Digital Commons Network^™

Making Scientific Information Usable: Development And Assessment Of A Novel Intervention To Boost Healthy Lifestyle Decision-Making, Brittany Nelson

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Context—Improving diet can reduce the risk of chronic health conditions such as cancer and heart disease. However, people continue to make poor dietary health decisions. A novel intervention based on the science of behavior change and incorporating Human-Centered Design (HCD) methodology is needed to boost informed dietary decision-making.

Objective—This research presents a Behavior Change Wheel (BCW), Human-Centered Design (HCD) approach to develop a novel high-usability video intervention that will increase informed decision-making for whole-grain dietary decisions. The intervention will target college students, improving habits that can carry on throughout later adulthood.

Design—Study 1 consisted of preliminary data …

Bioaccumulation Of Polychlorinated Biphenyl Compounds And Mercury In A Mining Impacted Aquatic Ecosystem, Michelle Bollini

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

The Keweenaw area continues to be influenced by the century of copper mining that ended nearly 50 years ago. This project is focused on Torch Lake, an aquatic ecosystem that has been heavily impacted by mining waste disposal. The watershed has been impaired by mine discharge and tailings, smelter and smokestack plumes, and poor waste disposal practices. The lake is listed as a Great Lakes Area of Concern with beneficial use impairments of restrictions on fish consumption and a degraded benthic community. Polychlorinated biphenyl compounds (PCBs) and methylmercury (MeHg) are persistent, bioaccumulative, and toxic substances (PBTs). These contaminants pose threats …

Prediction Of Sumoylation Sites In Proteins From Language Model Representations, Evgenii Sidorov

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Sumoylation is an essential post-translational modification intimately involved in a diverse range of eukaryotic cellular mechanisms and plays a significant role in DNA repair. Some researchers hypothesize that a high level of SUMOylation events in cancer cells improves cells' chances for survival under stress conditions by regulating tumor-related proteins.

This study belongs to a booming field of harnessing computational power to the domain of life. Prediction of protein structure, its molecular function, and the design of new drugs are just a few examples of the applications within this exciting area of research. By leveraging computational power, researchers can analyze vast …

Impacts Of Introduced Earthworms On Sugar Maple Sap Chemistry And The Discourse Of Invasion Ecology, Shelby Nicole Lane-Clark

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

To delve into further understanding of the relationships between introduced earthworms, forest ecosystems, and the human systems they impact, two approaches were taken. In the first approach, we seek to explore ways we can shift the discourse within and regarding the field of invasion ecology by re-framing how we approach discussion, management, and education regarding introduced species. Language issues surrounding introduced species through the example of earthworms in North America are described and potential solutions are provided, including a repositioned perspective that may facilitate better relationships with the natural world. The goal is to shift the language to be more …

Machine Learning Methods For Prediction Of Human Infectious Virus And Imputation Of Hla Alleles, Xiaoqing Gao

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

This dissertation contains three Chapters. The following is a concise description of each Chapters.

In Chapter 1, we introduced the Random Forest, a machine learning method, to foresee whether a virus is capable of infecting humans. The Covid pandemic informs us the importance of predicting the ability of a zoonotic virus that can infect humans from its genomic sequence. We used the -mer with and as features of a virus to predict if it can affect humans. We further employed the Boruta algorithm to select the important features, then fed those important features into the Random Forest method to train …

Tandem Mass Spectrometry Analysis Reveals Changes In Metabolome Profile In Triticosecale Seeds Based On Harvesting Time, Nadezhda Chikida, Mayya Razgonova, Lubov Bekish, Alexander Mikhailovich Zakharenko, Kirill Golokhvast

Turkish Journal of Agriculture and Forestry

Triticosecale "Bilinda" (cultivar was bred in the laboratories of the Leningrad Research Agriculture Institute, Branch of Russian Potato Research Centre, Leningrad Province) contains a large number of polyphenolic compounds which are biologically active components. The purpose of this work was to conduct a comparative metabolomic study of extracts of Triticosecale cultivar "Bilinda" seeds harvested at different stages of maturation. To identify target analytes in extracts HPLC was used in combination with an ion trap. The results showed the presence of 93 target compounds corresponding to Triticosecale. In addition to the reported polyphenol constituents, 28 polyphenols were newly annotated in …

Exploring The Microbial Composition Of Moonmilk In Wind Cave National Park, Emma Pellegrino

Honors Program Theses

Moonmilk is a white substance mainly composed of calcium carbonate (CaCO3) that is often found in limestone caves. It is one of many mineral composites, or speleothems, in Wind Cave National Park South Dakota and is thought to be formed by microbial activity. This cave system is a complex, isolated environment that serves as an analog for similar domains beyond the Earth. Each site has varying degrees of human exposure, from public tour routes to caverns only occasionally visited by park rangers, making it an ideal place of study for pristine samples in extreme conditions. Wind Cave also varies in …

The Horror Of Darwinism: The Evolution Of The Monster In Film And Popular Culture, Ava Deitrich

Honors Program Theses

In the following pages, dear reader, you will be astounded, mystified, entertained, and intrigued. Using Stephen King’s three monstrous archetypes outlined in Danse Macabre as a guide, and the 1930’s Universal Monster Films as a starting point, I trace the roots of the Vampire, Two Faced, and Thing Without a Name through time and space. Along the evolutionary track of these archetypes, I touch on changes regarding perception and performance, in relation to social and historical shifts. I will be your guide exploring the scenery, costuming, sound design, and cinematography (to name a few) as I examine each film within …

Tropical Plant Physiological Responses To Experimental Warming And Hurricane Disturbance, Robert Tunison

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Tropical forests exchange more carbon with the atmosphere than any other biome, but their responses to climate change are largely understudied. The work presented in this dissertation uses a tropical understory warming experiment that was hit by a hurricane disturbance to investigate how plant physiology responds to multiple types of climate change pressures. We measured the potential for root respiration, leaf photosynthesis & respiration, and leaf thermotolerance acclimation to experimental warming while recovering from hurricane disturbance. We found there was thermal acclimation via decreased ecosystem root respiration, increased photosynthetic thermal niche breadth, and decreased quantum efficiency for some species at …

Artificial Intelligence Algorithms For Eye Banking, Ranit Karmakar

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Eye banking plays a critical role in modern medicine by providing cornea tissues for transplantation to restore vision for millions of people worldwide. The evaluation of corneal endothelium is done by measuring the corneal endothelial cell density (ECD). Unfortunately, the current system to measure ECD is manual, time-consuming, and error prone. Furthermore, the impact of social behaviors and biological conditions on corneal endothelium and corneal transplant success is largely unexplored. To overcome these challenges, this dissertation aims to develop tools for corneal endothelial image and data analysis that enhance the efficiency and quality of the cornea transplants.

In the first …

Characterization Of Vernal Pools Across National Parks In The Great Lakes Region, Samantha R. Kurkowski

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Vernal pools are small, ephemeral wetlands that become inundated each spring and provide many ecosystem services to the surrounding upland forests. They also provide critical habitat for amphibians and invertebrates, as their temporary nature keeps them free of fish and reduces predator populations. As part of a mapping project, we collected baseline field data on vernal pool characteristics throughout five Great Lakes National Parks: Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, Apostle Islands National Lakeshore, Isle Royale National Park, and Voyagers National Parks. Our goals were to characterize and assess how vernal pools vary within and across the …

Accepting Change: Facets Of Acceptance & Sustainable Redevelopment, Zoe L. Ketola

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

As the effects of climate change worsen, it becomes increasingly apparent that just development efforts must be rooted in principles of sustainability and community engagement. This research addresses the role that acceptance plays within two different examples of sustainable redevelopment. The first empirical case examines acceptance of genetically improved trees among family forest owners. The second case explores policy acceptance of community-centric redevelopment of brownfield sites for renewable energy generation. This work uses a combination of survey data and document analysis to shed light on two specific forms of sustainable redevelopment and the consideration given to community priorities and acceptance …

Identifying Spatial Heterogeneity In And Potential Biological Consequences Of River Thermal Environments, Keith Jeffrey Fritschie

Dartmouth College Ph.D Dissertations

Temperature is a nearly ubiquitous driver of ecological and evolutionary processes, especially for organisms whose body temperature changes with the environment. The overarching biological importance of environmental temperature and increased availability of temperature datasets have led to its inclusion in spatially continuous models of species’ performance, abundance, and distribution. However, variation in both environmental temperature and animal behavior at finer scales than captured by these models may reduce the accuracy of their scientific conclusions and conservation recommendations. Here I contribute to an improved understanding of thermal variability in river systems and its potential biological consequences for an iconic coldwater species, …

Accelerated Forgetting In People With Epilepsy: Pathologic Memory Loss, Its Neural Basis, And Potential Therapies, Sarah Ashley Steimel Phd

Dartmouth College Ph.D Dissertations

While forgetting is vital to human functioning, delineating between normative and disordered forgetting can become incredibly complex. This thesis characterizes a pathologic form of forgetting in epilepsy, identifies a neural basis, and investigates the potential of stimulation as a therapeutic tool. Chapter 2 presents a behavioral characterization of the time course of Accelerated Long-Term Forgetting (ALF) in people with epilepsy (PWE). This chapter shows evidence of ALF on a shorter time scale than previous studies, with a differential impact on recall and recognition. Chapter 3 builds upon the work in Chapter 2 by extending ALF time points and investigating the …

Advanced Tools For Time-Resolved Imaging Of Tissue Metabolism, Arthur Petusseau

Dartmouth College Ph.D Dissertations

Medical imaging is a crucial tool in diagnosing and treating diseases, and by far the most common set of tools used for point-of-care guidance between a physician and patient are optical devices. For example, visible light imaging has unique applications in endoscopy, dermatology, microscopy, and this range of devices utilize a wide range of optical signals for sensing the tissue. Fluorescence imaging has become a niche but growing methodology in medical diagnostics and treatment because of its simplicity and the ability to integrate reporter molecules, that can reveal detailed information about cellular structures, metabolism, signaling, and other biomolecular features of …

Design Of Next-Generation Neural Interfaces For Decoding The Brain, Yi Qiang

Dartmouth College Ph.D Dissertations

The primary goal of neural interface technology is to establish a connection between the nervous system and the external world by recording and modulating neural signals. Over the past few decades, microelectrode array (MEA) technology has played an essential role in the acquisition of electrophysiological signals, with impressive progress being made towards developing high-density, large-throughput, and ultra-flexible MEAs. However, despite these advancements, there remain long-standing limitations in current neural interfaces. For example, electrophysiology is limited in its ability to distinguish cell types and has limited spatial resolution due to its electrical recording nature. Furthermore, conventional neural MEAs are limited to …

Mitochondrial Division: Synergizing In Mitochondrial Divisome, Ao Liu

Dartmouth College Ph.D Dissertations

Mitochondria are the energy factories of the cell. The dynamic nature of cells demands routine changes in mitochondrial morphology by fusion and division. The dynamin GTPase Drp1 is a central mitochondrial division protein, driving constriction of the outer mitochondrial membrane via oligomerization. At least four regulatory factors control Drp1 activity on the outer mitochondrial membrane (OMM): 1) receptor proteins (Mff, MiD49, MiD51, and Fis1); 2) actin filaments; 3) the mitochondrial phospholipid cardiolipin (CL); and 4) Drp1 post-translational modifications, of which two phosphorylation sites (S579 and S600) are the most well studied. However, the molecular mechanism of how these factors work …

Southern Adventist University Annual Report 2022-2023, Southern Adventist University

Annual Reports

The Annual Report for Southern Adventist University for 2022 to 2023.

Sinking Into My Skin: An Exploration Of The Mind And Body Through Multigenre Creative Writing, Ana Elizabeth Eagan

Honors Program Theses

No abstract provided.

A Next Generation Science Standards (Ngss) Aligned 3rd Grade Weather Unit, Jennifer Hageman

Graduate Research Papers

This unit is the culmination of work on taking the NGSS for weather and climate and creating an inclusive unit for third grade students. At the time this unit was started, many teachers were taking the NGSS and creating units for the classrooms. This unit integrates math, literacy, and social studies standards to help explore the NGSS for weather and climate.

After completion of this unit it was given to two reviewers in the field of teaching. They read the unit and provided feedback for improvement. After review of the feedback it was noted that adaptations for students need to …

What's Your Story? An Analysis Of Video Storytelling For Nonprofit Organizations, Madeline Rummel

Graduate Research Papers

In recent decades, not only has the number of registered nonprofit organizations risen, the public need for nonprofit agencies has risen as well. Additionally, as social media has boomed, the use of social media for marketing purposes by nonprofit organizations has grown instrumentally. This study analyzes the literature on video storytelling, specifically using social media marketing of video storytelling as a means for nonprofits to create a positive impact not just on the agency itself, but also on the community they serve as a whole, and beyond. The five specific areas reviewed are the history of video storytelling, factors for …

Biogeography Of Special Metabolites Produced By Ant-Associated Bacteria, Katherine Hansen

Scripps Senior Theses

There is an urgent and growing need for novel antibiotics with the growing prevalence of antibiotic-resistant pathogens. Ecologically-guided discovery is a strategy that focuses on how and where specially evolved metabolites such as antibiotics are used in nature. This strategy reveals unique active molecules with potential for human use. An unexplored niche with great potential for antibiotic discovery exists with Southwestern fungus-farming Trachymyrmex ants and their Actinobacteria symbionts. In exchange for nutrients from the ant, the ants’ bacterial symbiont produces antifungal molecules that protect the ants’ fungal cultivar from invasion by pathogenic microorganisms. They also produce antibacterial molecules to protect …

Let Us Be The Fish Who Grow Legs: A Curriculum Guide For Linking Prison Industrial Complex Abolition, Environmental Justice, And State Power, Tess Gibbs

Scripps Senior Theses

This curriculum guide is designed to connect students’ understandings of environmental problems and injustices to their understandings of prison industrial complex (PIC) abolition, with the ultimate intention of cultivating the knowledge and imaginative practices to develop abolitionist-aligned solutions to environmental justice (EJ) problems outside of frameworks that rely upon state sanction. Students will connect the mutual causal forces of environmental injustices and the carceral state; explore intersections of environmental and carceral politics; and finish the course with broadened understandings of humans’ real and unrealized relationships with each other and the more-than-human world. The guide is intended to be worked through …

Developmental Consequences Of Hatching Asynchrony In Boat-Tailed Grackles (Quiscalus Major), Emily Radner

Scripps Senior Theses

Boat-tailed grackles (Quiscalus major) typically lay clutches of three eggs and begin incubation before the clutch is complete, resulting in hatching asynchrony. To study the developmental consequences of hatching asynchrony on boat-tailed grackles, data loggers measured nest temperatures and were compared to ambient temperatures to see when incubation began, and it appeared to begin after the second egg is laid. The third laid egg had a significantly shorter lay to pip time and lay to hatch time than the first laid egg, highlighting the need to investigate the consequences of a shortened incubation time on development. To do …

Effects Of Child Sleep, Maternal Sleep, And Covid-19 Related Stressors On Maternal Stress, Jocelyn Chang

Scripps Senior Theses

Research has shown that poorer sleep quality can lead to increased stress and worse psychological functioning. In the parent-child dyad, sleep disturbances of both the child and parent can significantly affect parental functioning. However, in the context of parent-child relations, the contributions of maternal and child sleep to maternal outcomes are much less understood, especially in the context of a worldwide pandemic and global stressor such as COVID-19. Moreover, relations between stress and biological indicators have not been extensively studied, with most studies using self-reported measures of stress. This study aims to extend the findings of previous research by including …

Concrete Everywhere: A Project-Based Analysis Of The Unequal Distribution Of Warehouses In Fontana, Chanah Haigh

Scripps Senior Theses

Unjust legislation and zoning practices drive the excess of warehouses in Fontana, California whose impacts fall disproportionately on low income communities of color. This paper addresses the environmental and health impacts of warehouses, as well as the legislation and the use of zoning which bring them to Fontana. Original maps show the spread of warehouses over census tract level data depicting race, income, and environmental factors such as diesel particulate matter. State and local legislation is analyzed to determine its intended effect and how well it has been enforced. Research was conducted through a project based thesis done in conjunction …

Dress, Dogma, And Defiance: Navigating Religio-Colonialist Saviorism In The Realm Of Sartorial Liberation, Maureen Ursul Tchatchoua

CMC Senior Theses

The connection between religion, colonialism, and dress is a complex interplay rooted in historical contexts. Western clothing imposition on indigenous populations served as a tool for religious conversion and assimilation, reflecting the broader concept of the "civilizing mission." This essay explores the relationship's critical aspects and its impact on sartorial liberation, focusing on historical challenges. The thesis contends that religious groups like The Early Christian Church, 20th-century Iranian Muslims, and North American Rastafaris historically adopted the colonists' savior complex for modesty and resistance against societal impurities. It examines how clothing, including attire, grooming, and body adornment, functioned as visual communication, …

Confronting Current Crises And Critical Challenges Of Climate Change, John Wang, Jeffrey Hsu, Yang Li, Vicky Ching Gu

Department of Information Management and Business Analytics Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Climate change heightens global warming and brings about impending risks for both human society and natural systems. Climate change is the greatest threat modern humans have ever faced. Pollutant discharges involve the global atmosphere and result in the challenge of global warming that must be solved before it results in irreversible damage. Current common threats of crises need common actions among all of us: every continent, every country, every community, and every common citizen. The earlier an action, the larger its impact. This review article scrutinizes the newest developments in this paramount important research area and provides directions for future …

Nestlé V. Doe: A Death Knell To Corporate Human Rights Accountability?, Phillip Ayers

Seattle University Law Review

The Supreme Court in Nestlé v. Doe held that foreign plaintiffs who claimed to be victims of overseas tortious conduct by corporate defendants had no jurisdiction to sue in federal courts using the Alien Tort Statute. This Comment looks at the history of the Alien Tort Statute, from its inspiration, long dormancy, and recent reinvigoration beginning in the 1980s. The Comment then explores the background of Nestlé and its issues with child slavery in its cocoa supply chain. From there, the Comment analyzes the Nestlé v. Doe decision, and posits an alternative outcome. Finally, this Comment looks for a new …

Integrating Human Dimensions In Decadal-Scale Prediction For Marine Social Ecological Systems: Lighting The Grey Zone, Jess Melbourne-Thomas, Desiree Tommasi, Marion Gehlen, Eugene J. Murphy, Jennifer Beckensteiner, Francisco Bravo, Tyler D. Eddy, Mibu Fischer, Elizabeth Fulton, Mayya Gogina, Eileen Hofmann, Maya Ito, Sara Mynott, Kelly Ortega-Cisneros, Anna N. Osiecka, Mark R. Payne, Romeo Saldívar-Lucio, Kim J.N. Scherrer

CCPO Publications

The dynamics of marine systems at decadal scales are notoriously hard to predict-hence references to this timescale as the "grey zone" for ocean prediction. Nevertheless, decadal-scale prediction is a rapidly developing field with an increasing number of applications to help guide ocean stewardship and sustainable use of marine environments. Such predictions can provide industry and managers with information more suited to support planning and management over strategic timeframes, as compared to seasonal forecasts or long-term (century-scale) predictions. The most significant advances in capability for decadal-scale prediction over recent years have been for ocean physics and biogeochemistry, with some notable advances …