Digital Commons Network^™

Mountain Lions In North Dakota: A Public Opinion Survey, Theodore A. Darnell

Theses and Dissertations

Breeding mountain lion (Puma concolor) populations currently inhabit the western portion of North Dakota. In recent years, apparent increases in human-lion interactions across North Dakota, and other Midwest states, have challenged wildlife managers who strive to balance biological and social carrying capacities of these animals. In 2019, we surveyed 2,000 residents of North Dakota, USA, using a self-administered mail survey to discern knowledge of and attitudes towards mountain lions, and to explore whether the presence of these animals would influence decisions to recreate in western North Dakota. Our questionnaire included 12 questions designed to ascertain respondent attitudes towards mountain lions. …

Exploring Scale In Ocean And Coastal Governance In The Wider Caribbean, Robin C. Mahon

Gulf and Caribbean Research

An early childhood attraction to the sea led to a career in marine ecology, fisheries and ocean and coastal governance. This paper tracks the development of my career from tertiary education, through a variety of jobs and positions with government, private sector, international and academic organizations. These positions took me from national to regional levels of governance, then down to local levels and ultimately back up to regional and global levels. At each stage new concepts join those already there to build what is ultimately a multilevel perspective on ocean and coastal governance. This perspective is built around ideas of …

Microcystins And Liver Disease Mortality, Insights From An Ecological Study, Rajesh Tirpaul Melaram

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Microcystins (MCs) are toxic secondary metabolites produced by freshwater cyanobacteria. Algal bloom subsidence can stimulate MC release, which can impair liver function if orally exposed to in large doses. The purpose of this retrospective, U.S. ecological study was to determine if MC exposure represented an environmental risk factor for liver disease mortality using a socioecological approach. A longitudinal ecological substudy investigated the association between average total MCs in Lake Washington and Lake Manatee and age-adjusted chronic liver disease (CLD)/cirrhosis death rates in Brevard County and Manatee County, Florida (FL). A prediction model of total MCs was deduced by quantifying levels …

Childhood Blood Lead Levels And Adolescent Crime Rates In The United States, Jude Juiye Soweh

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Juvenile violent crime rates in the United States have been on a continuous decline since 1996. Despite this decrease, youth violence as well as racial differences in crime rates continues to be a public health issue in the United States. Researchers have linked externalization behavior in children to factors including genetics, parental upbringing, abuse, school environment, and media exposure but have not fully considered the relationship between early childhood lead contamination and youth violence. This was an ecologic study of the relationship between early childhood blood lead levels (BLLs; ≥ 10µg/dL before 2012 or ≥ 5µg/dL after 2012) and crime …

Association Of Landfall Atlantic Tropical Storms And Human Cases Of Locally Acquired West Nile Virus Infection In Florida, Jackson G. Mosley

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

West Nile virus (WNv) is the most widely distributed flavivirus and considered a vector-borne pathogen of global significance. During the study period from 2002 to 2018, WNv had the highest incidence of locally acquired human cases when compared to any other mosquito borne illness in Florida with 373 cases documented during the study period. The purpose of the study is to determine if there is an association between Florida landfall tropical storms (LTS) and the incidence of locally acquired human WNv cases from 2002 through 2018. The study used a retrospective ecological study design guided by the epidemiological triad model …

Population-Level Determinants Of Cholera Incidence In African Countries, Ngoy Nsenga

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Cholera remains endemic in Africa, with limited access to safe drinking water and inadequate sanitation as 2 of the main drivers of its dissemination. Few studies have examined the impact of health system capacity, even though it plays an important role in prevention, early detection, and response to a cholera outbreak. Grounded in the ecosocial theory of infectious disease dissemination, this quantitative ecological study explored the effect of social vulnerability (as measured by access to safe drinking water and sanitation, rate of open defecation, poverty, income inequality, gender inequality, and adult literacy) and health system (as measured by health financing …

Demographic, Environmental, And Clinical Variables Associated With Dengue In Saint Lucia, Brendan Lee

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Dengue is the most important arboviral disease of public health concern on the world stage. In Saint Lucia, the disease has been endemic for years. Little research has been published on the specific epidemiology of dengue in Saint Lucia, and this study sought to identify the risk factors associated with the disease specific to the island. This study was underpinned by ecological theory, which is used to explain the possible relationships between risk factors and the occurrence of dengue. This three-manuscript study was used to evaluate the relationship between demographic, environmental, and clinical variables and the occurrence of dengue as …

Population Density And Spatial Distribution Of Neglected Tropical Diseases In Sierra Leone, Abou B. Funna

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) are the most common health conditions affecting the poorest residents of sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). These infections affect an estimated 2 billion people worldwide, including 500 million people living in SSA. About 85% of NTD infections are a result of helminth infections; hookworm is also a common occurrence among SSA’s poorest people, especially children. Schistosomiasis is the 2nd most prevalent NTD after hookworm. This quantitative correlational study investigated population distribution and the spread of NTDs in Sierra Leone. The focus was on 5 major NTDs: ascariasis, hookworm, schistosomiasis, soil-transmitted helminthiasis, and trichuris. Data were obtained from the …

Partitioning Variation In Vegetation And Landscape Functionality In Arid Land Piosphere, Eahsan Shahriary

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

A piosphere is an interaction between vegetation community, watering point, and grazing livestock/wildlife. In this Dissertation, I begin by reviewing the concept of the piosphere, and the progress, knowledge gaps and common statistical approaches and errors in piosphere research. Landscape functionality, plant community distribution and their influencing factors on a piosphere in Iran are then investigated.

A total 862 piosphere publications of multiple types from 68 countries and 10 different languages during the period of 1915 â?? 2018 were reviewed. Australia was the most productive country followed by South Africa, the USA, Botswana and Argentina. Ivan Thrash is the most …

Personal Carbon Trading, Carbon-Knowledge Management And Their Influence On Environmental Sustainability In Thailand, Dadang Dally, Kurhayadi, Yeti Rohayati, Soheil Kazemian

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

© 2020, Econjournals. All rights reserved. The relationship between personal carbon trading, carbon knowledge management and their impact on the environmental sustainability has got very little attention. Inspired from this gap in the literature, present research is exploring the relationship between carbon trading, carbon knowledge and their combine impact on sustainability of the natural environment in Thailand. A questionnaire is designed based on the various factors of both exogeneous and endogenous variables of the study. A sample of 251 respondents was collected for both measurement and structural equation models. Additionally, some descriptive measures are also calculated and presented which provide …

Co-Occurrence Across Time And Space Of Drug- And Cannabinoid- Exposure And Adverse Mental Health Outcomes In The National Survey Of Drug Use And Health: Combined Geotemporospatial And Causal Inference Analysis, Albert Stuart Reece, Gary Hulse

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Background: Whilst many studies have linked increased drug and cannabis exposure to adverse mental health (MH) outcomes their effects on whole populations and geotemporospatial relationships are not well understood.

Methods

Ecological cohort study of National Survey of Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) geographically-linked substate-shapefiles 2010–2012 and 2014–2016 supplemented by five-year US American Community Survey. Drugs: cigarettes, alcohol abuse, last-month cannabis use and last-year cocaine use. MH: any mental illness, major depressive illness, serious mental illness and suicidal thinking. Data analysis: two-stage, geotemporospatial, robust generalized linear regression and causal inference methods in R.

Results

410,138 NSDUH respondents. Average response rate 76.7%. …

Survival Of Off-Host Unfed Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) Annulatus (Acari: Ixodidae) Larvae In Study Arenas In Relation To Climatic Factors And Habitats In South Texas, Usa, Emily J. Zamora, Brenda Leal, Donald B. Thomas, Robert K. Dearth

School of Integrative Biological & Chemical Sciences (Formerly Dept. of Biology)

The cattle fever tick, Rhipicephalus annulatus (Say), is an economically destructive arthropod because of its ability to vector bovine babesiosis. Cattle fever ticks can spend more than 90% of their life cycle as questing larvae, but the effect of climatic factors on their off-host behavior and survival is unclear. The goal of this study was to measure the effects of specific ecological factors on off-host larvae in nature. The study was conducted in a south Texas pasture over a 20-mo period, during which time larval populations were surveyed and ambient weather variables - relative humidity and temperatures - were recorded. …

Dietary Antioxidants Attenuate The Endocrine Stress Response During Long-Duration Flight Of A Migratory Bird, Stefania Casagrande, Kristen J. Demoranville, Lisa Trost, Barbara J. Pierce, Amadeusz Bryła, Maciej Dzialo, Edyta T. Sadowska, Ulf Bauchinger, Scott R. Mcwilliams

Biology Faculty Publications

Glucocorticoids (GCs) are metabolic hormones that promote catabolic processes, which release stored energy and support high metabolic demands such as during prolonged flights of migrating birds. Dietary antioxidants (e.g. anthocyanins) support metabolism by quenching excess reactive oxygen species produced during aerobic metabolism and also by activating specific metabolic pathways. For example, similar to GCs’ function, anthocyanins promote the release of stored energy, although the extent of complementarity between GCs and dietary antioxidants is not well known. If anthocyanins complement GCs functions, birds consuming anthocyanin-rich food can be expected to limit the secretion of GCs when coping with a metabolically challenging …

Incorporating Tallgrass Prairie Into Urban Environments, Daniel Hauschild

Department of Environmental Studies: Undergraduate Student Theses

As an agricultural state with a population poised to shift to primarily urban based, Nebraska is in the unique position of being able to decide how people live in modern cities. While the benefits of including green spaces in urban areas are well documented, evidence also suggests that increased biodiversity in these areas compounds those benefits. As such, incorporating elements of functioning natural ecosystems within urban areas can potentially create pockets of sustainable landscapes. Nebraska’s two largest population centers are located on land that was historically tallgrass prairie, an iconic landscape in American history and now almost entirely absent from …

Epidemiology Of Soccer‐Related Head Injury In Children 5–14 Years In Victoria, Australia, Amy E. Smith, Catherine Krejany, Moyez Jiwa

Medical Papers and Journal Articles

Aim: Our aim was to use epidemiological data to determine the incidence of soccer‐related head injuries in children aged 5–14 years who presented at emergency departments (EDs) or were admitted in hospitals in Victoria, Australia.

Methods: ED presentation and hospital admission de‐identified aggregate data were from the Victorian Injury Surveillance Unit. Soccer participation data were compared with the soccer‐related head injury data to determine the incidence of this injury among these children.

Results: The incidence of ED presentations was 0.17% of children participating in soccer during the study period (financial years 2011–2012 to 2015–2016). The 10–14‐years age group presented with …

The Influence Of Breeding Density On Female Aggression, Parental Care, And Ornamentation In A Secondary-Cavity Nesting Warbler, Elsa B. Chen

Theses and Dissertations

Tradeoffs between individual survival and reproductive success associated with aggressive behaviors are a driving force of evolution, but these tradeoffs are often overlooked for aggressive conspecific interactions between females. For avian males, it is well documented that more aggressive individuals tend to provide less parental care. In the few studies that address this in females, the tradeoffs seem to be more context-dependent, varying due to factors such as predation pressure and habitat quality. The relationship between female ornamentation and aggression is similarly understudied, but evidence suggests that both aggression and ornamentation are important traits involved in social selection – the …

Socioeconomic Status, Benzathine Penicillin Prophylaxis, And Clinical Outcomes In Patients With Rheumatic Heart Disease, Christopher Sabo Yilgwan

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Rheumatic heart disease (RHD) is the major cause of acquired heart disease and death for children and young adults in developing countries. Poverty and social disadvantage are thought to influence the clinical outcomes in RHD patients. Guided by the health lifestyle theory, this study assessed the relationship between socioeconomic status and clinical outcomes (heart failure events and mortality) in patients with RHD. It also examined how adherence to penicillin prophylaxis mediates the effect of socioeconomic status (SES) on clinical outcomes. Using the Nigerian database of the REMEDY study, this study was conducted with 243 participants using Poisson regression and logistic …

Anthropogenic Impacts And Influence On African Painted Dogs (Lycaon Pictus), Tammy Cloutier

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

Anthropogenic activity has been documented to have negative impacts on wildlife that include altered behaviors, lower body mass, and decreased reproductive success. Although wildlife viewing provides support for conservation efforts, it is also one of many human recreational activities that pose a threat to wildlife. The painted dog (Lycaon pictus) is a popular species for viewing by tourists, and one of Africa’s most endangered carnivores. Anthropogenic-based actions such as persecution, snaring, diseases transmitted via domestic dogs, and habitat fragmentation contribute to their decline, and human disturbance at den sites, primarily via tourism, is an emergent threat for this species. I …

Extreme-Tolerance Mechanisms In Meiofaunal Organisms: A Case Study With Tardigrades, Rotifers And Nematodes, Lorena Rebecchi, Chiara Boschetti, Diane R. Nelson

School of Biological and Marine Sciences

No abstract provided.

Modeling Coral Reef Acoustic Propagation Loss, Kayla M. Thilges

Open Access Master's Theses

Quantification of an acoustic metric relating sound propagation on a coral reef to ecological parameters could enhance long-term ecological studies on coral reefs. The acoustic metric constructed in this study is coral reef propagation loss, or the sound intensity reduction with range, in a coral reef environment. Establishment of this benchmark parameterizes the geometric spreading and attenuation factors of the coral reef environment.

Two analyses are conducted in which both passive and active acoustics are used to measure the sound propagation environment across different fringing coral reef sites. In the first analysis, two passive acoustic studies in the literature captured …

Sampling Device-Dependence Of Prokaryotic Community Structure On Marine Particles: Higher Diversity Recovered By In Situ Pumps Than By Oceanographic Bottles, Viena Puigcorbe, Clara Ruiz-Gonzalez, Pere Masque´, Josep M. Gasol

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Microbes associated with sinking marine particles play key roles in carbon sequestration in the ocean. The sampling of particle-attached microorganisms is often done with sediment traps or by filtration of water collected with oceanographic bottles, both involving a certain time lapse between collection and processing of samples that may result in changes in particle-attached microbial communities. Conversely, in situ water filtration through submersible pumps allows a faster storage of sampled particles, but it has rarely been used to study the associated microbial communities and has never been compared to other particle-sampling methods in terms of the recovery of particle microbial …

Statements About The Pervasiveness Of Behavior Require Data About The Pervasiveness Of Behavior, Craig P. Speelman, Marek Mcgann

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Despite recent close attention to issues related to the reliability of psychological research (e.g., the replication crisis), issues of the validity of this research have not been considered to the same extent. This paper highlights an issue that calls into question the validity of the common research practice of studying samples of individuals, and using sample-based statistics to infer generalizations that are applied not only to the parent population, but to individuals. The lack of ergodicity in human data means that such generalizations are not justified. This problem is illustrated with respect to two common scenarios in psychological research that …

Auto-Rewilding In Post-Industrial Cities: The Case Of Inland Cormorants In Urban Britain, Cara Clancy, Kim Ward

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

No abstract provided.

The Spatial Ecology And Genetics Of Copperhead Snakes (Agkistrodon Contortrix) In An Urban Forest, Malle F. Carrasco-Harris

Electronic Theses and Dissertations Archive

As global population increases and metropolitan areas grow, natural habitats are progressively fragmented, isolated, and modified. Species residing in urban areas face novel challenges compared to conspecifics in undisturbed habitats. Animals in and around urban areas often modify behavior and space use to reduce anthropogenic disturbance. Further, populations may be isolated from other suitable habitats, potentially reducing opportunities to mate with non-related individuals. Although the consequences of urbanization have been extensively studied in birds and mammals, less is known about limited mobility animals, such as reptiles. Reptiles, specifically snakes are particularly vulnerable in urban areas because of their decreasing populations, …

Conospermum Undulatum: Insights Into Population Genetics And Pollination Ecology Of A Threatened Species, Nicola Delnevo

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Fragmentation of natural vegetation is currently one of the largest threats to biodiversity. Within the southwest Australia global biodiversity hotspot, the Swan Coastal Plain was historically cleared for agriculture and forestry and is now experiencing extensive land clearing for urbanisation. The wavy-leaved smokebush Conospermum undulatum is a rare species endemic to the Swan Coastal Plain, and its future persistence is threatened by urban expansion.

Throughout this research, I investigated the pollination ecology of this species and found a specific association between C. undulatum and native bees for pollination. I also demonstrated that C. undulatum has evolved pollen with resistance to …

Spatial Dynamics Of Nest Success In White-Throated Sparrows (Zonotrichia Albicollis), Sarah E. Moore

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

White-throated sparrows ( Zonotrichia albicollis ) exhibit two color morphs that breed disassortatively with each other, creating a rare four-sex system. This polymorphism, linked to an inversion on Chromosome 2, also results in two distinct behavior profiles and alternate reproductive strategies. Males settle in territories with characteristics that optimize their reproductive strategy. Overall, the objective of this project was to investigate nest success over a long time-period (18 years). I first sought to create an interpolated risk map for nest failure, a major cause of decreased reproductive success in both sexes. High-density areas, associated with white males, contained more failed …

Non-Song Vocalizations Of Humpback Whales In Western Australia, Angela Recalde-Salas, Christine Erbe, Chandra Salgado Kent, Miles Parsons

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

This study presents non-song vocalizations of humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) from two migratory areas off the Western Australian coast: Geographe Bay and Port Hedland. A total of 220 sounds were identified as non-song sounds in 193 h of recordings reviewed. Of those, 68 were measured and qualitatively classified into 17 groups using their spectral features. One group (HW-02) had a high level of variation in terms of spectral slope. However, further classification using statistical classification methods was not possible because of the small sample size. Non-song sound frequencies varied from 9 Hz to 6 kHz, with the majority of sounds …

Phylogenetic And Population Genetic Analysis Of The Humboldt's Flying Squirrel Using High-Throughput Sequencing Data, Stella Chi Yuan

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

The intraspecific genetic variation and diversity within the Humboldt’s flying squirrel (Glaucomys oregonensis) has not yet been characterized despite its elevation to full species in 2017. The San Bernardino flying squirrel (G. o. californicus) is thought to be the southernmost population of G. oregonensis and is restricted to the San Bernardino and San Jacinto Mountains in California, but recent surveys indicate they have been extirpated from the latter locality. In order to provide baseline genetic data across the geographic range of G. oregonensis, I had the following objectives: 1) investigate the intraspecific molecular variation in …

An Aye Aye For An Aye Aye: Making Biodiversity Offsets Sustainable, David Takacs

Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.