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Does The Foreign Direct Investment In Emerging Asian Countries Get ‘Greased’ Or ‘Sanded’ By Corruption? Evidence From Gets Model, Rainah Ginsad, Imbarine Bujang, Abdul Aziz Karia, Emelia Girau, Siti Rahayu Beli

ASEAN Journal on Science and Technology for Development

Inflows of foreign direct investment (FDI) considerably boost industrialization and economic growth in emerging economies. Corruption, human capital, and the economic environment are just a few factors mentioned in the literature as influencing FDI inflow. The impact of corruption on FDI, whether FDI is greased or sanded by corruption, has received greater interest in recent empirical study. This study analysed the impact of the Corruption Perception Index (CPI) on foreign direct investment (FDI) in selected Asian emerging economies. Utilising annual panel data covering 22 selected Asian emerging economies, this study uses the General-to-specific (GETS) model to analyse the impact. The …

Phylogenetic Relationships Of A North American Radiation Of Clematis (Ranunculaceae), Jesse Harris, Thomas H. Murphy, Erin A. Manzitto-Tripp, Nicolás Medina, Zach Irick, L. Dwayne Estes, Stacey D. Smith

Aliso: A Journal of Systematic and Floristic Botany

Clematis L. is one of many plant genera that contributes prominently to the species richness and endemism of the southeastern United States. Here we examined phylogenetic relationships among species in Clematis sect. Viorna, commonly known as leatherflowers, which are distributed primarily in the southeastern United States. We used data from restriction site-associated ddRADseq to reconstruct a best estimate phylogeny of this group. Our analyses revealed that the North American members of sect. Viorna form a well-supported clade, and several of the traditionally recognized infrasectional taxa were resolved as monophyletic. Although characters employed in classification including habit and inflorescence position …

Nitrogen Application Timing And Cereal Rye (Secale Cereale L.) Cover Crop Influence Greenhouse Gas Emissions, Graig Reicks

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Dryland contributions to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are increased by N fertilizer applications and high soil water contents. Fertilizer timing and spring growth of cover crops prior to cash crop planting were investigated in separate studies to examine impacts on overall GHG emissions using a near continuous measurement system. There was a significant interaction between N fertilizer rate (0 vs. 224 kg N ha-1 surface-applied as urea) and application date (p= 0.01) for CO2 emissions. This interaction occurred because N fertilizer increased CO2 emissions by 35% for the 21 d interval following early spring application. When application was delayed until …

Species Distribution Modeling Of Aquilegia Brevistyla (Ranunculaceae): A Critically Imperiled Black Hills Disjunct Species, Eric Daniel Puetz

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Unchecked human activity is contributing to rising levels of greenhouse gas emissions, changes in land use, altered disturbance/fire regimes, spread of invasive species, and loss of biological diversity and related breakdown of ecosystem services. Additionally, climatic shifts may lead to phenological mismatches between species and their environments if these changes outpace a species’ ability to adapt or migrate to a more suitable habitat. Isolated mountain populations are particularly threatened by unpredictable climatic conditions, as they may have limited migration corridors and often lower levels of genetic diversity to move or adapt, respectively. As these negative feedbacks compound on the landscape, …

Near-Real-Time Monitoring Of Crop Progress At Field Scales By Fusing Observations From Both Polar-Orbiting And Geostationary Satellites, Yu Shen

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Assessment Of The Ecological Integrity Of Two Wetland Sites Within Eastern Michigan University’S Fish Lake Environmental Education Center (Fleec), Brianna Rice

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

Wetland ecosystems function as reservoirs of biodiversity for both terrestrial and aquatic organisms, and are among the most vulnerable ecosystems to degradation. The ecological integrity of two wetlands at Eastern Michigan University’s Fish Lake Environmental Education Center, a bog and one vernal pool, was assessed. Plant species richness was used to conduct Floristic Quality Assessments (FQA) using the coefficient of conservatism and wetland indicator status for each species. The Michigan Rapid Assessment Method (MiRAM) was conducted as a more comprehensive assessment of each ecosystem. The bog had an FQA of 31.6 and a MiRAM: 81/100, representing high-quality wetland conditions. The …

Capfish Project Report : Phase 1 Outcomes And Summer Academy For The Mediterranean, World Maritime University

Reports

Illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing is a complex and multifaceted problem, with disastrous consequences for aquatic ecosystems, coastal communities, fishers and fish workers, and economic and national security. Over the past three years, the CAPFISH Project has strengthened capacity to fight IUU fishing by providing training and educational materials to developing country administrations around the world, most recently with a two-week regional Summer Academy for the Mediterranean. The Academy ran for two weeks and targeted delegates from fisheries administrations in developing countries in North Africa, the Middle East, and Southeast Europe, as a way to promote inter-regional learning and …

Exploring The Impact Of Invasive On Grassland Diversity: A Study In Montana, Ella Gaffney

Undergraduate Theses, Professional Papers, and Capstone Artifacts

For the capstone project with the University of Montana Davidson Honors College, I investigated the diversity index of grassland and rangeland plots across the state of Montana. My study, conducted from June to August 2023, includes data collected by my team. The purpose of this research project was testing the hypothesis that the diversity index decreases in plots containing invasive grass species.

During the summer of 2023, the Spatial Analysis Lab surveyed over 1000 plots in rangelands and grasslands across the state of Montana to locate an invasive grass, Ventenata dubia. Data collected includes species identification, ocular estimates of …

Determining The Quality And Quantity Of California Sitka Spruce (Picea Sitchensis) On Private Commercial Timberland For Use In Domestic Acoustic Steel-String Guitars, Ryan Eugene Cooper

Undergraduate Scholarship

Development of additional revenue streams for timber products with relatively low profitability is an important step in securing future economic success for the forestry sector in Humboldt county. Utilization of California Sitka spruce (Picea sitchensis) for use in domestic acoustic steel-string guitar manufacturing may provide exactly that. Determining the quality and quantity of California Sitka spruce is the logical first step in achieving this.

Quality was determined from tree core samples gathered at sites on Green Diamond Resource Company’s (GDRco) California timberlands and the Arcata Community Forest (ACF) with high basal area of Sitka spruce. Rings Per Inch …

Summer Research Fellowship Project Descriptions 2024, Clark Science Center's Summer Research Fellows Program

SURF Abstracts (Women in Science)

A summary of research done by Smith College’s 2024 Summer Research Fellowship (SURF) Program participants. Ever since its 1967 start, SURF has been a cornerstone of Smith’s science education. Supervised by faculty mentor-advisors drawn from the Clark Science Center and connected to its eighteen science, mathematics, and engineering departments and programs and associated centers and units. At summer’s end, SURF participants were asked to summarize their research experiences for this publication.

Trends And Patterns Of Plant Conservation Research In Borneo: A Review, Rizmoon Nurul Zulkarnaen, Sabri Mohd. Ali, Daniele Cicuzza

ASEAN Journal on Science and Technology for Development

Borneo hosts exceptional plant diversity, including numerous endemic species, but faces significant threats from rapid habitat loss driven by deforestation and land-use changes. This study aimed to analyze research trends and forecast future directions through a bibliometric analysis of Scopus data spanning from 1914 to 2023. The bibliometric analysis included publication outputs, citation patterns, thematic mapping, and keyword co-occurrence. We used VOSviewer to visualize bibliometric networks and the Bibliometrix package in R to perform advanced bibliometric analysis and interactive data exploration. The analysis revealed a continuous rise in publications (998 documents), with the Journal of Ecology identified as the most …

Investigation Of Soil Fungal Communities In Agricultural Areas From Northeast Thailand, Chayaporn Lakmuang

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

Soil fungal communities are important for ecosystem processes and plant health, but their composition in agricultural areas is poorly understood, especially in Thailand nowadays. Furthermore, according to the WHO fungus Pathogen Priority List (WHO FPPL), several fungus species pose significant harm to human health, with some demonstrating high death rates. The aims of this study are to assess the diversity of soil fungi in northeast Thailand and identify potential pathogen reservoirs in response to environmental factors. Samples were collected from rice, cassava, rubber tree, and sugarcane fields across 18 provinces with 8 zones of geological features. We used next-generation sequencing …

U.S. Public Perceptions Of The Sensitivity Of Brain Data, Shenyang Huang, Umika Paul, Shikhar Gupta, Karan Desai, Melinda Guo, Jennifer Jung, Beatrice Capestany, William D. Krenzer, Dylan Stonecipher, Nita A. Farahany

Faculty Scholarship

As we approach an era of potentially widespread consumer neurotechnology, scholars and organizations worldwide have started to raise concerns about the data privacy issues these devices will present. Notably absent in these discussions is empirical evidence about how the public perceives that same information. This article presents the results of a nationwide survey on public perceptions of brain data, to inform discussions of law and policy regarding brain data governance. The survey reveals that the public may perceive certain brain data as less sensitive than other ‘private’ information, like social security numbers, but more sensitive than some ‘public’ information, like …

A “War” Over Lobster And Whales: The Issue-Attention Cycle, Media Discourse, And Political Ecology Of Right Whale Science And Conservation In Six Us Newspapers, Marcus Reamer, Catherine Macdonald, Julia Wester, Russell Fielding, Meryl Shriver-Rice

Honors College Faculty Publications

News organizations and journalists are important and influential actors in environmental politics. Their reporting on social and environmental issues often follows issue-attention cycles (IACs) that emphasize drama and problematization to maintain public interest. This study examined nearly 13 years of news coverage to understand the media discourse about the Critically Endangered North Atlantic right whale (NARW) and its conservation. Content analysis and critical discourse analysis were used to analyze 356 texts published in six large US newspapers between January 1, 2010 and March 15, 2023. NARW conservation and management received increased public attention and an IAC began in 2017 after …

Relationships Between Cliff Swallows (Petrochelidon Pyrrhonota) And Feather Coloration, Morphological Characteristics, And Colony Size, Sonja M. Brandt

Master's Theses or Doctor of Nursing Practice

Environmental stressors such as drought and roadways can strongly affect breeding birds. Cliff Swallows (Petrochelidon Pyrrhonota) are aerial insectivores that experience mortality from car collisions, because they often nest and hunt under bridges and road culverts. Individual traits that may convey social information, such as body condition, or feather coloration, might be associated with better coping around cars and other environmental stressors. Few studies have investigated relationships between coloration and other environmental stressors, such as water loss due to drought near the colony and foraging areas. Colony size can be heavily affected by various environmental factors such as water level …

Diversity Of Herbaceous Flowering Plants In Namtok Phlio National Park Substation 1 (Namtok Trok Nong), Chanthaburi Province, Chanachon Chuchuea

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

Namtok Phlio National Park is located in Chanthaburi Province in southeastern Thailand at elevations ranging from 30 to 940 meters above mean sea level. Its vegetation is mainly tropical rainforest. Plant exploration and collection of herbaceous flowering plants was carried out from March 2024 to March 2025. A total of 155 species from 111 genera and 31 families were enumerated. The two families with the highest number of species and genera were Orchidaceae, with 53 species in 30 genera, followed by Araceae, with 15 species in 12 genera. Habitat-wise, 76 species were terrestrial, 37 were epiphytic, three were lithophytic, and …

Communicating Climate Change: Adaptive Silviculture In Central Appalachian Kentucky, Logan Baker

Theses and Dissertations--Forestry and Natural Resources

Climate change communication is an emerging field that requires a multidisciplinary understanding of both climate and social science. Communicating with underrepresented woodland owners about climate change, specifically climate change adaptation in forestry applications, necessitates appropriately adjusted approaches. In Central Appalachian Kentucky, outreach with underrepresented woodland owners on forest adaptation topics has not been examined in depth. The recent establishment of an Adaptive Silviculture for Climate Change research site in the University of Kentucky’s Robinson Forest has created an opportunity to generate regionally specific climate adaptation information for Appalachian Kentucky forests. It is imperative to investigate how best to approach communicating …

Sensitivity To Artificial Light And Sound In Bats Using Urban Landscapes, Aleana R. Savage

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

Anthropogenic activity has prompted range shifts, extirpations, and behavioral change of native wildlife. Although humans have long altered the landscape, recent (post-1950s) increases in land use intensification has significantly impacted wildlife habitat and biodiversity. As anthropogenic developments and disturbances compromise habitat, some species have begun to exploit urban areas. While there are some commonalities among synurbic species, such as generalist diets and high fecundity, not all urban wildlife share these characteristics. As urban areas expand, it will be essential to distinguish what drives unique species to select for urban habitat. The gray bat, Myotis grisescens, is an endangered species …

Geographical Variation In Songs Of Bachman’S Sparrow (Peucaea Aestivalis), L. Nguyen, K. Doñas, J. Jackson, R. Kannan

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

We present an analysis of geographic variation in primary song components of the Near Threatened North American endemic, Bachman’s Sparrow (Peucaea aestivalis). These songs have 2 distinct portions: an introductory tweet we call the "whistle" and a more complex second portion that we call the "trill". We analyzed 327 songs from 111 recordings downloaded from eBird.org from the entire current range of the species. We grouped the recordings into 3 distinct geographic clusters, East, Central, and West. The data measured from spectrograms suggest a significant statistical difference among groups for 3 measured characteristics: frequency range of trill, number of horizontal …

Epi- And Genomic Assessments Of Stamp Sand Toxicity And Population Structure Of Lake Superior Lake Trout (Salvelinus Namaycush) And Whitefish (Coregonus Clupeaformis), John C. Mccall

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Native Lake Superior salmonid conservation is a notable success, as the only Great Lake with stable lake trout (LT) and whitefish fisheries (LWF). To quantify toxicity to LT and LWF from legacy pollution by mine tailings at Buffalo Reef in the Keweenaw Peninsula and assess their genetic structure across U.S. waters, I used reduced representation bisulfite sequencing and genotyped ~750 fishes from Buffalo Reef and Lake Superior. ~200-300 epigenetic marks in Buffalo Reef LT and LWF indicated dysregulation of pathways related to DNA damage, immune response, stress, and metabolism, relative to Lake Huron and Michigan outgroups. Population genomic analyses showed …

Bibliography, Charles H. Smith

Faculty/Staff Personal Papers

Bibliography of publications by Charles H. Smith.

Traveling The Pathway To A Culturally Competent Health Care Provider: Incorporating Study Abroad Into Your Curriculum, A L. Johnston Green, C J. Heffner

Clinical Practice in Athletic Training

Introduction: As athletic training employment settings expand and diversify, so does the patient population with whom these healthcare providers interact. This growth furthers the need to ensure that students enrolled in an athletic training program (ATP) accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education (CAATE) are educated to provide culturally competent care. Culturally competent care is provided when decisions made diminish the inequalities that may be present in a system based upon a patient’s individual circumstances. Implementing cultural competency education may be integrated into athletic training education in various manners as necessitated by each institution’s unique circumstances. Programs …

Female Genital Schistosomiasis (Fgs) Prevalence And Burden Across Endemic Countries, Timelines, And Age Groups: A Retrospective Study, Navneet Kaur, Lilianna Buss, Lauren Zorn, James Mwansa, Mable M. Mutengo, Nilanjan Lodh

Clinical Lab Sciences Faculty Research and Publications

Female Genital Schistosomiasis (FGS) is caused by Schistosoma haematobium, which causes chronic gynecological conditions that lead to substantial morbidity and infertility. This study’s objective is to determine the prevalence and burden of FGS based on the presence of S. haematobium-specific DNA in females across age groups using our previously field-acquired filtered human urine samples from Zambia, Tanzania, and Ghana, collected over multiple years. For Ghana (2013), 39 out of 90 samples were from females, of which 31 (79.5%) were positive and 8 (20.5%) were negative. In Zambia (2016), 80 out of 133 samples were from females, of which …

Targeting Ocean Conservation Outcomes Through Threat Reduction, Joseph A. Turner, Malcolm Starkey, Nicholas K. Dulvy, Frank Hawkins, Louise Mair, Adeline Serckx, Thomas Brooks, Beth Polidoro, Stuart H. M. Butchart, Kent Carpenter, Minna Epps, Rima W. Jabado, Nicholas B. W. Macfarlane, Leon Bennun

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Nations have committed to reductions in the global rate of species extinctions through the Sustainable Development Goals 14 and 15, for ocean and terrestrial species, respectively. Biodiversity loss is worsening despite rapid growth in the number and extent of protected areas, both at sea and on land. Resolving this requires targeting the locations and actions that will deliver positive conservation outcomes for biodiversity. The Species Threat Abatement and Restoration (STAR) metric, developed by a consortium of experts, quantifies the contributions that abating threats and restoring habitats in specific places offer towards reducing extinction risk based on the IUCN Red List …

Characterizing Prescribed Fire With Terrestrial Lidar In The New Jersey Pine Barrens, Samuel Rhule Stockton

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Prescribed burning has become a commonly used tool in the mitigation of wildfire, though monitoring the way it changes ecosystems has historically been a time-intensive process. Rapid change across ecosystems has necessitated advancements in remote sensing technologies to quantify the changes taking place. Single-scan terrestrial LiDAR scanning is one such method of monitoring these changes through the quantification of ecosystem structural characteristics. Acute disturbance events such as fire can transform the structure of an ecosystem, and by extension, change the way that ecosystem functions. The purpose of this study is to analyze the changes in vegetation density and distribution following …

Late Holocene Fire History Reconstruction Of Beaver Lake In The Northwest Lowlands Of The Olympic Peninsula, Grace Mckenney

All Master's Theses

Fire is an essential component of the landscapes and forests of the Pacific Northwest, including the temperate rainforests of the Olympic Peninsula. Previous fire history reconstructions from the peninsula show that fire return intervals varied throughout the postglacial period, primarily in response to climatic changes and corresponding shifts in vegetation. However, much less is known about the fire history of the low-elevation forests of the Olympic Peninsula and the role of cultural fire regimes in these environments. The purpose of this study was to reconstruct the paleoenvironmental history of a low-elevation study site, Beaver Lake, located in the northwestern part …

Potential Landscape Connectivity For Invasive Wild Pigs (Sus Scrofa) Across The Northern Prairies Of North America, Corey J. Kramer, Melanie R. Boudreau, Ryan Powers, Kurt C. Vercauteren, Ryan S. Miller, Ryan K. Brook

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Understanding landscape scale connectivity is an essential component in the management of invasive species since connectivity facilitates their invasion potential. Invasive wild pigs (Sus scrofa) are among the most prolific invaders on the planet, causing billions of dollars in agricultural and environmental damage annually. Newly introduced to Canada in the 1980s, we examined wild pig invasion potential across the northern prairies from western Canada into the currently wild pig-free northern U.S. states. We used GPS collar data collected in the Canadian prairies to quantify resource selection and incorporated results into an electric circuit theory framework to evaluate potential …

Torque Teno Sus Virus 1: A Potential Surrogate Pathogen To Study Pig-Transmitted Transboundary Animal Diseases, Xiaolong Li, Brandon M. Parker, Raoul K. Boughton, James C. Beasley, Timothy J. Smyser, James D. Austin, Kim M. Pepin, Ryan S. Miller, Kurt C. Vercauteren, Samantha M. Wisely

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Understanding the epidemiology and transmission dynamics of transboundary animal diseases (TADs) among wild pigs (Sus scrofa) will aid in preventing the introduction or containment of TADs among wild populations. Given the challenges associated with studying TADs in free-ranging populations, a surrogate pathogen system may predict how pathogens may circulate and be maintained within wild free-ranging swine populations, how they may spill over into domestic populations, and how management actions may impact transmission. We assessed the suitability of Torque teno sus virus 1 (TTSuV1) to serve as a surrogate pathogen for molecular epidemiological studies in wild pigs by investigating …

Quantifying The Ecological Effects Of Salix Fragilis On Riparian Habitat In Kittitas County, Washington, Landon Shaffer

All Master's Theses

Invasive species threaten plant community structure and function globally. Riparian areas, the zone near streams where water influences vegetation, are especially sensitive to invasive species colonization, suffering large-scale shifts in community composition. Salix fragilis (crack willow) is a nonnative riparian species abundant in the lower elevation tributaries of central Washington. Some speculate whether this willow should be listed as invasive in Washington, despite a lack of regional supporting evidence. I studied riparian communities dominated by either S. fragilis or native species in the Kittitas Valley and measured biodiversity, quantified differences in solar attenuation, and compared leaf decomposition rates to learn …

Agricultural Groundcover Update December 2023, Justin Laycock

Natural resources published reports

Summary

• About 96% of the grainbelt had adequate vegetative groundcover (more than 50%) to prevent wind erosion in December 2023.
• In the northern half of the grainbelt, a larger-than-average area has 51–60% groundcover, which is expected to decrease to below 50% over the summer.
• Just under 4% of the grainbelt (553,000 ha) had less than 50% groundcover, which is inadequate to prevent wind erosion. West Midlands Ag Soil Zone had the highest risk of wind erosion and 11.4% of this farmland had inadequate groundcover.
• Less than 0.5% of the grainbelt had a high to very high risk of wind erosion …