Digital Commons Network^™

Microplastics In Pacific Northwest Bivalves: Ecological Prevalence, Harvester-Consumer Exposure, And Aquarium Exhibit Outcomes, Britta Rahel Baechler

Dissertations and Theses

Up to 23 million metric tons of mismanaged plastics enter the global ocean annually. Microplastics (MPs;<5mm) degrading. MPs leak into the environment and now pervade every corner of the earth, with implications for animal, plant, ecosystem and human health. It is important to understand localized environmental MP prevalence, distribution and organismal uptake in order to determine the extent of MP pollution, and ultimately unlock solution sets to reduce transmission of MPs into the natural world. In Chapter 2, I quantified MP types, concentrations, anatomical burdens, geographic distribution, and temporal differences in Pacific oysters (Crassostrea gigas) and Pacific razor clams (Siliqua patula) from 15 coastal sites in Oregon. Both of these species are integral to culture, economy, gastronomy and food security along the United States West Coast. In Chapter 3, I quantified MPs in Pacific razor clams collected from 8 Olympic Coast, Washington sites, administered questionnaires to recreational razor clammers and subsequently estimated annual MP exposure of those Olympic Coast razor clam harvester-consumers surveyed. In Chapter 4, I designed and installed an educational ocean plastic …

Cultural And Religious Belief Approaches Of A Tuberculosis Program For Hard-To-Reach Populations In Mentawai And Solok West Sumatera, Indonesia, Rizanda Machmud, Irvan Medison, Finny Fitry Yani

Kesmas

Tuberculosis (TB) is a leading public health concern in Indonesia. It ranks second on the list of high-burden TB countries. In West Sumatra, 47% of TB cases are undetected, late diagnosed, and received incomplete treatment because of low-level awareness and knowledge and stigma, especially among the hardest to reach populations. The study aims to identify the best communication channel to reach those who live in vulnerable and remote areas. This study was a qualitative study applying in-depth interviews to the informal leaders, health officers, cultural artists, and religious leaders across districts in Mentawai and Solok Districts, which are remote and …

Characterizing Childhood And Diet In Migration Period Hungary, Kirsten A. Verostick

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This project investigates children, childhood and diet of two different Migration Period (4^th-8^th century AD) populations, the Gepids and the Avars, in the Great Hungarian Plain. The main goal was to assess whether there are differences in treatment of children and differences in breastfeeding and weaning practices in these distinct sites and populations. Secondarily, this research also focused on characterizing diet for the Gepids and the Avars at four different sites from the Migration Period, to understand how the migration and settling into the region and the assimilation of other groups into the two populations affected their …

Maternal Social Status, Offspring 2d:4d Ratio And Postnatal Growth, In Macaca Mulatta (Rhesus Macaques), Juan Pablo Arroyo

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Early life exposure to stressors can disrupt growth and development, resulting in long-term compromised function and increased risk for disease throughout the lifecourse. Maternal exposure to psychosocial stressors (i.e., stressors derived from social status, social inequalities, and social interactions) during pregnancy has been associated with reduced fetal growth, adverse birth outcomes, and increased morbidity for the offspring later in life. Maternal hormonal responses to stress, such as fluctuations in glucocorticoids (e.g., cortisol) and androgens (e.g., testosterone), can result in increased developmental instability, interfere with offspring growth in-utero, and may alter developmental processes of sexual dimorphism. Second digit to fourth digit …

Impacts Of Climate Change On Multiple Use Management Of Bureau Of Land Management Land In The Intermountain West, Usa, Elaine M. Brice, Brett A. Miller, Hongchao Zhang, Kirsten Goldstein, Scott N. Zimmer, Guenchik J. Grosklos, Patrick Belmont, Courtney G. Flint, Jennifer E. Givens, Peter B. Adler, Mark W. Brunson, Jordan W. Smith

Watershed Sciences Faculty Publications

Although natural resource managers are concerned about climate change, many are unable to adequately incorporate climate change science into their adaptation strategies or management plans, and are not always aware of or do not employ the most current scientific knowledge. One of the most prominent natural resource management agencies in the United States is the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), which is tasked with managing over 248 million acres (>1 million km²) of public lands for multiple, often conflicting, uses. Climate change will affect the sustainability of many of these land uses and could further increase conflicts …

Save Water Drink Wine: Challenges Of Implementing The Ethnography Of The Temecula Valley Wine Industry Into Food-Energy-Water Nexus Decision-Making, Zaida E. Darley

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study demonstrates the interrelationships of people, food, energy, and water associated with Temecula Valley’s wine industry and reveals contradictions and biases in how people view these resources, which ultimately shape management and policies. The FEW (Food, Energy, and Water) Nexus is an approach increasingly used by policy- and decision-makers to understand the interrelationship of several resources. However, a FEW Nexus approach often lacks in social aspects that influence environmentally and economically sustainable outcomes, especially in the wine and wine tourism industry. When quantitative and qualitative data are available, the other challenge is which assessment to use. Two assessments often …

The View From Ventress - 2019-20 Academic Year, University Of Mississippi, College Of Liberal Arts

Liberal Arts Newsletters

News from the College of Liberal Arts

Seeing The Insurgent In Transformative Planning Practices, Efadul Huq

Environmental Science and Policy: Faculty Publications

Insurgent planning and radical planning are two of the most popular conceptual frames of reference for progressive planners and theorists of transformative planning practices. In the past decades, scholars have extended these two planning conceptions to new geographies and realities to shed light on how planning can challenge structural injustices and marginalization. However, less attention has been given to how insurgent planning renovates radical planning practices in response to the crisis of neoliberal urbanization. While appreciating that radical and insurgent planning remain braided in practice, this article contributes to the literature on transformative planning by highlighting how insurgent planning builds …

Demographic Impacts Of Climate-Induced Migration And Environmental Shocks And Stressors In Cameron Parish, Louisiana, John Green Iii

Honors Capstones

No abstract provided.

A Question Of Scale: Making Meteorological Knowledge And Nation In Imperial Asia, Fiona Williamson, Vladimir Jankovic

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

This special issue of History of Meteorology explores processes of making, communicating, and embedding modern meteorological knowledge in late nineteenth and early twentieth century imperial Asia. Its focus is on the institutionalisation of meteorology in key nation-building activities such as developing agricultural services, synoptic mapping to predict storms, and participation in scientific organisations and initiatives. Collectively, the essays explore the intersection of local, regional, and international scales and processes in generating new forms of state-sponsored meteorological practices and institutions, though complex multi-layered networks involving different actors and modes of information flow across multiple scales. In so doing, they reveal the …

Correlation Analysis Of Precipitation And River Flow With The Injection And Discharge Of The Three Gorges Dam And Reservoir, Lirong Yin

LSU Master's Theses

The Yangtze River has been the primary support of the resources and transportation of China. Its basin covers an area of 1.8 million square kilometers. The Three Gorges Dam and Reservoir on the Yangtze River is one of the world's largest dams. After the dam construction in 1997, the reservoir started injecting the reservoir to a size of over 600 km². The influence caused by the dam and reservoir on the river system has been overwhelming and destructive. The possible influence of this vast water body and the operation to maintain this waterbody's size and water level on …

Privacy And The Digital Divide: Investigating Strategies For Digital Safety By People Of Color, Denavious Hoover

Theses and Dissertations

People of color are becoming increasingly concerned with digital privacy. They are concerned about the obfuscated data collection and sharing practices of major social media plat- forms and the strong entitlement of other users in the online space to their content. This study examines how people of color conceptualize and behave to produce safety in the online space, or, in other words, digital privacy. This study challenges notions that people are not purposeful about privacy in the online space and highlights the voices of people of color, whom are not of- ten included in theorizing or decision making about the …

Using Spatial Analysis And Machine Learning Techniques To Develop A Comprehensive Highway-Rail Grade Crossing Consolidation Model, Samira Soleimani

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The safety of highway-railroad grade crossings (HRGC) is still an issue in the United States of America (USA). The grade crossing is where a railroad crosses a road at the same level without any over or underpass. To improve the safety of crossings, the crossings’ condition should be explored from several aspects such as engineering design (speed limit, warning signs, etc.), road condition (number of lanes, surface markings, etc.), rail design (the type of track, ballast, etc.), temporal variables (weather, visibility, time of day, lightning, etc.), social variables (population, race, etc.), and last but not least, spatial variables (the type …

Desertification Mapping By Iranian Classification Of Desertification (Icd) Method (Case Study: Kohdasht Watershed In Iran), G. R. Zehtabian, G. R. Chamanpira, H. Ahmadi, H. Khosravi

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

No abstract provided.

2020 Celebration Of Scholarship, Creativity, And Engagement, Todd Bruns, Beth Heldebrandt

Programs

The 2020-2021 academic year is truly extraordinary and higher education’s new, hopefully temporary, normal began on rather short notice in Spring 2020. While our environment has changed, we, as a shared community, are pleased that the important work of faculty continues and evolves as faculty broaden and redefine the boundaries of scholarship, creativity, and innovation in accelerating hybrid and remote environments. And, as new forms and strategies for scholarship and creativity emerge, the core principles of faculty life and student learning remain central to the mission of Eastern Illinois University.

For that reason, our faculty, department chairs, college deans, the …

Categorical And Fuzzy Ensemble-Based Algorithms For Cluster Analysis, Bridget Nicole Manning

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation focuses on improving multivariate methods of cluster analysis. In Chapter 3 we discuss methods relevant to the categorical clustering of tertiary data while Chapter 4 considers the clustering of quantitative data using ensemble algorithms. Lastly, in Chapter 5, future research plans are discussed to investigate the clustering of spatial binary data.

Cluster analysis is an unsupervised methodology whose results may be influenced by the types of variables recorded on observations. When dealing with the clustering of categorical data, solutions produced may not accurately reflect the structure of the process that generated them. Increased variability within the latent structure …

We Mind Your Well-Being: Preventing Depression In Uncertain Social Networks By Sequential Interventions, Aye Phye Phye Aung, Xinrun Wang, Bo An, Xiaoli Li

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Mental health has become a major concern according to WHO who estimates that more than 350 million people worldwide are affected by depression. Studies have shown that interventions and social support can reduce stress and depression. However, counselling centers do not have enough resources to provide counselling and social support to all the participants in their interest. This paper helps social support organizations (e.g., university counselling centers) sequentially select the participants for interventions. Unfortunately, previous works do not consider emotion propagation from other neighbours of the influencees and initial uncertainties of mental states and influence. Moreover, they fail to scale …

Faunal Remains From Archaeology Sites In Southwestern New Mexico, Karen Gust Schollmeyer, S. O. Macdonald

Occasional Papers

This study attempts to create a comprehensive catalog of all known records of faunal remains recovered from 105 archaeological sites located across southwestern New Mexico. These sites range in age from 2000BC to AD 1450. Approximately 250 taxa of mollusks, fishes, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals are represented in this compilation. Primary reference materials from published and unpublished sources are included, along with the repositories where relevant collections may be found for potential reexamination by researchers from a variety of fields of interest.

Patagonian Aridification At The Onset Of The Mid‐Miocene Climatic Optimum, Robin B. Trayler, Matthew J. Kohn, M. Susana Bargo, José I. Cuitiño, Richard F. Kay, Caroline A. E. Strömberg, Sergio F. Vizcaíno

Geosciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

Fossil‐rich sediments of the Santa Cruz Formation, Patagonia, Argentina, span the initiation of the Miocene Climatic Optimum (MCO), the most recent period of warm and wet conditions in the Cenozoic. These conditions drove the expansion of tropical and subtropical ecosystems to much higher latitudes, with the fossiliferous Santa Cruz Formation recording one of the southernmost examples. We collected new carbon and oxygen isotope compositions of herbivore tooth enamel from fossils ~17.4 to 16.4 Ma in age to investigate ecological and climatic changes across the initiation of the MCO. Enamel δ¹³C values are consistent with a C₃‐dominated …

Analyzing Sensor-Based Individual And Population Behavior Patterns Via Inverse Reinforcement Learning, Beiyu Lin, Diane J. Cook

Computer Science Faculty Publications

Digital markers of behavior can be continuously created, in everyday settings, using time series data collected by ambient sensors. The goal of this work was to perform individual- and population-level behavior analysis from such time series sensor data. In this paper, we introduce a novel algorithm-Resident Relative Entropy-Inverse Reinforcement Learning (RRE-IRL)-to perform an analysis of a single smart home resident or a group of residents, using inverse reinforcement learning. By employing this method, we learnt an individual's behavioral routine preferences. We then analyzed daily routines for an individual and for eight smart home residents grouped by health diagnoses. We observed …

Relationship Between Humidity And Physiology In Warm And Humid Conditions: A Literature Review, Yuliya Dzyuban

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Change in precipitation patterns caused by global warming will likely increase humidity in some areas of the world. Moreover, populations in tropical climates with already high humidity levels can experience an added stress on their health and thermal comfort due to an amplifying effect of heat and moisture. Humidity is a generic term commonly used to describe moisture in the air. However, there are numerous variables that describe different properties of humid air that can be used in scientific studies. While relative humidity remains the most used, it has several shortcomings associated with its high correlation with air temperature. Thus, …

Journal Of Big History (Volume 4, Number 2, David R. Blanks, Nicoló Antonietti

Faculty Publications - History & Political Science

Big History and the Search for Intelligent Life

Proceedings For Conservation Of Fragile Karst Resources, Crawford Hydrology Laboratory, The George Wright Society, Mammoth Cave National Park

Conservation of Fragile Karst Resources Proceedings

A Workshop on Sustainability and Community in support of UNESCO science programs August 18-20, 2020

Short And Long Term Effects Of Lime And Gypsum Applications On Acid Soils In A Water-Limited Environment: 1. Grain Yield Response And Nutrient Concentration, Geoff Anderson, Shahab Pathan, James Easton, David Hall, Rajesh Sharma

Grain and Other Field Crops Research Articles

Surface (0–10 cm) and subsoil (soil layers below 10 cm) acidity and resulting aluminum (Al) toxicity reduce crop grain yields. In South Western Australia (SWA), these constraints affect 14.2 million hectares or 53% of the agricultural area. Both lime (L, CaCO3) and gypsum (G, CaSO4) application can decrease the toxic effect of Al, leading to an increase in crop grain yields. Within the region, it is unclear if G alone or the combined use of L and G has a role in alleviating soil acidity in SWA, due to low sulfate S (SO4–S) sorption properties of the soil. We present …

Algal Coverage Detection And Classification Using Envi: Correlation With Dissolved Oxygen Levels In Elkhorn Slough, Ca, Jason Dawson

All HCAS Student Capstones, Theses, and Dissertations

Estuaries are exposed to varying stressors, whether they be physical, chemical, or environmental. The most notable of stressors is eutrophication of coastal and inland ecosystems. This is a result of increased supply of nutrients fueling production within the system. One outcome of this increased nutrient load to the system is that of algal blooms. These blooms can impact the aesthetic appearance and degrade the quality of health of the system. Many of these coastal zones and waterways are critical habitats for many biological (some endangered) species and serve as recreational areas for human populations. Elkhorn Slough, California is one of …

A Community Of Learning In An Elementary School Mathematics Classroom, Megan Louise Roeder

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

The goal of this study was to investigate opportunities for cultivating a community of learning in an elementary school mathematics classroom using four guiding principles for productive disciplinary engagement. A community of learning involves teachers and students participating equally in negotiating, sharing, and producing knowledge as co-learners, coteachers, and co-collaborators in the classroom. Characteristics of a community of learning align with effective teaching and learning practices described by national governing bodies and researchers in the field of mathematics education. The essence of a community of learning is beneficial in an elementary mathematics classroom because it invokes deep learning about disciplinary …

Beliefs And Perceptions Of Millennials Pertaining To Climate Change And Sustainability, Rae Cade

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

The purpose of this qualitative multi-case study is to explore the beliefs and perceptions of millennials on the subjects of climate change and sustainability. Some millennials pursuing an undergraduate degree in a non-environmental science field may lack knowledge pertaining to climate change and sustainability. The conceptual framework for this qualitative explanatory multi-case study is grounded in contributions from Henri Lefebvre, Nicholson-Smith (1991), and Simpson (2014) who explore how the notion of space has evolved in recent years, as well as researchers who are quantitatively studying climate change and sustainability. I conducted semistructured focus groups and drafted field notes from two …

Maintaining Rich Dialogic Interactions In The Transition To Synchronous Online Learning, Hyunyi Jung, Corey Brady

Mathematical and Statistical Science Faculty Research and Publications

A central premise across a variety of educational research and policy documents is that students learn with greater understanding in classrooms where they engage in exploring, reasoning, and communicating about their thinking (Hiebert and Wearne, 1993; National Council of Teachers of English, 2016; National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, 2000). With the recent emergency transition to remote online instruction in higher education, opportunities for rich synchronous learning have been diminished in many courses. Most instructors have had to adapt rapidly from in-person classroom settings to online environments without sufficient time and training. Accordingly, college students have shared concerns about the …

Quantitatively Motivated Model Development Framework: Downstream Analysis Effects Of Normalization Strategies, Jessica M. Rudd

Doctor of Data Science and Analytics Dissertations

Through a review of epistemological frameworks in social sciences, history of frameworks in statistics, as well as the current state of research, we establish that there appears to be no consistent, quantitatively motivated model development framework in data science, and the downstream analysis effects of various modeling choices are not uniformly documented. Examples are provided which illustrate that analytic choices, even if justifiable and statistically valid, have a downstream analysis effect on model results. This study proposes a unified model development framework that allows researchers to make statistically motivated modeling choices within the development pipeline. Additionally, a simulation study is …

Fire Suppression Impacts On Fuels And Fire Intensity In The Western U.S.: Insights From Archaeological Luminescence Dating In Northern New Mexico, Christopher I. Roos, Tammy M. Rittenour, Thomas W. Swetnam, Rachel A. Loehman, Kacy L. Hollenback, Matthew J. Liebmann, Dana Drake Rosenstein

Geosciences Faculty Publications

Here, we show that the last century of fire suppression in the western U.S. has resulted in fire intensities that are unique over more than 900 years of record in ponderosa pine forests (Pinus ponderosa). Specifically, we use the heat-sensitive luminescence signal of archaeological ceramics and tree-ring fire histories to show that a recent fire during mild weather conditions was more intense than anything experienced in centuries of frequent wildfires. We support this with a particularly robust set of optically stimulated luminescence measurements on pottery from an archaeological site in northern New Mexico. The heating effects of an October 2012 …