Digital Commons Network^™

A Green Exercise Lifestyle: The Relationship Between Outdoor Exercise, Nature Connection, And Pro-Environmental Behavior, Carolyn Casey

Australia: Sustainability and Environmental Action

This study investigates the hypothesized relationship between green exercise, nature connection, and pro-environmental behavior, exploring how engagement in outdoor exercise influences individuals' environmental attitudes and behaviors. Using a mixed-methods approach, data was collected through surveys, interviews, and personal reflection. Findings reveal that outdoor exercise participants exhibit equal or stronger connections to nature and higher levels of pro-environmental behavior than their indoor counterparts– nature connection scores for outdoor groups were consistently equal to or higher than those of indoor groups, and their pro-environmental behavior scores significantly surpassed indoor groups. Subgroup trends highlighted unique patterns, such as a productivity-driven focus among pool …

An Illustrated, Experiential Field Guide To Melbourne, Elissa Steil

Australia: Sustainability and Environmental Action

This paper documents the creation of a field guide designed to promote sustainability by encouraging connection and understanding of Melbourne's native environment. The guide features illustrations, distribution maps, and descriptions of their physical traits and traditional Aboriginal uses. The guide emphasizes accessibility for diverse audiences, using simple language and a balance of visuals and text to appeal to both beginners and experts in plant identification. Grounded in respect for the Traditional Owners of the land, the Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung and Bunurong/Boon Wurrung peoples of the Kulin Nation, the project integrates traditional ecological knowledge to highlight Aboriginal approaches to environmental stewardship. These …

Exploring Sustainability In The Fashion Industry: A Comparative Study Of Melbourne-Based Brands, Annabel Nemeth

Australia: Sustainability and Environmental Action

As the Australian fashion industry continues to grow, the environmental and social consequences of its rapid expansion are becoming increasingly unsustainable. The “fast fashion” model, driven by overproduction, overconsumption, and disposable culture, has led to significant waste, the depletion of natural resources, and the exploitation of workers in developing countries. In response to these issues, sustainable fashion practices have gained attention as a potential solution. This study investigates the sustainability efforts of four Australian fashion brands: Kara Baker Couture, Par Moi, Kuwaii, and Elk the Label. This study focuses on their use of sustainable materials, ethical production processes, and strategies …

The Competition Between Sustainability And Profitability In Byron Bay, Nsw Businesses, Elise Leroux

Australia: Sustainability and Environmental Action

Byron Bay, NSW is a unique community made up of surfers, hippies, and tourists where both the natural environment and the businesses downtown are central to the area. To be a successful business among these varying lifestyles requires thought into both creating profit and acting sustainably. This paper aims to understand how the culture of the Byron Bay community influences the balance between sustainability and profitability in local businesses. To achieve this goal, I conducted six interviews of businesses that are local to Byron Bay. Businesses in the organics, clothing, beer, and handmade industries were interviewed regarding their sustainability practices, …

Effects Of Litter Removal And Biochar Application On Soil Properties In Urban Forests Of Southern China, Tianyi Yan, Xin Liu, Wende Yan, Junjie Lei, Yuanying Peng, Xiang Zhang, Xiaoyong Chen

Faculty Authors and Creators Reception

Urban forests are crucial components of cities, serving as vital ‘green lungs’ that embody urban civilization and sustainability. Despite their significance in maintaining the urban environment and ecological functions, management practices for urban forests can be unreasonable at times. This study investigated the impact of two common practices, litter removal and biochar application, on soil properties in an urban forest in Changsha city, China. The aim was to understand how these practices affect soil carbon, nutrients, and microbial activity in urban settings. The results showed that soil water content (SWC), pH, available phosphorus (AP), and soil microbial biomass carbon (SMBC) …

Digital Engagement In Combating Mental Health Risks Associated With Ageism, Eh Si Si

Digital Literacy & Scholarship Collection

Infographic about digital engagement as a means of addressing ageism.

Wrack Lines Volume 24, No. 2, Fall-Winter 2024-2025, Farwa Mohsin, Seth Kinter, Elena Smith, Eden Torres, Dominic Moore, Isaiah Sosa

Wrack Lines

Six recipients of the Wrack Lines Voice of Diverse Youth Scholarship share personal essays about their relationship to nature and climate change.

Unveiling Similarities In The Code Of Life: A Detailed Exploration Of Dna Sequence Matching Algorithm, Mahmoud Y. Shams, Romany M. Farag, Dalia A. Aldawody, Huda E. Khalid, Ahmed K. Essa, Hazem M. El-Bakry, A. A. Salama

Neutrosophic Systems with Applications

Identifying similar DNA sequences is crucial in various biological research endeavors. This paper delves into the intricate workings of a specific algorithm designed for this purpose. We provide a systematic explanation, exploring how the algorithm handles user input, reads stored DNA sequences, utilizes the Word2Vec model for vector representation, and calculates sequence similarity using diverse metrics like Cosine Similarity and Neutrosophic Distance. Additionally, the paper explores the incorporation of neutrosophic values to account for uncertainty in the comparisons. Finally, we discuss the extraction of results, including matched sequences, similarity scores, and accuracy measures. This in-depth exploration provides a clear understanding …

2024 Fall Newsletter, Plaster Creek Stewards

Newsletters

Highlights:

Project GreenER Returns in 2025

Sustainable Business of the Year

PCS Is Showing Up Around the Community

Botanical Highlight: Discovery of a New Kent County Native Grass

Fall Event Furthers New Tree Planting Initiatives

Plaster Creek: Unsalted?

Making Connections at Calvin

Khet खेत: Board Game Development As A Knowledge Producing Mechanism For Agroecological Development In Nepal, Margaret Mclaughlin

Nepal: Development, Gender, and Social Change in the Himalaya

Sustainable agriculture is a frequently weaponized phrase with a varying degree of intentions and applications world-wide. For Nepal, true sustainability lies within cultivating traditional indigenous agricultural practices in favor of imported western methods which are ill suited for the unique geography of Nepal and the longevity of the people and place they call home. Agroecology, or the focus on the importance of biodiversity conservation and attention to the greater natural balance lies at the heart of agricultural development and community building efforts which sustain Nepali agriculture at its core. By using board game play as a facilitator of cooperative knowledge …

Big Sinners: Tracing Substance Addiction From The West To East Through Tourism, Linnea Anderson

Nepal: Tibetan and Himalayan Peoples

People have long sought to control and harness the power vested in drugs. Said power is both real and imagined. Drug policy capitalizes on its “imagined power” by constructing social and political narratives about drug addiction. Sometimes these narratives are fair, based on evidence, and support individuals facing substance use disorders. Other times, they are misleading, corrupted, or misrepresentative of the actual “drug problem”. When defined outside the context of their environment and identity, drug users must relinquish agency over how their life is conceived and acted upon. Further, when drug use is defined in misleading to incorrect terms, individuals, …

Water Quality Of The Napo River Basin: A Comparative Study Of Streams In Polycultures And Oil Palm Monocultures, Eva C. Andersen

Ecuador: Comparative Ecology and Conservation

Oil palm cultivation has grown rapidly in recent years in Ecuador, resulting in significant economic and environmental changes to the country. In the Northeast Ecuadorian Amazon, a hotspot for both petroleum extraction and oil palm production, poor water quality has been a persistent issue for decades. However, knowledge gaps exist regarding to what extent intensive monocultures, such as oil palm, contribute to poor water quality in this region, and how they compare to other forms of agriculture. This investigation compared water quality in streams of the Napo River watershed running through oil palm monocultures and traditional polycultures. Water quality was …

Increased Risks Of Maternal Mental Health Conditions Following Covid-19 Pandemic, Anita Zhou, Allison Zetterman, Megan Ott, Colman Freel, Kayla Adams, Charmayne R. Adams

Office of Health Promotion Scholarship

Background: Women are at an increased risk of developing psychiatric conditions such as anxiety and depression during pregnancy. Psychiatric conditions during pregnancy can put mothers and fetuses at risk of worse physical and mental health before, during, and after the completion of a pregnancy. Previous research indicates that women pregnant during COVID-19 were at a greater risk of developing mental health conditions and being exposed to stressors. While most of the research in the field focuses solely on maternal mental health or interactions between stressors and maternal mental health, little research has been done comparing maternal mental health, demographic variables, …

Parkway Pocket Garden Maintenance Booklet, Plaster Creek Stewards

Print Materials

Parkway pocket gardens are designed for areas between the sidewalk and street, but without a basin and curb-cut. By replacing lawn in parkways with native plants, it can soak up rainwater that falls on the gardens, provide habitat and a food source for pollinators and birds, and increase biodiversity in your neighborhood. This maintenance guide covers the Michigan native plants that may be found in a parkway pocket garden, maintenance recommendations, and weeds you may encounter.

Ontogenetic Biomechanics Of Tufted (Sapajus) And Untufted (Cebus) Capuchin Mandibles, Taylor A. Polvadore, Caitlin B. Yoakum, Parker M. Taylor, Megan A. Holmes, Myra F. Laird, Janine Chalk-Wilayto, Claudia Misue Kanno, Jose Americano De Oliveira, Claire E. Terhune

Anthropology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Objectives

Cortical bone geometry is commonly used to investigate biomechanical properties of primate mandibles. However, the ontogeny of these properties is less understood. Here we investigate changes in cortical bone cross-sectional properties throughout capuchin ontogeny and compare captive versus wild, semi-provisioned groups. Tufted capuchins (Sapajus spp.) are known to consume relatively hard/tough foods, while untufted capuchins (Cebus spp.) exploit less mechanically challenging foods. Previous research indicates dietary differences are present early in development and adult Sapajus mandibles can resist higher bending/shear/torsional loads.

Materials and methods

This study utilized microCT scans of 22 Cebus and 45 Sapajus from early …

Confronting The Reproducibility Crisis: A Case Study Of Challenges In Cybersecurity Ai, Richard H. Moulton, Gary A. Mccully, John D. Hastings

Research & Publications

In the rapidly evolving field of cybersecurity, ensuring the reproducibility of AI-driven research is critical to maintaining the reliability and integrity of security systems. This paper addresses the reproducibility crisis within the domain of adversarial robustness—a key area in AI-based cybersecurity that focuses on defending deep neural networks against malicious perturbations. Through a detailed case study, we attempt to validate results from prior work on certified robustness using the VeriGauge toolkit, revealing significant challenges due to software and hardware incompatibilities, version conflicts, and obsolescence. Our findings underscore the urgent need for standardized methodologies, containerization, and comprehensive documentation to ensure the …

Advances In Biomedical Research And Treatments: What Is Acceptable?, Michael L. Clancy, Khalid M. Iskandarani, Mitchell C. Mccrea

Journal of Health Ethics

This study investigated the technology acceptance (TA) of twenty-first century biomedical treatments by adults in the United States. A new TA instrument was created, using five distinct levels: (1) Healing and Prevention, (2) Replacement Organs, (3) Enhancements-Medical, (4) Enhancements-Discretionary, and (5) Transhumans. An on-line survey produced 353 usable responses, which showed distinct patterns for each of five biomedical treatment levels. There was clear support for Levels 1–3, but very strong opposition to Levels 4–5. The TA finding draws the line between which human interventions are acceptable versus others that should be prohibited through public policies and medical guidelines.

Network Analysis Of Virginia’S Mineralogical Systems, Cadence M. Boucher, Ahmed M. Eleish, Robert M. Hazen, Shaunna M. Morrison

Virginia Journal of Science

The principal objective of this study was to use network analysis to identify spatial, geomorphic, physical, and chemical patterns in Virginia’s mineralogical systems. Mineralogical and locality data from mindat.org were visualized as a bipartite force- directed network of the minerals and the counties of Virginia in which they occur. Mineral nodes were sized to represent the number of counties the minerals are found in (i.e., frequency of occurrence) and county nodes were sized to represent the number of minerals found in that county (i.e., mineral diversity). Furthermore, the nodes were colored to display selected attributes of the mineral-county data. County …

Lifelines Fall 2024, Southern Adventist University

Lifelines - Biology Department Newsletter

The Fall 2024 issue of Lifelines contains articles on an alumni spotlight, department happenings, and students in service.

Illuminated Magazine - Fall 2024, School Of Graduate Studies, East Tennessee State University

Illuminated: Graduate Student Research Magazine

• 2: Editorial Staff
• 6: Characterizing Ice-Age Belize through Paleontology, Alson Ovando, Geosciences, MS, Paleontology
• 10: Knowledge and Perceptions About Feeding and Growth in Infants and Young Children Among Early Interventionists in Tennessee, Kayla Chambers, Clinical Nutrition, MS
• 13: Where Are They Now? Featuring Alana Claxton
• 14: A Night and Day Difference: Mapping Unmarked Graves with Thermal Imaging, Noah Hall, Geosciences, MS, Geospatial
• 18: Genetic Sequencing of Green Salamanders in Bays Mountain Park, Brianna Drake, Biology, MS
• 21: Where Are They Now? Featuring Alexandria M. Lyons
• 22: Plants as Cancer Treatment: Using CRISPR/Cas9 Technology to Produce Therapeutic Proteins in Tobacco Plants, …

An Overview Of Borderline Personality Disorder: Etiology, Stigma, And Treatment Approaches, Sofia A. Fernandez

Selected Student Publications

This review of borderline personality disorder (BPD) literature aims to evaluate current clinical and research-based knowledge on the etiology, symptoms, treatment approaches, interpersonal impacts, and stigma that surround the disorder. As borderline personality disorder is a personality disorder that affects a notable percentage of the adult population and is marked by high suicidality, it is a disorder where accurate education and understanding are crucial for clinicians and researchers. By exploring the interaction of biological and environmental factors that may contribute to the development of BPD, this paper highlights the importance of raising awareness and combatting the negative stigma that is …

Fish & Wildlife News: Fall 2024

Fish and Wildlife News

Contents

Service’s Florida Manatee Lead Has ‘Full Circle Moment’ While Escorting Group of College Students on Tour of SeaWorld Orlando Rescue Center

Connecting Spanish-Speaking Kids with Nature

Study Assesses the Coastal Barrier Resources Act as a Significant Climate Adaptation Strategy

Communities Rally Around Monarchs in Illinois

Baltimore’s National Aquarium Uses Chesapeake WILD Funding to Bring New Life for the Inner Harbor

Collaborative Conservation Leads to Removal of Apache Trout from Endangered Species List

Healthy Habitat for Hitch: Partnerships with Tribe, State, Others, Critical to Efforts

Sequoia’s Slender Salamanders a Precious Sight

Local Alliance Helps National Pollinators

SPOTLIGHT: Partners Needed

Goats …

Alumni Journal - Volume 95, Number 3, Loma Linda University School Of Medicine

Alumni Journal, School of Medicine

Editorials
2 | From the Editor
4 | From the President
6 | From the Dean

News
8 | School of Medicine News
10 | Alumni News
12 | This & That
14 | APC Preview
16 | Students: Excellence in Professionalism
18 | AIMS Report: Adventist International Eye Service: Celebrating 20 Years of Service in Madagascar

Features
20 | Medicine in the West Wing: A Conversation with Jeffrey Kuhlman '87, MPH, Physician to the President
28 | Sound Medicine: Physicians Reflect on the Harmony Between Medicine and Music
36 | Finding Joy Through Connections: A Psychiatrist's Journey to a …

How The Forgotten Tools Of The Clean Water Act Can Restore The Chesapeake Bay With Fewer Consequences, Evan Isaacson, Kennedi Fichtel

University of Baltimore Law Forum

No abstract provided.

Minutes, College Of Liberal Arts Executive Committee Meeting, Thursday, August 29, 2024, College Of Liberal Arts Executive Committe

Executive Committee Minutes

No abstract provided.

Minutes, College Of Liberal Arts Executive Committee Meeting, Thursday, October 3, 2024, College Of Liberal Arts Executive Committe

Executive Committee Minutes

No abstract provided.

Contact Point Autumn 2024, Arthur A. Dugoni School Of Dentistry

Contact Point

No abstract provided.

Cold Stress Mechanisms In Asian Rice Subspecies And Overexpression Of Osubc7 For Enhancing Rice Cold Tolerance, Huy Minh Phan

Dissertations (1934 -)

By 2050, the projected 9.7 billion global population will increase food demand, especially for staple crops. Climate change, with extreme temperature fluctuations, heavily impacts cold-sensitive Asian rice (Oryza sativa L.) grown in tropical and subtropical areas. Therefore, understanding the response mechanisms of two Asian rice subspecies, japonica and indica, which have distinctive tolerance to cold stress, becomes important for improving crop cold tolerance. Hence, this study tested our hypotheses to address how japonica can tolerate cold exposure better than indica: (1) japonica selectively adjusts antioxidant activities to counter reactive oxygen species (ROS), while indica rapidly increases antioxidant activities early; (2) …

Black People’S Reasons For Becoming Professional Counselors: A Grounded Theory, Michael D. Hannon, Lashawn M. Adams, Natalie Nieves, Estefanie Ceballo, David Julius Ford, Jr., Linwood G. Vereen

Department of Counseling Scholarship and Creative Works

Drawing from the concepts of Critical Race Theory and the Theory of Nigrescence, we report the results of a grounded theory study to explain why a sample of 28 Black counselors chose their profession. Findings suggest that the contributors to this study were motivated to become counselors because of their inspiration to challenge cultural mandates (i.e., grounding motivator), to disrupt Black underrepresentation (i.e., secondary motivator), and to live out their personal and professional convictions (i.e., secondary motivator). Recommendations for counselor education, counseling practice, and counseling research are included.

Drselects: Sound Driven Design Sig’S Stefano Delle Monache, Nicolas Misdariis And Elif Özcan, Stefano Delle Monache, Nicolas Misdariis, Elif Özcan

DRSelects

No abstract provided.