This document contains abstracts from multiple academic papers. The first abstract discusses potential synergies between natural gas and renewable energy in the electric power and transportation sectors. It explores opportunities for partnership between these industries. The second abstract reports on using satellite data to map the status and distribution of global mangroves, finding their total area to be 137,760 km2 in 2000. The third abstract describes an ethnographic study of the cultural beliefs and practices of ethnic Filipinos, focusing on the Aeta people.

3. “Opportunities for Synergy
Between Natural Gas and
Renewable Energy in the Electric
Power and Transportation Sectors”

5. ABSTRACT
Use of both natural gas and renewable energy has grown
significantly in recent years. Both forms of energy have been
touted as key elements of a transition to a cleaner and more
secure energy future, but much of the current discourse
considers each in isolation or concentrates on the competitive
impacts of one on the other. This paper attempts, instead, to
explore potential synergies of natural gas and renewable
energy in the U.S. electric power and transportation sectors.

6. Part I of this paper offers nine platforms for dialogue and partnership
between the natural gas and renewable energy industries, including
development of hybrid technologies, energy system integration studies,
analysis of future energy pathways, and joint myth-busters initiatives.
Part II provides a brief summary of recent developments in natural gas and
renewable energy markets. It is intended mainly for non-experts in either
energy category.
Part III, on the electric power sector, discusses potential complementarities
of natural gas and renewable energy from the perspective of electricity
portfolio risk and also presents several current market design issues that
could benefit from collaborative engagement.
Part IV, on the transportation sector, highlights the technical and economic
characteristics of an array of alternative transportation technologies and
fuels. Opportunities for natural gas and renewable energy transportation
pathways are discussed, as are certain relevant transportation policies.

7. “Status and distribution of
mangrove
forests of the world using earth
observation satellite data”
A mangrove is a shrub or small tree that grows
in coastal saline or brackish water. Mangroves
are survivors. With their roots submerged in
water, mangrove trees thrive in hot, muddy,
salty conditions that would quickly kill most
plants.

9. ABSTRACT
Aim: Our scientific understanding of the extent and distribution of
mangrove forests of the world is inadequate. The available global
mangrove databases, compiled using disparate geospatial data sources
and national statistics, need to be improved. Here, we mapped the status
and distributions of global mangroves using recently available Global
Land Survey (GLS) data and the Landsat archive.
Methods: We interpreted approximately 1000 Landsat scenes using
hybrid supervised and unsupervised digital image classification
techniques. Each image was normalized for variation in solar angle and
earth–sun distance by converting the digital number values to the top-of
the-atmosphere reflectance. Ground truth data and existing maps and
databases were used to select training samples and also for iterative
labelling. Results were validated using existing GIS data and the
published literature to map ‘true mangroves’.

10. Results: The total area of mangroves in the year 2000 was 137,760 km2
in 118 countries and territories in the tropical and subtropical regions of
the world. Approximately 75% of world’s mangroves are found in just 15
countries, and only 6.9% are protected under the existing protected areas
network (IUCN I-IV). Our study confirms earlier findings that the
biogeographic distribution of mangroves is generally confined to the
tropical and subtropical regions and the largest percentage of mangroves
is found between 5° N and 5° S latitude.
Main conclusions: We report that the remaining area of mangrove forest
in the world is less than previously thought. Our estimate is 12.3%
smaller than the most recent estimate by the Food and Agriculture
Organization (FAO) of the United Nations. We present the most
comprehensive, globally consistent and highest resolution (30 m) global
mangrove database ever created.We developed and used better mapping
techniques and data sources and mapped mangroves with better spatial
and thematic details than previous studies.

12. “Cultural Beliefs and
Practices of Ethnic
Filipinos:
An Ethnographic Study”

14. ABSTRACT
The study was to determine the cultural beliefs and practices of the
ethnic Filipinos. This is a qualitative study and the focus is the Aetas
living in Central Philippines. The informants were the 9 prominent
Aetas, 6 of them were Aeta women who have experienced pregnancy or
pregnant during the time this study was conducted. The findings
revealed that during pregnancy their most beliefs and practices are
observed by the Aetas. Some of the traditional beliefs and practices of
Aetas have been influenced by many factors. They have also retained
some of their traditional beliefs and practices on pregnancy, childbirth,
marriage, death and burial despite the effects of the factors mentioned.
All throughout the life stages of the Aetas in the rural communities, their
old beliefs and practices had been influenced by modernization. It
simply shows that the Aetas , are also susceptible to accept changes that
may affect their way of life. Their traditional cultural practices that
deeply rooted in their beliefs were difficult to neglect since it has already
been part of their tradition for years.

15. “Impacts of Language
Barriers on Students’
Openness to Diversity
Attitude”

17. ABSTRACT
Short study abroad programs can facilitate students’
developing their intercultural sensitivity. The host country’s
language may, however, affect the extent of students’ openness
to diversity. This study empirically examines the impact of a
host country’s language on openness to diversity attitudes of
students participating in short summer study abroad courses.
More specifically, this study compares and contrasts the
students’ openness to diversity in non-English and English-
speaking host countries both before and after the completion
of such courses. The findings of this study suggest that
students in an English-speaking host country are more open to
diversity than those in a non-English-speaking host country.

19. “The power of urban
street art in re-naturing
urban imaginations
and experiences”

21. ABSTRACT
Urban street art is a powerful tool in reflecting the experience of
the urban, provoking an engagement of urbanites with their
environment, and in re-socialising public spaces. Encounters
with urban street art within the everyday create social
interstices, opening up ways of seeing and feeling the world
differently; allowing for a creative feedback loop between artist,
individual spectator and society. Through the lens of
environmentally engaged urban street art, this working paper
explores how this artistic and social movement reconnects the
natural and social worlds within an increasingly urban
existence. By disconnecting from the world around us, we have
forgotten the natural and social entanglements that make up the
fabric of the urban context, and in doing so we continue to
create irreparable damages to the environment.

22. With environmentally engaged urban street art disrupting the
mainstream experience of the urban, the spectator is provided
with an alternative vision of the world at play within the
everyday setting. As a result, it is proposed that at the
crossroads between urban street art and everyday life, the
spectator evolves from a passive to an active participant in the
contemporary make up of urban cities. By awakening new
understandings and raising consciousness, environmentally
engaged urban street art provokes a re-engagement of
urbanites with the environment, acting as a catalyst for
transformative social change.

23. “Photography: A
Communication Tool”

25. ABSTRACT
There are limited resources available for art teachers wishing to
implement a photography curriculum that focus on social justice. Since
the camera is a highly effective communicative tool, students should be
encouraged to vocalize their understanding of how to better society
through visual images. This research highlights the significance of
photography and its ability to change the manner in which people view
the world. The culminating product of this research is a downloadable
PDF that features both contemporary and historical artists and
organizations that have used photography to express social justice. The
aim of this research is to promote photography to administrators,
supporters, local communities, and students. Art teachers are encouraged
to use the advocacy resource provided to promote social justice in their
photography program.

27. “Impacts of Language
Barriers on Students’
Openness to Diversity
Attitude “

28. Moghaddam, J. M.
The Sid Craig School of Business , California State University, Fresno
5245 N. Backer, M/S PB7 , Fresno, CA 93740-8001
United States of America
Email: johnm@csufresno.edu, Phone: (559) 278-2915
Peyvandi, Ali
The Sid Craig School of Business , California State University, Fresno
5245 N. Backer, M/S PB7, Fresno, CA 93740-8001
United States of America
Email: alip@csufresno.edu, Phone: (559) 278-2915
Wang, Jia
The Sid Craig School of Business , California State University, Fresno
5245 N. Backer, M/S PB7, Fresno, CA 93740-8001
United States of America
Email: jiaw@csufresno.edu, Phone: (559) 278-2915

29. April 2011

30. California State University,
Fresno

31. International Journal of
Business and Social Science