Digital Commons Network^™

How Does A Global Climate Cycle Affect The Reproductive Output Of A Neotropical Migratory Bird?, Abby K. Bressette, Emma Cummings, Daniel Albrecht-Mallinger, Lesley Bulluck

UROP Posters

El-Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) causes regional changes in climate and has been found to have varying effects on the survival, fecundity, and recruitment of migratory songbirds. This study seeks to better understand the effect of ENSO on the fecundity of Virginia-breeding Prothonotary warbler (Protonotaria citrea; PROW), a neotropical migratory songbird. PROW breed in the Eastern United States and spend the non-breeding season primarily in Panama and Colombia. Ongoing research in Virginia has found a positive relationship between spring precipitation and predicted number of PROW fledgelings during La Niña, but the opposite during El Niño. To better understand this relationship, we …

Carry-Over Effects Of Climate On Prothonotary Warbler (Protonotaria Citrea) Feather Quality, Alyssa N. Spasic, Dan Albrecht-Mallinger, Lesley Bulluck

UROP Posters

Avian species have inspired numerous studies on ornamentation, exploring its role in intra- and intersexual selection as a marker for individual quality. Male birds have been the focus of most of these studies while females, which can also display ornamentation, have been studied less. Coloration achieved through molt, particularly carotenoid-based pigments, requires energy derived from food resources. As climate affects insect abundance, there may be a link between climate conditions during molt and feather quality the following season. We assessed the relationship between temperature and precipitation during molt and female Prothonotary Warbler (Protonotaria citrea) breast and crown feather reflectance metrics …

Co-Making And Prototyping Community Housing Futures, Alejandro Veliz Reyes, Alexandra Carr, Timothy Crabtree

School of Art, Design and Architecture

An emerging area of research on automated futures is that of digital equity- how to innovate and develop digital products, services, and experiences which promote equality of access, and align with the lived experiences of communities they are expected to benefit. In this chapter, we outline a research project focused on the adoption of digital fabrication technologies by a rural community in Bridport, United Kingdom. Their challenge is that of housing futures not only in terms of stock demand, but more broadly in terms of sustainable forms of housing construction (i.e., modern methods of construction) using local materials and skills. …

Shipwrecks Act As De Facto Marine Protected Areas In Areas Of Heavy Fishing Pressure, Jenny Hickman, Joe Richards, Adam Rees, Emma V. Sheehan

School of Biological and Marine Sciences

Ubiquitous, industrial use of bottom‐towed fishing gear since the 1800s has altered marine communities and ecosystem services. Outside of legal protection, only areas inaccessible to trawlers are offered any protection. Shipwrecks present hazards to fishing gear and are rarely subject to trawling pressure. As many have been in situ for >100 years, they offer a baseline of ecological potential when trawling pressure is reduced or removed. Five shipwrecks were surveyed off the Berwickshire coast, some within the Static Gear Reserve and others outside. Video transects were collected of shipwrecks, the surrounding 50 m radius and control locations >150 m from …

Guide To The Alan Bersin Papers, Alan Douglas Bersin

Special Collections

The Alan Bersin papers consist of records collected by Bersin during his tenure as the Superintendent of San Diego City Schools and the Secretary of Education for the State of California. The vast majority of the records are in the form of correspondence, memoranda, meeting minutes, reports, and newspaper articles. These records delve into the workings of Bersin's office, planning behind such programs as the Blueprint for Student Success, the Institute for Learning, Special Education, and Charter Schools. Correspondence, news articles, and court cases document reaction to those programs from the public, labor unions, and the San Diego Board of …

Guide To The Founders Gallery Exhibit Records, Therese Whitcomb

University Records

These records consist of the planning materials, newspaper clippings, and photographs gathered for University of San Diego Founders Gallery exhibits between 1971 and 1993.

Finding Aids are tools used to aid research by describing the materials in a collection. University Records Finding Aids include historical and/or biographical information along with a description of the collection and a folder listing of the content.

To view this collection please email University Archives and Special Collections staff at [email protected].

Bioaccumulation And Biological Effects Of Hydrogenated Cement Particles In The Marine Bivalve, Mytilus Galloprovincialis, María Florencia Ferreira, Andrew Turner, Mickaël Payet, Christian Grisolia, Veronique Malard, Michael N. Moore, Awadhesh N. Jha

School of Biological and Marine Sciences

The decommissioning and normal functioning of nuclear facilities can result in the production and release of airborne particles in the environment. Aquatic biota are expected to be exposed to these particles considering that nuclear facilities are often located near water bodies. Aerosols, such as cement dust, can interact with radionuclides as well as with heavy metals, and therefore elicit not only radiological impacts but also chemical toxicity. In the present study, we aimed to determine the effects of hydrogenated cement particles (HCPs) as a first step before evaluating any radiotoxicity of tritiated cement particles in the marine mussels, Mytilus galloprovincialis. …

Density And Abundance Estimation Of West Indian Manatee, Trichechus Manatus, Between The States Of Ceará And Piauí, Northeast Brazil, Using Active Acoustics, Katherine Fiedler Choi Lima, Denis Moledo De Sousa Abessa, Daniel Gonzalez-Socoloske, Renata Sousa-Lima, Ana Carolina Oliveira De Meirelles, Cristine Pereira Negrão Silva

Faculty Publications

The West Indian manatee is one of the most threatened species in Brazil. The species has currently a patchy distribution from the state of Alagoas to the state of Amapá. The difficulty of observing manatees, especially in estuarine waters, is a challenge for conservation. Therefore, it is necessary to use new methodologies and technologies to solve manatee detection problems in their natural habitats. The goal of this study was to use an active acoustic method of detection to estimate manatee density and abundance in the estuarine complex of the Timonha and Ubatuba rivers, between the states of Ceará and Piauí, …

Improving Growth Models Of Cultivated Sugar Kelp, Saccharina Latissima, By Accounting For Intraspecific Variation In Thermal Tolerance, Ruby Krasnow, Sara Gonzalez, Scott Lindell

Student Publications [Scholarly]

Dynamic models of sugar kelp (Saccharina latissima) growth are used to estimate the production potential of seaweed aquaculture in many regions around the world. These models do not currently account for the existence of S. latissima ecotypes that are adapted to regional environmental conditions, particularly temperature. We tested the hypothesis that recalibrating the temperature parameters of a dynamic energy budget model using literature data for S. latissima from regions with a similar climate to the region of interest would result in more accurate predictions than using a general species-wide temperature response curve. Calibrating the model using data from warm regions …

Grappling With Real Property Supremacy In Us Urban Climate Finance, Julia Wagner, Mark Kear, Sarah Knuth, Sahar Zavareh Hofmann, Zac E. Taylor

Student Publications [Scholarly]

In US cities, drives to secure property value against climate risks have become a preoccupation for mainstream climate finance. This real property bias sidelines non-owners and inhabitants of historically marginalized housing types, limiting their capacity to prepare for and recover from climate change events. In this intervention, we survey major pathways of existing climate finance, before turning to emerging trends for residential ‘climate-proofing,’ retrofitting efforts that bring climate finance ‘home’ to the building level. Building on the concept of ‘real property supremacy,’ we demonstrate how resourcing climate response is limited by the privileging of real property in the structure and …

“I’M Not The Girl I Was…”, Donald K. Freedheim

Faculty Scholarship

My wife has Alzheimer’s. That might not be the precise diagnosis, but her symptoms are practically textbook for it. On a seven-stage scale of the disease, she would be in the latter part of the 5th and early 6th Stage. I have been asked by a number of colleagues to write down what has been happening to Gerda; but up until now, it was too painful and personal to record. I also believed that so much useful information has been written and published that there was no need to add to the literature. But when Gerda said the words I …

A Simple, Inexpensive Alkaline Method For Bacterial Dna Extraction From Environmental Samples For Pcr Surveillance And Microbiome Analyses, Abdulkarim Shwani, Bin Zuo, Adnan Alrubaye, Jiangchao Zhao, Douglas D. Rhoads

Poultry Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

DNA extraction for downstream molecular diagnostic applications can be an expensive, time-consuming process. We devised a method to quickly extract total bacterial DNA from environmental samples based on the sodium hydroxide lysis of cells with or without capture by magnetic beads for subsequent PCR or quantitative PCR. The final DNA extraction method using NaOH is extremely low-cost and can be completed in as little as 10 min at room temperature with dilution, or the DNA can be further purified using silica-coated paramagnetic beads. NaOH extraction was effective for Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria in samples from air, soil, sewage, food, laboratory …

Fabrication And Validation Of Sub-Cellular Carbon Fiber Electrodes, Yu Huan, Hillel J. Chiel

Faculty Scholarship

Multielectrode arrays for interfacing with neurons are of great interest for a wide range of medical applications. However, current electrodes cause damage over time. Ultra small carbon fibers help to address issues but controlling the electrode site geometry is difficult. Here we propose a methodology to create small, pointed fiber electrodes (SPFe). We compare the SPFe to previously made blowtorched fibers in characterization. The SPFe result in small site sizes (105.4 ± 20.8μm²) with consistently sharp points (20.8 ± 7.64°). Additionally, these electrodes were able to record and/or stimulate neurons multiple animal models including rat cortex, mouse retina, …

Cerebellar Feedback Effects On Responses To Conspecific Signals Of Different Frequencies In The Electrosensory System, Elora K. Shinn

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Sensory systems in animals have evolved to translate physical stimuli into neural representations that, in turn, guide behavior. Feedback is critical in these processes, allowing organisms to filter redundant information and respond effectively to relevant stimuli. In humans, for example, the cerebellar flocculus provides feedback to the vestibulo-ocular reflex to stabilize eye movements during body rotation. In bats, the feedback during echolocation helps prioritize essential signals from the environment. In weakly electric fish, cerebellar feedback helps filter out redundant low-frequency modulations caused by conspecifics, enabling them to detect prey and other relevant signals. However, the influence of cerebellar feedback on …

The Flora, Fauna, And Paleoenvironment Of The Late Middle Miocene Quebrada Honda Basin, Bolivia (Eastern Cordillera, Central Andes), Beverly Z. Saylor, Russell K. Engelman, Darin A. Croft

Faculty Scholarship

Miocene ecosystem change in the Central Andes is not well understood because of a dearth of well-dated fossil sites from the region. The late Middle Miocene (~13-12 Ma) Quebrada Honda Basin (QHB) in southern Bolivia (22° S) helps fill this gap and provide vital insights into Neotropical paleoenvironments. The site is among the best-characterized Middle Miocene terrestrial vertebrate sites of South America and has a robust temporal, spatial, and lithostratigraphic framework for analyzing its sedimentary facies, fossils, and paleoenvironment. Here, we present new plant silica (phytolith) assemblage data from the QHB as well as new analyses of QHB faunal data. …

Development Of A New Green Infrastructure By Using Biochar Amended Topsoil For On-Site Stormwater Runoff Treatment, Ayesha Sadia

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

This Research Project aimed to design, build, operate and maintain, and monitor a new green infrastructure (GI) using biochar-amended topsoil for on-site stormwater runoff treatment in urban areas. The project involved evaluating the removal efficiencies of pollutants from stormwater runoff such as total suspended solid (TSS), nutrients including nitrogen and phosphorous, heavy metals including lead (Pb), zinc (Zn) and copper (Cu) and oil and grease etc. from the media of biochar amended topsoil. In this Project, a full-scale Field Test Site with a total area of 500 and 1 ft depth was built to on-site treat stormwater runoff from a …

Remediating Fibrosis To Restore Salivary Gland Function, Jennifer Morrissey

Electronic Theses & Dissertations (2024 - present)

Fibrosis is defined by the overgrowth, hardening, and scarring of various tissues and is attributed to excess deposition of extracellular matrix components including collagen. In the case of persistent injury or autoimmunity, as in Sjogren’s Disease, the ECM persists. Fibrosis can be studied in multiple animal models. Our lab has published the use of a mouse submandibular salivary gland partial resection model. In this procedure 40% of the left distal tip of the submandibular salivary gland (SMG) is excised. This leads to a chronic sustained fibrotic response in a localized region. The use of the non-obese diabetic mouse (NOD) has …

Amazonia In Motion: Changing Politics, Development Strategies, Peoples, Landscapes And Livelihoods, Susanna Hecht, Marianne Schmink, Rebecca Neaera Abers, Eduardo Assad, Denise Bebbington, Eduardo Brodizio, Francisco De Assis Costa, Ana María Calisto Durán, Philip Fearnside, Rachael Garrett, Sebastian Heilpern, David Mcgrath, Gustavo Oliveira, Henrique Pereira, Miguel Pinedo-Vazquez

Geography

We review the often-invisible powerful processes that drive social and ecological change in Amazonia, and the diverse peoples who inhabit its landscapes. It explores large-scale development ideologies of modernization, and the policy tools that were deployed to carry them out. Outlining general periods of macro policy shifts, we show the evolution of the framework for today’s complex interactions between large-scale agroindustry, mining, and hydrocarbons, and diverse small-scale livelihoods, as well as the clandestine and illicit economies of land grabbing, gold, coca and timber, and their operation in globalized and regional economies. While Pan-Amazonian governments have oscillated between authoritarian and democratic …

In Vivo Measurement Of Nadh Fluorescence Lifetime In Skeletal Muscle Via Fiber-Coupled Time-Correlated Single Photon Counting, Kathryn M. Priest, Jacob V. Schluns, Nathania Nischal, Colton L. Gattis, Jeffery C. Wolchok, Timothy J. Muldoon

Biomedical Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH) is a cofactor that serves to shuttle electrons during metabolic processes such as glycolysis, the tricarboxylic acid cycle, and oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS). NADH is autofluorescent, and its fluorescence lifetime can be used to infer metabolic dynamics in living cells. Fiber-coupled time-correlated single photon counting (TCSPC) equipped with an implantable needle probe can be used to measure NADH lifetime in vivo, enabling investigation of changing metabolic demand during muscle contraction or tissue regeneration. This study illustrates a proof of concept for point-based, minimally-invasive NADH fluorescence lifetime measurement in vivo. Volumetric muscle loss (VML) injuries were …

The Need For More Inclusive Deliberation On Ethics And Governance In Agricultural And Food Biotechnology, Catherine Kendig, Theresa Selfa, Paul B. Thompson, Raymond Anthony, Wenda Bauchspies, Gwendolyn Blue, Ashmita Das, Rebecca Harrison, Chris Henke, Shan Jin, Jennifer Kuzma, Forbes Lipschitz, Kurt Lichter, Morgan Ruelle, Timothy Silberg, Bruno Takahashi

Sustainability and Social Justice

An inclusive and socially legitimate governance structure is absent to address concerns over new agricultural biotechnologies. Establishing an agricultural bioethics commission devoted to inclusive deliberation on ethics and governance in agricultural and food biotechnology is urgent. Highlighting the social and ethical dimensions of current agricultural bioengineering disputes in the food system, we discuss how a nationally recognized policy forum could improve decision-making and increase public understanding of the issues. We clarify ways the concepts that are used to categorize food and frame governance of food affect consumer choices, and how dissemination of information and the mode of dissemination can contribute …

Before Amplification: The Role Of Experts In The Dynamics Of The Social Attenuation And Amplification Of Risk, Lisbet Fjaeran, Kenneth Pettersen Gould, Rob Goble

Sustainability and Social Justice

In this article, we use system/network theory together with the social amplification of risk framework (SARF) to show how expert actors over time and across multiple events can contribute to social risk amplification and attenuation. The framework and the theory, in particular the concepts of risk emplacement and displacement, are employed in the analysis of an illustrative case related to the use of the feed additive, narasin, and provide explanations of how risks are part of continuously ongoing and dynamic social processes. By emphasizing the role of experts in such developments, connecting what happens in expert communities with the processing …

Complex, Diverse And Changing Agribusiness And Livelihood Systems In The Amazon [Complexidade, Diversidade E Mudanças No Cenário Agricultural Na Amazônia], Francisco De Assis Costa, Eduardo D. Assad, Denise Humphreys Bebbington, Eduardo S. Brondizio, Philip M. Fearnside, Rachael Garrett, Susanna Hecht, Sebastian Heilpern, David Mcgrath, Gustavo Oliveira, Henrique Dos Santos Pereira, Marianne Schmink

Sustainability and Social Justice

Finding pathways to more sustainable agriculture and resource use remains the most pressing challenge for Amazonian countries. Characterizing recent changes in the structure and types of agrarian production systems, this review identifies responses to deal with the challenges and opportunities to promote more sustainable production and extraction economies in the Amazon. While regional agriculture and resource economies rest on a rich diversity of producers, knowledge, and production systems, the expansion of agribusiness enterprises has come to dominate the distribution of subsidies, institutional support, and logistical infrastructure. These trends are associated with forest loss and degradation, pollution of waterways, pressures on …

Exploring Angiotensin Ii And Oxidative Stress In Radiation-Induced Cataract Formation: Potential For Therapeutic Intervention, Vidya P. Kumar, Yali Kong, Riana Dolland, Sandra R. Brown, Kan Wang, Damian Dolland, David Mu, Milton L. Brown

Department of Biomedical and Translational Sciences Faculty Publications

Radiation-induced cataracts (RICs) represent a significant public health challenge, particularly impacting individuals exposed to ionizing radiation (IR) through medical treatments, occupational settings, and environmental factors. Effective therapeutic strategies require a deep understanding of the mechanisms underlying RIC formation (RICF). This study investigates the roles of angiotensin II (Ang II) and oxidative stress in RIC development, with a focus on their combined effects on lens transparency and cellular function. Key mechanisms include the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and oxidative damage to lens proteins and lipids, as well as the impact of Ang II on inflammatory responses and cellular apoptosis. …

The Sources And Fates Of Nutrients In The Deep Lake Watershed, Kiler Austin Kenison

EWU Masters Thesis Collection

This water quality survey determined the sources and fates of nutrients within the Deep Lake watershed located in Stevens County, WA. Deep Lake is a 191-acre exorheic lake found just below the Canadian border in northeast Washington state. It is situated at the bottom of a narrow valley with steep walls and is fed throughout the year by snowmelt from tributaries descending the mountains surrounding it. Above and to the north of the lake, the tributaries are utilized by cattle ranchers as a water source for livestock while a small community of homes surrounds the lake. Water samples, discharge, and …

Sialylation As A Mechanism For Preferential Ligand Binding In Cfs1r, Eric J. Beaulaurier

EWU Masters Thesis Collection

Macrophages are immune cells that help provide the first line of defense against a wide range of internal and external insults and create the bridge between innate and adaptive immune responses. When macrophage homeostasis is disrupted, disease states occur. Associated disease states include rheumatoid arthritis, Alzheimer’s disease, and multiple sclerosis. The survival and proliferation of macrophages is largely controlled by signaling through colony stimulating factor 1 receptor (CSF1R). Notably, this receptor can be activated by two non-homologous ligands, colony stimulating factor 1 (CSF1) and interleukin- 34 (IL-34). These two ligands are differentially required for macrophage homeostasis across body systems and …

Social Media Sanctuaries: A Discourse Analysis Of Indian International Students' Agency And Liminality During The Russian-Ukrainian Conflict, Bhavika Sicka, Nadiya Ungo, Dennis Gregory

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Faculty Publications

This study used a social media discourse analysis approach to illuminate the narratives of Indian international students in Ukraine who experienced displacement and upheaval because of the Russo-Ukrainian war. We used agency and liminality as analytic lenses to highlight how this uniquely situated population used Facebook to navigate conflict, voice their demands, support each other, challenge hegemonic narratives, re/construct their diasporic identities, and re-orient their futures. Findings indicate that Indian international students in Ukraine displayed insurmountable courage and resilience during the war, enacting agency from the margins to amplify their voices and actuate desired futures. Furthermore, South Asian students in …

Global South Sisterhood In Virtual Exchange: A Critical Autoethnography, Bhavika Sicka, Arzu Atajanova

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Faculty Publications

We are two women international students from the Global South, situated in Turkey and the U.S. respectively. In this article, we utilized collaborative autoethnography to critically reflect on our intellectual, emotional, linguistic, and cultural growth during a virtual exchange program that we participated in during the COVID-19 pandemic. Through this co-exploration, we analyzed our experiences and reflections as participants in a COIL program to consider, more broadly, the evolution and trajectory of virtual mobility in an uneven higher education landscape. Our virtual exchange emerged as a digital and transnational third space, unbounded by hegemonic epistemic, linguistic, or geographical borders. We …

Between The Entrepreneurial Impetus For Higher Profits And Consumer Rights Or Types Of Unfair And Misleading Commercial Practices: Insights From Bulgaria, Silviya Atanasova Topleva

International Journal on Consumer Law and Practice

The application of unfair misleading commercial practices affects the economic interests of consumers, threatening legal security and the achievement of market equilibrium. In response to these imbalances, the law builds a solid regulatory network for consumer protection. In the codification of the protection of consumer interests from unfair commercial practices, an important place is occupied by secondary legislation of the EU, and in particular Directive 2005/29/EC concerning unfair business-to-consumer commercial practices in the internal market. The article presents a classification of the types of unfair misleading commercial practices based on the regulatory framework at the European and national level. The …

Examining Multicultural Leadership Development Practices In Counselor Education To Foster Future Leaders, Katie N. Schmitz

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

The purpose of this study was to gain a deeper understanding of how doctoral programs foster leadership development in Counselor Education and identify recommendations for incorporating leadership-related learning outcomes and multicultural leadership identities. Using a Delphi method, the study collected input from sixteen experts in the field of Counselor Education and leadership. Data was examined through the lenses of transformational learning and leadership theories. The research questions were: what are the best practices in teaching and/or fostering multicultural leadership development in Counselor Education, and what are the recommendations for integrating CACREP leadership-related learning objectives in the curriculum? Eight themes were …

Navigating The Noise: Implications Of Increasing Ship Noise For An Arctic Ocean Soundscape, Andrea Lynn

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

There is no quiet way to churn water. Noise pollution caused by ships is increasing in the Arctic Ocean as sea ice melts, creating more open channels for vessels. This study provides a glimpse into the sources and balance of sounds in a portion of the Arctic Ocean soundscape surrounding the Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard. Characterization of the soundscape provides essential data as the region quickly transforms. This study also considers human perceptions of underwater ocean noise and its impacts in the region, and it reviews current ocean policy, suggesting mitigation strategies and ways forward. Before the rapid development of …