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Multifunctional urban green infrastructure (UGI) can regulate stormwater, mitigate heat islands, conserve biodiversity and biocultural diversity, and produce food, among other functions. Equitable governance of UGI requires new tools for sharing pertinent information. Our goal was to develop a public-access geographic information system (GIS) that can be used for comprehensive UGI planning in Washington, DC (the District) and to create an e-tool for UGI in the form of Tableau dashboards. The dashboards allow stakeholders to identify (1) existing UGI and (2) potential areas for new UGI including urban agriculture (UA). They also allow users to manipulate the data and identify priority locations for equitable UGI development by applying population vulnerability indices and other filters. We demonstrate use of the dashboards through scenarios focusing on UA in the District, which currently has 150 ha of existing UGI in the form of documented projects and an additional 2734 ha potentially suitable for UGI development. A total of 2575 ha is potentially suitable for UA, with 56% of that area in Wards 5, 7, and 8, which are largely food deserts and whose residents are primarily Black and experience the greatest inequities. Our work can serve as a model for similar digital tools in other locales using Tableau and other platforms.
John Taylor; Mamatha Hanumappa; Lara Miller; Brendan Shane; Matthew Richardson. Facilitating Multifunctional Green Infrastructure Planning in Washington, DC through a Tableau Interface. Sustainability 2021, 13, 8390 .
AMA StyleJohn Taylor, Mamatha Hanumappa, Lara Miller, Brendan Shane, Matthew Richardson. Facilitating Multifunctional Green Infrastructure Planning in Washington, DC through a Tableau Interface. Sustainability. 2021; 13 (15):8390.
Chicago/Turabian StyleJohn Taylor; Mamatha Hanumappa; Lara Miller; Brendan Shane; Matthew Richardson. 2021. "Facilitating Multifunctional Green Infrastructure Planning in Washington, DC through a Tableau Interface." Sustainability 13, no. 15: 8390.
Urban agriculture is expanding but faces economic and environmental challenges. One way to mitigate the impact of climate change on food security in cities with a temperate climate is to grow crops adapted to the hotter temperatures expected by the middle of the twenty-first century. Hibiscus sabdariffa L., commonly called red sorrel or roselle, is a hardy shrub widely grown throughout tropical regions of the world that has high economic value as a food crop. Most studies on H. sabdariffa have been conducted in tropical areas and, to our knowledge, none compared genotypes, their nutrients, and suitability for urban production. Therefore, we grew seven genotypes of H. sabdariffa in three production systems (i.e., green roof, field row, high tunnel) in and near Washington, DC to: 1) determine differences in leaf and flower yield between genotypes and production systems; 2) determine nutritional differences of leaves between genotypes and production systems; and 3) determine susceptibility of genotypes to insect pests. Genotype PI 286316 produced copious flowers, especially in the high tunnel. Production of leaves was highest in the field row, despite this system being most frequently attacked by Popillia japonica Newman. PI 273388, PI 275414, and green hibiscus produced the highest mass of leaves. Most minerals were influenced by the production systems, but most notable is that genotypes differed in amounts of some nutrients regardless of the production system. The locally adapted green hibiscus, which was cultivated in the Washington, DC area for many years, produced a moderate number of flowers, was a top producer of leaves in all systems, was least attacked by P. japonica, and had higher levels of nutrients than some other genotypes. Overall, our work demonstrates that H. sabdariffa, a tropical plant, can be grown in temperate, urban systems.
Matthew L. Richardson; Caitlin G. Arlotta. Differential yield and nutrients of Hibiscus sabdariffa L. genotypes when grown in urban production systems. Scientia Horticulturae 2021, 288, 110349 .
AMA StyleMatthew L. Richardson, Caitlin G. Arlotta. Differential yield and nutrients of Hibiscus sabdariffa L. genotypes when grown in urban production systems. Scientia Horticulturae. 2021; 288 ():110349.
Chicago/Turabian StyleMatthew L. Richardson; Caitlin G. Arlotta. 2021. "Differential yield and nutrients of Hibiscus sabdariffa L. genotypes when grown in urban production systems." Scientia Horticulturae 288, no. : 110349.
Background COVID-19 has taken its toll on citizens in all 50 states of the United States. The United States (U.S.) leads the world with 30,291,863 confirmed reported cases and 549,664 deaths as of March 29, 2021 compared to globally confirmed cases at 127,442,926 and 2,787,915 deaths as of March 29, 2021. The U.S. federal government primarily left the response to the virus to individual states, and each implemented varying measures designed to protect health of citizens and the state’s economic well-being. Unintended consequences of the virus and measures to stop its spread may include decreased physical activity and exercise, shifting access and consumption of food, and lower quality-of-life. Therefore, our primary goal was to quantify the impact of COVID-19 on health and well-being by measuring changes in physical activity, mental health-quality of life, food security and nutrition in adults ages 40 and older. We believed shifts in health behaviors would be more prevalent in minorities, less educated, lower socio-economic status, older adults, and those with underlying health conditions, so a secondary goal was to determine the impact of COVID-19 on these sub-populations. Methods We conducted an online survey with 9969 adults 40 years and older between 9 August and 15 September 2020 in urban areas across the four U.S. census regions. The survey included questions about demographic variables, pre-existing health conditions, physical activity, access to food, quality-of-life, and nutritional food status and asked participants to respond with information from pre-pandemic and pandemic conditions. We used paired-sample t-tests to detect changes in variables after the start of the pandemic and Cohen’s d to determine effect sizes. Results Our main findings showed a decrease in physical activity since the onset of COVID-19 for minorities and non-minorities. Food security also slightly increased for minorities during the pandemic, but we found no other changes in food security, quality-of-life indicators, or nutritional status of those who responded to this survey. Conclusions It is concerning that physical activity declined. Such activity helps maintain physical and mental health, and it is also an important time to socialize for many older adults. In many ways, our data indicate that the older adult population in U.S. cities may be more resilient than expected during the pandemic. However, the pandemic could have negative impacts that we did not detect, either due to the survey instrument or the timing of our survey, so the health and well-being of older adults should continue to be monitored in order to mitigate potential negative impacts.
Elgloria Harrison; Lillie Monroe-Lord; Andrew D. Carson; Anne Marie Jean-Baptiste; Janet Phoenix; Phronie Jackson; B. Michelle Harris; Elmira Asongwed; Matthew L. Richardson. COVID-19 pandemic-related changes in wellness behavior among older Americans. BMC Public Health 2021, 21, 1 -11.
AMA StyleElgloria Harrison, Lillie Monroe-Lord, Andrew D. Carson, Anne Marie Jean-Baptiste, Janet Phoenix, Phronie Jackson, B. Michelle Harris, Elmira Asongwed, Matthew L. Richardson. COVID-19 pandemic-related changes in wellness behavior among older Americans. BMC Public Health. 2021; 21 (1):1-11.
Chicago/Turabian StyleElgloria Harrison; Lillie Monroe-Lord; Andrew D. Carson; Anne Marie Jean-Baptiste; Janet Phoenix; Phronie Jackson; B. Michelle Harris; Elmira Asongwed; Matthew L. Richardson. 2021. "COVID-19 pandemic-related changes in wellness behavior among older Americans." BMC Public Health 21, no. 1: 1-11.
Hibiscus species (Family: Malvaceae) have long been used in traditional medicine to treat a variety of maladies such as abscesses, bilious conditions, cancer, cough, fatigue, gastrointestinal discomfort, fever, veisalgia, cardiovascular disorders, neurosis, scurvy, and urinary tract disorders. Its antioxidants have the capacity to destroy free radicals that damage cells and increase risk of inflammatory conditions such as metabolic syndrome, cancer, and cardiovascular disease. Aim of the study: This review synthesizes findings from animal studies and clinical trials to assess effectiveness of hibiscus for treating biomarkers of metabolic syndrome including hyperglycemia, hypertriglyceridemia, low high-density lipoprotein, obesity, and hypertension. We searched for 12 edible species of hibiscus in the Google Scholar database. Each scientific name of these species, their common names, and their edible plant parts were searched in conjunction with fourteen key words associated with metabolic syndrome. A total of 68 articles met all inclusion criteria for this review, including 18 that tested human subjects, 48 that tested other animals, one that tested humans and other animals, and one that did not specify. Hibiscus often improved blood glucose, total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, triglycerides, blood pressure, weight, lipid absorption and oxidation of fatty acids within vital organs around the abdominal cavity. Higher doses led to greater benefits in some cases, especially for body mass of animals, but lower doses were often equally effective. Hibiscus was often equally or more effective than pharmaceuticals in improving some biomarkers of metabolic syndrome, especially blood glucose and insulin sensitivity. Hibiscus shows great promise for improving biomarkers of metabolic syndrome, but there are limitations that need to be addressed by future work, including increasing the number and size of human clinical trials, expanding human trials to include people from a greater diversity of ethnicities, taking into account the health and physical activity of human participants, investigating the influence of growing conditions and extraction/preparation techniques on nutrients in hibiscus, comparing the efficacy of several plant parts and plant products of hibiscus to a reference control group within the same experiment, incorporating rigorous statistical analysis of treatments and investigating the influence of dosage.
Tia D. Jeffery; Matthew L. Richardson. A review of the effectiveness of hibiscus for treatment of metabolic syndrome. Journal of Ethnopharmacology 2020, 270, 113762 .
AMA StyleTia D. Jeffery, Matthew L. Richardson. A review of the effectiveness of hibiscus for treatment of metabolic syndrome. Journal of Ethnopharmacology. 2020; 270 ():113762.
Chicago/Turabian StyleTia D. Jeffery; Matthew L. Richardson. 2020. "A review of the effectiveness of hibiscus for treatment of metabolic syndrome." Journal of Ethnopharmacology 270, no. : 113762.
Our study elucidated knowledge and perceptions of natural resources and climate change by African Americans/Blacks in Washington, DC since they are a traditionally marginalized population and to see if we could dispel the perception that they have low knowledge and interest in environmental issues. Secondarily, we wanted to determine if knowledge and perceptions vary across age groups. We conducted a survey of 491 Blacks in the District and asked 26 questions/statements related to natural resources, climate change, economics, and health. Participants were categorized into four age groups 18–25, 26–40, 41–65, and 66 and older for analysis. We found that the level of environmental knowledge across the age groups was relatively high and largely similar. Our results suggest that Blacks care about the environment, see the environment as beneficial to their health, and are knowledgeable about natural resources. However, younger Blacks (18–25) were the least likely to think of the natural world as a community to which they belong, report feelings of connection to it, and recognize that it impacts their personal welfare. In conclusion, we find that Blacks in the District possess environmental awareness and use local environmental language, depicting the uniqueness of their community. The mainstream environmental movement may fail to recognize this local language, leading to exclusion of vulnerable populations based on a faulty premise that these populations lack knowledge or interest in environmental issues.
Elgloria Harrison; Ashley Milton; Matthew Richardson. Knowledge and Perceptions of Environmental Issues by African Americans/Blacks in Washington, DC, USA: Giving Voice to the Voiceless. Sustainability 2020, 12, 9495 .
AMA StyleElgloria Harrison, Ashley Milton, Matthew Richardson. Knowledge and Perceptions of Environmental Issues by African Americans/Blacks in Washington, DC, USA: Giving Voice to the Voiceless. Sustainability. 2020; 12 (22):9495.
Chicago/Turabian StyleElgloria Harrison; Ashley Milton; Matthew Richardson. 2020. "Knowledge and Perceptions of Environmental Issues by African Americans/Blacks in Washington, DC, USA: Giving Voice to the Voiceless." Sustainability 12, no. 22: 9495.
We predicted that people’s knowledge and perceptions about the interconnectedness of natural resources, climate change, economics, and socio-cultural well-being would differ among demographic groups in Washington, DC, USA, so we conducted surveys to test that prediction. We collected demographic data from 455 participants and asked them 26 questions/statements related to natural resources, climate change, economics, and health. We selected education as the focal demographic category and participants were categorized based on their level of educational attainment: (1) completion of high school or less (hereafter “high school”); (2) some trade school or university education beyond high school up to and including completion of a trade school, two-, or four-year degree (hereafter “post-high school”); and (3) completion of a Master’s, professional, or doctoral degree (hereafter “advanced education”). Participants with advanced education reported the highest connection with nature and were more likely to report that their personal welfare depended on the natural community. Participants with the least education were more likely to believe that humans do not have much influence on natural resources and placed more trust in technology and human achievements to control nature and ensure that earth will not become unlivable. Participants with the least education were also more likely to express an interest in local environmental concerns over global, jobs over natural resources, and effects of degraded local natural resources on income, health, and the environment instead of on cultural/social practices, neighborhood aesthetics, and recreation.
Matthew L. Richardson; Ashley D. Milton; Elgloria Harrison. People with Different Educational Attainment in Washington, DC, USA have Differential Knowledge and Perceptions about Environmental Issues. Sustainability 2020, 12, 2063 .
AMA StyleMatthew L. Richardson, Ashley D. Milton, Elgloria Harrison. People with Different Educational Attainment in Washington, DC, USA have Differential Knowledge and Perceptions about Environmental Issues. Sustainability. 2020; 12 (5):2063.
Chicago/Turabian StyleMatthew L. Richardson; Ashley D. Milton; Elgloria Harrison. 2020. "People with Different Educational Attainment in Washington, DC, USA have Differential Knowledge and Perceptions about Environmental Issues." Sustainability 12, no. 5: 2063.
We predicted that demographic differences in Washington, DC’s population would influence people’s knowledge and perceptions about the interconnectedness of natural resources, climate change, economics, and socio-cultural well-being, so we conducted surveys over three years to test that prediction. We collected demographic data from 455 participants and asked them 26 questions/statements related to natural resources, climate change, economics, and health. We selected education as the focal demographic category and participants were categorized based on their level of educational attainment: 1) completion of high school or less (hereafter “high school”); 2) some trade school or university education beyond high school up to and including completion of a trade school, two-, or four-year degree (hereafter “post-high school”); and 3) completion of a Master’s, professional, or doctoral degree (hereafter “advanced education”). Answers to 14 of the 26 survey questions were dissimilar across educational groups. People with advanced education reported the highest connection with the natural community and were more likely to report that their personal welfare depended on the natural community. Participants in the high school group were more likely to believe that humans do not have much influence on natural resources and placed more trust in technology and human achievements to control nature and ensure that earth will not become unlivable. Compared to those with education beyond high school, those with a high school education were more likely to express an interest in local environmental concerns over global, jobs over natural resources, and effects of degraded local natural resources on income, health, and the environment instead of on cultural/social practices, neighborhood aesthetics, and recreation. The results suggest ways in which educational information and engagement in environmental issues should be targeted for stakeholders of different educational background in order to increase knowledge and build effective partnerships that find solutions for environmental problems.
Matthew L. Richardson; Ashley D. Milton; Elgloria Harrison. Education influences knowledge about environmental issues in Washington, DC, USA. 2019, 793810 .
AMA StyleMatthew L. Richardson, Ashley D. Milton, Elgloria Harrison. Education influences knowledge about environmental issues in Washington, DC, USA. . 2019; ():793810.
Chicago/Turabian StyleMatthew L. Richardson; Ashley D. Milton; Elgloria Harrison. 2019. "Education influences knowledge about environmental issues in Washington, DC, USA." , no. : 793810.
Linear infrastructure such as pipelines and power lines is ubiquitous and responsible for loss of habitats and disruption of landscape connectivity. We reviewed published research to answer the following questions: (1) Which organisms are commonly used to indicate impacts of pipelines and power lines to biodiversity? (2) How do pipelines and power lines impact biodiversity? and (3) How are these impacts mitigated? Studies of pipelines most often used mammals and plants as bioindicators, whereas studies of power lines focused largely on birds and plants. A myriad of impacts were identified, including the mortality of plants during construction, changes to the structure and composition of plant and animal communities that resulted from construction, the creation of open and shrubby corridors within intact forests, and collisions and electrocutions of birds with power lines. However, in most studies baseline data were not collected, so magnitudes of the impacts are often unknown. Mitigation in many studies was mentioned only in the discussion as a way to reduce impacts, but mitigation techniques were rarely tested directly. We outline considerations when selecting bioindicators—research that takes a community- or ecosystem-level approach will more fully determine the scope of impacts of linear infrastructure than the historical approach of focusing on populations of select bioindicators. Mitigation strategies must ultimately result from appropriate baseline studies, scientific data collection and analyses, and be implemented within an adaptive management strategy.
Matthew L. Richardson; Benjamin A. Wilson; Daniel A. S. Aiuto; Jonquil E. Crosby; Alfonso Alonso; Francisco Dallmeier; G. Karen Golinski. A review of the impact of pipelines and power lines on biodiversity and strategies for mitigation. Biodiversity & Conservation 2017, 26, 1801 -1815.
AMA StyleMatthew L. Richardson, Benjamin A. Wilson, Daniel A. S. Aiuto, Jonquil E. Crosby, Alfonso Alonso, Francisco Dallmeier, G. Karen Golinski. A review of the impact of pipelines and power lines on biodiversity and strategies for mitigation. Biodiversity & Conservation. 2017; 26 (8):1801-1815.
Chicago/Turabian StyleMatthew L. Richardson; Benjamin A. Wilson; Daniel A. S. Aiuto; Jonquil E. Crosby; Alfonso Alonso; Francisco Dallmeier; G. Karen Golinski. 2017. "A review of the impact of pipelines and power lines on biodiversity and strategies for mitigation." Biodiversity & Conservation 26, no. 8: 1801-1815.
. The Kitimat Liquefied Natural Gas (KLNG) Plant is proposed for construction adjacent to Bish Creek (Kitimat, British Columbia, Canada). Bish Creek is a corridor for brown bears (Ursus arctos), and 8 camera traps were deployed along the creek for 1442 trapping days in 2014 to determine baseline activity of brown bears. Brown bear activity varied across weeks, peaking particularly in July and September. Within a 24-h day, bears were commonly photographed during hours 5, 6, and 21 and uncommonly photographed during the 3 hours preceding noon and a 4-h period in the afternoon. However, the time of day that bears were photographed varied across seasons; bears were more commonly photographed during the day in July and at night in September. Understanding this change in activity across seasons will inform management of bear resources and human activities on-site to avoid human—bear interactions. Resumen. Se propone la construcción adyacente a Bish Creek (Kitimat, Columbia Británica, Canadá) de la planta Kitimat de Gas Natural Licuado (KLNG, por sus siglas en inglés). Bish Creek es un corredor para los osos pardos (Ursus arctos) en donde fueron puestas ocho cámaras trampa durante 1442 días en 2014 a lo largo del arroyo para determinar la actividad basal de los osos pardos. La actividad de los osos pardos varió a lo largo de las semanas, con un pico particular en julio y septiembre. Durante 24 horas de un día, los osos fueron normalmente fotografiados durante las horas 5, 6 y 21 y raramente fotografiados dentro de las tres horas siguientes al mediodía y durante un período de cuatro horas por la tarde. Sin embargo, el momento del día en el que los osos fueron fotografiados variaron a lo largo de las estaciones: los osos fueron más comúnmente fotografiados durante el día en julio y por la noche en septiembre. La comprensión de este cambio en la actividad a lo largo de las estaciones ayudará a informar acerca del manejo de los recursos de los osos y de las actividades humanas en el lugar para evitar la interacción entre humanos y osos.
Matthew L. Richardson. Daily and Monthly Activity of Brown Bears (Ursus arctos) Near a Proposed Industrial Project in Coastal British Columbia. Western North American Naturalist 2017, 77, 118 -123.
AMA StyleMatthew L. Richardson. Daily and Monthly Activity of Brown Bears (Ursus arctos) Near a Proposed Industrial Project in Coastal British Columbia. Western North American Naturalist. 2017; 77 (1):118-123.
Chicago/Turabian StyleMatthew L. Richardson. 2017. "Daily and Monthly Activity of Brown Bears (Ursus arctos) Near a Proposed Industrial Project in Coastal British Columbia." Western North American Naturalist 77, no. 1: 118-123.