sanitation. However, in 2017 the population with access to water supply and sanitation was 91% and 75%, respectively. This represented only 25% of the population in serviced areas that had no access to sanitation. Between 2007 and 2008, the sanitation coverage had seen a reduction compared to the year 2006. This was due to institutional changes on the Copperbelt province, and the 2008 economic recession – the mine townships that were previously serviced by an asset holding after privatization of the mines were taken over by other utility companies. Consequently, the service delivery in the province initially dropped, but then started increasing again in 2009.