City Of Syracuse Research Articles

Building stone employed in the historical monuments of Eastern Sicily (Italy). An example: the ancient city centre of Catania

An archaeometric study of the stone materials employed in the Late Baroque historical monuments of the ancient city centre of Catania was carried out. Lithological maps of a selection of monuments, transferred to a digital format, revealed that the stone materials are both magmatic and sedimentary rocks, the colours of which are matched in a peculiar type of bichromy. Particular attention focused on sedimentary rocks, which consist of various types of limestone quarried near the city of Syracuse (Hyblean Plateau, south-eastern Sicily). Carbonate rocks were characterised in terms of mineralogy, petrography and geochemistry, by studying rock samples from both monuments and historical extraction sites. Results showed that, although only one name was historically attributed to the above lithotypes (i.e. “Pietra di Siracusa‘’), they were quarried from many locations and, as they belong to various geological formations, they therefore exhibit great variety. In order to examine the durability of Hyblean limestones employed in works of cultural heritage interest, salt crystallisation tests were carried out according to standard procedure norms (UNI EN 12370 (1999) Determination of resistance to crystallisation of salts, 6p). Results are consistent with the forms of deterioration observed in the monuments, and highlight the close relationship between textural characteristics and damage. Our purpose is to provide a basic tool, which may be useful both for conserving monuments of cultural heritage and for their restoration.

I Want to Go Back to Jail

At the Onondaga County Justice Center, Ms. Olcott entered the lives of the students who had disappeared from the radar screen of American education. I WANT to go back to jail. I'm serious. I was a more honest, more effective teacher there. I trusted my students, and they trusted me. We worked together toward the next scheduled GED (General Education Development) test and filled ourselves with as much literature as I could put in their willing hands. Every day I went deep into a maximum- security facility to the women's pod, where my students lived and ate and studied. Every day I encountered students who were eager to learn and glad for the simple materials I brought. I rediscovered pure, joyous teaching. In that stark environment, I rediscovered the educational power of kindness and respect. Like so many of us now, I was a card-carrying member of the sandwich generation, caregiver for my father while I still had a teenager at home. When my father died, I was exhausted, sad, and thoroughly disillusioned with long-term care, Medicare, and every other kind of care. I was eager to return to teaching, my late father's profession as well as mine. I responded to an ad in the paper looking for a teacher for an incarcerated education program, with no real idea of what that meant. My father's funeral was on a stormy Friday in January. The next week, I was thrilled to be hired as a GED teacher at the Onondaga County Justice Center. My new life had begun. From the very beginning, I was struck by the contrast between the bleak correctional environment and the rich educational experiences offered there. The offerings were not limited to GED courses but included training in office technology, anger management, food service, and many other subjects. The Syracuse City School District, in conjunction with the Onondaga County Sheriff's Office, has operated the Incarcerated Education Program for several years. It is a showcase in that it is well respected in corrections services circles. But it is practically unknown to the general public, even in the county where it exists. The Justice Center houses about 600 prisoners at any one time, and perhaps 60 or 70 of them are women. It is a nonsentenced facility, so students might be in the program for a few days or a few months before being bailed out, sentenced upstate, or transferred to other facilities. The GED test is given in-house about every two months. Pass rates, about 50%, equal and sometimes exceed those on the outside. In New York State, inmates aged 16 through 21 who lack a GED or high school diploma are required to attend classes. Many students over 21 attend voluntarily. Most of the girls and women I met were African American and had left school around 10th grade, usually due to pregnancy or childbirth. Most were incarcerated for economic crimes -- prostitution, shoplifting, passing bad checks, selling drugs, and occasionally burglary and assault. Most scored between the fourth- and sixth-grade levels on the TABE (Test of Adult Basic Education), the test we used as a baseline. Most were involved with men who never came to see them. Most had children, whom they missed very much, being cared for by relatives. The first student I met was Sally. She was about 40 years old, and her children were being raised by her father and stepmother. Several acts of violence had brought her here and to prison in the past. Sally instantly became my self-appointed assistant and made it her priority to have the heavy tables dragged together and the shaky whiteboard erected and ready for us every morning. She worked hard and encouraged the other students with persuasive personal lectures on the importance of education. When she left to serve time in a state prison, I missed her. Sally's close friend Sheryl took over the role of encourager, but she left the moving of the heavy tables to the kids. I usually had eight or 10 students at a time, of different ages and working at different levels. …

Storm water management for society and nature via service learning, ecological engineering and ecohydrology

A framework for urban storm‐water management that moves beyond flood control to improve societal and ecological services will maximize the functions and benefits of water resources management. Theoretical constructs for such work originate from the integration of ecological engineering, ecohydrology and service learning paradigms. Implementation consists of simulating, monitoring and reporting how storm‐water design decisions to infiltrate or directly discharge runoff result in a complex set of linked adjustments to the dynamics of the water table, soil chemistry concentrations, plant stress/viability, terrestrial habitat, river loads/flows, and aquatic habitat patterns. Coordination of a socio‐ecological‐based urban storm‐water management programme is discussed using a case study in the Onondaga Creek watershed that drains through the City of Syracuse, NY, USA. In Onondaga Creek, service learning‐directed research gathered findings on the geomorphological characterization of a healthy stream, flood impacts of storm sewer separation, and channel stability with concrete removal. Unfortunately, linkages between systems will remain unexplored until the development of more tightly coupled channel‐watershed simulation models.

Determinants of Farmer Behavior: Adoption of and Compliance with Best Management Practices for Nonpoint Source Pollution in the Skaneateles Lake Watershed

ABSTRACT Policy makers and public managers have recently implemented a wide range of watershed management programs designed to reduce nonpoint pollution from agriculture. This paper focuses on the progress of one such program. Skaneateles Lake, New York is the drinking water supply of Syracuse City. Granted “filtration avoidance” under the Surface Water Treatment Rules – allowance of unfiltered water supply conditional upon heightened source protection activities – the City, in cooperation with other agencies, established the Skaneateles Lake Watershed Agricultural Program (SLWAP) in 1994 as one element of a broader watershed protection plan. The SLWAP is a 5–10 member interagency pollution prevention program designed to work cooperatively and independently with watershed farmers to develop Whole Farm Plans that incorporate pollution minimizing best management practices. The program is voluntary and not all farmers have agreed to opt in. Using a modified behavioral model, this paper examines adoption and compliance behavior of farmers in the Skaneateles Lake Watershed in New York State. Findings indicate two stages of adoption. Early adopters have lower incomes, indicate that farming is their primary source of income, perceive fairer and more equitable treatment by regulators, believe the Best Management Practices (BMP) will have the desired effect, and are more fearful of regulatory consequences if the Whole Farm Planning effort fails. We call this first stage “regulatory push.” Late adopters are more environmentalist and more influenced by other farmers and the community. We call this second stage “community pull.” In addition, findings regarding compliance indicate that farmers and the management team diverge in their assessments of progress toward implementation of Best Management Practices, indicating some potentially significant communication problems. Concluded recommendations for management of voluntary programs for farmers include: (1) initial implementation efforts should seek out those community leaders are more likely to be cooperative, (2) regulatory threat may be useful during the initial implementation period, and (3) evaluation criteria must be developed cooperatively with and clearly communicated to farmers.

The population of East Sicily during the second and first millenniumBC: the problem of the Greek colonies

Knowledge of Sicilian biology during the past is very important in understanding the complex processes that characterized the population of the Mediterranean Basin. The problem of the first Greek settlement in Sicily is essential in understanding and reconstructing the indigenous biological tissue of an island that was and still is a fundamental crossroads for migratory strategies. In this research we studied ten Sicilian series chronologically attributed to the second and first millennium BC, using discrete cranial traits. The results show that the first biologically significant Greek presence in eastern Sicily could go back to the Bronze Age, while the cosmopolitan Hellenistic city of Syracuse showed the nature of the biological pattern during the first millennium BC. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Constitutional Law. Establishment Clause. Second Circuit Holds That City's Display of a Creche in a Public Park Does Not Unconstitutionally Endorse Religion. Elewski v. City of Syracuse, 123 F.3d 51 (2d Cir. 1997), Cert. Denied, 118 S. Ct. 1186 (1998)

Constitutional Law. Establishment Clause. Second Circuit Holds That City's Display of a Creche in a Public Park Does Not Unconstitutionally Endorse Religion. Elewski v. City of Syracuse, 123 F.3d 51 (2d Cir. 1997), Cert. Denied, 118 S. Ct. 1186 (1998)

Whose Reasonableness Counts?: Elewski v. City of Syracuse, 123 F. 3d 51 (2d Cir. 1997)

Whose Reasonableness Counts?: Elewski v. City of Syracuse, 123 F. 3d 51 (2d Cir. 1997)

The Reconstruction of a Postindustrial City

There is increasing competition between cities to attract investment. Older industrial cities have a particularly difficult time. It is in this context that there is an attempt to rewrite the meaning of the industrial city. Constructing a new, more positive picture involves marketing a new image, constructing a new environment, and reorienting a city's relationship with its physical environment. The process involves many actors, from business leaders eager to stimulate investment to local citizens' groups seeking to reclaim community space. This article examines these issues in the city of Syracuse, New York, and, in particular, documents the important changes in civic boosterism, the construction of a new iconography of the downtown, and the evolving discourse on environmental pollution.

A Preliminary Urban Non-Point Source Management Plan: A Modeling Approach

The need for a preliminary non-point source pollution management plan has become evident in the Onondaga Lake Watershed, which includes the City of Syracuse, N…

Residential quality assessment

This paper focuses on the construction of residential quality scores a a preliminary step towards defining neighborhoods in urban areas. Two issues have been addressed: (1) the effect of spatial scale in the delineation of boundaries, and (2) variations in the assessment of residential quality when alternative methods are used. The spatial analysis undertaken in this research is integrated into a vector-based GIS environment to facilitate information exchange as well as the generation of topological information. The City of Syracuse (NY) is selected as the study area.

Radon in Onondaga County, New York: Paleohydrogeology and redistribution of uranium in Paleozoic sedimentary rocks

Elevated indoor (basement) radon levels (average 8.8 pCi/L) define a hot belt that extends across Onondaga County, New York, and includes much of the city of Syracuse. The region is underlain by gently dipping Paleozoic sediments of diverse lithology. Homes located on the Marcellus (black) Shale derive radon from uranium that was incorporated syndepositionally in organic-rich muds formed in an anoxic marine environment. Radon from subjacent limestones and dolostones is attributed to decay of uranium introduced into these carbonate units by ground water that previously had passed through the Marcellus Shale. Uniform distribution of radon within the carbonates suggests that the uraniferous ground water descended steeply through these units toward a basal zone where dissolution of salt has enhanced permeability. The redistribution of uranium has occurred over a period of several tens of millions of years and has been responsible for widening the hot belt from ∼2 km (width of Marcellus outcrop) to ∼12 km.

Transport and fate of heavy metals in Onondaga Lake, New York.

Lakes in the immediate vicinity of population centers provide extremely valuable resources for recreation. Industrialization, however, generally accompanies urbanization, and urban lakes particularly may be affected by pollutants of a wide variety, including toxic heavy metals, from cultural sources within the watershed. Onondaga Lake (Figure i) typifies this situation. Located at the northwest edge of the city of Syracuse, New York, for many years the lake has been the recipient of heavy metal inputs from the city, its suburbs, and approximately 140 industries which are located in its drainage basin (MURPHY 1978). Owing to broadly-supported efforts aimed at improving water quality in Onondaga Lake during the past decade, the concentration of nutrients and some heavy metals has decreased in the lake during that period (EFFLER et el. 1981; MURPHY 1978). Few quantitative data exist, however, concerning the fate of metals which enter Onondaga Lake or of the mechanisms which have permitted the observed reductions in concentration to occur. The sediments, nonetheless, are known to contain extremely high levels of several heavy metals compared to other lakes (EFFLER et el. 1980; RAND et el. 1977), which suggests that the transport to and permanent storage in the sediments may be important. In general the fate of heavy metals in aquatic systems depends on partitioning between soluble and settleablesolid phases and may be influenced by various interactions which include coagulation, adsorption, precipitation, coprecipitation, complexation, and biotic uptake (BURRELL 1974). These factors, in turn, are known to be affected hy environmental conditions, such as: pH, redox potential, metal concentrations, ionic strength, hioaccumulation, and type and concentration of complexing ligands (LECKIE & JAMES 1974). Superimposed on the aforementioned phenomena are kinetic factors which govern reaction rates, particle sedimentation, and hydrodynamics. With full appreciation of this multidimensional web of interactions, the present investigation was undertaken to develop a simple, nonsteady-state, deterministic model for prediction of the behavior of the metals Zn, Ni, and Cr in Onondaga Lake over a growing season.

Anonymous mycobacterial osteomyelitis. A case report of a six-year-old child.

THE ANONYMOUS mycobacteria are now well established as occasional pathogens in man. In 1959, Runyon (1) divided these organisms into four general groups: group I, photochromogens (M. kansasii); group II, scotochromogens; group III, nonchromogens (Battey type); and group IV, rapid growers. In this report, the authors present a documented case of chronic disseminated infection in a child with widespread osseous lesions and chronic pulmonary disease due to a group II mycobacterium. Case Report A 6-year-old Indian boy was admitted to the Syracuse City Hospital in September 1965 with a cough of one-month duration and weight loss of three pounds. The remainder of the family was well. Physical examination disclosed evidence of consolidation in the left anterior chest. The complete blood count showed hematocrit of 34, hemoglobin 11.8 per 100 ml, white blood count 15.3 per 100 ml with a normal differential. The cold agglutinin and old tuberculin tests were negative. The chest film showed infiltrates in the left lower lobe. The child was treated with penicillin and discharged, but he returned in two weeks with bilateral pulmonary infiltrates and hematuria. The old tuberculin test was again negative. Isoniazid was started, however, because of an acid-fast organism seen in one gastric aspirate. The ASO titer, blood urea nitrogen, calcium, potassium, intravenous urogram, and voiding cystourethrogram were essentially normal. The child continued to be clinically ill with lowgrade fever and night sweats despite the treatment with isoniazid. One month later the left upper lobe collapsed but re-expanded in one week (Fig. 1). During the third month of the child's illness, bone films were obtained because of a suspicion of sarcoidosis. As noted in Figure 2, marked changes were present in the bones of the wrist. The knees and ankles (Fig. ;3) demonstrated similar pathology. Periosteal reactions were not noted. Scattered areas of involvement were also seen in the metatarsal and tarsal bones. The skull was spared. The tuberculin tests were again negative, but the isoniazid was continued because of the similarity of the disease to tuberculosis. The hematuria cleared spontaneously, although cough and weight loss continued for four more months. At that time, in April 1966, painful swelling developed for the first time in the right elbow, the dorsum of the right hand, and both feet. Biopsies were then taken from the right fourth metatarsal and right fibula. The bacterial cultures were negative, but the mycobacterial cultures grew group II atypical mycobacteria (scotochromogens). The chest film showed new areas of infiltrate involving both lower lobes and lingula. The mycobacterial cultures were sent to Rome, Ga., for sensitivity testing.

Exacerbation of salmonella enteritis due to ampicillin.

ALTERATION of the normal intestinal flora with antibacterial agents may have harmful results. Antibiotic therapy has been implicated in the pathogenesis of pseudomembranous enterocolitis1 and enteric candidiasis.2 A patient with severe diarrhea was recently observed who had been given ampicillin as a symptom-free carrier of salmonella. Administration of the drug apparently led to suppression of the normal intestinal flora and to the unrestrained growth of a salmonella species that was resistant to ampicillin. Case Report J.S., an 18-year-old boy, was admitted to Syracuse City Hospital on March 20, 1968, because of abdominal cramps and bloody diarrhea. Between March 5 and . . .

The unmarried mother and the school system.

THE problem of the unmarried mother Tin the schools of our nation can no longer be ignored. In recent years, it has become an increasing dilemma for educators and the general public. Many recent surveys have revealed the increasing incidence of this problem, especially in our larger metropolitan areas with their high percentage of families in the lower socioeconomic class.' The city of Syracuse, N. Y., has been no exception to the trend. From a plateau of about 35 known cases annually in the decade between 1950 and 1960, the number has increased to 150 girls annually. Many additional cases are undiscovered through concealment, especially in the middle and upper classes. It is not the purpose of this presentation to explore or discuss the social and economic factors of this precipitous rise, but to investigate the educational, medical, and social needs of these adolescents and how our community has attempted to solve them. Historically, girls who became pregnant were excluded from school programs, with little or no thought given to a continuation of their education. In New York State, these pupils were exempted from attendance when their condition became obvious, or in the judgment of the school principal it was detrimental to the individual or the morale of the school. Perhaps, in some more enlightened future generation, these girls will be allowed to remain in school.

THE EPIDEMIOLOGY OF ACCIDENTAL POISONING IN AN URBAN POPULATION

A group of 100 children who had experienced one episode of accidental poisoning were studied. A group of matched controls were selected from a previous randomized population derived from the City of Syracuse. The composition of study and control groups was similar in all gross characteristics tested. The poisoned group was found to have many more subsequent episodes of poisoning than the control group. These children were more active and mischievous, were more likely to experience falls, had more frequent separation experiences from the parents, and the maternal-child relationships appeared to differ significantly in several characteristics. It would appear that the repeater concept in accidental poisoning is established and presents a challenge to those presently concerned with prevention of accidental poisoning in children.

Knowledge and utilization of health resources by public assistance recipients. I. Public health and preventive medical resources.

DURING THE summer of 1955 a study was made in Syracuse, N. Y., to ascertain the extent to which recipients of public assistance utilize health services available to them and to compare their utilization with that of other socioeconomic groups. An attempt was also made to determine whether the health education technics utilized by voluntary and official community health agencies reach public welfare recipients to the same extent as other population groups, or whether an intensification of or change in these technics is indicated. The project was a joint undertaking of the New York State Departments of Social Welfare and of Health, the State University College of Medicine at Syracuse, the Syracuse City Department of Health, and the Onondaga County Department of Public Welfare. This report will describe the methodology and present the findings concerning the knowledge and utilization of public preventive medical services. A second report will describe the findings relative to therapeutic services.*

President's Message

Juvenile Court Judges JournalVolume 8, Issue 3 p. 4-6 President's Message LEO J. YEHLE, LEO J. YEHLE President LEO J. YEHLE was judge of the Children's Court and the Court of Special Sessions of the City of Syracuse from November 1, 1926 to December 31, 1936; and has been judge of the Children's Court of the County of Onondago (which includes the City of Syracuse) since January 1, 1937. He is director of the Syracuse Boys Club, of the Frank H. Hiscock Legal Aid Society, of the Council of Social Agencies of Syracuse and Onondago County, and of the Onondago County Council on Alcoholism. Judge Yehle is a member of the Onondago County and the New York State Bar Associations, and of the American Judicature Society. He is past president of the New York State Magistrates Association, and of the New York State Association of Children's Court Judges. He is a charter member, past secretary, past vice-president of the National Council; and a trustee of the Foundation.Search for more papers by this author LEO J. YEHLE, LEO J. YEHLE President LEO J. YEHLE was judge of the Children's Court and the Court of Special Sessions of the City of Syracuse from November 1, 1926 to December 31, 1936; and has been judge of the Children's Court of the County of Onondago (which includes the City of Syracuse) since January 1, 1937. He is director of the Syracuse Boys Club, of the Frank H. Hiscock Legal Aid Society, of the Council of Social Agencies of Syracuse and Onondago County, and of the Onondago County Council on Alcoholism. Judge Yehle is a member of the Onondago County and the New York State Bar Associations, and of the American Judicature Society. He is past president of the New York State Magistrates Association, and of the New York State Association of Children's Court Judges. He is a charter member, past secretary, past vice-president of the National Council; and a trustee of the Foundation.Search for more papers by this author First published: September 1957 https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1755-6988.1957.tb00171.x AboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditWechat Volume8, Issue3September 1957Pages 4-6 RelatedInformation

Certain Sociological Aspects Associated with Plant Competition between Native and Foreign Species in a Saline Area

Plant sociology has exercised a strong influence on the science of ecology and workers are constantly on the alert for new problems which may throw additional light on the subject. A desirable field which offers such an opportunity is the study of the sociological relationships of the foreign and native species to each other in America. Among the many inviting and favorable geographic regions in the United States for such a study, New York State is quite outstanding because of the nature of its topography and soils. The soils ranging from the saline seashores to the extremely acid bogs of the Adirondack Mountains are quite heterogeneous in their physical and chemical composition and offer in certain localities desirable habitats for the growth of foreign plant invaders. This condition together with the ease with which foreign plants entered the state through foreign shipments before quarantine laws were enacted now reveals cosmopolitan plant communities well stabilized in both natural and cultural habitats. In addition to these, denuded areas are constantly occurring by the excavation of large areas for road building materials, waterways and manufactured products as well as associated fills and residue dumps. These new physiographic areas where the soils are raw and sometimes rich in certain residue salts are highly desirable for the study of certain sociological relationships of native and foreign plants as to successional behavior under unusual environmental conditions. A new physiographic area located along the southwest shore of Onondaga Lake at the terminus of the old Erie Canal, which borders the City of Syracuse, N. Y., is similar to a condition mentioned above and forms the nucleus of the present investigation. This area, approximately one-quarter of a mile wide and one mile long, is a saline residue dump or fill about 12 feet high, deposited 34 years ago by a chemical manufacturing company. The soil is a finely ground limestone which was chemically treated and is therefore rich in salts, the principal ones being calcium carbonate, calcium chloride, sodium carbonate, sodium chloride, and potassium sulfate. Salt incrustations still occur in a few small areas slightly lower than the general surface. With the exception of a few embankments used for the pipe line which discharged the residue, the general upland region is comparatively level. Along the lake shore footslopes, terraces and ravines are evident where the soil is better drained than the main upland area of the fill.

A Diphyllobothrium from Cats and Dogs in the Syracuse Region

On March 7, 1933, two cats from the Humane Society of the City of Syracuse were autopsied in this laboratory, and found infested with a species of Diphyllobothrium. One of these cats harbored a single worm, the other two. The smallest of these worms was about 20 cm. long, the largest 48 cm. Fifty additional cats from the same source were examined subsequently at different times up to the middle of June, but no more of the worms were discovered.