Digital Commons Network^™

Biodegradable Active Packaging: Exploring The Antimicrobial Efficacy And Compostability Of Chitosan-Based Films, Rachel Mchugh

All Theses

The overarching purpose of this experiment is to create an active packaging component that has both antimicrobial and biodegradable properties specifically designed for poultry food products. For the scope of this study, the packaging component created would theoretically be used in conjunction with another material, such as a poultry tray which are commonly used for fresh poultry products. Based on the scope and purpose of this experiment, biopolymer films and coatings were considered after the initial literature review. Due to the goals of the packaging component, chitosan, a polysaccharide shown to have antimicrobial properties and an inherent ability to biodegrade, …

Identification And Environmental Impact Of 35 Different Cut Flower Retail Packages In The U.S.A., Mary Kathryn Gillespie

All Theses

Cut flowers represent 35-billion dollars of global spending with 10-million dollars per day in the U.S.A; each transaction involving packaging. Across the country, cut flower packaging is inconsistently sized, laminated, colored, and unlikely to be recycled. 35 unique cut flower packages were collected across 16 different marketplaces, representing 88% of top grocery retailers. Measuring the materiality of the predominately unlabeled and inconsistent packaging collected required calorimetry equipment, such as Fourier-transform Infrared Spectroscopy, Differential Scanning Calorimeter, and precision gauges. Results unveil five materials representing the cut flower collection: Oriented Polypropylene (OPP), High-Density Polyethylene (HDPE), Paper, Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET), and Nonwoven Polypropylene …

Novel Methods For Assessing And Prioritizing Road-Stream Crossings For Aquatic Organism Passage, Lesley E. Twiner

All Theses

Anthropogenic barriers such as dams and culverts have led to riverine habitat fragmentation and decreased fish diversity worldwide. Low-head structures such as culverts are far more abundant than large dams and may have a larger cumulative impact on river connectivity. Many efforts to inventory road crossing barriers and prioritize removal and restoration efforts do not consider temporal variation in flow. We used cameras to gain continuous water level monitoring data to quantify the relationship between precipitation events and outlet drop height. In the spring of 2024, we selected 25 culvert sites in upstate South Carolina and set up cameras to …

2024 Annual Operations And Maintenance Report, Butte-Silver Bow Department Of Reclamation And Environmental Services

Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Superfund Site

No abstract provided.

2022 Annual Operations And Maintenance Report, Butte Silver Bow

Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Superfund Site

No abstract provided.

Final Butte Priority Soils Operable Unit (Bpsou) Unreclaimed (Ur) Sites: Ur-35 Remedial Action Work Plan (Rawp), Pioneer Technical Services, Inc.

Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Superfund Site

No abstract provided.

Cellular Telemetry For Real-Time River Flow Velocity Data From Fluvial Acoustic Tomography Loggers, Joshua Lee Seymour

Honors Theses

Streamflow is a critical element in understanding watershed processes and the effects of land use on those processes because it is the primary medium through which water, sediment, nutrients, organic material, thermal energy, and aquatic species move. Fluvial Acoustic Tomography (FAT) systems offer accurate direct measurements of river section-averaged flow velocity by measuring reciprocal acoustic travel times between at least two acoustic nodes positioned on opposite riverbanks. However, similar to many in-situ sensors used in estuarine and riverine environments, FAT loggers require manual data retrieval, which is time-consuming, labor-intensive, and limits real-time access and increases maintenance costs. This project presents …

Effects Of Environmentally Relevant Concentrations Of Roundup On Oxidative-Nitrative Stress, Cellular Apoptosis, Prooxidant-Antioxidant Homeostasis, Renin And Cyp1a Expressions In Goldfish: Molecular Mechanisms Underlying Kidney Damage During Roundup Exposure, Md Imran Noor, Md Saydur Rahman

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

Roundup is one of the most widely used glyphosate-based harmful herbicides in the United States as well as globally, which poses a severe risk for terrestrial and aquatic organisms. In order to identify the detrimental effects of Roundup exposure in aquatic organisms, we investigated the environmentally relevant concentrations of Roundup exposure (low dose: 0.5 μg/L and high dose: 5.0 μg/L for 2 weeks) on renin expression, oxidative-nitrative stress biomarkers (e.g., 2,4-dinitrophenol, DNP; and 3-nitrotyrosine protein, NTP), prooxidant-antioxidant enzymes expressions (e.g., superoxide dismutase, SOD; and catalase, CAT), cellular apoptosis, and cytochrome P450 1A (CYP1A) mRNA levels in the kidneys of goldfish …

Ghosts In Glass: Ghost Crabs As Judges Of Glass Sand For Coastal Restoration, Emily Parrish

Honors Theses

Over 60% of the Gulf of Mexico coastline is actively eroding, which has resulted in thousands of miles of lost coastline over the last 100 years. This drastic loss of coastal land highlights the dire need for coastal restoration across the entirety of the Gulf Coast. A vital aspect of restoring these eroded areas is replenishing eroded substrate, traditionally conducted through offshore dredging of substrates which comes with high economic and ecological costs. Recycled glass sand may be able to fill this role and reduce our reliance on dredging while lowering the amount of glass waste entering landfills each year. …

Post-Fire Debris Flow Initiation Potential Based On Forensic Analysis Of Debris Flow Occurrence From The 2020 El Dorado Wildfire On Yucaipa Ridge, San Bernardino County California, Seth Clemen D. Saludez

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

This study focuses on the potential debris flow initiation and effect in areas affected by the El Dorado Fire in the Southern San Bernardino Mountains. It uses novel technology combining drone-based photography and LiDAR imaging to create surface models of areas where potential debris flows could initiate, flow, and be deposited. The scans were repeated as geomorphic change occurred through the wet season to document spatial and volumetric changes resulted from the flows. These measurements were combined with traditional fire assessment and observational methods to characterize pertinent conditions.

As we investigated potential debris flow risk in this study area, we …

The Petm: A Window Into Earth's Future Climate, Jacalyn M. Wittmer Malinowski

Climate Change and the Individual, 2025-26

The Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM) is not just an event that occurred in Earth’s distant past (~55 million years ago) but is a crucial lesson for today’s meteoric climate change. The PETM offers a historical parallel of rapid flux of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere that caused global warming, ocean acidification, dramatic changes in weather, and extinctions. This global warming event was the result of 20,000 years of “rapid” warming (in geological terms) however, we are experiencing rates of warming that are 5-10x higher than PETM levels. We are not experiencing rapid warming today, in comparison to the past, we …

The Human Legacy: Agriculture, Civilizations, Strife, And Pandemics Changing Our Climate, Jacalyn M. Wittmer Malinowski

Climate Change and the Individual, 2025-26

For most of human history, climate has shaped our lives, while our influence on it remained minimal. However, the notion that early humans had no measurable impact on the climate before industrialization is inaccurate. Early in human history, activities – such as the rise of agriculture, the growth of civilizations, periods of conflict, and pandemics – altered greenhouse gas levels in the atmosphere. These changes contributed to significant periods of climate change long before the burning of fossil fuels set us on the path to today’s global climate crisis.

Microplastics In Coastal And Marine Environments: A Critical Issue Of Plastic Pollution On Marine Organisms, Seafood Contaminations, And Human Health Implications, Rebecca Muñiz, Md. Saydur Rahman

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

Plastic has quickly become one of the world's most prevalent environmental pollutants. Population growth has only amplified the demand, resulting in 430 million tons of plastic produced annually, with 11 million tons ending up in our oceans. Without intentional intervention, plastic waste in the oceans is expected to triple, posing severe risks for the aquatic ecosystems, animals, and humans dependent on these waters. As plastic accumulates in oceans and other water environments, the non-biodegradable particles break down into micro- and nano-plastics, invading coastal and marine organisms and causing considerable physiological and morphological damage. This is especially concerning for the millions …

Optimized Filtrations For Stormwater Quality Improvement By Porous Media–Biochar Applications: Column Experiments And Inverse Modeling, Sumiaya Amin Preota, Chu-Lin Cheng, Myung Hwangbo, Jongsun Kim

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

Stormwater reuse plays a critical role under changing climates and increasing water demands. This study investigates the removal efficacy of lead (Pb2+) and ammonia (NH3) using sand and rice husk (RH) biochar for potential stormwater quality improvements and treatments. Column experiments combined with HYDRUS inverse modeling were conducted to optimize adsorption isotherms from breakthrough curves. Among linear and non-linear models, the Langmuir and Freundlich models performed better for sand and biochar, respectively. RH biochar showed much higher adsorption capacity of both Pb2+ (4.813 mg/g) and NH3 (6.188 mg/g). In contrast, sand showed a relatively limited adsorption capacity for Pb2+ (0.118 …

From Basel (1989) To Busan (2024): Developments And Contradictions In The Global Plastic Waste Trade, Megan E. Hughes

Honors Theses

In 1989, the international community convened in Basel to adopt groundbreaking, legally binding legislation on the transboundary movement of hazardous waste. Plastic waste was notably absent from the initial Basel Convention due to the perceived economic value in plastic recycling despite social, economic, and environmental harms. Consequently, the transboundary sale of plastic waste for recycling– known as the Global Plastic Waste Trade (GPWT)– has proceeded largely unregulated, enabling unsustainable plastic consumption while exacerbating environmental justice divides between developed and developing nations. Recent commitments in the GPWT, such as the European Commission Circular Economy Action Plan (2015), China’s National Sword policy …

Development Of Porous Separators For Lithium-Ion Batteries Via 3d Printing And Thermally Induced Phase Separation, Abraham Enchinton

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Additive manufacturing processes allow the development of custom-shape rechargeable batteries, but research in custom filaments for fused deposition modeling (FDM) of battery separators has remained limited until now. This study discusses the development and optimization of a composite thermoplastic filament feedstock to 3D print separator membranes. A number of post-processing steps - leveraging the thermally induced phase separation (TIPS) of the composite filament - are introduced in tandem with FDM to promote microporosity formation through the removal of the sacrificial diluent phase within 3D printed samples. Three distinct compositions of varying polymer/diluent ratios were developed and thoroughly investigated through thermogravimetric …

2023 Annual Operations And Maintenance Report 2023 Bres Annual Summary Report For Work Completed In Quadrant 3, Butte-Silver Bow Department Of Reclamation And Environmental Services

Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Superfund Site

No abstract provided.

Considerations And Techniques For Producing Urban Tree Canopy Maps Using Freely Available And Accessible Methods, Hugh Reed Ellerman

Dissertations and Doctoral Documents, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2023–

Urban forests are valued as green infrastructure for the variety of benefits they provide across ecological, social, public health, and economic domains. To understand the distribution of trees, maps are required. Many methods of mapping tree cover use expensive and data-intensive datasets such as hyperspectral and LiDAR imagery, making these methods inaccessible to municipal forest managers. Variations in the modelling approaches of existing, freely available methods are not addressed in sufficient enough detail to understand the trade-offs implicit in these variations. Further, characteristics of urban tree canopy mapping (high spatial resolution imagery, heterogeneous urban environments, the importance of the tree …

Finer Resolution Paleoclimatological Network Analysis Of Hydrological Extremes And Tree-Growth Response For Kentucky, U.S.A., Jordan Sharp

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

As climate change accelerates, southeastern states like Kentucky face increasing environmental and economic challenges. To improve future climate predictions, this study enhances paleoclimate reconstructions with a high-resolution tree-ring network for Kentucky, combining data from both living trees and dendroarchaeological sources. I evaluated the climate sensitivity of tree growth using superposed epoch analysis, static correlations, and spatial field correlations in KNMI Climate Explorer, along with moving correlations against seasonal temperature and moisture variables. Findings reveal that white oak and tulip poplar exhibit significant drought sensitivity across both live and archeological sites. However, I observed a weakening relationship between tree-ring growth and …

2023 Annual Operations And Maintenance Report, Butte-Silver Bow Department Of Reclamation And Environmental Services

Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Superfund Site

No abstract provided.

Iowa Waste Reduction Center Newsletter, May 2025, University Of Northern Iowa. Iowa Waste Reduction Center.

Iowa Waste Reduction Center Newsletter

Contents:

--- Meet the Environmental Assistance Program Staff
--- IWRC Director Joe Bolick joins ISOSWO Board of Directors
--- Keeping Tabs on PFAS
--- IGBC Brewery wins gold
--- Farewell to Paige
--- Compost Operator Renewal Training
--- Industry News

2022 Annual Operations And Maintenance Report 2022 Bres Annual Summary Report For Work Completed In Quadrant 2, Butte-Silver Bow Department Of Reclamation And Environmental Services

Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Superfund Site

No abstract provided.

Thermal Performance Drifts Between The Egg Parasitoid Telenomus Remus And The Fall Armyworm May Threaten The Efficacy Of Biological Control Under Climate Change, Macdonald Mubayiwa, Honest Machekano, Brighton M. Mvumi, Winnifred A. Opio, Bame Segaiso, Frank Chidawanyika, Casper Nyamukondiwa

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

The fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda J.E. Smith, is a significant global agricultural pest known for its rapid invasion and devastating impact on crops. While pesticides may be effective for controlling the pest in the short-term, they cause several socioeconomic and ecological costs that highlight the need for more sustainable management strategies. Telenomus remus (Nixon) is a promising egg parasitoid for its biological control. For the parasitoid to provide effective ecosystem services, it should be able to survive and coexist within the same ecological niches as its host. However, there is limited information regarding the potential responses of T. remus to …

Harnessing Edna Metabarcoding To Monitor Species Diversity In Restoration Sites: Insights From Laikipia, Kenya, Cornelius Okello, Nina Wambiji, Susana W. Kihia, Nehemiah Ongeso, Samuel Mwakisha Mwamburi, Anthony Wandera, Marie Estelle Demory, Margaret Awuor Owuor

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

Restoration of degraded arid and semi-arid lands (ASALs) dryland ecosystems gained traction globally with the enactment of the Bonn Challenge and UN Decade of Restoration. This has been domesticated in Kenya's context by The Forest and Landscape Restoration Implementation Plan (FOLAREP). However, effectively monitoring restored ecosystems is crucial but challenging because of data gaps and technical hurdles, highlighting the need for innovative approaches to assess and restore biodiversity. This study aimed to pilot soil environmental DNA (eDNA) metabarcoding to detect species compositions rapidly, evaluate population structures and abundances, and characterize taxonomic groups. The results from this study serve as a …

Towards Advancing Streamflow And Peak Flow Prediction With Machine Learning: Identifying Infrastructure At Risk, Sudan Pokharel

Dissertations and Doctoral Documents, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2023–

Due to climate change and its impact, the need for adaptive strategies for natural disaster mitigation and resource management has never been more urgent. Central to this is water resource management, which is essential for sustainable human activities, ecological balance, and the mitigation of natural hazards like floods. Streamflow is a crucial element of water resource management and plays a vital role in planning and building water infrastructure, implementing emergency response plans, supporting flood mitigation initiatives, and regulating agricultural and industrial use. However, accurate prediction of streamflow still remains a challenge due to the complex non-linear and non-stationary interaction between …

Constructing An Attractive Targeted Sugar Bait For Reducing Mosquito Populations, Xi Xian Ng

Dissertations and Doctoral Documents, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2023–

Mosquito-borne pathogen transmission continues to pose a significant burden to global public health, well-being, and economic productivity. In the absence of universally available vaccines and amidst rising insecticide resistance that leads to product failures, there is an urgent need to develop new tools to mitigate mosquito-borne disease risk. Two general strategies exist to reduce transmission risk: personal protective measures and area-wide chemical interventions. Attractive Targeted Sugar Bait (ATSB) systems leverage the sugar-feeding behavior of mosquitoes—critical for sustaining their flight, metabolism, development, and fecundity—by delivering oral toxicants through attractively formulated sugar baits. This study aimed to develop an optimized ATSB formulation …

Consultation Summary For Proposed Declared Pest Rates 2025/2026, Department Of Primary Industries And Regional Development, Western Australia

Biosecurity published reports

Under the Biosecurity and Agriculture Management Act 2007 (BAM Act) the State raises a Declared Pest Rate (DPR) from land or leaseholders (hereafter landholders) in prescribed areas (DPR Areas) and matches the funds raised from the rate dollar-for-dollar.

The combined funds are made available to Recognised Biosecurity Groups (RBGs) who provide support to landholders to fulfil their obligations under the BAM Act to manage widespread and established declared pests on their land. A community-led and coordinated approach is considered the most effective way to support landholders to manage these types of pests.

Each year, the Minister for Agriculture and Food …

Potamogeton Crispus Invasion: Impacts On Native Aquatic Plants And Associated Faunal Habitat, Meghan-Grace Slocombe

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Aquatic invasive plants are non-native plants that invade a water body and displace native aquatic plants. Invasion depletes the native plant community's ability to provide ecosystem services, including improved water quality, decreased problematic algae, and increased animal habitat. The loss of these ecosystem services reduces the value of fishing, boating, and swimming opportunities in aquatic ecosystems. The potential changes in plant communities and services are particularly important at sites targeted for restoration because project goals typically include increasing ecosystem services, including wildlife habitat. Curly-leaf pondweed (Potamogeton crispus L.) is a problematic invasive species in North America. To better manage …

More Concerns About Atmospheric Methane Removal Efforts, Joshua Luczak

Research Collection College of Integrative Studies

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reported record-high global atmospheric carbon dioxide levels (419.3 ppm) in 2023, alongside atmospheric methane levels (1922.6 ppb) now over 160% above pre-industrial levels. The World Meteorological Organization predicts 2024 could surpass 2023 as the warmest year on record, with more frequent and severe extreme weather events. Meeting the Paris Climate goal of limiting global warming to well below 2°C—or ideally 1.5°C—above pre-industrial levels is becoming increasingly difficult. To address these challenges, efforts are expanding beyond reducing greenhouse gas emissions. While carbon dioxide removal (CDR) technologies have been the focus, attention is now turning to …

Park Cool Island Modifications To Assess Radiative Cooling Of A Tropical Urban Park, Graces N. Y. Ching, Sin Kang Yik, Su Li Heng, Beatrice H. Ho, Peter J. Crank, Moshe Eliezer Mandelmilch, Xiang Tian Ho, Winston T. L. Chow

Research Collection College of Integrative Studies

Many cities experience urban overheating from climate change and the urban heat island phenomenon. Previous studies demonstrate that parks are a potential nature-based solution to mitigate urban overheating through the ‘Park Cool Island’ (PCI) effect. PCI intensity can be measured through field measurements (FM) or remote sensing. This FM study used a network of meteorological sensors within a park and in its surrounding urban area to ascertain its PCI intensity in Singapore from January to December 2022. Consistently cooler air temperatures were found throughout a 24-h period in the park area, with mean daytime (nighttime) PCI intensity measured ~ 2.21 …