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Volume 53, Number 7: September 30, 2015, University Of North Dakota

University Letter Archive

No abstract provided.

Environmental Expertise In The Age Of Research: Institutional Process And Environmental Science In The American Far West, 1950-2014., Nathan D. Woods

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This dissertation focuses on how academic experts have gone about creating university- based programs in Environmental Science (ES). Since the 1940's, with the emergence of the postwar research economy, the U.S higher education system has increasingly become a vector of institutional change, innovation, and economic growth. This has had a dramatic impact on the social role of knowledge and collective expectations for faculty and expert work. In this context, academic experts in the mid 1960's championed a movement to develop university-based programs integrating interdisciplinary environmental research with the expert use of science in decision-making. I pay particular attention to the …

Incipient Speciation In Freshwater Fish Species From Two Isolated Watersheds, Paula Gore Miller

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The process of speciation occurs as a result of restricted gene flow between segments of an interbreeding population occupying different geographic areas. This separation may result in isolated populations which undergo genetic and phenotypic changes. The Wisconsin glacial period, which ended approximately 17,500 years ago, dramatically altered the geography of North America. The glacier covered almost the entire North America as it advanced. Areas that were not covered with ice provided suitable habitats (refugia) for relict species that were previously widespread in the northern section of the continent. As the ice sheet retreated, animals and plants were able to return …

Effect Of The New York City Overdose Prevention Program On Unintentional Heroin-Related Overdose Death, 2000-2012, Anne Elizabeth Siegler

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Background: Drug overdose mortality is the leading cause of injury death in both the United States (US) and New York City (NYC). Heroin-related overdoses make up the majority of overdoses in NYC. Since 2006, when a law was passed that allowed for layperson administration of naloxone, an opioid antagonist, heroin-related overdose deaths have decreased in NYC. No studies to date have investigated a possible association between the implementation of this intervention and heroin-related overdose mortality.

Objectives: To investigate the possible association between overdose prevention programs (OPPs) and heroin-related overdose mortality in NYC, using interrupted time series and geospatial analytic …

Evaluation Of Soil As A Risk Indicator For Human Leptospirosis In Coastal, Rural Ecuador, Chad Allen Weddell

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Leptospirosis, a zoonotic disease caused by pathogenic spirochete bacteria (family Leptospiraceae, genus Leptospira), is endemic in developing tropical regions of the world. It occurs in epidemics and is endemic in Ecuador where environmental conditions are ideal for maintenance. The role of soil as a long term reservoir has been previously been documented. Geographic Information System (GIS) and Remote Sensing (RS) technology was used in our study to further explore the role of soil as an environmental reservoir and its potential use as a static risk indicator for disease. Red, Green, Blue (RGB) spectral band data from known leptospire …

Effect Of Timely Treatment On Malaria Gametocytemia In Esmeraldas, Ecuador, Miguel Reina-Ortiz

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Malaria is a disease that causes great burden in public health worldwide. It was estimated that in 2011 there were 3.3 billion people at risk of acquiring malaria. According to data from the Ministry of Public Health of Ecuador, malaria incidence has shown a 99.9% steady decrease since year 2000. This study evaluated the effect of timely treatment on circulating gametocyte and malaria incidence rates. All cases reported in the province of Esmeraldas, Ecuador from July 2012 to March 2015 and to the national headquarters between February 2012 and December 2014 were studied. The effect of early treatment on: 1) …

Testing The Resilience Of Dead Maerl Infaunal Assemblages To The Experimental Removal And Re-Lay Of Habitat, Emma V. Sheehan, Danielle Bridger, Sophie L. Cousens, Martin J. Attrill

School of Biological and Marine Sciences

No abstract provided.

Skilled Linguistic Action In English As A Second Language Learners’ Play Of World Of Warcraft (Wow): A Distributed View, Kristi J. Newgarden

Doctoral Dissertations

This research provokes an action-oriented understanding of second language (L2) learning, as illustrated in the dynamics of World of Warcraft (WoW) gameplay. L2 learners picked up affordances for learning to take skilled linguistic actions in authentic interactions with meaningful outcomes. Agency, orientation to sociocultural norms and pragmatic competence were distributed in real-time languaging as learners coordinated actions using embodied, material and linguistic resources. Two studies examined data from a course in which English as a Second Language learners and native English speaking (NES) college students played WoW and explored its culture. Frames of ecological psychology and distributed language were applied …

Volume 53, Number 4: September 09, 2015, University Of North Dakota

University Letter Archive

No abstract provided.

Water Use Efficiency Of China's Terrestrial Ecosystems And Responses To Drought, Yibo Liu, Jingfeng Xiao, Weimin Ju, Shaoqiang Wang, Xiaocui Wu

All Materials

Water use efficiency (WUE) measures the trade-off between carbon gain and water loss of terrestrial ecosystems, and better understanding its dynamics and controlling factors is essential for predicting ecosystem responses to climate change. We assessed the magnitude, spatial patterns, and trends of WUE of China’s terrestrial ecosystems and its responses to drought using a process-based ecosystem model. During the period from 2000 to 2011, the national average annual WUE (net primary productivity (NPP)/evapotranspiration (ET)) of China was 0.79 g C kg−1 H2O. Annual WUE decreased in the southern regions because of the decrease in NPP and the increase in ET …

Community Involvement To Address A Long-Standing Invasive Species Problem: Aspects Of Civic Ecology In Practice, Rebecca W. Dolan, Kelly Harris, Mark Adler

Scholarship and Professional Work - LAS

Invasive non-native species (INS) are found in every city around the globe, but their impacts in urban settings as biological agents of visual pollution that block views of natural landscapes and disconnect citizens from nature are not as often addressed as comprehensively as their impacts in natural areas or agricultural settings. The multiple impacts of INS in cities make them ideal candidates for aspects of Civic Ecology Practice, where local environmental stewardship action is taken to enhance green infrastructure and community well-being in urban and other human-dominated systems. We present details of a community driven program focused on removal of …

Doing It Again: Repeating Methodology From Published Literature To Learn Field Biology, Laurie Eberhardt

Biology Faculty Publications

Repeatability underpins a basic assumption in science which students must learn in order to evaluate others’ research findings as well as to communicate the results of their own research. By attempting to repeat the methods of published studies, students learn the importance of clear written communication, while at the same time developing research skills. I describe three examples of published field studies that can be used as the basis for course exercises on the repeatability of methodology, as well as field sampling techniques, all grounded in the overall topic of environmental change. Two of the exercises returned students to the …

Anty 400.01: History Of Anthropology, Richard A. Sattler

University of Montana Course Syllabi, 2011-2015

No abstract provided.

Buteo Nesting Ecology: Evaluating Nesting Of Swainson’S Hawks In The Northern Great Plains, Will M. Inselman, Shubham Datta, Jonathan Jenks, Kent Jensen, Troy Grovenburg

Natural Resource Management Faculty Publications

Swainson’s hawks (Buteo swainsoni) are long-distance migratory raptors that nest primarily in isolated trees located in areas of high grassland density. In recent years, anthropogenic conversion of grassland habitat has raised concerns about the status of the breeding population in the northern Great Plains. In 2013, we initiated a study to investigate the influence of extrinsic factors influencing Swainson’s hawk nesting ecology in north-central South Dakota and south-central North Dakota. Using ground and aerial surveys, we located and monitored nesting Swainson’s hawk pairs: 73 in 2013 and 120 in 2014. We documented 98 successful breeding attempts that fledged …

A Qualitative Exploration Of The Major Challenges Facing Pharmacovigilance In Saudi Arabia, Hisham Aljadhey, Mansour A. Mahmoud, Thamir M. Alshammari, Mohammed Al-Dhaeefi, Hervé Le Louet, Susana Perez-Gutthann, Peter J. Pitts

Saudi Medical Journal

Objectives: To explore the challenges facing pharmacovigilance in Saudi Arabia and formulate recommendations to improve it from the perspective of healthcare professionals in Saudi Arabia. Methods: This was a qualitative study of 4 focus group discussions with pharmacists, physicians, and academicians held under the auspices of the King Saud University School of Pharmacy and the Center for Medicine in the Public Interest, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. A total of 29 eligible healthcare professionals were invited to participate in the discussion. The predefined themes of the study were the current practice and major challenges facing pharmacovigilance in regulatory bodies, hospitals, the community, …

Risk Of Death From Cardiovascular Disease Associated With Low-Level Arsenic Exposure Among Long-Term Smokers In A Us Population-Based Study, Shohreh F. Farzan, Yu Chen, Judy R. Rees, M. Scot Zens, Margaret Karagas

Dartmouth Scholarship

High levels of arsenic exposure have been associated with increases in cardiovascular disease risk. However, studies of arsenic’s effects at lower exposure levels are limited and few prospective studies exist in the United States using long-term arsenic exposure biomarkers. We conducted a prospective analysis of the association between toenail arsenic and cardiovascular disease mortality using longitudinal data collected on 3939 participants in the New Hampshire Skin Cancer Study. Using Cox proportional hazard models adjusted for potential confounders, we estimated hazard ratios and 95% confidence intervals associated with the risk of death from any cardiovascular disease, ischemic heart disease, and stroke, …

Genetic Divergence Of An Avian Endemic On The Californian Channel Islands, Amy G. Wilson, Yvonne Chan, Sabrina S. Taylor, Peter Arcese

Faculty Publications

The Californian Channel Islands are near-shore islands with high levels of endemism, but extensive habitat loss has contributed to the decline or extinction of several endemic taxa. A key parameter for understanding patterns of endemism and demography in island populations is the magnitude of inter-island dispersal. This paper estimates the extent of migration and genetic differentiation in three extant and two extinct populations of Channel Island song sparrows (Melospiza melodia graminea). Inter-island differentiation was substantial (G''ST: 0.14-0.37), with San Miguel Island having the highest genetic divergence and lowest migration rates. Santa Rosa and Santa Cruz Island populations were less diverged …

Effects Of Temperature And Water Flow On Morphology Of Astyanax Mexicanus (Teleostei: Characidae), Winer Daniel Reyes

College of Science and Health Theses and Dissertations

Most aquatic vertebrates are ectotherms. As a consequence, they are particularly susceptible to variation in environmental conditions during development, which can impact their phenotypes and survival. In fishes, vertebral morphology and body shape are particularly susceptible to changes in temperature and water flow regimes, two variables that are often correlated along altitudinal gradients in streams. This study addresses the impact of variation in these ecologically important environmental variables on the phenotype of the emerging model species Astyanax mexicanus (Teleostei: Characidae). Specifically, this study examines how variation in temperature and water flow impact vertebral number and body shape variation. Fish from …

Reflections Of The Holy Quran And The Mediterranean Diet: A Culturally Congruent Approach To Obesity?, Basil H. Aboul-Enein

Health & Wellness Department Faculty Publications and Research

BACKGROUND:

The Holy Quran is considered to be the authoritative spiritual and behavioral guide for practicing Muslims all around the world. With obesity becoming a growing public health problem in the predominantly Muslim Arab countries, culturally competent dietary and health-promoting strategies and interventions are warranted. The traditional Mediterranean-style diet (MD), which is considered among the healthiest diets, holds both a cultural and historical context within the dietary traditions of North Africa and the Middle East.

OBJECTIVE:

To conduct a narrative study of relevant passages mentioned in the Holy Quran which supports the characteristic features associated with the MD.

METHODS:

A …

Alpine Thermal Dynamics And Associated Constraints On The Behavior Of Mountain Goats In Southeast Alaska, Jeffrey HéBert Frederick

Biological Sciences

Alpine Caprinae, including mountain goats (Oreamnos americanus), have been described to be sensitive to temperature changes within their summer range and consequently may be forced to select habitats that allow for the maintenance of a stable core temperature on warm days. Survival may be inhibited if warm ambient temperatures cause mountain goats to reduce time foraging or if too much time is spent on thermoregulatory habitat selection. I investigated mountain goat behavioral activity budgets across alpine temperature gradients in Southeast Alaska using focal animal sampling and scan sampling techniques. I tested the effects of temperature on mountain goat activity and …

Effects Of Harvest On Wolf Social Structure, Population Dynamics, And Viewing Opportunities In National Parks, Bridget Borg

Biological Sciences

Management of gray wolves (Canis lupus) in and adjacent to Denali National Park and Preserve (DNPP) is complex. Wolves that live primarily within the park, where they are protected from harvest, often range across the boundary of the park where harvest of wolves is legal. Protection of wolves within the park provides for wolf viewing opportunities along the Denali Park Road for tens of thousands of visitors annually. Additionally, there is interest in maintaining wolf harvest opportunities adjacent to the park. The objectives for wolf viewing and harvest have been perceived as in direct conflict, but quantitative analysis of the …

Understanding Place In Fisheries Management: An Examination Of Ecological And Social Communities In The Pribilof Islands, Alaska, Courtney Lyons

Fisheries

Holistic approaches toward fisheries management are widely considered a more sustainable option than standard single-species frameworks. This project uses the holistic frameworks of ecosystem-based fisheries management (EBFM) and place-making to examine the ecological and social systems of the Pribilof Islands and the ways in which fisheries management decisions have structured these systems. In Chapter 1, we sought to understand potential ecological constraints of temperature, fish predation, and interactions with a congener (red king crab; Paralithodes camtschaticus) on blue king crab (Paralithodes platypus) recovery. These examinations suggest that blue king crab juveniles switch strategies from predator avoidance to a strategy of …

Allelopathy In The Non-Native Macrophyte, Myriophyllum Spicatum And Its Influence On Trophic Dynamics In Aquatic Systems, Daniel J. Sullivan

Theses and Dissertations

Non-native macrophytes structurally impact aquatic assemblages, yet little is known regarding how they influence energy pathways in freshwater ecosystems. Allelopathy in Eurasian watermilfoil- Myriophyllum spicatum has been shown to target basal epiphytic organisms resulting in differences in assemblage structure of colonizing epiphyton between M. spicatum and native M. sibiricum. I conducted a growth chamber experiment to investigate the hypothesis that differences in assemblage structure of colonizing epiphyton between these two macrophytes influence trophic dynamics within aquatic systems. My data suggest M. spicatum produces higher concentrations of allelochemicals, resulting in a more diverse epiphytic assemblage compared to M. sibiricum. This could …

Effects Of Intercropping Switchgrass In Managed Pine Stands On Plant Communities And White-Tailed Deer Forage Production, Bradley Robert Wheat

Theses and Dissertations

Interest in renewable energy and governmental mandates has motivated land managers to consider cellulosic feedstocks for bioenergy. I investigated plant community response to a system including switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) as a feedstock intercropped with loblolly pine (Pinus taeda). I estimated plant species evenness, richness, and diversity and biomass production, with emphasis on white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) forages. I detected 225 species in 2,220 1-m2 quadrats, and 7,495 biomass samples (96.4 kg dry weight) from 960 quadrats. Intercropping reduced plant species diversity, total non-pine tree biomass, and biomass of deer forages during switchgrass establishment. These effects were no longer apparent at …

Modeling Tree Species Distribution And Dynamics Under A Changing Climate, Natural Disturbances, And Harvest Alternatives In The Southern United States, Zhen Sui

Theses and Dissertations

Forests in the southern United States with diverse forest ownership entities are facing threats associated with climate change and natural disturbances. This study represented the relationship between climate and species dominance, predicted future species distribution probability under a changing climate, and projected forest dynamics under ownership-based management regimes. Correlative statistics and mechanistic modeling approaches are implemented. Temporal scale includes the recent past 40 years and the future 60 years; spatial scale downscaled from southern United States to the coastal region of the northern Gulf of Mexico. In the southern United States, dominance of four major pine species experienced shifts from …

Genetic Structure Of Rhizobia Associated With Chamaecrista Fasciulata, Hanna Elizabeth Dorman

Theses and Dissertations

The legume-rhizobia relationship is an important symbiosis. Studies have found variation in specificity and the functionality of symbiotic specificity can vary among plants of the same species and among rhizobia, as well as in concert with geographical variation. Here, we examined the diversity and geographic structure of rhizobia nodulating Chamaecrista fasciculata, which grows throughout the east-central U.S. and is symbiotic with Bradyrhizobium species. We investigated the association of geography and soil variables on rhizobial diversity by sampling plant nodules and soil across Mississippi and evaluated variation in rhizobia housed in different nodules of individual plants. Using nifH and truA, we …

Foraminiferal Biostratigraphy And Paleoenvironments Of The Middle Eocene Deposits From The Northern Part Of The Tarcău Nappe (Eastern Carpathians, Romania), Raluca Bindiu, Sorin Filipescu

Studia UBB Geologia

Middle Eocene foraminiferal assemblages have been analyzed from three representative sections of bathyal deposits cropping out along the Brodina Valley and Voroneţ Valley in the northern part of the Tarcău Nappe (Eastern Carpathians, Romania). The foraminiferal assemblages are dominated by agglutinated species with tubular forms (Psammosiphonella cylindrica, Nothia spp., Bathysiphon sp.), globular (Saccammina spp., Psammosphaera spp.), coiled (Recurvoides spp., Reticulophragmium spp.) and flattened streptospiral (Paratrochamminoides spp., Trochamminoides spp.). Coarsely agglutinated taxa are characteristic for the “flysch – type” agglutinated foraminiferal biofacies. The depositional setting was probably upper to middle bathyal, as suggested by the …

Chateaubriand And His Influence On The Early French Romantics' Perspective On Nature, Kyra Kalina Sanchez Clapper

Electronic Theses and Dissertations Archive

This work analyzes Chateaubriand's writings on America and compares them to Rousseau's philosophical writings on nature. In doing so, Iargue that Chateaubriand showed an exception interest in nature without human intervention - unlike Rousseau, who had an anthropomorphic approach to nature. By emphasizing Chateaubriand's nonanthropomorphic approach to nature, this paper rejects the monolithic view of FrenchRomanticism and contributes a deeper understanding of this important trend eighteenth century onwards.In order to arrive at a global picture of Chateaubriand's idea of nature, the primary source I will analyze are Chateaubriand's Atala, Voyage en Amerique, and Memoires d'outre-tombe and Rousseau's Discours sur l'origine …

How Diverse Detrital Environments Influence Nutrient Stoichiometry Between Males And Females Of The Co-Occurring Container Mosquitoes Aedes Albopictus, Ae. Aegypti, And Culex Quinquefasciatus, Donald A. Yee, Michael G. Kaufman, Nnaemeka F. Ezeakacha

Faculty Publications

Allocation patterns of carbon and nitrogen in animals are influenced by food quality and quantity, as well as by inherent metabolic and physiological constraints within organisms. Whole body stoichiometry also may vary between the sexes who differ in development rates and reproductive allocation patterns. In aquatic containers, such as tree holes and tires, detrital inputs, which vary in amounts of carbon and nitrogen, form the basis of the mosquito-dominated food web. Differences in development times and mass between male and female mosquitoes may be the result of different reproductive constraints, which could also influence patterns of nutrient allocation. We examined …

Effects Of Different Agricultural Management Systems On Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungal Diversity, Community Structure, And Ecosystem Services., Charles Bradford Gottshall

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Disturbances associated with row-crop agricultural management systems include mechanical (tillage and cultivation) and chemical (fertilizer, pesticides, herbicides, fungicides) inputs and are often co-occurring. Many soil microbes are sensitive to these disturbances, including arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), important plant mutualists in agricultural systems. AMF associate with many crop plants and provide direct benefits through root pathogen protection, drought resistance, nutrient acquisition and uptake, as well as contribute to ecosystem services by improving overall soil fertility. Examining how different row-crop management system disturbances affect the AMF community is important for understanding and enhancing benefits provided by these important mutualists, and key to …