Digital Commons Network^™

Troubling Waters: Anthropocene Marine Gothic In The 19th-Century Anglo-American Fiction, Phoenix Guqing Wang

Comparative Literature M.A. Essays

The 19th century witnessed intensifying marine ecological disruptions by colonial, industrial, and imperial activities. Meanwhile, current scholarship acknowledges the significance of the 19th century in tracing the emergence of the “Anthropocene” – a loose shorthand for ecological damages that are planetary in scale. This thesis aims to analyze how gothic imagination of the marine space unravels the linkages between the two temporally intersecting phenomena. Drawing on ocean studies, ecocriticism, new materialism, and gothic studies, I theorize what I call “Anthropocene marine Gothic discourse” to understand how 19th-century Anglo-American writers attend to the marine space to grapple with planetary ecological concerns …

Locating And Assessing Oregon Trail Ruts With Aerial Stereophotographs, Satellite Imagery And Lidar, P.R. Hanson, Robert Matthew Joeckel, L. M. Howard

Conservation and Survey Division: Faculty and Staff Publications

No abstract provided.

Integrated Geochronological And Chemostratigraphic Study Of Middle Miocene Strata (Ogallala Group) At The Eastern Margin Of The North American Great Plains, J. J. Smith, Robert Matthew Joeckel, H. L. Field, G. A. Ludvigson, A. Moller, A. Layzell, S. T. Tucker

Conservation and Survey Division: Faculty and Staff Publications

No abstract provided.

From Mind Only To Buddha Only: Shakya Chokden’S Interpretation Of Tathāgatagarbha In Tantric Philosophy And Practice, Yaroslav Komarovski

Department of Classics and Religious Studies: Faculty Publications

Shakya Chokden’s approach consists of reducing all phenomena to mind and its appearances, and then negating dualistic minds as illusory and nonexistent and establishing the non-dual jñāna transcending them as the only phenomenon existent in reality—the primordial tathāgatagarbha with all buddha-qualities complete. For him, this interpretation of tathāgatagarbha is indispensable for tantric contemplative practice and for explaining how and why that practice works. The initial identification of tathāgatagarbha as the primordially existent jñāna endowed with buddha-qualities serves as the foundation for conceptually envisioning deities of the ultimate body-maṇḍala and eventually, when enough clarity is achieved, directly perceiving them by jñāna …

The Effectiveness Of Dental Pulp Stem Cells-Derived Exosomes For Direct Pulp Capping: In Vitro Study, Dina A. Hammouda, Alaa M. Mansour, Mohammed E. Grawish, Ahmed R. Zaher

Mansoura Journal of Dentistry

Objective: This in vitro investigation's goal was to ascertain how well dental pulp stem cell exosomes (DPSC-exo) modulate endogenous dental pulp stem cells (DPSCs) and direct their navigation toward mineralized tissue regeneration, either alone or in conjunction with mineral trioxide aggregate (MTA). Materials and methods: For this investigation, DPSCs were harvested using rat incisors. To extract exosomes from DPSCs, an ultracentrifugation method was employed. Flow cytometry was used for the characterization of DPSCs-exo, and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) was used to measure their size. DPSCs were incubated in standard culture media and split up into three groups. The first one …

Biocompatibility Evaluation Of Edta And Chitosan Nanoparticles Gel Forms: In Vivo Histopathological Study, Alaa H. Youssef, Doaa A. Labah, Abeer A. Elgendy, Amany E. Badr

Mansoura Journal of Dentistry

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to evaluate and compare biocompatibility of gel form chelating agents (EDTA and chitosan NPS) after implantation of polyethylene tubes in rats. Materials and methods: Twenty albino rats were included in this study. Three horizontal incisions were performed on dorsal surface of each rat to receive three polyethylene tubes as subcutaneous implants; two of them filled with tested materials and one empty tube served as control. After 2 and 4 weeks of subcutaneous implantation, 10 rats were sacrificed and implanted polyethylene tubes with surrounding tissues were dissected with 1 cm safety margin. The specimens …

The Impact Of Social Media On Charitable Giving For Nonprofit Organization, Namchul Shin

Journal of International Technology and Information Management

Research has extensively studied nonprofit organizations’ use of social media for communications and interactions with supporters. However, there has been limited research examining the impact of social media on charitable giving. This research attempts to address the gap by empirically examining the relationship between the use of social media and charitable giving for nonprofit organizations. We employ a data set of the Nonprofit Times’ top 100 nonprofits ranked by total revenue for the empirical analysis. As measures for social media traction, i.e., how extensively nonprofits draw supporters on their social media sites, we use Facebook Likes, Twitter Followers, and Instagram …

Inaugural Future Of Bse Days: Workshop Report, Mark Stone

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Presentations and White Papers

The inaugural Future of BSE Days (FBD) event, held on May 2-3, 2024, brought together the Biological Systems Engineering (BSE) community to discuss and shape the future of work and learning within the field. The event was designed to foster collaboration between faculty, students, industry leaders, and alumni, with the goal of reimagining the department’s educational approach, enhancing industry partnerships, and preparing students for the challenges of tomorrow. Over the course of two days, participants engaged in insightful discussions, workshops, and presentations that highlighted both the strengths of the department and opportunities for growth.

The workshop resulted in several key …

Adding Value To Crop Production Systems By Integrating Forage Cover Crop Grazing, Robert B. Mitchell, Daren D. Redfearn, Kenneth P. Vogel, Terry J. Klopfenstein, Galen Erickson, P. Steven Baenziger, Bruce E. Anderson, Mary E. Drewnoski, Jay Parsons, Steven D. Masterson, Marty R. Schmer, Virginia L. Jin

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

In addition to their value as cereal grains, wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) and triticale (× Triticosecale Wittmack) are important cool-season annual forages and cover crops. Yearling steer (Bos taurus) performance was compared in the spring following autumn establishment as for age cover crops after soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] grain harvest. Replicated pastures (0.4 ha) were no-till seeded in three consecutive years into soybean stubble in autumn, fertilized, and grazed the following spring near Ithaca, Nebraska, USA. Each pasture (n = 3) was continuously stocked in spring with four yearling steers (380 ± 38 kg) for …

Classification Of Sow Postures Using Convolutional Neural Network And Depth Images, Md Towfiqur Rahman, Tami M. Brown-Brandl, Gary A. Rohrer, Sudhendu R. Sharma, Yeyin Shi

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

The United States swine industry reports an average preweaning mortality of approximately 16% where approximately 6% of them are attributed to piglets overlayed by sows. Detecting postural transitions and estimating sows’ time budgets for different postures are valuable information for breeders and engineering design of farrowing facilities to eventually reduce piglet death. Computer vision tools can help monitor changes in animal posture accurately and efficiently. To create a more robust system and eliminate varying lighting issues within a day including daytime/ nighttime differences, there is an advantage to using depth cameras over digital cameras. In this study, a computer vision …

Biogeographic Affiliation And Centers Of Richness As Predictors Of Elevational Range-Size Patterns For Malesian Flora, Melissa Whitman, Sabrina E. Russo

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

Our goal was to interrogate the idea that “mountain passes are higher in the tropics” by investigating ecological and biogeographic drivers of elevational range-sizes patterns among equatorial flora. We used herbarium records for 60 species-rich plant families, representing 18 535 species total, to estimate distributions over a 4500 m elevational gradient. For each family, we estimated the change in average range-sizes with increasing elevation (i.e. Rapoport's rule, abbreviated as ERR) and quantified 15 metrics of familial richness distribution, evolutionary age, and biogeographic affiliation. We visualized covariation across families using phylogenetic principal components analysis (pPCA). We then evaluated how family-level ERR …

Taking Environmental Responsibility Seriously: Academic Libraries, Ai, And Climate Impacts, Frank Houghton, Jennifer Moran Stritch, Lisa O'Rourke Scott

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

Generative AI is a disruptive technology that offers significant potential across many fields including healthcare, health education and academic libraries. However, although many concerns are routinely cited in relation to AI, very few of these address the issue of the increased power requirements inherent in AI training and inference. Climate change resulting from human factors has already resulted in increased global warming and climate variability. In this Anthropocene era the question must be asked how libraries and other organisations will mitigate the impacts of their increased AI use? To date assessments of sustainability and energy use in libraries have not …

A Case Study Of Hospital Contraceptive Waste Management Practices In Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University Teaching Hospital, Awka, Anambra State, Yanmeer S. Tyotswam, Rosebella Iseme, Eliphas G. Makunyi

Population Health, East Africa

Background: Effective management of hospital waste is a critical component of a hospital’s infection control program and is central to occupational safety for healthcare workers. Thus, this study focused on the assessment of hospital contraceptive waste management practices at Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University Teaching Hospital (COOUTH) Awka, Anambra state, Nigeria.

Methods: A cross sectional analytical study was carried out among healthcare workers selected using multistage sampling technique in 6 categories of healthcare workers in COOUTH. Data was collected using a pre-tested semi-structured interviewer-administered questionnaire and a World Health Organization (WHO) checklist and analyzed using statistical package for the …

Image-Based Multiplex Immune Profiling Of Cancer Tissues: Translational Implications. A Report Of The International Immuno-Oncology Biomarker Working Group On Breast Cancer., Shahin Sayed, Chowdhury Arif Jahangir, David Page, Glenn Broeckx, Claudia Gonzalez, Caoimbhe Burke, Clodagh Murphy, Jorge Reis-Filho, Amy Ly, Paul Harms

Pathology, East Africa

Recent advances in thefield of immuno-oncology have brought transformative changes in the management ofcancer patients. The immune profile of tumours has been found to have key value in predicting disease prognosis andtreatment response in various cancers. Multiplex immunohistochemistry and immunofluorescence have emerged aspotent tools for the simultaneous detection of multiple protein biomarkers in a single tissue section, therebyexpanding opportunities for molecular and immune profiling while preserving tissue samples. By establishing thephenotype of individual tumour cells when distributed within a mixed cell population, the identification of clinicallyrelevant biomarkers with high-throughput multiplex immunophenotyping of tumour samples has great potential toguide appropriate treatment …

Descriptive Report On Dietary Remains From Aztec And Salmon Ruins Coprolites, Karl J. Reinhard

Karl Reinhard Publications

This report focuses only on dietary results from the Aztec Ruins and Salmon Ruins coprolites. The parasitological analysis was completed in 2018 and was the focus of several papers that were summarized by Camacho and Reinhard (2020). This did not include DNA analysis. The coprolites from these sites are not appropriate sources of DNA testing.

The main conclusion of the analysis are:

1) Two very distinct plant spectra are represented in Aztec Ruins West (ARW) room 219 and room 225.

2) The three contexts of ARW room 219 show interesting variation in food selection, however these are small samples.

3) …

Instrumental Assessment Of Aero-Resistive Expiratory Muscle Strength Rehabilitation Devices, Angela M. Dietsch, Rahul Krishnamurthy, Kelsey Young, Steven M. Barlow

Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders: Faculty Publications

Purpose

Expiratory muscle strength training (EMST) is increasingly being used to treat voice, cough, and swallowing deficits in a wide range of conditions. However, a multitude of aero-resistive EMST models are commercially available, and the absence of side-by-side comparative data interferes with clinicians’ ability to assess which model is best suited to a particular client’s needs. The primary aim of this research was to test and compare the pressure and flow parameters of six currently available EMST models to help inform clinical decision making.

Method

We identified and tested five devices of each of six different EMST models to generate …

Presentations Of Cutaneous Disease In Various Skin Pigmentations: Tinea Corporis, Navya Peddireddy, Braden Van Alfen, Christian Scheufele, Marshall Hall, Christopher M. Wong, Stephen Weis

North Texas GME Research Forum 2024

Introduction: Tinea corporis, a superficial fungal skin infection, typically manifests as pruritic annular erythematous scaly plaques with central clearing. This condition can involve every body region. Here we present tinea corporis across various skin pigmentations. The goal of this presentation is to highlight distinctions and similarities in light, medium, and dark skin tones, using the Fitzpatrick scale for stratification of skin types. We hope this can aid primary care clinicians in early recognition of this common condition. Case Presentation: We present a series of cases illustrating the diverse manifestations of tinea corporis across different Fitzpatrick skin types. In Figure 2, …

Recent Beak Evolution In North American Starlings After Invasion, Julia M. Zichello, Shelagh T. Deliberto, Paul Shrewsbury, Agnieszka A. Pierwola, Scott J. Werner

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

European starlings are one of the most abundant and problematic avian invaders in the world. From their native range across Eurasia and North Africa, they have been introduced to every continent except Antarctica. In 160 years, starlings have expanded into different environments throughout the world, making them a powerful model for understanding rapid evolutionary change and adaptive plasticity. Here, we investigate their spatiotemporal morphological variation in North America and the native range. Our dataset includes 1,217 specimens; a combination of historical museum skins and modern birds. Beak length in the native range has remained unchanged during the past 206 years, …

Assessing The Efficiency Of Local Rabies Vaccination Strategies For Raccoons (Procyon Lotor) In An Urban Setting, Guillaume Bastille-Rousseau, Nicole T. Gorman, Katherine M. Mcclure, Larissa Nituch, Tore Buchanan, Richard B. Chipman, Amy T. Gilbert, Kim M. Pepin

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Raccoon rabies virus (RRV) has been managed using multiple vaccination strategies, including oral rabies vaccination and trap-vaccinate-release (TVR). Identifying a rabies vaccination strategy for an area is a nontrivial task. Vaccination strategies differ in the amount of effort and monetary costs required to achieve a particular level of vaccine seroprevalence (efficiency). Simulating host movement relative to different vaccination strategies in silico can provide a useful tool for exploring the efficiency of different vaccination strategies. We refined a previously developed individual-based model of raccoon movement to evaluate vaccination strategies for urban Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. We combined different oral rabies vaccination baiting …

Expanding Cwd Disease Surveillance Options Using Environmental Contamination At Deer Signposts, Miranda H. J. Huang, Steve Demarais, Alejandro Banda, Bronson K. Strickland, Anna Grace Welch, Scoty Hearst, Stuart Lichtenberg, Allan Houston, Kim M. Pepin

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

1. Environmental surveillance can allow early detection of diseases, which increases management options and can improve disease trajectories. Chronic wasting disease (CWD) in cervids is a significant prion disease that has been spreading across North America since the 1960s, leading to cervid population declines and concern from hunters and state wildlife agencies. White-tailed deer have a unique breeding season behavior called scraping, where they deposit urine and saliva at shared sites. Since both these fluids can contain CWD prions, scrape sites have the potential to serve as sentinel sites for environmental surveillance of CWD.
2. To examine this potential, we …

Characterization Of Recent Wild Pig‑Vehicle Collisions In Georgia, Usa, Jeremiah L. Psiropoulos, Emily Howe, John J. Mayer, Sophie C. Mckee

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Vehicle collisions with wild pigs (Sus scrofa) are reported almost everywhere this species is found. However, this is one of the least studied and characterized forms of damage that these invasive animals cause in the United States (US). We analyzed 518 wild pig-vehicle collisions (WPVCs) that took place statewide in Georgia between 2015 and 2021. From that dataset, we analyzed several parameters in order to better understand and characterize these accidents on a scale that had previously not been done in the US. Wild pig-vehicle collisions were reported from 105 out of the 159 counties in Georgia, increasing …

Comprehensive Economic Impacts Of Wild Pigs On Producers Of Six Crops In The South-Eastern Us And California, Sophie C. Mckee, John J. Mayer, Stephanie A. Shwiff

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Wild pigs (Sus scrofa) cause damage to agricultural crops in their native range as well asin the portions of the globe where they have been introduced. In the US, states with the highest introduced wild pig populations are Alabama, Arkansas, California, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Texas. The present study summarizes thefirst survey-based effort to value the full extent of wild pig damage to producers of six crops in these 11 US states. The survey was distributed by the USDA National Agricultural Statistical Service in the summer of 2022 to a sample of …

African Swine Fever At The Wildlife-Livestock Interface: Challenges For Management And Outbreak Response Within Invasive Wild Pigs In The United States, Vienna R. Brown, Ryan S. Miller, Kim M. Pepin, Keith M. Carlisle, Merril A, Cook, Cole F. Vanicek, Lindsey K. Holmstrom, Lisa T. Rochette, Timothy J. Smyser

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

African swine fever (ASF) causes significant morbidity and mortality in both domestic and wild suids (Sus scrofa), and disease outbreaks convey profound economic costs to impacted industries due to death loss, the cost of culling exposed/infected animals as the primary disease control measure, and trade restrictions. The co-occurrence of domestic and wild suids significantly complicates ASF management given the potential for wild populations to serve as persistent sources for spillover. We describe the unique threat of African swine fever virus (ASFV) introduction to the United States from epidemiological and ecological perspectives with a specific focus on disease management at the …

Seasonal Efficacy And Risks From A Sodium Nitrite Toxic Bait For Wild Pigs, Nathan P. Snow, Michael P. Glow, Justin A. Foster, Kurt C. Vancauteren

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Background
Wild pigs (Sus scrofa) are an invasive and destructive species throughout many regions of the world. A sodium nitrite (SN) toxic bait is currently used in Australia and being developed for use in the US and other countries to combat the increasing populations of wild pigs. In the US, efforts to modify the Australian SN-toxic bait and baiting strategy have focused on reducing issues with non-target animals accessing the SN-toxic bait spilled outside of bait stations by wild pigs. We tested and compared modifications for efficacy (with wild pigs) and hazards (with non-targets) in north-central Texas, US during summer …

Applications Of Chemical Bird Repellents For Crop And Resource Protection: A Review And Synthesis, Shelagh T. Deliberto, Scott J. Werner

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Non-lethal repellents are needed to protect newly planted and ripening crops, to prevent valuable resources from being damaged by some wild birds worldwide. We systematically searched all scientific publications, patents and product registrations to developa current review and synthesis regarding chemical bird repellents for wildlife researchers, ecologists, managers, and conservationists. We then developed a database regarding the testing procedures and repellency results associated with the published and unpublished literature. For this comprehensive database, we developed an ‘index of success,’ or relative efficacy level (e.g. effective in most experiments), associated with each tested bird repellent. We found 345 papers published in …

Overview Of Global Wildlife–Livestock Interfaces: The Array Of Conflicts And Strategies To Mitigate Them, Kurt C. Vercauteren, Stewart Breck

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Implications

Wildlife–livestock conflict can be broadly categorized as either competition for resources, disease transmission between wildlife and domestic species, or predation.
Management strategies can either focus on management of the livestock or management of the wildlife. Dynamic integration of both these strategies likely provides the best solution in many scenarios.
Reducing conflict and maintaining ecologically appropriate and viable populations of wildlife and thriving human endeavors should be the ultimate goal.

Evaluation Of Contingency Actions To Control The Spread Of Raccoon Rabies In Ohio And Virginia, Amy J. Davis, Richard B. Chipman, Kathleen M. Nelson, Betsy S. Haley, Jordana D. Kirby, Xiaoyue Ma, Ryan M. Wallace, Amy. T. Gilbert

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

The raccoon (Procyon lotor) variant of the rabies virus (RRV) is enzootic in the eastern United States and oral rabies vaccination (ORV) is the primary strategy to prevent and control landscape spread. Breaches of ORV management zones occasionally occur, and emergency “contingency” actions may be implemented to enhance local control. Contingency actions are an integral part of landscape-scale wildlife rabies management but can be very costly and routinely involve enhanced rabies surveillance (ERS) around the index case. We investigated two contingency actions in Ohio (2017–2019 and 2018–2021) and one in Virginia (2017–2019) using a dynamic, multi-method occupancy approach to examine …

Use Of Rhodamine B As A Biomarker In A Simulated Oral Vaccine Deployment Against Bovine Tuberculosis In White-Tailed Deer, David Dressel, Kurt Vercauteren, Michael Lavelle, Nathan P. Snow, Henry Campa Iii

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Introduction Free-ranging white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) in northeastern lower Michigan, United States are a self-sustaining reservoir for bovine tuberculosis (bTB). Farm mitigation practices, baiting bans, and antlerless deer harvests have been ineffective in eliminating bTB in white-tailed deer and risks to cattle. The apparent prevalence has remained relatively constant in deer, prompting interest among wildlife researchers, managers, and veterinarians for an effective means of vaccinating deer against bTB. The commonly used human vaccine for bTB, Bacillus Calmette Guerin (BCG), is the primary candidate with oral delivery being the logical means for vaccinating deer.

Materials and methods We developed …

Identifying Priority Mitigation Areas For Human–Osprey Conflict, Natasha K. Murphy, Melanie R. Boudreau, Brian S. Dorr, Kate Slankard, Scott A. Rush

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Raptor nests on human‐built structures represent a significant source of conflict, as they can result in bird mortality, fires, or power outages due to falling nest materials or animals connecting with energized conductors. Power companies typically try to mitigate these conflicts to avoid service disruptions. Performing mitigation measures across all potentially problematic power infrastructure is generally not a practical solution given logistical, time, or budgetary constraints. Therefore, there is a need for quantitative, landscapescale tools to identify conflict risk and prioritize mitigation. We examined the influence of habitat and transmission infrastructure distribution on the potential risk of osprey (Pandion …

Efficacy Of An Inflatable Deterrent For Reducing New World Vulture Human‑Wildlife Conflict, Bryan M. Kluever, Betsy A. Evans, Noah M. Osterhoudt, Eric A. Tillman

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Increasing urbanization coupled with spatial expansion and numerical increase of New World vulture populations has engendered a rise in human-vulture conflict, creating a need for effective tools to mitigate vulture-related damage. Visual frightening devices that mimic the presence of human or other predators can be employed in human-vulture conflict scenarios to increase perceived risk by the pest species, thereby eliciting an antipredator behavioral response, such as fleeing. One visual frightening device, inflatable scarecrows, recently proved effective at reducing passerine attendance at feral swine feeders, but their effectiveness when directed at other species and conflict scenarios has varied. Our primary objective …