Digital Commons Network^™

Ecological Insights And Management Implications Of The Global Migratory Connectivity Of Green Turtles, Jaime Restrepo, Dina Nisthar, Harris Wei-Khang Heng, Lily K. Bentley, Corrie Curtice, Sarah Deland, Ei Fujioka, Patrick N. Halpin, Sarah K. Poulin, Roldán A. Valverde

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

Aim

Green turtles are a widely distributed and highly migratory species; despite extensive data on their movement, there is no species-specific global synthesis on the subject. Based on three decades of published literature and building on previous global analyses, we developed a global network model of migratory connectivity for green turtles to better understand their spatial biology.

Location

Global.

Time Period

1990–2022.

Major Taxa Studied

Green Sea Turtle (Chelonia mydas).

Methods

We conducted a structured literature review extracting georeferenced information on the movement of green turtles from 1990 to 2022, aggregating this information into a single connectivity model, …

Prism: Priming Relationships In Syntax And Mathematics, Michelle J. Zhu

Honors Scholar Theses

The implementation of sheltered education programs has become increasingly prevalent in schools as new research in second language acquisition emerges. Yet despite this growing attention to ESL instructional practice, far less is known about the cognitive processes that underlie how bilingual students engage with academic content. This study investigates cross-domain structural priming between mathematical and linguistic processing in monolingual and bilingual individuals, focusing on how bilingual experience influences syntactic attachment preferences. Prior research suggests that mathematical and linguistic structures share underlying cognitive representations, and that exposure to structures in one domain can influence processing in another. Additionally, bilingualism has been …

Csbsju Ash Tree Maps, Trevor Barton

Celebrating Scholarship and Creativity Day (2018-)

Ash trees in MN are recently susceptible to the invasive species of Emerald Ash Borer. These insects burrow into native MN ash trees, lay their larvae, and significantly harm or kill the trees. MN native ash trees are not equipped to deal with this invasive species and rather need to be chemically treated to save the trees. These maps depict the GPS locations of the ash trees on CSBSJU campus proper. Trees were mapped by hand with a Garmin GPS device while size, health, and value to campus assessments were recorded to pair along with the maps in a separate …

Know Thy Enemy: Building A Command-And-Control Solution For Adversarial Emulation, Caleb J. Chen

Senior Honors Theses

Command and Control (C2) is a critical part of any cyberattack. It serves many purposes, including Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks, data exfiltration, and malware deployment. Consequently, C2 frameworks play an important part in red team engagements and adversary emulation. However, many adversary emulation solutions focus on comprehensive testing through sequential technique execution instead of realistic chained and automated attacks. The proposed solution is Centurion, an open-source C2 framework that integrates MITRE's ATT&CK framework and several cybersecurity tools into modular playbooks for effective threat emulation. This paper provides background by defining key terms and concepts before delving into a …

You Can’T Spell Audit Without Ai: The Current Uses Of Artificial Intelligence In Audit, Jena Perkins

Senior Honors Theses

The accounting profession continuously adapts to the innovations provided by the broader context in which it exists. Artificial intelligence (AI) is a forerunner among tools used to enhance and optimize auditing services within the accounting profession. The realm of AI offers advancements to procedures used within an audit to detect misstatements. Based on the proprietary platforms developed by Big 4 accounting firms, AI is a key component in maintaining an advanced approach towards auditing.

Rhodium On Alumina Catalyzed Hydrodechlorination Of Trichlorethylene, Amber Krueger, Gage Mueller

Celebrating Scholarship and Creativity Day (2018-)

Chlorinated ethylenes are common groundwater contaminants that persist in the environment and pose significant risks to human health such as damage to the nervous system, liver, kidneys, and even increased risk of cancer. Catalytic dehydrochlorination has emerged as a promising strategy for detoxifying compounds such as trichloroethylene (TCE). This study investigates whether rhodium on alumina (Rh/Al₂O₃) in the presence of hydrogen gas can completely degrade TCE to non-toxic products without the accumulation of harmful chlorinated intermediates. While palladium catalysts have been widely studied for dehydrochlorination, the activity and mechanism of rhodium supported on alumina in aqueous systems remains less characterized. …

Deep Learning For Predicting Impact Energy And Compression After Impact Strength Of Composite Materials Using C-Scan Images, K. T. Tan, Jason P. Mack, Faizan Mirza, Zhong-Hui Duan

University Research

Traditional assessment of post-impact performance in carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) composites often relies on simplified scalar metrics that fail to capture the complex spatial interactions driving failure. This study addresses this limitation by developing an automated, end-to-end deep learning framework that shifts from manual feature extraction to the direct interpretation of raw damage morphology from ultrasonic C-scans. Using a ResNet18-based convolutional neural network (CNN) trained on 1,428 augmented images, the model achieved coefficients of determination (R2) of 0.7948 ± 0.0847 for compression after impact (CAI) strength and 0.9436 ± 0.0098 for impact energy. Beyond prediction, this dual-purpose methodology serves …

An Analysis Of The Rapid Intensification Of Hurricane Milton, Ayden Rodriguez, Mark Sinclair

Publications

Hurricane Milton (October 2024) provides a compelling case study of a multiscale pathway to rapid intensification (RI), highlighting the alignment of synoptic preconditioning, favorable environmental conditions, and rapid inner-core structural evolution. The storm originated from the interaction of multiple tropical waves embedded within a low-level trough associated with the Central American Gyre, which enhanced low-level vorticity and moisture convergence prior to development. Upon entering the Gulf of Mexico, Milton encountered an environment characterized by anomalously warm sea surface temperatures, high ocean heat content, and weak vertical wind shear, enabling steady intensification and the onset of explosive RI that exceeded conventional …

Fisheries Management Paper No. 313: Western Australian Statewide Small Pelagic Scalefish Resource Harvest Strategy, Department Of Primary Industries And Regional Development, Western Australia

Fisheries Management Papers

Harvest strategies for Western Australia’s (WA) aquatic resources are formal documents developed by the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD, the Department) to support decision-making processes that ensure the outcomes are consistent with the principles of Ecologically Sustainable Development (ESD; Fletcher 2002a) and Ecosystem Based Fisheries Management (EBFM; Fletcher et al. 2012).

Harvest strategies are a key component of all contemporary fishery management systems and a requirement for certification under the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC; Marine Stewardship Council 2018). The objectives of ESD are reflected in the objects of the Fish Resources Management Act 1994 (FRMA).

This Statewide …

Engineering Silicone Magnetic Fluids For Localized Radiation Attenuation During Ocular Melanoma Brachytherapy, Zachary L. Caprow

All Dissertations

Ocular melanoma is commonly treated using plaque brachytherapy; however, radiation-induced damage to healthy ocular tissues frequently results in partial or complete vision loss. This work investigates the development of an injectable, magnetically responsive silicone magnetic fluid designed to localize adjacent to the tumor and attenuate low-energy gamma radiation during treatment.

The material system consists of iron oxide nanoparticles surface-functionalized with a siloxane polymer, in which the nanoparticles provide magnetic responsiveness and radiation attenuation, while the polymer coating ensures colloidal stability, injectability, and biocompatibility. A one-pot synthetic approach was developed wherein a functionalized siloxane polymer containing iron-affinitive groups was reacted with …

Stability Of Paraffin-Insulated Nitrogen-Doped Carbon Fiber Ultramicroelectrodes, Maxwell H. Kwakwah

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Nitrogen-doped carbon materials can facilitate the reduction oxygen-oxygen bonds, a key step in electroreduction of both O₂ (an important reaction in energy applications) and H₂O₂ (an important reaction in sensing and biosensing). Our lab previously demonstrated that thermal decomposition of urea in the presence of carbon fiber (CF) results in an N-doped carbon material that exhibits good electrocatalytic properties for H₂O₂ reduction. However, previous methods of insulating single N-doped CF via laser heating of borosilicate capillaries and epoxy to prepare ultramicroelectrodes (UMEs) seemed to adversely affect surface nitrogen contents and electrocatalytic properties. More recent work that utilized paraffin to …

Course Insight Portfolio: Math 1020 Business Calculus I, Ibrahim Khalilullah, M.G.M. Al Faruque, Jessica Ratovondranto, Leslie Spahr

Publications

This portfolio presents an overview of the student educational context, key course concepts, and some approaches to clarify student misconceptions associated with MATH 1020 (Business Calculus I). The portfolio includes a concept map illustrating the major topics of the course and an overview of common student misconceptions, and lesson plans designed to address those misconceptions through research informed instructional practices.

The concept map highlights the interconnected nature of topics such as functions, limits, continuity, differentiability, derivatives, optimization, graph interpretation, and applications of calculus. Particular attention is given to areas where students commonly experience difficulty, including distinguishing domain, codomain, and range; …

The Fundamental Group: A Geometric Perspective, Kayla M. Bittenbinder

All NMU Master's Theses

This thesis explores the deep mathematical connection between the flexible, continuous world of topology and the rigid, distance-preserving world of metric geometry. We begin by constructing the fundamental group of a topological space, using the concept of loops and loop homotopy to identify a global topological invariant such as a hole or puncture. We then transition to the geometric realm of metric spaces and isometries, demonstrating how the isometry group of a space algebraically encodes its rigid symmetries. To bridge these two distinct mathematical frameworks, we utilize the construction of the universal covering space. We pull back the metric from …

The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Host: Fleas And The History Of Pikas In North America, Josh Pletcher

All NMU Master's Theses

Parasite phylogenetics can offer windows into the cryptic evolutionary history of hosts, often highlighting events that are not recorded by the phylogenetics of the host. Pikas (small lagomorphs) host a diverse parasite community comprising endoparasites (e.g., coccidians, nematodes, and cestodes) and ectoparasites (e.g., fleas and mites). Phylogenetic analysis of pika endoparasites has revealed pikas evolved in Asia and colonized North America in two waves, and that contact between these two pika lineages allowed parasites to be transferred from one lineage to another and to survive the extinction of their original host. To uncover these cryptic histories, understanding the biogeography of …

Population Structure And Connectivity Of Atlantic Nurse Sharks (Ginglymostoma Cirratum) In The Bahamas And Outlying Areas, Baylie A. Fadool

School of Natural Resources: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Understanding animal ecosystem dynamics and behavior at the individual and population levels is essential for identifying life-history patterns and important areas for management and conservation. Marine fish species often face minimal geographic barriers to movement, but environmental (temperature, salinity, current) or intrinsic barriers (philopatry, site fidelity) can dictate gene flow. Atlantic nurse sharks (Ginglymostoma cirratum) are an International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) listed ‘vulnerable’ species and present a unique opportunity to investigate patterns of population structure and connectivity in large-bodied sharks. They are benthic and display reproductive philopatry, with recent work suggesting they have the capacity …

Examining Extremes: A Comparison Between Machine Learning Based Southwestern Conus Seasonal Drought And High Fire Risk Event Synoptic Climatologies, Ethan M. Greenberg

School of Natural Resources: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The Southwestern United States (SW CONUS), comprised of California, Arizona, Nevada, and Utah, is a vast region that tens of millions of people call home. Hosting ecosystems ranging from grasslands and shrublands to temperate forests and climate zones ranging from Mediterranean climates to arid deserts, the region is nearly unanimously prone to intense droughts and devastating wildfires. While fire weather conditions and drought are often studied separately or mentioned as background conditions for the other, there are relatively few studies that compare the typical meteorological conditions between the two. This study aims to more closely understand the meteorological relationship between …

Gaining Mussel: Evaluating Reintroduction Success Of Native Freshwater Mussels In Nebraska And Eastern Wyoming, Travis A. Moore

School of Natural Resources: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Freshwater mussels are one of the most imperiled groups of organisms in North America, with over two-thirds of species considered threatened, endangered, or of special concern. These long-lived bivalves are essential to stream ecosystems, acting as filter feeders that improve water quality and as indicators of aquatic health. In Nebraska and Wyoming, native mussel populations have declined sharply due to habitat modification, pollution, and reduced connectivity. Two species of particular concern are the Plain Pocketbook Lampsilis cardium, listed as Tier I at-risk in Nebraska, and the Fatmucket Lampsilis siliquoidea, a Tier II at-risk species. In response, state agencies …

Spatiotemporal Variability Of Differential Reflectivity (Zdr) Columns Due To Environment In Tornadic And Nontornadic Supercells, Adrianne J. Engel

Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Polarimetric signatures have been of interest to researchers and operational forecasters since the completion of the WSR-88D network upgrade in 2013. Differential reflectivity (Z_DR) columns, which are collocated with supercell updrafts, are the focus of this study. Microphysical distributions within these signatures can be used to infer updraft strength and elucidate the processes responsible for updraft intensity and evolution. Z_DR column depth, areal extent, and variability of these metrics through space and time are assessed in a dataset of 114 nontornadic and tornadic supercells. Means of column metrics in nontornadic, non-tornado-producing, and tornado-producing analysis times are evaluated …

Impact Of Biomass Type On Hydrocarbon Yield And Chain Length Distribution Produced Via Fischer-Tropsch Synthesis, Nicholas R. Hawe

Honors Scholar Theses

This paper investigates the relationship between biomass composition and hydrocarbon yield as well as chain length distribution produced by Fischer-Tropsch synthesis. Through an Aspen Plus model, the conversion of three different biomasses – digestate, sawdust, and corn stover – into hydrocarbon fuel was simulated. The model converts biomass into gaseous and liquid hydrocarbons via various unit operations and reactions. Simulation results highlight the product distribution and hydrocarbon output, allowing for an analysis of hydrocarbon yield and comparison of chain length distributions amongst the three biomasses. Overall, the simulation showed biomass composition had no significant impact on hydrocarbon yield or chain …

Multiplexing Reductive Alkylation Of Peptides For Quantitative Proteomics, Kevin C. Souza

Honors Scholar Theses

Reductive alkylation is a robust and commonly used labeling technique for quantifying proteins and peptides in complex samples using mass spectrometry. This technique involves the attachment of alkyl groups to an amino group at the N-terminus and lysine residues of a peptide, causing a mass shift that is detectable using mass spectrometry. This work aims to explore the application of reductive alkyl labeling in multiplexed quantitative proteomics. The first part of the study investigates the effectiveness of the labeling of peptides using a variety of aldehydes via reductive alkylation. The aldehydes were chosen, such that they provided various degrees of …

Factors Affecting Pedestrian-Vehicle Conflicts: An Empirical Analysis, Christo D. Jamo

Honors Scholar Theses

The number of pedestrian deaths increased by 78% between 2009 and 2023, while other motor vehicle crash deaths increased by 13% in the same period [1]. To identify potential pedestrian safety measures, this study analyzed the effects of location-based demographics, pedestrian phasing type, and other physical infrastructure and behavior variables on the probability of pedestrian-vehicle conflicts at signalized intersections, which is a surrogate measure of crash risk. Data were collected from 55 intersections in Connecticut, and the pedestrian-vehicle interactions were classified by severity based on the Swedish Traffic Conflict Technique: undisturbed passage, potential conflict, minor conflict, or serious conflict. Because …

Reversible, Light-Controlled Inhibition Of Stim1-Mediated Calcium Signaling Using Photoswitchable Ml-9 Derivatives In Jurkat-Lucia Nfat Reporter T Cells, José L. Matute Gálvez

Honors Scholar Theses

Store-operated calcium entry (SOCE) through calcium release-activated

calcium (CRAC) channels is the dominant pathway for sustained Ca2+ influx in

non-excitable cells and is essential for T cell activation, driving downstream

signaling through the calcineurin-NFAT transcriptional axis. Dysregulation of

SOCE produces multi-systemic disease phenotypes, establishing that precise,

spatiotemporally controlled modulation of this pathway is a fundamental

therapeutic requirement. ML-9 is one of the only characterized small molecules

capable of targeting SOCE upstream at the level of STIM1 localization, but lacks

the selectivity, pharmacokinetic properties, and spatiotemporal control necessary

for therapeutic development.

This work describes the design, synthesis, and biological evaluation of …

An Assessment Of The Deep And Coastal Responses To Hurricane Passage In The Gulf Of Mexico, Using Complementary Observational Records And Model Simulations, Senam Kofi Tsei

Dissertations

In this dissertation, I examine and discuss different ocean features and ocean processes essential to the intensification of tropical cyclones in the Gulf of Mexico, drawing on observations, theory, and numerical model analyses across both the deep ocean and continental shelf-regimes. In the deep ocean, I integrate in situ measurements, theoretical framework, a 1D shear driven mixed layer model, and a high resolution model outputs to evaluate how salinity-driven stratification, Loop Current warm core eddies, pre-existing warm mixed layer temperatures, and the governing mechanisms mixed layer adjustment shape the upper ocean response before, during, and after storm passage. In the …

Combinatorial Statistics Witnessing An Infinite Family Of Congruences For A Sum Of Partition Functions, Jena M. Gregory

Theses and Dissertations

In 2007, Kronholm established The Interval Theorem, infinite families of congruences in arithmetic progression, modulo any prime ��, for ��(��, ��), the function enumerating the partitions of �� into parts whose sizes come from the set {1, 2, … , ��}. In 2022, Eichhorn, Kronholm, and Larsen proved there are combinatorial statistics described in terms of the multiplicities of the part sizes that witness Kronholm’s Interval Theorem. Here, “witness" means given a congruence of the form ��(��, ��) ≡ 0 (mod ��), we can use these statistics to classify the set of partitions of �� into �� equally sized subsets …

General Chemistry Students' Perceptions Of How Various Course Resources Affect Their Learning And Exam Preparation, Jennifer Scoggin Cortez

Theses and Dissertations

The tertiary-level first-semester general chemistry course has a large range of material with different complexities that can be difficult for students to master within one semester. In the general chemistry I course under study here, students were provided with a variety of resources to help with their learning and understanding, with various components of the course, including the lecture, online textbook, Peer-Led-Team-Learning (PLTL) study sessions, and exams, having associated resources. This study aims to analyze students’ experiences with these various resources. Students were given semi-structured interviews where they talked about their experiences with the resources and provided insight into more …

Bounding The Average Kissing Number, Including New Bounds For Three-Dimensional Binary Sphere Packings, Mark William Bockhaus

Theses and Dissertations

The average kissing number is defined as the supremum over all sphere packings of the value: two times the number of tangencies divided by the number balls in the packing. In this paper, we present a survey of the literature about bounding the average kissing number, beginning with the first non-trivial results, through the most up-to-date bounds. We then turn our focus to binary sphere packings: those which contain spheres of two different radii. We improve upon known bounds for the average kissing number for binary sphere packings in three-dimensions and find exact bounds for many packings.

Assessing Water Quality And Nitrogen Dynamics In Bahia Grande, Texas Using Field And Remote Sensing Data, Sk Taufiqul Islam

Theses and Dissertations

An 8,220-acre estuary in South Texas, Bahia Grande has recently been restored from a disconnected hypersaline basin to a tidal estuary. A spatially explicit water quality index (WQI) was developed and in situ physicochemical data coupled with remote sensing data from Sentinel-2 were used to determine ecological integrity. A WQI from 29.45-53.20 yielded a spatial distribution of water quality that displayed a non-linear spatial trend throughout the estuary. Water quality close to the Brownsville Ship Channel inlet yielded values of 'Moderate/Stressed' water quality (> 50). These areas represent local zones of disturbance where ammonium concentrations were more than 11 µmol/L. …

Bayesian Change-Point Detection In Stock And Cryptocurrency Markets Using Shrinkage Priors, Yosalin Sanchez

Theses and Dissertations

Financial markets often undergo abrupt structural changes driven by political, economic, and geopolitical events, leading to substantial volatility. Detecting such change-points is crucial for identifying structural breaks, improving risk management, and enhancing forecasting performance in financial time series. This study proposes a Bayesian change-point detection framework that incorporates both the t-shrinkage prior and the Horseshoe shrinkage prior. These priors enforce strong regularization on successive differences in mean parameters, enabling the identification of piecewise constant structures in time series data. Posterior inference is conducted using Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) methods, specifically a Gibbs sampling algorithm, which iteratively samples from the …

Vision-Based Vibration Monitoring Of Civil Structural Damage Detection Using A Low-Cost Autonomous Uav, Javier Antonio Becerril

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis presents the development and experimental validation of a low-cost autonomous unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) for non-contact vibration-based structural damage detection. We extract structural vibration signals directly from video recordings captured by the onboard camera during flight. The extracted vibration signals are analyzed in the frequency domain to identify natural frequency shifts associated with structural degradation and damage.

To evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed approach, a laboratory-scale steel frame structure is tested under both healthy and simulated damage conditions. In contrast to advanced commercial UAV inspection systems, the developed UAV achieves comparable inspection capability at a significantly lower …

Pesticides And Poverty: How Socioeconomic Factors Relate To Pesticide Application In The Continental Us, Reed Smetter

Theses and Dissertations

Pesticides are often used to help reduce the populations of weeds, insects, and pathogens in agricultural and urban settings, reducing the risk of outbreaks and losses of agricultural yield. The communities that surround agricultural areas often bear the brunt of the negative community and environmental health effects of these chemicals, and are frequently rural, poor, and lack critical infrastructure resources. Pesticide application volumes are often linked closely with specific health effects. In this study, I apply social vulnerability theory to compare the potential connections between the application rates of pesticides and socioeconomic variables across the United States using a nationwide …