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The Foxwoods Casino Resort owned by the Mashantucket Pequots of Connecticut is the largest gambling casino in the Western world. The Pequots' Connecticut location enabled the tribe to open a casino, with accessibility to a large market and limited competition. The opening of Foxwoods is also the result of changes in relationships between Americans and Indians and shifts in American attitudes toward gambling. As attitudes and laws change, however, there is little chance that another Indian Foxwoods will be created here or elsewhere in the United States.

Three new Jaltomata species from the department of Ancash, Peru, are described and illustrated. The three species are distinguished from others in the genus by features of the flowers, hairs, and leaves. Fruits of Jaltomata cajacayensis S. Leiva and Mione are gathered for consumption. Jaltomata lomana Mione and S. Leiva is known only from a single fog-dependent plant community, a lomas formation. Jaltomata yungayensis Mione and S. Leiva is widely distributed at high elevations.

Jaltomata andersonii (Solanaceae), here named, is distributed on the western slope of the Andes, in the Departments of Ancash and Lima, Peru, from 2300 to 3400 m of elevation. This species differs from others of the genus by having an unarticulated axis connecting the flower to the plant where all others have both a peduncle and a pedicel. The following combination of features also characterize this species: the hairs of leaves and axes are gland-tipped; the petiole is no longer than 1 cm; the flowers are solitary; the corolla is broadly crateriform-rotate, purple, and up to 3.7 cm in diameter; and the filaments are extremely villous at their bases.

This research focuses on inservice science teachers’ conceptions of nature of science (NOS) before and after a two-week intensive summer professional development (PD). The PD combined traditional explicit NOS instruction, numerous interactive interventions that highlighted NOS aspects, along with documentary films that portrayed NOS in context of authentic scientific discovery. Reflective dialogue was used throughout the professional development to encourage constructivist learning. The PD addressed seven commonly held NOS tenets that are deemed significant to K-12 science teachers. Finally, qualitative methodologies were used to analyze the Views of Nature of Science Questionnaire (VNOS-D) and the associated interview data to explore subtleties within each NOS tenet and to gain a richer understanding of how the teachers’ NOS understanding differed before and after the PD. © 2015 by iSER, International Society of Educational Research.

The Connecticut shoreline is one of the most intensively developed in the country. In many locations, development has relied on the buffering capacity of broad beaches for protection against storms. Much of this development is at risk due to an insufficient understanding of regional beach dynamics. The coast is commonly regarded as “protected” by the presence of Long Island. Nonetheless, Irene and Sandy imposed significant property losses on coastal cities. The most severe damages were due to wave impact in areas with narrow beaches. Small differences (as little as 21 m) in beach width proved to be significant during these storms. Sheltering by Long Island does not prevent coastal erosion during local storms. In the long run, it does prevent the rebuilding of the beach during fair weather by limiting the energy available for shoreward transport. This dynamic makes the beaches naturally erosive and their buffering capacity transient at best.

Hartford, the state capital of Connecticut, is a typical example of a former manufacturing oriented1 industrial city and, like much of the urban northeastern United States, has gone through a period of economic deindustrialization and consequent urban decay. Since the departure of the manufacturing base, Hartford has refocused its economic development on the service economy, and first and foremost, the insurance industry. The city even proclaims itself the “insurance capital of the world.” Yet, even though the insurance industry as well as other service oriented development strategies (a new convention center, science museum, and retail developments) have been quite successful in fostering economic activity and attracting employees (mostly residents of the surrounding suburbs commuting into white collar jobs), the spatial manifestations of deindustrialization are still visible and persistent in the physical as well as the social fabric of the city. © 2012 Neil Reid, Jay D. Gatrell and Paula S. Ross All rights reserved.

Coastal areas provide many co-benefits associated with their natural infrastructure, facilitating activities such as fishing, industry, tourism and transportation, for instance (Barragán & de Andrés, 2015; Sutton-Grier, Wowk & Bamford, 2015). Despite occupying a relatively small percentage of the Earth's land surface, the value of the ecosystems’ services of coastal areas is more than one-third of the total for the globe (Barbier et al., 2011; Barragán & de Andrés, 2015). However, while the goods and services provided by coastal ecosystems are essential for economic and social well-being (Mavrommati, Bithas & Panayiotidis, 2013), coastal ecosystems are increasingly at risk. As a direct result of intensive resource use and of concentrations of population, coastal ecosystems increasingly demonstrate direct and adverse impacts of human activities (Swaney et al., 2012). Increasing population growth, movement of populations towards the coast and the increase in coastal development have led to an increase in pressure on, and degradation of, coastal ecosystems (Duxbury & Dickinson, 2007). For large coastal cities, interactions between human activities and coastal systems are intensified due to population density effects and associated economic activities (Mavrommati et al., 2013). In many parts of the world, coastal natural habitats are declining and overexploited coastal resources are dwindling, with associated impacts on ecosystems and on the livelihoods dependent on these (Mee, 2012). © 2019 selection and editorial matter, C. Patrick Heidkamp and John Morrissey.

Testate amoebae diversity from 28 surface (0-3 cm depth) soil samples found near Cuzco (6 samples), in Machu Piсchu (17 samples), in Aguas Calientes (5 samples), and one bottom sediment sample from the Lake Titicaca near Puno were collected during March of 2016 were analyzed. The 144 testate amoebae species and infra-specific taxa belonging to 27 genera were identified. Nineteen amoebae have not been identified to species level and likely represent new taxa. Species richness varied from one to 54 taxa per sample. The highest diversity was found in rainforests followed by those in meadows and agave habitats. The only bottom sample from Lake Titicaca has yielded two hydrobiont species from the genus Difflugia. In the course of the study, several rare species with limited geographical distribution were observed, namely Centropyxis castaneus, C. compressa, C. deflandriana, C. latideflandriana, C. cf. ohridensis, C. cf. ovoides, C. cf. pannosus, C. stenodeflandriana, Cyclopyxis plana, C. profundistoma, Apodera vas, Argynnia retorta, A. spicata, Certesella certesi, Trachelcorythion pulchellum. Our study fills a geographical gap in the distribution of some flagship species with restricted geographic distribution, e.g. Apodera vas and Certesella certesi in Peru. The results illustrate the continuity of expansion species along the Pacific coast. © 2019 by Revista de Biologia Tropical. All rights reserved.

The ocean and coasts are largely absent from the “Green New Deal” proposal. In response to the limited attention paid to the sustainability and equitable governance approaches of the blue economy, a US “Blue New Deal” has been proposed aiming to protect the health of the ocean and support coastal communities' adaptation to climate change. The Blue New Deal emerged as a central policy proposal from 2020 Democratic presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren to enhance the role of the blue economy while simultaneously addressing the climate crisis. Through a just transitions analysis, this article evaluates the proposal for a US Blue New Deal — as designed by Senator Elizabeth Warren — that would be applied towards enhancing socioeconomic resiliency, environmental justice, and addressing social inequities. As part of a critical policy analysis evaluating the areas of focus Warren's Blue New Deal presents, environmental justice and sustainability are central to the success of managing, and enhancing the role of, the blue economy. The challenges facing the Blue New Deal reflect a “one size fits all” federal approach that has implications for addressing multifaceted obstacles in key sectors of the blue economy, its governance, and tackling interconnected crises that exacerbate socioeconomic inequities and vulnerabilities of marginalised coastal communities. This article proposes a blue justice framework for the Blue New Deal that seeks to address the tensions and contradictions that exist in its current form and indicates how a comprehensive policy framework can enhance the sustainability and equitable involvement of the blue economy. The information, practices and views in this article are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the Royal Geographical Society (with IBG). © 2022 Royal Geographical Society (with the Institute of British Geographers).

Background: It is crucial to support students in better understanding water and sustainability issues because water plays a vital role in maintaining global ecosystems, including human life. A wide range of curricular and instructional supports like those embodied in model-based learning (MBL) are necessary for teachers to engage students in the core epistemic commitments of the Next-Generation Science Standards (NGSS). Purpose: The main purpose of this study is to inform theory about students’ early attempts to engage in the complex kinds of sensemaking experiences inherent in the Framework for K-12 Science Education and the NGSS. Sample: Data for this study was collected from 74 10th grade students in a high school in the Northwest region of the New England state. Design and Methods: An explanatory sequential mixed-method research design was used to examine students’ learning outcomes, and to better understand these outcomes in connection to their experiences engaging in modeling in the MBL curriculum unit. Results: The results indicated that students’ model scores, the number of concepts in models, and the coherence and sophistication of models improved between their initial and final models. Additionally, the following patterns emerged related to ways in which students engaged in the practice of modeling: (1) students attempted to directly represent what they observed, (2) they struggled to pictorially express complex patterns or mechanisms, and (3) students experienced difficulties representing models from a diverse range of perspectives. Conclusion: The patterns identified across student models, as well as their reports of experiences related to the MBL unit implementation, provided insight into student experiences with models, while also providing meaningful implications for the refinement of the MBL curriculum unit investigated in this research specifically, while informing approaches MBL curricular units aimed at supporting NGSS implementation efforts more generally. © 2021 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.

We designed and implemented a discrete choice experiment to assess how information about the health, environmental, and economic benefits of locally produced aquaculture products affect Connecticut consumers’ willingness to pay (WTP) for products produced in the state, as compared with products from another state or another country. We find that information about local economic benefits tended to increase WTP for Connecticut-grown and -raised products, whereas information about health, safety, and the environment tended to decrease WTP for products from other regions. We also explore heterogeneous effects of the information treatments by respondent gender, education, and income. © 2021 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.

To enact a just and sustainable blue economy, one must consider all the actors involved in its shaping. This paper argues that a quintuple helix approach to stakeholder engagement – involving government, academia, the business community, and civil society – and an inclusive transdisciplinary action research (TAR) methodology are promising avenues with which to do so. Embracing critical pragmatism as a foundational framework, key ideas from three strands of research are consolidated: (1) the recent work on the geographical dimension of socio-technical sustainability transitions; (2) the literature on just sustainabilities and just transition; and (3) action research and transdisciplinary approaches to problem solving. This allows for the reimagination of a common future for the blue economy that is developed through a different kind of democratic process driven and informed by co-learning, and shared experiences. By adopting a transdisciplinary action research approach, actors from different disciplines and spheres of experience can gain a better mutual understanding and find commonality through the open door of collaboration. The theoretical argument presented in this paper is illustrated by a vignette of an ongoing TAR project at Southern Connecticut State University, which outlines the challenges and opportunities inherent to implementing a TAR approach. The information, practices and views in this article are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the Royal Geographical Society (with IBG). © 2021 The Authors. The Geographical Journal published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Royal Geographical Society (with the Institute of British Geographers)

Freshwater crustaceans are distributed throughout the montane and lowland areas of Colombia, and are therefore a useful indicator group for how aquatic species will respond to climate change. As such, metabolic determination of physiological performance was evaluated for the Colombian pseudothelphusid crab, Neostrengeria macropa (H. Milne Edwards, 1853), over a temperature range inclusive of current temperatures and those predicted by future scenarios in the plateau around the city of Bogotá, namely from 8 °C to 30 °C. The performance results mostly aligned with previous exploratory behavioral determination of the ideal temperature range in the same species, although the metabolism increased at the highest temperature treatments, a point when exploratory behavior declined. These results indicate that this species of montane crab behaviorally compensates for increased thermal stress by decreasing its physical activity, which could have negative predator-prey consequences with changes to community structure as different species undergo climate-mediated geographic range shifts in the region. As this species is endemic to the plateau surrounding Bogotá, it also experiences a number of other stressors to its survival, including infrastructure development and invasive species. © 2021 The Author(s) 2021. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The Crustacean Society. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.