Digital Commons Network^™

Understanding The Role Of Impounded Water Bodies In River Network Nutrient Exports In A Dynamic Landscape, Christopher Thomas Whitney

Doctoral Dissertations

Impounded water bodies are a significant component of aquatic networks and various forms have been studied extensively. However, knowledge gaps exist in the research on human-made dams and their reservoirs as well as beaver ponds as both uniquely affect water quality and nutrient exports in different ways. This study fills those knowledge gaps by investigating fluxes of all forms of dissolved nitrogen from small, human-made reservoirs at seasonal timescales. This study found that small reservoirs have a significant effect on nitrogen concentrations but this effect is seasonal and fluxes transported downstream are highly dependent on discharge. Removal of small dams …

Identifying Sources Of Antibiotic Resistance Genes In The Environment Using The Microbial Find, Inform, And Test Framework, Corinne Wiesner-Friedman, Rachelle E. Beattie, Jill R. Stewart, Krassimira R. Hristova, Marc L. Serre

Biological Sciences Faculty Research and Publications

Introduction: Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is an increasing public health concern for humans, animals, and the environment. However, the contributions of spatially distributed sources of AMR in the environment are not well defined.

Methods: To identify the sources of environmental AMR, the novel microbial Find, Inform, and Test (FIT) model was applied to a panel of five antibiotic resistance-associated genes (ARGs), namely, erm(B), tet(W), qnrA, sul1, and intI1, quantified from riverbed sediment and surface water from a mixed-use region.

Results: A one standard deviation increase in the modeled contributions of elevated AMR from bovine sources or land-applied waste sources [land application …

Investigating Interpersonal And Community Drivers Of Taenia Solium Prevention To Reduce Acquired Seizure Disorders In Northern Peru: An Analysis Of Social Networks, Social Capital, And Community-Identified Barriers And Facilitators, Angela Gayle Spencer

Dissertations and Theses

Background: In Northern Peru and other low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) worldwide, the Taenia solium parasite causes an estimated 30% of acquired epilepsy -- an entirely preventable disease burden. Sanitation development and pork production regulation would reduce infection risk in endemic communities, but large-scale systemic improvements are not likely to occur in the near future. In the meantime, communities can reduce infection risk by adopting protective behaviors. Social networks can provide role modeling and support for health-promoting behaviors, and deliver social capital in the form of trusting relationships, norms of reciprocity, and information exchange in support of T. solium control. …

A Geospatial Approach To Identify Patterns Of Antibiotic Susceptibility At A Neighborhood Level In Wisconsin, United States, Laurel Legenza, Kyle Mcnair, Song Gao, James P Lacy, Brooke J Olson, Thomas R Fritsche, Lucas T Schulz, Samantha Lamuro, Frances Spray-Larson, Tahmeena Siddiqui, Warren E Rose

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

The global threat of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) varies regionally. This study explores whether geospatial analysis and data visualization methods detect both clinically and statistically significant variations in antibiotic susceptibility rates at a neighborhood level. This observational multicenter geospatial study collected 10 years of patient-level antibiotic susceptibility data and patient addresses from three regionally distinct Wisconsin health systems (UW Health, Fort HealthCare, Marshfield Clinic Health System [MCHS]). We included the initial Escherichia coli isolate per patient per year per sample source with a patient address in Wisconsin (N = 100,176). Isolates from U.S. Census Block Groups with less than 30 isolates …

Spatiotemporal Analysis Of Covid-19 Lockdown Impact On The Land Surface Temperatures Of Different Land Cover Types In Louisiana, Priscilla Loh, Yaw Twumasi, Zhu H. Ning, Matilda Anokye, Diana B. Frimpong, Judith Oppong, Abena B. Asare-Ansah, Rechael Naa Dedei Armah, Caroline Y. Apraku

Student Presentations

The COVID-19 pandemic posed a serious threat to life on the entire planet, necessitating the imposition of a lockdown mechanism that restricted people’s movements to stop the disease’s spread. This period experienced a decline in air pollution emissions and some environmental changes, offering a rare opportunity to understand the effects of fewer human activities on the earth’s temperature. Hence, this study compares the changes in Land Surface Temperature (LST) that were observed prior to the pandemic (March & April 2019) and during the pandemic lockdown (March & April 2020) of three parishes in Louisiana. The data for this study was …

Projecting The Effects Of Climate Change And Urbanization On Longleaf Pine Stands In The Florida Flatwoods, Lilian Grace Hutchens

Theses and Dissertations

The southeastern United States once held millions of hectares of highly connected longleaf pine ecosystem. In a dramatic range reduction, longleaf pine now occupies less than 5% of its original extent, its remnant patches existing within a matrix of human-dominated land uses. Conservation planning for longleaf pine ecosystems is complicated given the ecosystem’s reliance on fire and the broad spatial and temporal scales at which longleaf pine management must operate. Planning timelines for longleaf pine management extend into the end of the 21st century, a period during which climate, fire regimes, and land cover are all expected to change, influencing …

Detection And Identification Of Covert Devices Using Infrared And Stacked Optics Detection, Michael A. Reyneke

Theses and Dissertations

This work investigates stacked optics detection methodologies to successfully detect and identify observational systems with a cyber-physical sensing tool, ODIN (Observational Device Identification Network). ODIN successfully detected the presence of stacked optics and LiDAR systems using night-vision devices with a 96.32% average accuracy rating, both overt and covertly placed, with objective lens diameters ranging from 17 mm to 50 mm at distances between 1 m to 5 m with and without commonly employed anti-reflective countermeasures. ODIN provides a foundation for counter- measure capabilities of NIR devices and stacked optical systems in stationary environments. Additionally, a pilot study on smartphone LiDAR …

Exploring Inequality At Copan, Honduras: A 2d And 3d Geospatial Comparison Of Household Wealth, Heather Richards-Rissetto

Department of Anthropology: Faculty Publications

The archaeological site of Copan was a cultural and commercial crossroads at the southeastern Maya frontier. Research indicates that the demographics and sociopolitical circumstances of the city of Copan and its location within a circumscribed pocket (24 km²) of the larger Copan Valley varied through time. These circumstances not only influenced its social, political, and economic interactions, but likely the size, construction, and organization of households, specifically plazuelas. Copan’s plazuelas differ from those located in other Maya regions because they often have smaller house platforms, comprise more than a single patio, and exhibit a larger than normal …

Mela: Vessels Of Ephemeral Architecture, Neha Tummalapalli

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

No abstract provided.

Generational Leadership In The American Revolution And Early Republic, 1763-1800, Kevin Cassidy

All Master's Theses

This thesis examines the Loyal Twenty-Seven, a group of Massachusetts revolutionaries, and their importance in the American Revolution using a combination of qualitative and quantitative methods combined with traditional historical research, to attempt to show that there was a generational shift in leadership between the revolutionaries who led early British protests, and those who led the Revolutionary War and the Early Republic. This thesis is based off an original work, the United States Colonial Dataset, made up of 416 individuals divided into three groups, the Framers, Prominents, and Loyalists, and 215 unique attributes for these individuals, such as their occupation, …