Digital Commons Network^™

Counterfeit Campaign Speech, Rebecca Green

Faculty Publications

We are entering an era in which computers can manufacture highly-sophisticated images, audio, and video of people doing and saying things they have, in fact, not done or said. In the context of political campaigns, the danger of “counterfeit campaign speech” is existential. Do current laws adequately regulate faked candidate speech? Can counter speech effectively neutralize it? Because it takes place in the vaulted realm of core political speech, would the First Amendment stymie any attempt to outlaw it? Many smart people who have looked at the general problem of deceit in campaigns have concluded that the state has no …

Factors Influencing The Probability That Consumers Will Purchase Local And Organic Dairy Products, Caleb Edward Orr

All Theses

U.S. consumption of dairy products is trending upward, however, per capita consumption of fluid milk has decreased (USDA, 2017). By contrast, organic milk and other milk produced in non-conventional ways have experienced significant growth (AMS, 2017). By examining the preferences of specific consumer groups, dairy producers can make production decisions that better fit consumers' needs, which can in turn lead to a more efficient market for fluid milk in the U.S.

This thesis seeks to identify factors that can influence consumers' decision to purchase organic and local fluid milk. The data is obtained from a 2015 nationwide online survey of …

Last Chance To See? Motivations And Outcomes Of Last Chance Tourism Experiences In Arctic Alaska, Tana Kay Wilson

All Theses

The tourism market for endangered places and their vulnerable resources are booming and widely referred to as last chance tourism (LCT). People are planning trips to experience places or see species they may never have wanted to see until learning that the option to witness it could disappear in their lifetime. The notion of LCT was first introduced by the tourism industry to describe increasing tourist interest to endangered destinations. Utilizing visitor surveys, the purpose of this study was to identify LCT participants and quantify experiential outcomes of LCT (e.g., awe, epiphany and ambassadorship). This study specifically takes place at …

An Ex Vivo Model Of Elastin Degradation In Porcine Carotid Arteries For The Study Of Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms, Hannah Gore

All Theses

Abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA) are an area of dilation in the vessel that is greater than 3.0 cm in diameter or an area of the vessel that enlarged to greater than 50% of the vessel's original diameter. AAA are generally asymptomatic and if ruptured, have a mortality rate of 78-83%. AAA account for approximately 45,000 surgeries performed in the United States annually and are the 13th leading cause of death in the United States. Alterations of two extracellular matrix proteins, elastin and collagen, are associated with the formation of abdominal aortic aneurysms. AAA formation is marked by degradation of elastin …

Analyzing The Coiling Motion Of Plant-Inspired Soft Actuators With Tilted Helix Fiber Reinforcement, Ryan Kirby Geer

All Theses

Plants have unorthodox motion. The seed appendage of Stork's Bill plant (Erodium Gruinum) moves in such a way due to two physiological features. Plant cells are reinforced by cellulose fibers distributed in a tilted helix pattern — helixes that are tilted at a certain angle with respect to the longitudinal axis of the cell. Another feature is dehydration of cell tissue which causes volumetric shrinking. Due to the cellulose-fibers and dehydration of cell tissue, the seed appendage can coil and uncoil via a combination of twisting and bending. Coiling motion can be quite useful for robotic manipulation and locomotion purposes. …

The Impact Of A Sensory Garden Intervention For Individuals With Dementia, Haley Elizabeth Collins

All Theses

The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of sensory gardens on agitation and quality of life for people with dementia. The sensory garden consisted of plants that stimulated all the senses. Four people diagnosed with dementia residing in assisted living participated in the multiple treatment single-subject design (A1-B-BC-A2) study. Baseline phase A1 lasted two-weeks, intervention B and BC were four-weeks each, and return to baseline A2 was two-weeks, for a total of 12 weeks. Intervention B was an indoor sensory garden and intervention BC was an approximated outside sensory garden. Data revealed positive trends following the sensory …

Lectin Coated Electrodes For Biosensor Water Testing Applications, Aniqa Nuzhat Chowdhury

All Theses

Waterborne diseases account for millions of deaths each year. Developing countries struggle with infectious outbreaks occurring due to the presence of microbial agents in the water supply, and the morbidity rate remains high due to lack of detection. Even in the United States with modern water treatment facilities, lost productivity due to waterborne pathogens costs an estimated $20 million per year. There are many contaminants that are difficult and costly to detect even in developed countries, such as cyanobacteria. Cyanobacteria has particularly been a problem in upstate South Carolina, and the presence of this contaminant affects the quality of water …

Hydrogeologic And Geomorphic Processes In A Wastewater Spray Irrigated Agricultural System Located In A Karstic Seasonably-Cold Climate, Timothy J. Daniel

All Theses

Wastewater reuse, particularly via the use of spray irrigation of treated effluent, is a common practice worldwide and can help lessen the impact of the overconsumption of water resources. The increased recharge to the subsurface that enhances weathering and erosion during the irrigation application process makes it important to characterize any changes in the land surface over time. The Living Filter at Pennsylvania State University receives on average 1.5 million gallons per day (MGD) of secondary treated wastewater effluent year round. This Living Filter has been in continuous operation in some capacity for the past 55 years without any significant …

Orange You Glad"¦You Can Spot The Difference? Color's Impact On Brand Awareness & Recognition In The Athletic Environment, Daniel Bryson Conti

All Theses

This study explores which color components of a color will enhance a viewer's ability to identify a specific college athletic team's color. The primary question of this research is: how does color impact brand awareness and recognition in the athletic environment? This experiment explores consumer's brand awareness and color construction across demographic differences. The research methodology consists of an online survey with the brand profiles of four college football teams. These profiles include the team's logo, colors, and content that has been created by the respective team. Clemson University, University of Alabama, University of Notre Dame, and University of Oregon …

Evaluation Of Factors Influencing Irrigation Adoption Among Farmers In The Southeast, Patrick Carroll Combs

All Theses

Irrigation adoption can improve the yield and frequency of use of crop land, therefore increasing the quality and output of irrigated farms. With the expectation of water shortages out West, as well as an increasing population in the U.S., there is a greater opportunity for farmers in the Southeast to supply agricultural products, such as food and fiber. The proportion of farmers who irrigate, the proportion of farmland that is irrigated, and irrigated land's share of the area of farms that irrigate in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and the five-state region of the Southeast are used to …

The Effectiveness Of Multimedia Digital Graphics In The Context Of A Simulated Content Environment, Christopher Knox

All Theses

The overall purpose of this thesis was to evaluate the effectiveness and potential benefits or shortcomings of digital motion graphics when utilized in the context of a real-world marketing effort. It is vital to evaluate whether or not the understanding we currently have of motion graphics as a tool for effective communication still remains consistent when principles of visual noise, attention capacity limits, pairing with physical materials, and coordination across mediums are taken into consideration. Participants in this study were asked to interact with prepared content within the framing of a simulated social media feed viewed on a computer or …

Syntroph Diversity And Abundance In Anaerobic Digestion Revealed Through A Comparative Core Microbiome Approach, Masanori Fujimoto, Daniel Elliott Carey, Daniel Zitomer, Patrick J. Mcnamara

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

Anaerobic digestion is an important biotechnology treatment process for conversion of waste to energy. In this study, a comparative core microbiome approach, i.e., determining taxa that are shared in functioning digesters but not shared in non-functioning digesters, was used to determine microbial taxa that could play key roles for effective anaerobic digestion. Anaerobic digester functions were impaired by adding the broad-spectrum antimicrobial triclosan (TCS) or triclocarban (TCC) at different concentrations, and the core microbiomes in both functioning and non-functioning anaerobic digesters were compared. Digesters treated with high (2500 mg/kg) or medium (450 mg/kg) TCS and high (850 mg/kg) …

Effect Of Cultivar And Substrate On The Efficacy Of Biopesticides To Suppress Pythium On Greenhouse Crops, Liza May Degenring

Master's Theses and Capstones

Oomycetes, such as Pythium, are soil-borne plant pathogens that can cause significant losses in greenhouse crop production due to their swimming zoospores and wide host range. Additionally, the increasing use of substrates that lack microbial diversity in greenhouse production creates a “biological vacuum” that can reduce the substrate’s capacity to resist microbial invasion by soil-borne diseases. The lack of competition by a natural microbial community and the environmental conditions of greenhouse production creates an ideal situation for the use of biopesticides. Biopesticides are commercial products that use beneficial microorganisms (biocontrol agents) to suppress disease and promote plant health. Greenhouse producers …

Evaluating Wood Fiber Soilless Substrates For Effects On Plant Performance And Nutrient Management In Container Crops, Crysta Harris

Master's Theses and Capstones

Sphagnum peat moss is the most commonly used soilless substrate component to produce containerized greenhouse bedding plants. Perlite is often blended with peat to achieve desirable physical properties. Increasing transportation costs and occasional shortages of peat and perlite have increased the need for alternative substrate components. Wood fiber materials produced from the extensive secondary processing of pine wood chips are a potential partial alternative to peat and perlite. Incorporating wood materials into soilless substrates may result in nitrogen immobilization, increasing the amount of fertilizer nitrogen needed during production. Wood materials also have a naturally higher pH compared to peat, requiring …

Mechanism Of By Product Formation From Different Water Matrices By Chlorination And Chloramination, Victoria Jane Hawkes

Master's Theses and Capstones

Application of chlorine-based disinfection to drinking water and wastewater leads to the formation of disinfection by-products that are harmful to human health. This paper presents research performed on the formation mechanisms of trihalomethanes (THMs) and nitrosamines (specifically NDMA) from chlorine-based disinfection practices. The formation of THMs and nitrosamines was investigated under a range of water matrices and disinfection conditions by developing a set of laboratory prepared water matrices containing natural organic matter (NOM), bromide and ammonium. In addition, two pretreated surface waters and one secondary treated wastewater effluent were selected to link experimental results to practice. THMs and nitrosamines were …

Going Beneath The Surface: The Ecology Of Metalimnetic Cyanobacteria Layers In Three New Hampshire Lakes, Sabina Perkins

Master's Theses and Capstones

Cyanobacteria blooms take different forms: surface scums, subsurface epilimnetic blooms, benthic mats, and in some lakes, metalimnetic layers. There is limited field research on the seasonal behavior of metalimnetic layers and the contribution of layer-produced cyanotoxins to the overall toxin profile of New Hampshire lakes. Three lakes in New Hampshire were monitored monthly pre-summer stratification through post-fall mixis in 2018, tracking the formation and persistence of deep-water cyanobacteria layers and the physical/chemical/light environments where they were found. Cyanobacteria abundance and dominance were quantified through cell counts using an Imaging Flow Cytobot (IFCB) and with phycocyanin fluorescence estimates. Persistent, nearly monospecific …

Missed Moments: Kodak’S Failure To Define The Consumer Market For Digital Photography, Paul T. Moon Jr

History Theses

The focus of this thesis is to provide an expanded interpretation of the decline of the Eastman Kodak Company. Kodak is a company synonymous with cameras, pictures, and photography. The American photographic giant created a vast empire that was able to dominate the industry for the better part of the Twentieth Century. Yet, it missed the opportunity to develop its digital camera technology. This makes Kodak an interesting study in business decision making in the face of advancing disruptive technology.

In a historical context, there is a lack of work that deeply inspects the fall of the Kodak company in …

Sex Differences In Ethanol Modulation Of Dopamine Release In The Mesolimbic Reward System, Mandy Parsons

Undergraduate Honors Theses

This thesis seeks to synthesize previous studies that have shown sex differences in response to drugs of abuse, specifically cocaine and alcohol. These differences have been noted through the study of behavior, nitric oxide levels in the medial amygdala, and dopamine release within the mesolimbic system. Importantly, it has been consistently found that these differences seem to correlate with the changing hormonal environment produced by the estrus cycle in females. Furthermore, this thesis examines new research on how the estrus cycle modulates dopamine release within the reward circuit through the utilization of fast scan cyclic voltammetry and microdialysis techniques. A …

Including Indigenous Knowledge Systems In Environmental Assessments: Restructuring The Process, Rachel Arsenault, Carrie Bourassa, Sibyl Diver, Deborah Mcgregor, Aaron Witham

Articles & Book Chapters

Indigenous peoples around the world are concerned about the long-term impacts of industrial activities and natural resource extraction projects on their traditional territories. Environmental impact studies, environmental risk assessments (EAs), and risk management protocols are offered as tools that can address some of these concerns. However, these tools are not universally required in jurisdictions, and this Forum intervention considers whether these technical tools might be reshaped to integrate Indigenous communities’ interests, with specific attention to traditional knowledge. Challenges include unrealistic timelines to evaluate proposed projects, community capacity, inadequate understanding of Indigenous communities, and ineffective communicatio, all of which contribute to …

More Than Things, Scarlet Galvan

Scholarly Papers and Articles

The often invisible labor of serials, technical services, metadata, and electronic resources workers sits in the space between required and preferred, assessment and surveillance. Although libraries and information workers did not explicitly create the systems many of us live in, we are responsible for their everyday functioning. In many ways the narratives from technical services to the library are centered in objects: item counts, COUNTER stats, door counts, discovery, and other transactional data. And yet, we are stewards and maintainers, innovators and storytellers of the countless ways these objects are experienced. How can we help our colleagues understand the outreach …

Cybersecurity Paradigm Shift, The Risk Of Net Neutrality Repeal To Energy Reliability, Public Safety, And Climate Change Solutions, Catherine J. K. Sandoval

Faculty Publications

This Article contends that the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) January 2018 repeal of net neutrality rules creates cybersecurity vulnerabilities for the energy sector and other critical infrastructure. Unbridled from enforceable net neutrality rules, Internet Service Providers (ISPs) create systemic supply chain risks as the Internet has become embedded into the energy sector’s distributed ecosystem. This Article argues that cybersecurity has been primarily viewed from a “hacker paradigm” that obscures systemic threats such as those posed by an ISP since firewalls and traditional cybersecurity techniques do not protect against ISP conduct. The Article contends that the FCC’s failure to consider the …

The Functional And Structural Analysis Of Drosophila Robo2 In Axon Guidance, Lafreda Janae Howard

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In animals with complex nervous systems such as mammals and insects, signaling pathways are responsible for guiding axons to their appropriate synaptic targets. Importantly, when this process is not successful during the development of an organism, outcomes include catastrophes such as human neurological diseases and disorders. It is vital to determine the underlying causes of such diseases by understanding the development of the nervous system. There are many pathways that have been identified to play a role in this, however, we lack an understanding of how these pathways can promote such diverse outcomes in different populations of neurons. These pathways …

Phylogenetic Analysis Of Palisota (Commelinaceae) Using Chloroplast And Nuclear Regions, Alexandra H. Crum

Masters Theses

Palisota (Commelinaceae) differs from other Commelinaceae genera in androecial and pollen characters, a fleshy berry-type fruit, and anatomical characters. Palisota has been divided into two sections based on uniseriate vs. biseriate seed arrangement. Molecular phylogenetic analyses in Commelinaceae have placed Palisota near the base within the family, although its precise position is unclear. We sequenced chloroplast (matK, rbcL, rps16, and trnL-trnF, psbI-psbK, atpB-rbcL, atpF-atpH and psbA-trnH intergenic spacers) and nuclear (AT103) regions in 15 of approximately 26 species of Palisota and 15 outgroup species. Phylogenetic analyses were performed using maximum likelihood and Bayesian methods, with the …

The Association Between Dietary Niche Variation In Rodents And Climate Change Across The Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum, Hannah K. Vermeer

Masters Theses

Mammalian teeth play a crucial role in food acquisition and breakdown and are therefore closely tied to dietary niche. This study reconstructed the diet of early Paleogene paramyid rodents across the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM) climatic event in an effort to understand the role of climate in mammalian dietary niche change. Dietary niches were quantified using three dental topographic measures: Dirichlet normal energy, relief index, and orientation patch count rotated. A Kruskal-Wallis test was conducted over eight time periods to determine if each of the dental topographic measures (i.e., diet) varied over time. Regression analysis of these measures with climatic …

Habitat Use And Tributary Occupancy Of The Threatened River Redhorse (Moxostoma Carinatum) In The Grand River, Mi, Usa., Nicholas Michael Preville

Masters Theses

The resiliency of our aquatic ecosystems hinges on our ability to protect the native species that reside within them. The river redhorse (Moxostoma carinatum) is one such example and populations have become low enough to warrant listing by the State of Michigan. Causes of decline include overfishing, habitat alteration, and lack of knowledge of basic life-history attributes including their use of non-spawning habitat and spawning locations. In order to understand the river redhorse’s habitat use we implanted 15 individuals with radio transmitters and tracked their locations over the course of a summer. Tagged river redhorse were found to …

Biological Invasions On A Large Scale: Investigating The Spread Of Baby’S Breath (Gypsophila Paniculata) Across North America, Sarah K. Lamar

Masters Theses

Invasive species are a serious threat to biodiversity worldwide. While the impacts of invasive species increase annually, many gaps in our understanding of how these species invade, adapt, and thrive in the novel ecosystems into which they are introduced remain. This thesis aimed to add to our knowledge of invasion science, using the perennial forb Gypsophila paniculata as a study system. Gypsophila paniculata is a shrub native to the Eurasian steppe that was introduced into North America in the late 1800’s. After introduction, G. paniculata quickly spread and now occupies diverse ecosystems across N. America. In chapter II of this …

Using Landscape Genetics To Understand Connectivity Of An Island Population Of Eastern Massasauga Rattlesnakes (Sistrurus Catenatus), Nathan Kudla

Masters Theses

Populations that experience low levels of gene flow commonly display increased levels of inbreeding, lower genetic diversity, and reduced adaptive potential. Landscape genetics allows for spatial and genetic information to be analyzed simultaneously to better understand how the landscape influences gene flow. The eastern massasauga rattlesnake (Sistrurus catenatus) is a federally threatened viper found in wetlands throughout the Great Lakes region. Many remaining populations are small and isolated due primarily to habitat loss. Atypical from a range-wide perspective, eastern massasaugas on Bois Blanc Island (BBI), Michigan live in a relatively undisturbed landscape with a potential for high connectivity …

Evaluating Remote Site Incubators To Support Restoration Of Arctic Grayling In Michigan, Alan J. Mock

Masters Theses

Remote site incubators (RSIs) have been used to rear salmonid fish eggs along streams in the Pacific Northwest since the 1980s. Recently, the successful use of RSIs for Arctic Grayling Thymallus arcticus restoration in Montana has sparked a renewed interest to reestablish the species in Michigan. To support future reintroduction efforts of Arctic Grayling in Michigan, I evaluated RSIs in three Michigan streams during 2018 and 2019 using Rainbow Trout Oncorhynchus mykiss eggs (as surrogates for Arctic Grayling). My objectives were to: (1) compare hatching success between two different RSI designs (19-L vs. 265-L RSIs), and (2) test whether the …

Understanding The Molecular And Cellular Functions Of Odd-Skipped Related 1 In Outflow Tract Development, Menglan Xiang

Theses and Dissertations

The cardiac outflow tract (OFT) is a transient conduit that connects the embryonic heart chambers to the vascular network. Transcription factor Osr1 promotes the proliferation and cell cycle progression of second heart field (SHF), an essential cell population that contribute to the developing OFT. In this study, we investigated the role of Osr1 in OFT development on cellular and molecular levels using a systems biology approach. We observed OFT rotation and elongation defects, as well as double-outlet right ventricle and overriding aorta as a result of SHF-specific deletion of Osr1. Using genetic inducible fate mapping, we showed that Osr1-expressing SHF …

The Prey Drive Model Of Sexual Violence, Tiffany Dawn Russell

Theses and Dissertations

The current project introduced prey drive theory, a new conceptualization of human violence perpetration adapted from canine training and breeding literature. As with canines, prey drive theory conceptualizes human aggression as a manifestation of genetically predisposed dominance and competitiveness. To evaluate the concept of human prey drive, the current study developed a prey drive model of sexual violence that was tested within a community sample of men (N = 662). Four latent trait clusters formed the foundation of the model: sexualized prey dominance, sexualized prey pursuit, antagonistic preparedness, and malevolent personality. A new scale, the Masculine Dominance Index, was …