Back Yard Research Articles

Examining Complexities of Artisanal and Small-Scale Gold Mining on Buru Island, Maluku Province, Indonesia

The Artisanal and Small-scale Gold Mining (ASGM) sector is presently one of the largest global sources of anthropogenic mercury emissions. The risk of mercury pollution from ASGM in Indonesia challenges other important industries including fisheries and tourism. Environmental degradation and risks to food safety and human health are major concerns that have been realised at local scales, including on Buru Island, Indonesia. Since the discovery of gold on Buru Island in 2011 the community has undergone dramatic changes. Some of these, such as rapid wealth accumulation, have been of benefit to people involved in the industry, however, they have been marred by negative social and economic consequences including rapid inflation, reduced rice production, and changes to the social fabric. We explore the Buru Island example through over 12 years of research interest and using empirical material through a socio-legal lens. Various legislative changes and government interventions have occurred since 2011 and there are complex interactions between industry players. Currently, the mining is low key with ore being transported to ‘back yard’ processing operations while a permitting system is anticipated. There is a legacy of land degradation and contamination as a result of the mining and ore processing. Alternatives to mercury are being considered but are challenged by uncertainty about product effectiveness, potential toxicity, and a lack of processing knowledge.

Assessment of Beekeeping Practice and Its Constraints in Cheha Woreda of Gurage Zone

The objective of this study was to assess the potential of beekeeping and its practice taking place, constraints affecting the beekeeping practice of the area. For this study, 20 households were selected randomly, with the total of 60 households. Both primary and secondary source of data was collected. The primary data were collected mainly from interviews and by observation, whereas secondary data were collected from Chaha Woreda Agricultural office. Further more, visits to the districts were taken to gather relevant information for the study prior to actual survey. The results of this study show that, out of the respondents, 51 were male headed households whereas the rest 9 households were female headed. Majority of household in the area was from 20-60 years old indicating that, active working force is dominant in the study area. In relation to educational level, 20% of the respondents were illiterate and the remaining had got at least basic education quantitatively, 18.33%, 28.33% and 13.33% of the respondents had attended elementary school, secondary and high school, respectively. Beekeeping is an ancient farming activity and practiced as a side line with other farm activities. Based on the type of hives and management practiced, three types of beekeeping are yet visible in the area. There was no significant variation in proportion of hives among the study kebeles. <i>However, Sisenamati, which was lower in number of transitional hive, has shown relatively high potential with modern hive followed by warden. Adoshe was better in potential of transitional hive but has lower number of modern hive. </i>Out of householders, 53.4%, 30.6%, 9.4% and 6.6% state that they have place traditional hive under the roof of the house, hanging on trees, inside the house and back yard respectively.

The Red God

The Red God is a short essay film featuring wildlife camera footage of foxes from my back yard in Belfast. In the film I explore the issue of belonging as a new arrival in Belfast, and question how I can express the care and guardianship that my Māori tūpuna (ancestors) showed their non-human cohabitants who were seen as relatives, tied to them through whakapapa (genealogy) and descended from the same atua (gods). In the research statement I outline how my creative practice is grounded in adoption theory, focused on belonging and informed by a decolonizing ethos.

Morphological Characteristics and Nest Structure of Stingless Bee (Heterotrigona itama) from Different Meliponiculture Practices

Exploration of Heterotrigona itama biology characteristics besides being valuable for health and biodiversity also beneficial as well as an environmental bioindicator. This research aims to evaluate morphology characteristics and nest structure of stingless bee Heterotrigona itama from three different meliponiculture practices (MP1:meliponiculture in the back yard; MP2:meliponiculture in the rubber garden and MP3: meliponiculture in the side yard) in Banjar Regency, Indonesia. The parameters studied are morphology, nest design, colony structure, and environmental suitability. One-way ANOVA at a 95% confidence level was used to analyze differences between parameters. The results show Heterotrigona itama body size average from rubber gardens is bigger (7.11±0.60 mm) than the side yard (6.79±0.34 mm) and back yard (6.64±0.46 mm). The degree of difference is visible in the fore leg (α=0.00<0.05) and hind leg (α=0.004<0.05). The nest structure in MP3 was significantly different than MP1 and MP2, especially in terms of funnel length (p=0.007<0.05) and nest height from the ground (p=0.000<0.05). Environmental conditions MP3 (temperature 31.69±1.93 0C, humidity 60.70±11.2 % and water source) is more supportive for meliponiculture than MP2 (disturbed by household waste) and MP3 polluted by chicken farms. Meliponicultures practices based on various locations and environmental characteristics influence several parameters of Heterotrigona itama morphology and nest structure.

Towards a better psychological satisfaction: developing a mixed multi-criteria evaluation system to urban ‘Not in my back yard’ facilities siting

‘Not in My Back Yard (NIMBY)’ facilities are psychologically sensitive to urban and regional development. Multi-criteria evaluation (MCE) method has been widely used for the decision-making of optimum siting of urban NIMBY facilities which aim to improve residents’ psychological satisfaction. However, the evaluation of qualitative criteria in siting analysis remains under researched, such as the insufficient focus on urban and regional spatial development, social public opinion, and psychological factors. Thus, the effective improvement of MCE method through an interdisciplinary view can optimise the decision process and advance the factor assessment system of siting, which helps to supplement qualitative criteria evaluation. The specific improvement steps are as follows. The first step is to introduce the mixed MCE method to improve the qualitative criteria evaluation method by pre-processing qualitative criteria with min–max standardisation and normalization. This process transfers all negative factors to positive ones and transforms the F function to linear functions. The second step is to optimise the existing two-phase siting decision-making including the feasibility evaluation phase and the MCE phase. The third step is to propose a modular criteria system composed of urban and regional spatial planning, social psychological factors and the corresponding improvement strategy of this system from three perspectives of composition, measure, and weight. We argue that the improved method could be broadly applied to optimum siting decision of urban NIMBY facilities and enhance the psychological satisfaction of residents.

Greenness and equity: Complex connections between intra-neighborhood contexts and residential tree planting implementation

Associations between neighborhood greenness and socioeconomic status (SES) are established, yet intra-neighborhood context and SES-related barriers to tree planting remain unclear. Large-scale tree planting implementation efforts are increasingly common and can improve human health, strengthen climate adaptation, and ameliorate environmental inequities. Yet, these efforts may be ineffective without in-depth understanding of local SES inequities and barriers to residential planting.We recruited 636 residents within and surrounding the Oakdale Neighborhood of Louisville, Kentucky, USA, and evaluated associations of individual and neighborhood-level sociodemographic indicators with greenness levels at multiple scales. We offered no-cost residential tree planting and maintenance to residents within a subsection of the neighborhood and examined associations of these sociodemographic indicators plus baseline greenness levels with tree planting adoption among 215 eligible participants.We observed positive associations of income with Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and leaf area index (LAI) within all radii around homes, and within yards of residents, that varied in strength. There were stronger associations of income with NDVI in front yards but LAI in back yards. Among Participants of Color, associations between income and NDVI were stronger than with Whites and exhibited no association with LAI. Tree planting uptake was not associated with income, education, race, nor employment status, but was positively associated with lot size, home value, lower population density, and area greenness.Our findings reveal significant complexity of intra-neighborhood associations between SES and greenness that could help shape future research and equitable greening implementation. Results show that previously documented links between SES and greenspace at large scales extend to residents’ yards, highlighting opportunities to redress greenness inequities on private property. Our analysis found that uptake of no-cost residential planting and maintenance was nearly equal across SES groups but did not redress greenness inequity. To inform equitable greening, further research is needed to evaluate culture, norms, perceptions, and values affecting tree planting acceptance among low-SES residents.

For a Just and Better World: Engendering Anarchism in the Mexican Borderlands, 1900—1938 by Sonia Hernández

Reviewed by: For a Just and Better World: Engendering Anarchism in the Mexican Borderlands, 1900—1938 by Sonia Hernández Gabriela González For a Just and Better World: Engendering Anarchism in the Mexican Borderlands, 1900—1938. By Sonia Hernández. (Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 2021. Pp. 256. Illustrations, notes, bibliography, index.) Sonia Hernández's masterful study examines labor activism and explains the conditions that inspired workers to see anarcho-syndicalism as a path toward justice. By centering the stories and contributions of activist leaders such as Caritina Piña Montalvo, the book highlights the gendered nature of anarchism in the Mexican borderlands during the early twentieth century. Identifying Piña as "transnational labor broker" (2), Hernández takes the reader on a journey into the world that shaped the lives and ideologies of Mexicana anarchists such as organizing pioneers Luz Mendoza, Isaura Galvan, Reinalda González Parra, and later Piña. These women connected the dots of worker struggles in their own back yards with the challenges of workers around the world to claim and defend their human rights. Operating from the Gulf of Mexico region and invested in the local dynamics of the Tampico-Villa Cecilia area of the Mexican state of Tamaulipas, Piña nevertheless formed an integral part of a global nexus that found her writing in defense of workers in faraway places, such as Mexicana textile workers on strike in Gastonia, North Carolina. She did this in her capacity as secretary of correspondence of the Comité Internacional Pro-Presos Sociales, an organization dedicated to helping political prisoners. Anarchist ideas found fertile ground in a Gulf of Mexico region whose export orientation tethered it to a global economy heavily invested in oil production. Thus, the region served as a magnet for a diverse array of migrants from Mexico and around the world who were attracted to economic opportunities but also to the principle of reciprocity associated [End Page 591] with mutual aid societies. Industrialization's success hinged on the working masses, and with them came ideas and prospects for labor organizing. But as the Gastonia intervention reveals, for Mexicana activists, "the anarchist ideal of a nationless world" (3) nurtured their sense of solidarity with all workers, whether in Tamaulipas, the United States, or elsewhere. Thus, from their home communities, Piña and other activists, through an impressive anarchist print culture and correspondence, felt resonance and connection with Partido Liberal Mexicano (PLM), Industrial Workers of the World, and Casa del Obrero Mundial labor organizers many miles away. One of the most compelling elements of this book is its focus on transnational feminism or femenismo transfronterizo, centering theorist Gloria Anzaldùa's intersectional framework engaging race, ethnicity, class, gender, and sexuality and "promoting worker unity free from state control." Hernández adds geography to the mix, reminding us that while it is critical to understand how Mexicana activists took part in a transnational workers liberation project, they also shaped local histories. These local histories stretch into the Texas-Tamaulipas border area from where early Magonista ideas existed in tandem with a developing anarcho-feminist agenda that promoted equality of the sexes. Because the women of the PLM and other radical organizations did not exist in a sexist-free world, the rhetoric of gender equity in anarcho-syndicalist circles created opportunities for women activists to challenge the sexism that inhabited even progressive organizations. Part of the brilliance of this book is how it demonstrates Caritina Piña's anarcho-feminism even as it highlights her use of maternalism to advance an agenda for labor rights. In this context, motherhood, a concept used by the Mexican state in its national unity narrative, does double duty as the anarchist driver for a call to action focused on the need for women to participate in the labor struggle. Within the context of this revolutionary motherhood, women activists could claim equality with men as they who reproduce the fighters, the defenders of families and communities. Ultimately, Piña's political usage of motherhood is described by Hernández as anarcho-maternalism, for it "directly challenged the state as the primary guarantor of women's rights" centering instead women themselves as the...

Analysis of the Conflicts in the Process of Industrial Building Renovation Based on Grounded Theory: A China Study

With the transformation of industry in China, and industrial production changes from an incremental economy to a stock economy, a massive renovation of industrial buildings and intensification of renovation conflicts coexist. Industrial building renovation conflict seriously affects industrial building renovation. Based on the Grounded Theory, this paper selects Ningbo City as the research area and builds the “interest–situation–conflict” model through investigation and interview, exploring the reasons for conflicts and the influencing factors of industrial building renovation. Situational factors for three types of conflicts, namely, government–residents, government–enterprises, and residents–enterprises, are greatly affected by policies and systems, supervision and feedback, and different standpoints, respectively. Based on the “interest-situation-conflict” model, this paper analyzes the reasons for the conflicts among government, enterprises, and residents and puts forward countermeasures to solve nimby (not in my back yard) conflict, compensation conflict, development conflict, goals conflict, financial conflict, participation conflict, and conflict of interests and rights, so as to promote the renovation of industrial buildings.

Low Cost Drip Irrigation System: An Appropriate Technology for Rural Women

Despite contributing 80% of the food production in developing countries, women receive only partial support for their efforts. There has been, however, a significant shift in the approach towards well being of women from “welfare during fifties”, to “development during seventies” to “empowerment during nineties” and to “participation during 2000”. Women are also expected to face challenges in food security due to the lack of access to technology. This is because men are more likely to look for work and women have to manage their farm as well as homes. Drip irrigation technology is not only suitable for large farms but also for kitchen gardening. It is also appropriate for operation by women as it does not require use of spade etc as in conventional irrigation. The development of reliable low cost drip system that fits the needs of women farmers in India has long been recognized as a critical need. Three low head drip systems were designed and standardized for vegetables cultivation covering area of 50 to 600 m2 area. Developed systems having bucket, drum, main pipes, portable laterals, and drippers. The drip system operates by gravity from a bucket of 25 litre capacity placed at 1 to 1.5 m height, a drum of 200 litres capacity placed at 3-meter height and drum of 1000 litres capacity placed at a height of 4 meter. About 25 to 50 plants of vegetables can be irrigated by using the single system. This technology is very ideal for rural conditions and small scale agricultural production besides back yard vegetable cultivation in village houses. The management of the bucket kit system is very easy and requires no special skills. Forty (40) family low cost drip systems were installed in the backyards of homes in selected villages especially in those houses where farm women were keen to maintain. Results of these family drip systems are very encouraging. Different bucket kits produced 150 kg of bottle gourd, 90 kg of bitter gourd, 75 kg of okra in one season (March to June). Vegetables production through low cost family drip system and conventional drip system will help achieve nutritional security at village level at nominal cost besides empowerment of rural women.

The first human case of multilocular Echinococcosis recognized in Serbia

Introduction. Echinococcus multilocularis causes multilocular or alveolar echinococcosis, which differs from infection caused by Echinococcus granulosus in clinical presentation in humans. The most common definitive hosts for E. multilocularis are foxes and jackals, while domestic mammals like dogs and cats are rare. Humans are rare and accidental intermediate hosts. Cystic echinococcosis in humans is endemic in Serbia, while more severe alveolar echinococcosis has not yet been recorded. Case outline. We present a case of a 67-year-old female from a small village in the Sremska Mitrovica municipality. The onset of symptoms was several years ago, with liver pain which progressed over time. Differential diagnoses included benign liver tumors like haemangioma, cystic echinococcosis and abscess formed in the cystic echinococcal lesion. Left lateral hepatectomy was performed, and S II/III liver segments were removed. Pathological examination showed numerous small empty vesicle spaces with chitin membrane without protoscolices, surrounded by massive fibrosis and infiltrative growth into the liver parenchyma, all indicative marks of multilocular echinococcosis. Surgical margins were found positive for echinococcal vesicles showing that echinococcal tissue was not completely removed. Thus albendazole therapy was introduced. Epidemiological interview revealed that the patient lived in an endemic region of multilocular echinococcosis, in a house with two hunting dogs and backyard where contamination of soil with fox feces could occur. Conclusion. This is the first case of human multilocular echinococcosis recorded in Serbia, which should alert the medical community to improve prophylactic and diagnostic procedures and surgical techniques to better manage this zoonotic disease.

Residents manage dynamic plant communities: Change over time in urban vegetation

IntroductionIntegrated social and ecological processes shape urban plant communities, but the temporal dynamics and potential for change in these managed communities have rarely been explored. In residential yards, which cover about 40% of urban land area, individuals make decisions that control vegetation outcomes. These decisions may lead to relatively static plant composition and structure, as residents seek to expend little effort to maintain stable landscapes. Alternatively, residents may actively modify plant communities to meet their preferences or address perceived problems, or they may passively allow them to change. In this research, we ask, how and to what extent does residential yard vegetation change over time?MethodsWe conducted co-located ecological surveys of yards (in 2008, 2018, and 2019) and social surveys of residents (in 2018) in four diverse neighborhoods of Phoenix, Arizona.Results94% of residents had made some changes to their front or back yards since moving in. On average, about 60% of woody vegetation per yard changed between 2008 and 2018, though the number of species present did not differ significantly. In comparison, about 30% of woody vegetation changed in native Sonoran Desert reference areas over 10 years. In yards, about 15% of woody vegetation changed on average in a single year, with up to 90% change in some yards. Greater turnover was observed for homes that were sold, indicating a “pulse” of management. Additionally, we observed greater vegetation turnover in the two older, lawn-dominated neighborhoods surveyed despite differences in neighborhood socioeconomic factors.DiscussionThese results indicate that residential plant communities are dynamic over time. Neighborhood age and other characteristics may be important drivers of change, while socioeconomic status neither promotes nor inhibits change at the neighborhood scale. Our findings highlight an opportunity for management interventions, wherein residents may be open to making conservation-friendly changes if they are already altering the composition of their yards.

Evolutionary game analysis of polluting NIMBY facilities reconstruction based on public participation behavior.

With the advancement of urbanization and the expansion of urban areas, NIMBY (not in my back yard) environmental public facilities are increasing day by day. It is meaningful to incorporate public participation into the regulatory process for the existing pollution NIMBY facility enterprises. Through the establishment of the tripartite game model of local government, polluting NIMBY facility enterprises and the public, the evolution stability analysis and simulation analysis of their strategies are carried out, and the Pareto optimal solution is obtained. The results show that: The strategy choices of the players of the three-party game are different under different stability conditions. The system can be broken out of the bad state by increasing government punishment, local governments strictly controlling the potential profits, the potential losses of polluting enterprises not rebuilding, the long-term public benefits and reducing the cost of public participation, etc., and the three-party common governance mode can be formed. The strategy evolution speed of a player in a three-party game is affected by his own strategy choice proportion and the strategy choice proportion of the other two players, but no matter how the strategy choice proportion of the player in a three-party game changes, it will not change the final game result. On the basis of comprehensive analysis, a series of relevant suggestions are put forward from the three aspects of government, enterprises and the public, so as to provide certain reference for the design of the public participation system of polluting NIMBY facilities.

Evaluation of the nutritional quality of complementary food formulated from locally available grains and moringa stenopetala in southern Ethiopia

Moringa stenopetala is an indigenous multipurpose tree grown in the back yard and crop lands with nutritional and medicinal value. This study aimed to produce M. stenopetala leaf powder supplementation on the macro and micronutrient nutritive values of maize–soybean–chickpea and sorghums–soybean–chickpea food formulations for use as a complementary food for infants and young children. The dried leaves of M. stenopetala and grains were ground and sieved to appropriate particle size. Proportions of grain flour and M. stenopetala leaf powder admixed in the formulations were determined using Nutri-Survey-Linear-Programming Software. Fourteen formulations were made from unprocessed and processed grains supplemented with 5% and 10% M. stenopetala leaf powder. A preferred ratio was selected based on the nutritional value (energy and protein) and sensory evaluation while using two unfortified formulations as control. Food analysis was performed with standard methods. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) with Turkey test was conducted to investigate the mean difference of nutritional values and sensory evaluation among different formulations. The crude protein and ash contents of the diets increased significantly with M. stenopetala leaf fortification and energy content. There was a significant decrease in carbohydrate content in the formulation of 10 and 12 compared to the controls as the percentage level of M. stenopetala leaf powder supplementation increased. This could be due to substitution effect of M. stenopetala as evidenced by the nutritional composition of the individual ingredients. The fat content of the formulation 10 and 12 that were selected by sensory evaluation was relatively higher (10.6%) than the control blend (9.85%) but not statistically significant, which fulfills the recommended dietary allowance by FAO/WHO. The product development study showed that the addition of M. stenopetala leaf powder to locally available food ingredients such as sorghum/maize, soybean and chickpea enhances nutrient value, such as energy, ash, protein, potassium and fat contents. Therefore, blending M. stenopetala with locally available food crops could be an option to mitigate protein–energy malnutrition (PEM) and micronutrient deficiency by improving traditionally used staple foods. Key words: Moringa stenopetala, complementary food, malnutrition, sensory evaluation, micronutrient, bioavailability

A coloristic image of the modern northern city (the example of Norilsk)

In this paper, mutual influence of the color and image of the city in the perception of the residents is studied with the example of the city of Norilsk located 300 km north of the Arctic Circle. The chronological span is limited to the present moment, however, part of the study concerns the period since the foundation of the city (1935). The aim of the study is to determine how the coloristics supports the image of the city in the minds of its residents. Concerning the methods, the study was divided into several blocks. In the first part (the actual palette of the city), the method of categorization of color carriers and method of generalization of color shades were used. In the sec-ond part (hypotheses about the contours of group images), the content-analysis of the social networks and media was used. In the third part (hypotheses testing), the methods of questionnaires and quota sampling were em-ployed. In the fourth block, in-depth interviews with Photo-Voice were conducted. As a result, it was found that coloristics is closely interconnected with the image of the territory. In particular, the use of bright colors in the ar-chitecture of the 1950s in Leninsky Prospect accurately identifies the historical events associated with the builders of the city (political prisoners of GULAG). The architecture of other historical periods is less contemptable, thus the events are not integrated into group images. Therefore, the city is associated with the talent and resilience of the prisoners and supports a sense of self-continuity of the exiled intellectuals among the inhabitants. The life in the city is still thought of through the categories of ‘heroism’, whereas all subsequent events are perceived as imposed (industrial exploitation of resources, type-design practice in building). Therefore, when the residents con-trapose the beauty of Leninsky Prospekt to the rest of the city, actually, the talent, intelligence, and respect to the nature are opposed to the degradation of the territory. The presence of the blue-colored buildings and symbolism of the city-forming company reinforces the image of Norilsk as a center of metallurgy, since the production is pre-sent in the city in the form of symbols. The image of Norilsk as an isolated city is enhanced by the difference in color between the back yard and street facades. The city is perceived by the residents as a decoration, its prob-lems are not interesting to external observers. The perception of the city as a larger category of the Far North is reflected in the coloristic image of the city.

The Old Toponymy and New Topography of Zion: Utah, Photography, and Daniel George's Series God to Go West

The Old Toponymy and New Topography of Zion: Utah, Photography, and Daniel George's Series <i>God to Go West</i>

Special Pathogens Readiness in the United States: From Ebola to COVID-19 to Disease X and Beyond.

Special Pathogens Readiness in the United States: From Ebola to COVID-19 to Disease X and Beyond.

Biodiversity conservation in urban gardens – Pets and garden design influence activity of a vulnerable digging mammal

Residential gardens can provide essential opportunities for native wildlife and represent a valuable way of creating new habitats. Bandicoots (marsupial family Peramelidae) are medium-sized digging mammals that play a valuable role in maintaining ecosystem health; retaining these important ecosystem engineers across urban landscapes, including in private gardens, can have enormous conservation benefits. Urbanisation is a significant threat for some bandicoot species, and therefore understanding the factors associated with their activity can help guide urban landscape and garden design. To identify key features associated with the activity of a local endemic bandicoot species, the quenda (Isoodon fusciventer), we carried out a camera trap survey of front and back yards for 65 residential properties in the City of Mandurah, Western Australia. We compared quenda activity with biotic and abiotic factors that could indicate potential predation risk (activity of domestic dogs Canis familiaris and cats Felis catus, and the presence of artificial or natural protective cover), food availability (including deliberate or inadvertent supplementary feeding, provision of water, and diggable surfaces) and garden accessibility (distance to bushland, permeability of boundary fencing, and garden position). Supplementary feeding was strongly associated with quenda activity. Quenda were also more active in back yards, and in gardens where there was greater vegetation cover. Of concern, quenda activity was positively associated with cat activity, which could reflect that straying pet cats are attracted to gardens that harbour wildlife populations, including quenda. Furthermore, almost half of the gardens showed cat activity despite only a small sample of the surveyed residents owning a pet cat. Results of this study can help guide the design of residential gardens to increase useful habitat for these important digging mammals. Vegetation, wood mulch and semi-permeable fencing can provide valuable resources needed to support the persistence of quendas across the rapidly changing urban landscape mosaic, where natural and managed (e.g., gardens and parks) green spaces are becoming less common and more isolated.

Effectiveness of a Buffalo Turbine and A1 Mist Sprayer for the Areawide Deployment of Larvicide for Mosquito Control in an Urban Residential Setting.

The control of medically important container-inhabiting mosquitoes is an ongoing challenge for mosquito control operations. Truck-mounted application equipment is a common option for rapid areawide larvicide deployment utilized by mosquito control operations. We tested the effectiveness of two truck-mounted sprayers (A1 Super Duty + Buffalo Turbine CSM3), for the deployment of water-dispersible biopesticides (VectoBac WDG:VectoLex WDG 50:50). Sixty residences within four residential neighborhoods in New Jersey were treated in 2019 and 2020. Three empty bioassay cups were placed in specific locations on each property (front yard/ back yard/ side of house), with an additional cup placed in an adjacent catch basin. This approach was replicated in two untreated control neighborhoods. Following larvicide application, cups were subjected to bioassays wherein larval mortality was tracked through adult eclosion. Overall, average larval mortality rates were 56% higher in treated cups compared against untreated controls. Mortality rates were affected by cup location, with 39% mortality in bioassay cups from back yards, 54% in those from the sides of houses, 73% in front yards, and 76% from cups in catch basins. Mortality did not differ significantly between the four treated neighborhoods, nor by the type of sprayer used. Our research shows that truck-mounted sprayers can be an effective method for larvicide deployment in residential neighborhoods, but effectiveness may depend upon the location of the target treatment area in relation to residences and other geographic obstacles.

The Explosion of God's Heart: Entering the Inner Life of the Paschal Mystery

The Explosion of God's Heart:Entering the Inner Life of the Paschal Mystery Belden Lane (bio) INTRODUCTION BY STEVEN CHASE Last October, Belden Lane lost his son Jon after an unexpected and incomprehensible 9-month bout with cancer. As Belden let me know, the following Perspective shares something of his wrestling with God as a result of Jon's inexplicable death. The piece deals with the implications of Trinitarian theology, focusing on God's deep personal investment in the suffering of creation. This focus pinpoints how one's image of God can make a profound change in the face of the dark mystery of suffering. Belden's idea of "the explosion of God's heart" is, of course, communicated through the power of words. Still, this reflection from Belden reflects something of what it means for Sacred Mystery to dwell among us even in the mists of darkness that are beyond words. As I first read this short essay, I realized that we needed to publish these words. In three short pages, Belden creates a highly personal piece that, even in its obvious pain and slow movement toward healing, has a universal quality as well. He weaves various disciplines together with threads of experience that he describes with much tenderness and truth. The Perspective is an example of teaching spirituality (see Barbara Quinn Presidential Address essay) from the depths of grief and loss. Perhaps we all need to give ourselves radical permission to write and teach in this way. Blessings to you and your family, Belden, as you seek and find "home at last" amid your ambiguous grief and the exploding heart of your God. I believe that Emily Dickinson, too, knew something of the heart and of the explosion: The Heart asks Pleasure – first – And then – Excuse from Pain – And then – those little Anodynes That deaden Suffering – And then – to go to sleep – And then – if it should be [End Page 71] The will of its Inquisitor The privilege to die –1 PERSPECTIVE BY BELDEN LANE "Two thousand years ago marks the Incarnation of God in Jesus, but before that there was the Incarnation through light, water, land, sun, moon, stars, plants, trees, fruit, birds, serpents, cattle, fish, and "every kind of wild beast" according to the Genesis creation story (1:3–25)." —Richard Rohr2 "In creation God comes to know himself, that is, he realizes himself as the creative principle of the other. Creation, then, is 'another God' in the sense that it is God manifested in otherness." —Bernard McGinn, summarizing John (the Scot) Eriugena3 This time of year our golden retriever Joey and I sit each morning among the trees in the gazebo in our back yard. We ponder the mystery of God's bringing these tall oaks into being—like this dog, this man—so as to mirror a divine grandeur, stillness, tenacity, and interdependence. How is it, I wonder, that God comes to know himself through the creatures he's made? The trees, the dog, and myself are clearly other than God, yet we can't be said to exist outside of God.4 "This is what I'm like," God must say to himself. "Yet it's also what I'm not like!" To what extent is God stretched, even laid open, by what he sees in us his creatures? Is there even an echo in God's heart of what churns now within the restiveness of my soul? I've been asking questions like these this year since the sudden death of our 40-year-old son to cancer. It's left us with a 5-year-old granddaughter full of questions of her own. Like fault lines in the earth, an event like this can bring a startling shift in one's understanding of God. I was raised to think of the Divine as all-powerful, ethereal and distant, far above me. Yet I was assured that the prayers of the faithful could persuade him to break into the world now and then with miraculous interventions. But my prayers don't seem to have worked this year. God hasn't miraculously intervened on our behalf. Well-meaning people offer...

Research on the Paths and Effectiveness of Governance Tools Based on the Evolution of Environmental NIMBY Event.

Identifying the path and effectiveness of governance tools is the key to environmental NIMBY (not in my back yard) event governance. However, there are limited studies on the path between effective governance tools and environmental NIMBY events. Based on the theory of emotional catharsis, we establish an analytical framework for the evolution of the environmental NIMBY event and analyze the effectiveness of the current main governance tools. The results show that government solicitation of opinions (GSOs) governance tools are insignificant in the governance of resistance behavior. The effects of public demand communication (PDC) governance tools and compensation negotiation (CN)governance tools on resistance behaviors all show a significant negative correlation; negative emotions play an intermediary role in their governance tools. The overall performance is that the greater the compensation, the lower the willingness to engage in resistance behavior. The establishment of a reasonable compensation system can effectively reduce the public’s willingness to engage in resistance behavior. Through the evaluation of the effectiveness of governance tools in environmental NIMBY events, this study helps to improve governance tools and has important practical significance for solving the environmental NIMBY dilemma.