Digital Commons Network^™

Study Of Adaptive Radiation Effects On Sprint Performance In Anolis Ecomorphs, Alexander J. Bergeson

Honors Thesis

Anolis lizards have become model organisms for the study of adaptive radiation and convergent evolution due to repeated patterns of specialization that allow them to live in different environmental niches within the habitats they occur. As part of a suite of adaptations for living in specific habitats, many species have repeatedly evolved specific changes in anatomy and physiology that make them better able to perform and survive in their surroundings. These specialized forms are referred to as “ecomorphs” based on their preferred habitats and have been well documented among Caribbean anoles. Mainland species, on the other hand, are less studied. …

Assessing Manganese Concentrations In Groundwater Across The Shenandoah Valley, Va, Christopher Goldmann

Earth and Environmental Geosciences Student Honors Theses

Aqueous manganese (Mn²⁺) in groundwater used for drinking water has adverse aesthetic effects at concentrations ≥ 50 ppb and adverse human health effects at concentrations ≥ 100 ppb. Mn²⁺ in groundwater may have anthropogenic (mines, pesticide, gasoline) or geogenic (rocks and minerals) sources. Private drinking water wells are vulnerable to Mn²⁺ contamination because their water quality is not routinely monitored. This study uses groundwater data from 1587 private wells in the Shenandoah Valley, VA to assess the spatial distribution of Mn²⁺ in groundwater and identify possible Mn²⁺ contamination mechanisms. Using geospatial and statistical analyses …

Detecting Ecosystem Response To Restoration Efforts With Implications For Recovery Of The Threatened June Sucker (Chasmistes Liorus) In A Shallow, Eutrophic, Utah Lake, Ryan D. Dillingham

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Environmental damage associated with a growing human population will increase globally without active management. Restoration can promote ecosystem recovery, yet often fails to produce desired results and may require decades to achieve noticeable benefits. Detecting small, incremental change sis imperative in these difficult situations. Here, I demonstrate that restoration focused on fish removal triggers incremental responses in aquatic plants and animals. Removing common carp is expected to encourage recovery of aquatic plants, increasing animal habitat, resulting in more macroinvertebrates (e.g., aquatic insects, snails). Carp removal should also increase water clarity, improving visibility for fishes, thus increasing their ability to find …

Land-Use And Potential Effects On The Western Tiger Salamander (Ambystoma Mavortium), Emily Zappia

Department of Environmental Studies: Undergraduate Student Theses

Humans have altered 40% of land across the globefor cropland, rangeland, and pastureland, which, in turn, affects amphibious species like the western tiger salamander (Ambystoma mavortium; WTS)and their viable habitats.Since intensive agriculture increased throughout eastern Nebraska in the 1980’s, the distribution ofA. mavortiumhas declined and the species can no longer be found in the southeast corner of the state, while populations are thriving in the pastures of the Sandhills region. Here we explorethe potential factors contributing to the decline ofA. mavortiumthrough the analysis of climaticand soil characteristic data across the geographic distribution of WTS. Data indicated that precipitation rates, soil …

Identification Of Risk Factors Associated With Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma (Npc) In The Pahang State Of Malaysia Hospitals, Azmir Ahmad, Muzaitul Akma Mustapa Kamal Basha, Wardah Mohd. Yassin, Nor Azlina A. Rahman, Wan Ishlah Leman, Luqman Rosla, Sharifah Nor Ezura Syed Yussof, Mark Paul, Kamariah Mohamed Awang, Kahari Abdullah, Mohd. Arifin Kaderi

Makara Journal of Health Research

Background: Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is the fifth most common cancer reported in Malaysia. Although several studies on NPC have been carried out, the risk factors associated with NPC in Malaysia are unknown. Therefore, this study was designed to investigate the risk factors associated with NPC cases in Pahang state.

Methods: NPC cases that were diagnosed between 2012 and 2017 were recruited from two referral hospitals in Pahang. An interview was conducted using adapted questionnaires, which included demographic data, family history of cancer, and lifestyle. The data were analyzed statistically to identify the associations between the selected variables and …

Pragmatism, Seminoles, And Science: Opposition To Progressive Everglades Drainage, Chris Wilhelm

Florida Historical Quarterly

Floridians have always had complex, contentious, and dynamic relationships with the Everglades. Most Floridians in the late nineteenth century and early twentieth century saw the Everglades as a wasteland and supported draining useless swamp in order to facilitate economic progress. The publication of Marjory Stoneman Douglas' The Everglades: River of Grass (1947) and the advent of modern environmentalism encouraged Floridians to reconsider the identity and value of the Everglades, seeing it as a 'river of grass' that needed protection and restoration. These two views, however, only scratch the surface of the multiplicity of ways Floridians have perceived and interacted with …

Sharp Prose For Green: John D. Macdonald And The First Ecological Novel, Jack E. Davis

Florida Historical Quarterly

Hardboiled-fiction writer John D. MacDonald was known to fulminate with devastating eloquence against the profligate pillaging of the Florida Dream. Its post-World War II disintegration into a nightmare took form as a subtheme in numerous novels he produced between the 1950s and 1980s and ultimately as a subgenre that inspired a future generation of socially minded Florida writers.1 Having made the state his home, MacDonald sensed personal loss when the combined improvidence and greed of businesses and government leaders impaired the general quality of life. He put his concerns to creative use in cutting prose, saving his harshest words for …

Religious Freedom Vs. Compelled Vaccination: A Case-Study Of The 2018-2019 Measles Pandemic Or The Law As A Public Health Response, Barbara Pfeffer Billauer Esq.

Catholic University Law Review

Following the recent decision in Roman Catholic Diocese v. Cuomo,^[1] clear guidance regarding the state’s powers to act during a pandemic is wanting. I look here to the 2018–2019 global measles epidemic, with a focus on the New York and Israeli experiences, for that guidance. Measles rates increased dramatically during the 2018–2019 season, both in the United States and globally. This phenomenon reflects a general decline in worldwide vaccination and an increase in vaccine resistance stoked by anti-vax groups. In the United States, the epidemic targeted ultra-Orthodox Jewish communities, as it did in Israel. This Article evaluates the …

Individual Trophic Niche Specialization In American Beaver (Castor Canadensis), Jimmy Taylor, Robert Francis, Scott Rush, Bronson Strickland, Guiming Wang

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

The American beaver (Castor canadensis) has been described as a choosy generalist at the species/population scale, yet observational studies have shown little variation in diet among individuals. We compared isotopic values of δ¹³C or δ¹⁵N taken from hair of 32 beaver, representing seven colonies in northern Alabama, USA to determine 1) if colonies of beaver show overlap in isotopic niche width as a result of the similar use of food resources and 2) if individual trophic niche specialization occurs within colonies. Total Trophic Niche Width varied across the wetland with the widest being twice …

الآثار البيئية والاجتماعية والاقتصادية لظاهرة المد الأحمر على مجتمع الصيادين في ولاية السيب - سلطنة عمان, ثرياء بنت سعيد بن سالم العلوي, وعد بن عمر بن مرهون السيابي, أسمهان بنت خميس الجهوري, علي البلوشي

Journal of Arts and Social Sciences

شهدت العديد من سواحل العالم في العقود الأخيرة مجموعة من حوادث نفوق الأسماك والكائنات البحرية الأخرى بسبب ظاهرة المد الأحمر، الناتجة عن انتشار الطحالب الضارة. وتعد سواحل سلطنة عمان الممتدة على نحو 3165كم من السواحل التي تكررت عليها هذه الظاهرة.

Get The Facts - And Then Act": How Marjorie H. Carr And Florida Defenders Of The Enviornment Fought To Save The Ocklawaha River, Frederick R. Davis

Florida Historical Quarterly

Self described as a "Micanopy housewife," Marjorie Harris Carr seemed an unlikely candidate to develop and lead a successful grassroots campaign to save the Ocklawaha River and the wilderness surrounding it against the Army Corps of Engineers' federally mandated Cross-Florida Barge Canal. In spearheading the "Fight to Save the Ocklawaha," Carr revealed an innate sense of how to present environmental science to the public, the media, and legislators in a way that swayed opinion.

Cohort Profile: The Green And Blue Spaces (Gbs) And Mental Health In Wales E-Cohort, Da Thompson, Rs Geary, Fm Rowney, R Fry, Et Al

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

Why was the cohort set up? The Green Blue Spaces (GBS) e-cohort, funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), was established to understand the impact of green and blue spaces (GBS) on mental health and wellbeing.1 The importance of GBS for mental health has been highlighted particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic.2 We processed opensource environmental data and Ordnance Survey data to create residence-level, longitudinal environment metrics for Wales, UK. These were linked to anonymised, administrative, routinely collected National Health Service (NHS) electronic health records. The cohort has individual-level linkage to a subgroup who were surveyed (cross-sectionally) to examine …

Association Between Smoking And Child Mortality Rate In Georgia Counties., Kingsley A. Kalu, Ho-Jui Tung Dr

GS4 Student Scholars Symposium

Association between Smoking and Child Mortality Rate in Georgia Counties.

Background:

Despite the major advances in health care, child mortality is still a major concern in the United States and Georgia included. Studies have shown that smoking (especially secondhand smoke) can cause multiple health problems in children, including mortality.

Objective:

The study objective is to examine the association between smoking and child mortality rate in Georgia counties.

Methods:

This study used data from the 2021 County Health Rankings for Georgia State. The total number of counties analyzed in Georgia was 159. Descriptive statistics and linear regression analyses were conducted to …

Spatial Scenery Of Congenital Syphilis In Brazil Between 2007 And 2018: An Ecological Study, Iaron Seabra, Glenda Roberta Oliveira Naiff Ferreira, William Sorensen, Carmem Oliveira, Andressa Tavares Parente, Elucir Gir, Renata Karina Reis, Rosangela Aparecida Pimenta Ferrari, Elia Botelho

Health & Kinesiology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Objective: To analysis the epidemiological scenery of the congenital syphilis (CS) in Brazil employing spatial analysis techniques. Design: Ecological study. Settings: This study was conducted in Brazil Sample: A total of 151 601 CS cases notified to the Diseases and Notification Information System from 2007 to 2018 from children aged 0–23 months and born from mothers living in Brazil were included in this study. Primary outcome measures: The CS incidence rates were calculated by triad (2007–2010, 2011–2014 and 2015–2018) for all Brazilian municipalities following the Boxcox transformation to remove the discrepant values. The transformed rates were analysed through the spatial …

Mutants, Sentinels, And Cerebro: Messages About Technology And Society In Science Fiction Films, Paige Marie Lee

Theses and Dissertations

Technology plays a significant role in society and in entertainment. People hold an ambivalent attitude about technology that is often illustrated in science fiction films. Much like myth telling stories to teach a lesson, science fiction films caution viewers of the effects of powerful technology usage in culture today. This thesis examines X-Men to show how relevant principles found in myth continue to be relevant to media consumption. Using media ecology to inform the reader about the technological environment (Mumford, 1944), this analysis of technology portrayed in X-Men shows the implications real world technology, such as radiation, weapons, and artificial …

Families In The Sky: Investigating The Population Structure Of Pinus Longaeva, Samuel Arnold Decker

Theses and Dissertations

In the Western United States, the Great Basin is a geographic feature that is home to a variety of unique species, including Great Basin bristlecone pine (Pinus longaeva, PILO). P. longaeva is well known for the age of some of the trees, some of which are over 4000 years old. In this study 17 microsatellite markers (simple sequence repeat, SSR) are identified and used to genotype a selection of 480 individuals spread across 24 PILO populations and 60 individuals divided equally between 2 outgroup species, Pinus aristata and Pinus flexilis. One population of PILO, HMW, shows more genetic similarity with …

Inflammatory Bowel Disease: Pathogenesis, Diagnosis And Current Therapeutic Approach, Adrian Silaghi, Vlad Denis Constantin, Bogdan Socea, Petrișor Banu, Vladimir Sandu, Liliana Florina Andronache, Anca Silvia Dumitriu, Stana Paunica

Journal of Mind and Medical Sciences

Inflammatory bowel disease is a group of conditions of unknown etiology, represented by Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis and characterized by the presence of intestinal wall inflammation. From the first cases described to date, several studies have been performed to elucidate the cause of inflammatory bowel disease. Generally, the genetic factors predispose to their occurrence while epigenetic and environmental factors trigger them. Genetic factors are mutations of the genes involved in the response and recognition of immune cells to different pathogens. The most studied epigenetic and environmental factors are smoking (which predisposes to Crohn’s disease and can be protective for …

Overcrowded Housing Increases Risk For Covid-19 Mortality: An Ecological Study, Karan Varshney, Talia Glodjo, Jenna R Adalbert

College of Population Health Faculty Papers

Objectives: Overcrowded housing is a sociodemographic variable associated with increased infection and mortality rates from communicable diseases. It is not well understood if this association exists for COVID-19. Our objective was hence to determine the association between household overcrowding and risk of mortality from COVID-19, and this was done by performing bivariable and multivariable analyses using COVID-19 data from cities in Los Angeles County.

Results: Bivariate regression revealed that overcrowded households were positively associated with COVID-19 deaths (standardized β = 0.863, p < 0.001). COVID-19 case totals, people aged 60+, and the number of overcrowded households met conditions for inclusion in the backwards stepwise linear regression model. Analysis revealed all independent variables were positively associated with mortality rates, primarily for individuals 60 + (standardized β1 = 0.375, p = 0.001), followed by overcrowded households (standardized β2 = 0.346, p = 0.014), and total COVID-19 cases (standardized β3 = 0.311, p < 0.001). Our findings highlight that residing in overcrowded households may be an important risk factor for COVID-19 mortality. Public health entities should consider this population when allocating resources for prevention and control of COVID-19 mortality and future disease outbreaks.

Overcrowded Housing Increases Risk For Covid-19 Mortality: An Ecological Study., Karan Varshney, Talia Glodjo, Jenna Adalbert

College of Population Health Faculty Papers

OBJECTIVES: Overcrowded housing is a sociodemographic variable associated with increased infection and mortality rates from communicable diseases. It is not well understood if this association exists for COVID-19. Our objective was hence to determine the association between household overcrowding and risk of mortality from COVID-19, and this was done by performing bivariable and multivariable analyses using COVID-19 data from cities in Los Angeles County.

RESULTS: Bivariate regression revealed that overcrowded households were positively associated with COVID-19 deaths (standardized β = 0.863, p < 0.001). COVID-19 case totals, people aged 60+, and the number of overcrowded households met conditions for inclusion in the backwards stepwise linear regression model. Analysis revealed all independent variables were positively associated with mortality rates, primarily for individuals 60 + (standardized β

Bioactivity Of Suberitenones A And B, Jared G. Waters

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Throughout human history, natural products have formed the foundation of medicine. In ancient times, a myriad of herbs and fungi have been attributed properties of healing and rejuvenation. Today, that foundation still very much exists, as natural product chemists isolate bioactive compounds from plants, fungi, animals, and microorganisms alike. As more of these secondary metabolites are discovered, scientists pursue more and more sources of biodiversity that may yield new and unprecedented compounds. To this end, Antarctica has become of particular note, as its unique environmental conditions and highly isolated nature make for rare and unusual adaptations in its native wildlife. …

A Meta-Analysis Of Quantitative Collecting Techniques For Spiders, Eliana Eldridge, Joshua Hicks, Sean O'Keefe

2022 Celebration of Student Scholarship - Poster Presentations

Quantitative sampling of organisms is often used to provide information in ecological studies, monitor populations, and aid in biodiversity projects. Many studies involve the quantitative sampling of spiders. In this meta-analysis study, 207 peer-reviewed journal articles formed the basis of an initial data set for a quantitative analysis of spider collection techniques. Data collected included country of study, mode of study, trapping techniques used, spider diversity, and number of specimens collected. Our meta-analysis gathered research articles that included 33 different countries of study. Trapping techniques greatly vary depending on the habitat in which spiders dwell. These were divided into aerial, …

Evolutionary Dynamics Of Rapid, Microgeographic Adaptation In An Amphibian Metapopulation, Adam Zachary Andis Arietta

Yale Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Dissertations

Wild organisms can rapidly adapt to changing environments, even at fine spatial scales. This fact prompts hope that contemporary local adaptation may buffer some of the negative anthropogenic impacts to ecosystems. However, there are limits to the pace of adaptation. Understanding the adaptive potential—and limitations—of individual species at fine-resolution is an important task if we hope to accurately predict the repercussions of future climate and landscape change on biodiversity. My dissertation takes advantage of an uncommonly long-observed and closely-studied system to paint a comprehensive picture of evolution over time in association with shifts in ecological contexts. In this dissertation, I …

Critical Theory In Revolt: Angela Davis, Rudi Dutschke, Hans-Jürgen Krahl And The Frankfurt School, 1964-1972, Cecilia Sebastian

Yale Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Dissertations

This dissertation charts an alternative history of Frankfurt School Critical Theory through its critical reception and appropriation by students involved in anti-authoritarian, anti-capitalist, and anti-imperialist social movements in the United States and West Germany in the 1960s and 1970s. There, many student readers of the tradition, including those named in the title, found opportunities to refine and critique their mentors’ ideas about capitalism and the state, racism and fascism, technology and mass culture, and the nexus of theory and praxis. They resisted the domestication of Critical Theory into the purely academic discourse of philosophy, sociology, and political theory, and instead …

Student Research Abstract Writings, Spring 2022, Pittsburg State University

Introduction and Abstracts

No abstract provided.

The Impacts Of Unconventional Oil And Gas Development On Drinking Water And Children’S Health, Cassandra J. Clark

Yale Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Dissertations

Unconventional oil and gas development (UOGD) combines horizontal drilling with hydraulic fracturing (the pressurized injection of millions of gallons of water and chemicals) to extract fossil fuels such as natural gas from deep rock deposits. UOGD has led to community concern over environmental hazards, such as water contamination, and health hazards, such as cancer. This dissertation examines the impacts of UOGD on communities in the Appalachian Basin from the perspective of three disciplines: exposure science, environmental justice, and epidemiology (background and overall aims summarized in Chapter 1). Chapter 2 investigates whether UOG exposure through household groundwater is captured by spatial …

Multidisciplinary Studies On The Social And Health Implications Of Stormwater Management And Flash Flooding, Alisha Yee Chan

Yale Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Dissertations

Research on stormwater management and flash flooding is of the upmost importance given the increase in severity of storm events from climate change and the rising installation of impervious surfaces from urbanization. This dissertation presents three studies that reveal social and health implications of stormwater management and flash flooding. Stormwater control measures (SCMs) (i.e., green infrastructure) are advantageous methods of stormwater management. However, studies suggest that urban greening may be associated with gentrification, displacing racially/ethnically minoritized groups due to increased housing costs and loss of feelings of belonging. For the first study presented in this dissertation, I analyzed whether there …

Development And Structural Organization Of Mexico’S Mangrove Monitoring System (Smmm) As A Foundation For Conservation And Restoration Initiatives: A Hierarchical Approach, María Teresa Rodríguez-Zúñiga, Carlos Troche-Souza, María Isabel Cruz-López, Victor H. Rivera-Monroy

Faculty Publications

Mangroves provide ecosystem services worth billions of dollars worldwide. Although countries with extensive mangrove areas implemented management and conservation programs since the 1980s, the global area is still decreasing. To recuperate this lost area, both restoration and rehabilitation (R/R) projects have been implemented but with limited success, especially at spatial scales needed to restore functional properties. Monitoring mangroves at different spatial scales in the long term (decades) is critical to detect potential threats and select cost-effective management criteria and performance measures to improve R/R program success. Here, we analyze the origin, development, implementation, and outcomes of a country-level mangrove monitoring …

The Microbial Nitrogen Cycling, Bacterial Community Composition, And Functional Potential In A Natural Grassland Are Stable From Breaking Dormancy To Being Dormant Again, Bikram Kumar Das, Satoshi Ishii, Linto Antony, Alexander Smart, Joy Scaria, Volker Brozel

Native Plant Focused Publications

The quantity of grass-root exudates varies by season, suggesting temporal shifts in soil microbial community composition and activity across a growing season. We hypothesized that bacterial community and nitrogen cycle-associated prokaryotic gene expressions shift across three phases of the growing season. To test this hypothesis, we quantified gene and transcript copy number of nitrogen fixation (nifH), ammonia oxidation (amoA, hao, nxrB), denitrification (narG, napA, nirK, nirS, norB, nosZ), dissimilatory nitrate reduction to ammonia (nrfA), and anaerobic ammonium oxidation (hzs, hdh) using the pre-optimized Nitrogen Cycle Evaluation (NiCE) chip. Bacterial community composition was characterized using V₃-V₄ of the …

Exergaming In A Multiplayer And Inter-Team Competition Mode With Play Lü: Effects On Adolescents’ Moderate-To-Vigorous Physical Activity And Situational Interest, Cédric Roure, Patrick Fargier, Guillaume Girod, Valérian Cécé, Denis Pasco, Vanessa Lentillon-Kaestner

International Journal of Physical Activity and Health

Objective: The goal of this study was to evaluate the impact of a Play Lü inter-team competition exergame on adolescents’ moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and situational interest (SI).

Materials and Methods: A total of 110 students (M_age = 13.7 ± 1.1, 12-16 years, 53.7 % girls, M_BMI = 19.9 ± 3.2) from a secondary school located in Switzerland participated to the study. They played three separate 20-min games in a counterbalance allocated order: (1) Play Lü multiplayer and inter-team competition exergame; (2) Play Lü single-player competition exergame; and (3) Tic-Tac-Toe multiplayer and inter-team competition game. …

The Correlation Between Vaccine Hesitancy And Privilege: Exploring The Degree To Which Education And Income Foster Resistance To Vaccination Efforts, Sophie Goldenberg

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Vaccine hesitancy is a public health issue of growing concern. Extensive pre-existing literature offers several explanations and conflicting viewpoints regarding reluctance toward vaccinations. However, minimal research has been done exploring the upstream social determinants driving vaccine hesitancy. Utilizing academic and gray literature and interviews with experts in the field, this study addresses this gap in knowledge with the research question: To what extent does privilege impact vaccine hesitancy and resistance? Vaccine hesitancy appears globally and is particularly concerning given the re-emergence of vaccine-preventable diseases (VPDs). Additionally, due to inconsistent causes, vaccine hesitancy is difficult to combat. In referencing the history …