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Triumphs and Tribulations in Aquaculture: A Critical Analysis of Non-Fed Aquaculture as a Means for Restorative Ocean Farming
No full textThis environmental studies thesis examines a variety of local, restorative aquaculture based solutions to the climate crisis. Analysis of the theoretical foundations of aquaculture in the United States, specifically colonialism and exploitation, invites critical thinking of our food and water management systems. Based off of these theoretical foundations, selected problems of and solutions to our modern approach to aquaculture are laid out. An emphasis is placed on ecological and socio-cultural based solutions. This paper includes recommendations for the future of aquaculture, concentrating on small-scale, restorative bivalve and seaweed ocean farming
Patterns Among Ulam Words
Full text linkIn 1964, Stanislaw Ulam introduced the Ulam sequence. Beginning with 1 and 2, the next term is the smallest unique sum of two different earlier terms. In 2020, the parallel notion of Ulam words was introduced by Bade, Cui, Labelle, and Li, and was further explored by Adutwum, Clark, Emerson, Sheydvasser, Sheydvasser, and Tougouma in 2024. We build on both Bade et al. and Adutwum et al. by proving new results regarding Ulam words, and providing evidence to support the existence of strong new patterns. We explore Ulam words in the setting of cyclic semigroups, and compare the results found by the authors above in this new setting
Rhythmic Motor Execution Reduces Emotional Arousal
No full textRecent advancements in neuroscience have shown that rhythmic motor activity can reduce emotional arousal and support emotion regulation. However, the underlying mechanisms remain unclear; specifically, whether motor rhythm alone is sufficient to produce these effects. To investigate this question, I tested whether engaging in rhythmic hand movements affects emotional reactions to images from the Open Affective Standardized Image Set (OASIS). I conducted three separate experiments comparing participant ratings of images’ arousal and valence when stationary versus when performing a bimanual finger-tapping task. I recruited 110 participants from the Psychology 101 pool at Bates College and convenience sampling methods, between ages 18 and 41 years old. In Experiment 1, participants were divided into three groups (control, simple rhythm, and syncopated rhythm), and I observed evidence that rhythm performance may affect arousal ratings but not valence ratings. So, I conducted Experiment 2 as a follow-up study, simplifying the experimental design by dividing participants into only two groups: control and alternating rhythm. The results of Experiment 2 confirmed the evidence from Experiment 1, but over a limited range of valence ratings. Therefore, I conducted Experiment 3, replicating the procedures of Experiment 2, to evaluate whether my findings generalized to a broader range of valences. Altogether, my findings show that the performance of a bimanual rhythm flattens extreme arousal ratings without affecting valence ratings. This suggests that rhythm performance reduces the subjective intensity of emotional experience, consistent with my hypothesis that rhythmic body movements can contribute to emotional desensitization. This finding suggests that therapeutic approaches involving movements such as EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) therapy may operate by affecting emotional arousal in response to traumatic memories while preserving subjective appraisals of the valence associated with those memories
High Resolution Mapping of Carbon Stocks and Sequestration and Organic Matter Sources over the last 4000 Years in the Sprague River Marsh, Phippsburg Maine
No full textSalt marshes are regarded as key blue carbon stocks with high rates of carbon sequestration due to tidal inundation. However, the impacts that rising sea levels and human development and alterations to salt marshes have on carbon stocks and organic matter deposition have yet to be fully understood. The Sprague River Marsh, in Phippsburg Maine, has been subject to many alterations through the last 400 years (ditching, the building of a tidal restriction and the dredging and redirection of the natural tidal channel). This study analyzes the geochemical records (% carbon, C/N ratio, δ13C, d15N, and carbon density) of 40 previously collected sediment cores and 3 new sediment cores, from the Sprague River Marsh. The geochemical data were parsed into six different time intervals (0-50, 50-100, 100-200, 200-300, 300-500, 500-1000, 1000-2000 yrs BP) based on an age model derived from 13 radiocarbon dates. Geochemical data was analyzed for correlation with remote sensing data and the resulting correlated environmental covariates were used to model and map marsh surfaces using EBK Regression Prediction in ArcGIS Pro. These marsh surface reconstructions date the shift from tidal flats to salt marsh around ~1000 yrs BP, the location of the historic tidal channel, and an increase in spatial variability of % C and δ13C post European Colonization. Additionally, the reconstruction of carbon density revealed a lack of correlation to any of the environmental covariates explored in this study. Consequently, carbon density appears to be difficult to model using remote sensing. Human alterations to marsh hydrology may have contributed to the increase in % C and δ13C spatial variability and unpredictability of carbon density. This suggests further research is needed to fully understand the connection and scope between marsh alterations and carbon density in order to more easily predict carbon stock
Framing Value: A Mixed-Methods Analysis of Economic Valuation of Non-Use Value and Pro-Environmental Behavior
No full textThe current work uses an experimental design with random assignment to extend the literature on the use of ecosystem services valuation (ESV) to promote conservation, with a focus on both monetary and non-monetary support of the United States National Park Service (USNPS). We use an online survey experiment to test whether the type of value (use or non-use) used to characterize the benefits of the resource, as well as the presence of ESV information, affects attitudes and behaviors toward United States National Parks. We find that participants exposed to the non-use framing condition were willing to pay more in taxes to fund national parks compared to those in the use framing condition. Adding ESV information to the use-value condition returns taxation support to levels comparable to those in the non-use value condition. We then conduct a series of five focus groups to elicit reactions to and attitudes toward different framing techniques. We find that appeals related to preservation for future generations spark greater emotional connection and are more effective than emphasizing the benefits of current use. This work contributes to our understanding of how different message frames influence public support for conservation efforts and provides recommendations for designing policies that effectively use these frames to encourage greater civic engagement in environmental protection
The Impact of Social Distance and Temporal Distance on Thinking About a Good Life
No full textThis study was designed to analyze the impact of social and temporal distance on thinking about a good life. Previous research has distinguished among three dimensions of a good life: happiness, meaning, and psychological richness (Oishi & Westgate, 2022). Results from a pilot study supported the idea that descriptors for happiness are perceived as more concrete than those for the other two dimensions. According to construal level theory, construals in closer psychological distances (e.g., social distance, temporal distance) are typically perceived as more concrete than those in farther psychological distances (Trope & Liberman, 2010). Study 1 tested whether one would describe a good life for self (lower social distance) using more happy-life descriptors compared to for a stranger (higher social distance). Contrary to predictions, results showed no significant effect of social distance on thinking about a good life. Study 2 tested whether one would describe a good life for the near future self (lower temporal distance) as more concrete, more in happy terms, and less in meaningful and psychologically-rich terms compared to the far future self (higher temporal distance). As expected, the results showed that participants described a good life for their near future self more concretely than for their far future self. Additionally, the three good-life dimensions were significantly different between the two conditions. However, all three dimensions were higher for the far future self condition compared to the low future self condition. These results shed light on possible mappings of CLT onto thinking about a good life
Land Use Matters: The Interactions Between Soil Characteristics, Ecosystem Cycling, and Anthropogenic Influences at Valley View Farm
No full textSoil characteristics are the foundation of forest and agricultural productivity. Therefore, understanding how soils change as a reflection of changing landscapes is essential for sustainable management. Valley View Farm is a small, multi use farm in central southern Maine, which seeks to balance conservation and successful farming in terms of providing for the owner and the surrounding community. There are a variety of management practices across the farm, but three distinct areas were examined: the Older Forest, which has been only minimally managed for the last 100 years; the Newer Forest, which was selectively logged 15 years ago and left as a forest; and the Wet Pasture, which was clear cut 15 years ago to establish an open pasture area. By comparing the initial soil characteristics (texture, color, O horizon depth), pH, soil moisture, mycorrhizal fungi inoculation, percent carbon and nitrogen, isotopic carbon and nitrogen values, and cation exchange capacity among these three land use areas, the large influences of biomass removal and interruption of previous nutrient cycling was observed. The change in types of inputs between the larger, deciduous Older Forest, the more coniferous Newer Forest, and the grasses and introduction of domesticated animals on the Wet Pasture was integral in changing soil quality. Specifically, in the Older Forest, %C and %N were much higher, with median values of 47.0 and 1.6 compared to 13.2 and 0.4 in the Newer Forest, and 8.4 and 0.5 in the Wet Pasture. There was also a higher percentage of roots inoculated with mycorrhizal fungi in the Older Forest. These data point to lower soil organic matter content, which has a cascade of effects including lower cation exchange capacity and nutrient retention, and soil stability. Data findings generally aligned with the base knowledge of the current farmer, affirming her lived experiences and her hopes for the future of the farm. Across all three land uses, the observed soil characteristics were due to synergistic interactions among the amount and type of source material, and the quantity and rates of processes such as decomposition or nitrogen cycling. These interactions, and therefore the current soil qualities and what they might evolve to become, determine the possibilities for future land use, whether that is agricultural production, forest continuity, and/or biodiversity maintenance
