Digital Commons Network^™

Harnessing Hyperspectral Imaging And Deep Learning For Terrestrial Habitat Mapping In Arid Landscapes: A Case Study In Saudi Arabia, Ali Elgendy, Hesham Morgan, Brandon Tran, Rejoice Thomas, Tamer Ismail, Yehya Kh. Shehadeh, Ahmed Elgharib, Ahmed Abdullah Al-Dughairi, Ali El Muburak, Khaled Allam Harhash, Hesham El-Askary

Mathematics, Physics, and Computer Science Faculty Articles and Research

Arid ecosystems remain under-mapped at actionable scales despite their ecological importance. Decision makers lack reliable, high-resolution habitat maps in drylands to prioritize protection and target restoration. This research integrates spaceborne hyperspectral imaging from the Environmental Mapping and Analysis Program (EnMAP) with deep learning semantic segmentation models to produce an updated level of habitat classification based on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) for part of the Imam Turki bin Abdullah Royal Reserve, Saudi Arabia. Using ground control points and the full EnMAP spectral cube without band selection, U-Net and DeepLabV3+ architectures were each implemented with VGG19 and ResNet-101 …

Correcting Class Imbalance Through Synthetic Training Data And 3d Modeling For Carabid Pitfall Trap Sampling, Blair Mirka

Geography ETDs

Crowdsourced biodiversity data provide an accessible foundation for large-scale ecological monitoring, but class imbalance limits automated species identification, particularly for rare taxa. This research explores the use of synthetic training data generated from 3D models of carabid beetle museum specimens to improve detection and classification performance for underrepresented species in crowdsourced datasets. High-resolution 3D models were created to simulate variation in lighting, orientation, and background. These synthetic images were incorporated into convolutional neural network training datasets at varying synthetic-to-real ratios to assess their impact on classification accuracy. Models were evaluated using controlled pitfall-trap imagery to examine the influence of scene …

Analyzing Urban Space-Use Of White-Tailed Deer (Odocoileus Virginianus), Szandra A. Péter, Zehidul Hussain, Solena Kronstedt, Amira Roess, Jennifer Mullinax, Travis Gallo, Taylor Anderson

Annual Symposium on Biomathematics and Ecology Education and Research

No abstract provided.

Examining Private Landowner And Stakeholder Attitudes, Perceptions, And Knowledge Of Prescribed Fire In Louisiana, Chloe E. Crawford

LSU Master's Theses

Periodic fire was a primary driver of ecosystems across the Southeastern United States for millennia; however, fire suppression policies have become pervasive in the United States and led to increased fuel loads in forests as well as reduced biodiversity and reduced disease resilience. Prescribed fire presents a risk mitigation strategy and land management tool whereby practitioners can apply fire to the landscape in a controlled manner, thus reaping the benefits of fire while minimizing the risks associated with fire. Land in Louisiana is primarily privately managed and owned, so state-level conservation goals cannot be met without private landowner participation. As …

Income Inequality And Attitudes Towards Immigrants – How Increased Inequality Drives Division, Niamh Anderson, Vincent O'Sullivan

SURE Journal: Science Undergraduate Research Experience Journal

No abstract provided.

New Frontiers In Stand-Alone Digital Obesity Treatment, Delia West, Rebecca A. Krukowski

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

‘Earth System Engineers’ And The Cumulative Impact Of Organisms In Deep Time, Simon A. F. Darroch, Michelle M. Casey, Alison T. Cribb, Amanda E. Bates, Matthew E. Clapham, Dori L. Contreras, Matthew Craffey, Ivo A. P. Duijnstee, William Gearty, Nicholas J. Gotelli, Marcus J. Hamilton, Riley F. Hayes, Pincelli M. Hull, Daniel E. Ibarra, V. A. Korasidis, Jaemin Lee, Cindy V. Looy, Tyler R. Lyson, Benjamin Muddiman, Peter D. Roopnarine, Alex B. Shupinski, Felisa A. Smith, Alycia L. Stigall, Catalina P. Tomé, Katherine A. Turk, Amelia Villaseñor, Peter J. Wagner, Steve C. Wang, S. Kathleen Lyons

College of Life Sciences Faculty Papers

Understanding the role of humans as 'ecosystem engineers' requires a deep-time perspective rooted in evolutionary history and the fossil record. However, no conceptual framework exists for studying the rise of ecosystem engineering in deep time, requiring us to consider effects that fall outside the scope of traditional definitions. Here, we present a new framework applicable to both modern and ancient engineering-type effects. We propose a new term - 'Earth system engineering' - to describe biological processes that alter the structure and function of planetary spheres, and which combines core tenets of ecosystem engineering, niche construction, and legacy effects. We illustrate …

Buy Better: How Food Policy Councils Leverage Procurement To Improve Food Worker Conditions, Frank Sarfo, Laura-Anne Minkoff-Zern, Jonnell A. Robinson

The Lender Center for Social Justice

Food system workers; farm laborers, grocery clerks, restaurant staff, and food processors are the backbone of our everyday meals, yet their voices are largely missing from the councils that shape local food policy. Despite being essential to food security and community health, these workers face low wages, poorworking conditions, and limited protections. Food Policy Councils (FPCs), which aim to advance equity and sustainability in food systems, rarely prioritize labor issues. The study, drawing on national survey data and interviews with over 25 FPC leaders, finds that structural constraints, internal conflicts, limited capacity, and weak connections with labor organizations prevent meaningful …

A Tour Of Leukemia Progress In 2025, Viewed Through The Md Anderson Leukemia Research Lens, Hagop M Kantarjian, Gautam Borthakur, Naval Daver, Courtney Dinardo, Guillermo Garcia-Manero, Ghayas Issa, Elias Jabbour, Nitin Jain, Tapan Kadia, Sanam Loghavi, Farhad Ravandi, Guilin Tang, Mary Alma Welch, William Wierda

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Advances in the prognostication, monitoring, and treatment of both the acute and chronic leukemias have led to drastically improved outcomes over the past 2 decades. With the advent of targeted therapies, including antibodies such as blinatumomab and inotuzumab and small molecule inhibitors, such as the BCR::ABL1 tyrosine kinase inhibitors, Bruton tyrosine kinase inhibitors, and venetoclax, the treatment landscape of leukemia has drastically changed, improving survival outcomes while relying less on overall chemotherapy intensity in many leukemia types. This progress has allowed the categorization of more leukemia types as favorable (i.e., chronic lymphocytic leukemia, younger acute lymphoblastic leukemia [patients younger than …

Dysregulated Mitochondrial Energy Metabolism Drives The Progression Of Mucosal Field Effects To Invasive Bladder Cancer, Sangkyou Lee, Sung Yun Jung, Pawel Kuś, Jolanta Bondaruk, June Goo Lee, Roman Jaksik, Nagireddy Putluri, Khanh N Dinh, David Cogdell, Huiqin Chen, Yishan Wang, Jiansong Chen, Neema Navai, Colin Dinney, Cathy Mendelsohn, David Mcconkey, Richard R Behringer, Charles C Guo, Peng Wei, Marek Kimmel, Bogdan Czerniak

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Multiplatform mutational and gene expression profiling complemented with proteomic and metabolomic spatial mapping were used on the whole-organ scale to identify the molecular profile of bladder cancer evolution from field effects. Analysis of the mutational landscape identified three types of mutations, referred to as α, β, and γ. Time modeling of the mutations revealed that carcinogenesis may span 30 years and can be divided into dormant and progressive phases. The α mutations developed in the dormant phase. The progressive phase lasted 5 years and was signified by expanding β mutations, but it was driven to invasive cancer by γ mutations. …

The Key To Acquiring The Language Of Law, Science, And Technology In The Esl College Classroom, Patricia George-Hunter

Journal of English Learner Education

Since vocabulary plays a significant role in second language acquisition, expansive vocabulary targets should be set and pursued. This paper explores the results of introducing affixes to develop vocabulary and increase motivation for beginner to intermediate-level English language learners (ELLs) pursuing academic disciplines in law, science, and technology at a New York City community college. Participants included 23 ELLs with diverse linguistic, educational, and sociocultural backgrounds enrolled in an online synchronous Integrative Language Seminar (ILS) designed to develop all areas of English language proficiency. Pre‑, post‑, delayed tests, questionnaires, and post‑intervention interviews were conducted and analyzed to establish the language …

Rewilding The Built Environment: Navigating Economic, Political, And Social Barriers To Urban Ecological Restoration, Carly E. Smith

PANDION: The Osprey Journal of Research and Ideas

Urban rewilding offers a nature-based approach to restoring ecological processes in cities while advancing climate resilience, biodiversity, and public well-being. Unlike conventional green infrastructure, rewilding allows ecosystems to develop with minimal intervention, emphasizing succession, complexity, and long-term adaptability. This paper examines the political, economic, and social factors that frame how rewilding is understood and implemented in urban planning. Governmental frameworks often prioritize order, predictability, and short-term results, making it difficult to accommodate the uncertainty and ecological complexity that rewilding requires. Economic models struggle to capture its long-term value, frequently overlooking ecosystem services or reconciling competing land uses. Social perceptions of …

Applications Of Transfer Learning In Sunflower Disease Detection: Advances, Challenges, And Future Directions, Yonis Gulzar

Turkish Journal of Biology

Background/aim: Sunflower (Helianthus annuus) is a crop of high economic and nutritional importance that continues to suffer significant yield losses due to foliar diseases. Traditional image-based and laboratory detection techniques remain limited by subjectivity, cost, and scalability. Transfer learning (TL) has recently emerged as an effective approach to overcoming these challenges involving the reuse of pretrained deep models for plant pathology tasks. Presented here is a systematic examination of recent TL-based studies on sunflower disease classification to identify prevailing trends, research gaps, and future opportunities.

Materials and methods: A structured Scopus query was employed to retrieve peer-reviewed articles published between …

Understanding Rice Production Stagnation In The Philippines: Regional Evidence And Development Implications, Henry Bartelet, Alenn Jhulia D. Prodigalidad, Janelle S. Dy, Jan Gabriel N. Manzano

Quantitative Methods and Information Technology Faculty Publications

Despite decades of investment in agricultural research and rice development, the Philippines continues to face stagnation in domestic rice production. This persistent trend, occurring despite a sizable arable land base and large rural workforce, has contributed to the country’s growing reliance on rice imports to meet national food needs. In response, the government has implemented a tariff-based import system designed to fund domestic productivity improvements. While previous studies have explored the technical and environmental constraints affecting rice production, such as irrigation shortfalls, land degradation, and climate variability, few have examined recent national trends using regionally disaggregated data alongside qualitative insights. …

A New Low-Rate Stable Hydrogel Cathode For Aqueous Zn-Ion Batteries, Roya Rajabi, Shichen Sun, Jamil A. Khan, Morgan Stefik, Kevin Huang

Faculty Publications

Aqueous Zn-ion batteries (ZIBs) are attractive candidates for large-scale energy storage owing to the abundance, low cost, and intrinsic safety of Zn metal. However, their practical application is hindered by poor cycle stability, especially at low current densities, due to cathode dissolution and limited electrochemically active sites (EAS). Herein, a hydrogel-based cathode comprising ammonium vanadate, carbon black, and a Zn-ion-conducting carboxymethyl chitosan–acrylamide hydrogel matrix doped with Zn(ClO4)2 is reported. This design establishes a continuous Zn-ion-conducting network, thereby maximizing EAS density throughout the electrode volume. The ZIB with the hydrogel cathode exhibits outstanding cycling stability, with 77% capacity retention after 2000 …

2025 Celebration Of Scholarship, Creativity, And Engagement, Todd Bruns, Jaime Pedigo, Jennifer Smith, Patty Watson, Heather Wohltman, Amanda Wolf

Programs

Each year, Eastern Illinois University proudly recognizes the outstanding achievements of our faculty in research, creativity, and engagement. This collection of accomplishments reflects the dedication of an engaged faculty committed to excellence and the continual pursuit of knowledge. Many of these successes were made possible through meaningful collaboration with our students, who contribute as co-authors, research assistants, and partners in bringing ideas to life. Some of these professional milestones represent years of effort, demonstrating remarkable persistence and determination. We offer our heartfelt congratulations on this wide range of achievements, which bring distinction to our departments, colleges, and the University as …

Perspectives Of Cannabis Farmers On Intersection Of Water Access And Cannabis Frontier Constraints In Southern Oregon, Tapiwa Malvin Chabikwa

Dissertations and Theses

Cannabis farming and use are being legalized at unprecedented levels by many states in the United States. Oregon was one of the pioneer states to legalize cannabis in 2016. Although it is legalized at the state level (in Oregon), cannabis remains illegal at the federal level. Due to the quasi-legalization of cannabis, an agricultural frontier for marijuana is unfolding. Cannabis farming in Oregon has grown as there is a market and ideal weather climate for the cannabis industry to flourish. This study seeks to understand the challenges cannabis farmers face in accessing water and the socio-economic and political constraints that …

Promising Practices For Increasing The Number Of Equity-Owed Lifeguards In Canada And The United States Of America, Sofia Pantano, Audrey R. Giles

International Journal of Aquatic Research and Education

Currently a shortage of lifeguards exists in Canada and the United States (US) (Frommer, 2023; Santucci, 2024), and those who are working as lifeguards often do not reflect the diversity of the communities they serve (Martinez, 2020). Increasing the number of lifeguards from equity-owed groups is a potential way of increasing the lifeguard workforce and decreasing the shortage of workers in these important roles, as well as a moral imperative. In this paper I explore challenges to and promising practices aimed at increasing the representation of members equity-owed groups in lifeguarding. I begin with an overview of lifeguarding in Canada …

Decadal Changes In Ground-Layer Plant Communities Reflect Maple Dieback And Earthworm Invasion In National Forests In The Lake Superior Region, Usa, Tara Bal, Manuel Eduardo Anderson, Mattison E. Brady, Julia I. Burton, Christopher R. Webster

Michigan Tech Publications

Northern hardwood forests of the Lake Superior region face a series of novel disturbance pressures including canopy dieback. Previous studies have linked regional sugar-maple (Acer saccharum) canopy dieback to introduced earthworms, which may have coinciding impacts on the ground-layer plant community. Dieback–earthworm interactions may lead to important longer-term changes in forest structure and function, but these relationships but have not been characterized. We sampled ground-layer plant communities in five national forest units in Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota in 2010, and again just over a decade later in 2021. Non-metric multidimensional scaling ordination and indicator species analysis were used to assess …

Quantifying Interest In And Sentiment Of Online Media About Greenhouse Gas Emissions From Cattle Production In The United States, Michael L. Smith, Jinho Jung, Nicole Olynk Widmar, Danielle J. Ufer, Maria Berikou, Jayson Lusk

Department of Agricultural Economics Faculty Publications

The public is paying increased attention to the environmental impacts associated with cattle production systems in the US. Thus, cattle producers are increasingly exploring ways to communicate their efforts to reduce those environmental and climate impacts. This study uses online and social media data from 2018 to 2022 to examine public interest in and sentiment about beef and dairy cattle production when discussed within the context of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Variation in mentions and net sentiment over the reporting period is quantified and analyzed. Over the period of data collection, which was interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, we find …

Factors Influencing Plant Community Structure And Composition Of Restored Tamaulipan Thornscrub Forests, Jerald T. Garrett, Audrey J. Hicks, Christopher A. Gabler

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

The Lower Rio Grande Valley (LRGV) of Texas is a biodiversity hotspot due to its high alpha, beta, and gamma diversity and high regional endemism, which are at high risk of degradation. The region has lost 95% of its native thornforest habitat primarily due to agricultural and urban expansion. This study aims to evaluate the current vegetative structure and composition of restored thornforest sites located in the LRGV to identify restoration methods and site characteristics that affect forest restoration outcomes. Twelve restored thornforest sites were selected for this study that varied in time since restoration, patch size, degree of isolation, …

Attitudes Toward The Continued Protection Of Gray Wolves Under The Endangered Species Act, John A. Vucetich, Jeremy T. Bruskotter

Michigan Tech Publications

In February 2024, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service announced their intention to develop – for the first time – a National Recovery Plan under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) for gray wolves in the lower 48 states. In August 2025, a federal judge vacated the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's (FWS) decision denying ESA protections for gray wolves in the Western U.S.

Those events represent key context for this report, which describes the results of a web-based survey implemented in July and August of 2025 and designed to assess the attitudes of residents of the contiguous United States, as …

Designing Portugal’S Voluntary Carbon Market: Insights From Key Stakeholders, Mahika Shergill

Portugal: Sustainability and Environmental Justice

This project examines the design, integrity, and early implementation challenges of Portugal’s newly established Voluntary Carbon Market (VCM), created through Decree-Law 4/2024 as part of the country’s broader climate-mitigation strategy. The objective of the study is to evaluate whether the market’s regulatory architecture—particularly its treatment of additionality, permanence, methodologies, and co-benefit mechanisms—positions it to function as a credible and viable national carbon-governance instrument. The analysis draws on a mixed-methods approach combining legal and policy review with four semi-structured interviews conducted with policymakers, methodological designers, ecological practitioners, and environmental-law specialists. These interviews reveal that Portugal’s VCM is characterized by strong integrity …

Motives And Community Energy: What Determines Participation In The U.S. And E.U., Belinda Litchtenfeld

Portugal: Sustainability and Environmental Justice

The shift to renewable energies has become a critical means of addressing the climate crisis. Community Energy (CE) has emerged as a ‘bottom-up’ transition to achieve decarbonization within a localized environment. The aim of this paper is to compare the motivations and framings of rural CE projects in the United States and European Union. The paper will compare the case of Loess Wind Farm, located in Rock Port, Missouri, with the Cedillo Solar Community in Caceres, Spain to determine how sociotechnical visions are shaped by the challenges facing communities. The elements of sociotechnical visions- meanings, knowings, doings, and organizings- as …

Urban Green Spaces, Sustainability Discourse, And Environmental Inequality In Agadir, Morocco, Julia Card

Morocco: Human Rights, Social Justice, and Cultural Transformation

As Moroccan cities experience rising temperatures, increased drought, and rapid urban development, urban green spaces have become central to sustainability and climate adaptation agendas. However, the social, ecological, and political implications of urban greening remain unevenly examined in semi-arid contexts. This paper investigates how green spaces are envisioned, implemented, and experienced in Agadir, a coastal city shaped by colonial planning legacies, post-earthquake reconstruction, water scarcity, and event-driven redevelopment. Using a qualitative methodology combining a visual content analysis of the 2022–2027 Agadir Communal Action Plan with semi-structured interviews with local experts in agronomy, landscape architecture, geography, and regional planning, this study …

Size Matters: Linkage Between Bromeliad Traits And The Spider Communities They Host In A Disturbed Habitat, Alesandra Fairchild

Ecuador: Comparative Ecology and Conservation

Bromeliads are a plant group that have been praised for their ability to create unique microhabitats, hosting an abundant and diverse faunal community due to their unique structural characteristics. Unfortunately, as deforestation rates rise, this plant group is at risk of decreasing in both abundance and diversity, which puts their associated organisms at risk of losing essential habitat (e.g. spiders). In this study, the effect of bromeliad structural characteristics and forest disturbance was assessed in a mature and secondary forest by classifying bromeliad abundance by forest type, characterizing forest structure, and by analyzing spider abundance and diversity based on these …

Propelling Aging-Related Initiatives In A Next-Gen Cooperative Extension System: Editors’ Introduction To The Jhse Special Issue On Aging, Erin L. Martinez, James S. Bates

Journal of Human Sciences and Extension

No abstract provided.

Full Issue, Volume 13, Number 2, James S. Bates, Donna J. Peterson Dr., Scott Cummings, Erin L. Martinez

Journal of Human Sciences and Extension

No abstract provided.

The Imperative Of Regeneration: Exploring The Dimensions Of Tourism And Agriculture In Bali, Ava Whitney

Indonesia: Arts, Religion, and Social Change

This research centers on the impacts of mass tourism, development, and modernization on the landscape and culture of Bali and investigates regenerative alternatives in agriculture and tourism. Regenerative thinking offers a vision of travel and subsistence that preserves the ecology of the landscape and the integrity of Balinese culture. Organic farming and permaculture principles are traditional agricultural practices in Bali that have existed for generations, imbued with the Tri Hita Karana philosophy of Balinese Hinduism. Agriculture is a facet of Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) that transmits ecological and cultural wisdom to future generations about how to relate to the natural …

Refugee Health And Nutrition, Miriam Mutambudzi, Naomi Shanguhyia

The Lender Center for Social Justice

Refugees resettled in Syracuse, New York, face persistent challenges to maintaining healthy, culturally appropriate diets, barriers that extend far beyond food availability. This policy brief explores the complex intersection of nutrition, culture, and health equity among refugee families. Through community-engaged research with sub-Saharan African refugee households, findings reveal that food insecurity remains widespread, with families struggling to access familiar ingredients and affordable, nutritious options. Despite these constraints, refugee families demonstrate remarkable resilience and commitment to preserving traditional diets and promoting health within their households. However, limited cultural competence in food assistance programs and exposure of youth to unhealthy dietary norms …