Digital Commons Network^™

Training Load Influences Gut Microbiome Of Highly Trained Rowing Athletes, B. Charlesson, J. Jones, C. Abbiss, P. Peeling, S. Watts, C. T. Christophersen

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Background: Despite the importance of the gut microbiome on physical performance and health, little is known on the impact of training on an athlete’s gut health. Objective: This study investigates the effect of training load on markers of gut health. Methods: Whole stool (24 h) samples were collected from 23 highly trained rowers (mean ± SD; age 19.2 ± 1.1 y; weight 80.1 ± 11.4 kg; height 1.83 ± 0.09 m) following periods of high (HT) and low training load (LT). The microbiome and short-chain fatty acid concentrations were characterized from the whole stool samples. Three-day weighted food records were …

Clouds Running Out Of Juice: A Special Podcast Episode Featuring Tim Winton’S Climate Fiction, Rumen Rachev, Jo Pollitt, Emma Nicoletti

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

This paper presents a pedagogical experiment in the form of a fictional podcast episode that “aired” in January 2025, featuring Tim Winton’s climate fiction novel Juice (2024). Emerging from a dialogical reading collaboration between three interdisciplinary “scholars, resisters and ordinary grafters” (Winton, 2024, p.116) — Rumen Rachev, Jo Pollitt, and Emma Nicoletti — the paper and podcast operate together through a method we term papercast, centring on three key themes: clouds, atmospheric frictions, and the significance of critically engaging with climate fiction, specifically Juice, amid ongoing climate instability. Simultaneously paper and podcast (papercast), we invite the reader to “listen” visually …

Possibilities For Climate Change Adaptation Investments In Ghana: Exploring Private Sector Concerns And Perceptions About Policy Incentives, Jane Osei, Albert Ahenkan, Samuel Weniga Anuga

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Policy incentives can significantly boost private sector investment in climate change adaptation, especially in developing countries. Leveraging private sector resources, including human capital, financial assets, and technological innovations, is crucial for enhancing adaptation efforts. However, many private entities are reluctant to invest due to the perceived business risks associated with climate change. This hesitancy increases vulnerability in developing nations. This study examines the private sector's views in Ghana on policy incentives for climate adaptation investments and the barriers impeding their involvement. The findings show that corporate social responsibility, financial requirements, and access to relevant information are key motivators for private …

Belongingness, Trust And Connection: Arts Teachers In Western Australian Schools Create Safe Learning Spaces, Christina Gray, Lisa Paris, Geoffrey Lowe, Angela Perry, Lara Warwick

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Central to this phenomenological inquiry is the question of how students’ fundamental needs of belonging, trust and connection are enacted in arts classrooms. Through qualitative semi-structured interviews, this research explores the teaching practices of 23 expert arts teachers in Western Australian schools, revealing strategies to sustain supportive and safe learning environments. The findings highlight the disconnection students face in their schools and the significance of trust in embracing diversity, cultivating quality relationships, and empowering student voice. Understanding these evolving practices can enable less experienced teachers to adapt arts-based approaches to foster inclusive spaces that prioritise student well-being and connection.

Young Children Moving Through Ecological Anxiety And Grief: Dancing With Demolition, Jane Merewether, Jo Pollitt, Mindy Blaise

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

As the extent of planetary unraveling becomes increasingly apparent, scholars are beginning to document responses to the loss of ecological systems, mass extinctions, and climate change. However, there are few studies documenting children’s eco-anxiety responses. In this study, children’s eco-anxiety and grief became apparent when they expressed dismay at the imminent demolition of a derelict building. Children were concerned for the fate of the building, the land on which it stood, and the myriad others it sheltered. Using participatory and creative methodologies including dance, this project worked with children to tell a more-than-human story of becoming-with children-building-weeds-graffiti-dust-researchers-unhoused-bacteria-rats-and unloved others, which …

Framing Theory Insights: The Co-Existence Of Frame Coupling And Frame Mirroring In Social Media And Online News About A Disaster-Affected Destination, Violetta Wilk, Ashlee Morgan, Greg Willson, Ruth Sibson

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Through the lens of framing theory, this paper explores social media and news media online narratives about a destination affected by a natural disaster. It presents original insights into the co-existence of frame coupling and frame mirroring in online content. Online news media, and local and overseas social media user-generated content (UGC) was examined. The aim of such triangulation of data, was to understand how different online sources framed the destination in the context of the disaster. 24,985 Twitter (now X) posts were sourced using Salesforce Social Studio and 1,248 online news media articles from Factiva. Leximancer-driven thematic analysis via …

Ecological Grief: How Can We Bear This Together?, Susan Bailey, Nicholas Gerrish

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

The impacts of human activity on ecosystems are increasingly evident through ecological degradation and climate change. Despite this, in many jurisdictions across the world, action to address and curtail destructive human activities is slow and resisted at all levels. In this article, we suggest that this resistance is connected to deep ecological grief. We introduce a dual approach to understanding ecological grief, using concepts of unprecedented and unacknowledged grief. Unprecedented grief is felt in response to the loss of our ecosystems and unacknowledged grief connected to the anticipated loss of lifestyle necessary to curtail destructive human behaviour. Drawing upon an …

Comparing Microct Staining And Scanning Methodology For Brain Studies In Various Sizes Of Spiders, Vanessa Penna-Gonçalves, Nikolas J. Willmott, Michael B.J. Kelly, Jay R. Black, Elizabeth C. Lowe, Marie E. Herberstein

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Recent advances in microCT are facilitating the investigation of microstructures in spiders and insects leading to an increased number of studies investigating their neuroanatomy. Although microCT is a powerful tool, its effectiveness depends on appropriate tissue preparation and scan settings, particularly for soft, non-sclerotized tissues, such as muscles, organs, and neural tissues. As the application of microCT in spiders is only in its infancy, published protocols are often difficult to implement due to substantial size variation of the specimens. The present study was initiated to determine how to account for this variation. Our work builds on previous methods using microCT …

Overview Of Aboriginal And Torres Strait Islander Health Status 2024, Australian Indigenous Healthinfonet

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

The Overview of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health status 2024 (Overview) aims to provide a comprehensive outline of the current health status of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. The early sections of the Overview present information about the social and cultural context of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health, social determinants, the structure of the population, and measures of population health including births, deaths and hospitalisations.

The remaining sections of the Overview consist of selected health conditions and risk/protective factors that contribute to the overall health of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. These sections include a brief …

The Weapon Focus Effect On Memory For Male And Female Perpetrators, Faith Christel Aasen

Theses and Dissertations

Previous research on the weapon focus effect suggests that weapon presence causes reduced memory accuracy for perpetrator details due to weapons being surprising and unexpected. The unusualness hypothesis suggests that a stronger weapon focus effect should occur when the perpetrator defies typical gender stereotypes, such as a woman holding a gun. The current study sought to examine how the weapon focus effect impacts eyewitness memory for male and female perpetrators, specifically exploring the magnitude of the effect on female perpetrators. The current study further investigated whether the own gender bias attenuates the weapon focus effect on memory for female perpetrators. …

Next-Gen Device For Uniform Cellular Migration Assay Execution, Nicholas M. Bittner

Theses and Dissertations

Cellular migration assays, particularly scratch assays, are pivotal in biomedical research for cell motility, wound healing, and metastasis. However, conventional scratch assays suffer from variability due to operator dependence, non-uniform scratch geometry, and a modified microenvironment that impacts reproducibility. This thesis presents the development and validation of a low-cost, 3D-printed device designed to standardize cellular migration assays. The device utilizes a spring mechanism and a biocompatible elastomer to create a uniform cellular exclusion zone without harming the surrounding cells. Through iterative prototyping and testing with MCF10A cell lines, the device demonstrated a significantly lower average standard deviation of length compared …

Inorganic Arsenite [I-As (Iii)] Represses Human Renal Progenitor Cell Characteristics And Induces Neoplastic-Like Transformation, Md Ehsanul Haque

Theses and Dissertations

Studies on populations exposed to inorganic arsenic (iAs) have shown an association between this particular exposure and the development of chronic kidney disease (CKD) and renal cell carcinoma (RCC). However, there are few studies addressing how acute exposure of the human kidney to iAs might lead to long-term alterations that might lead to CKD or RCC. This study’s hypothesis is that renal exposure to iAs might alter the renal cells responsible for the repair and regeneration of nephrons damaged by iAs exposure or other renal toxicants. The kidney possesses a minority epithelial cell population that co-express PROM1 and CD24 that …

Cisplatin-Induced Nephrotoxicity And Adaptive Responses In Renal Progenitor Cells: Molecular Insights From Transcriptomic And Proteomic Analyses, Eloho Ighofose

Theses and Dissertations

Cisplatin is a widely used chemotherapeutic agent known for its efficacy against various solid tumors, but its clinical utility is limited by dose-dependent nephrotoxicity. The renal proximal tubule, particularly its epithelial cell population, is highly susceptible to cisplatin-induced injury due to its role in solute transport and high metabolic activity. Recent advances suggest that renal progenitor cells play a key role in epithelial repair following nephrotoxic injury; however, the molecular mechanisms underlying their response to cisplatin remain poorly understood.This study investigates the impact of both acute and chronic cisplatin exposure on immortalized human renal progenitor cells (HRTPT, CD24⁺/CD133⁺) using a …

Why Can't We Just Be: Native American College Student Sense Of Belonging At The University Of North Dakota, Gavin Michael Nadeau

Theses and Dissertations

Sense of belonging is a primary indicator of retention and persistence to graduation forNative American college students. Though more than doubling in the past 30 years, Native American college student enrollment has decreased since 2010 (197,000 in 2010 to 107,000 in 2021) (PNPI, 2021; NCES, n.d.). In 2020, Native American students’ 2nd year retention rate was more than 20% lower than their white peers at the University of North Dakota (UND, 2020). When college students of color feel like they belong, they are more likely to retain, persist, and graduate (Mowreader, 2024; Hurtado & Carter, 1997; Hurtado et al., 1999). …

Investigating The Role Of Keratin 6 And Sox2 In Regulating Growth, Stemness, Basal/Squamous Expression, And Chemotherapy Response In Muscle-Invasive Urothelial Carcinoma, Nelofar Nargis

Theses and Dissertations

Urothelial carcinoma (UC) is a prevalent and aggressive malignancy arising in urothelial cells, with arsenic exposure recognized as a significant environmental risk factor. It is categorized into two primary subtypes based on the extent of cancer progression beyond the bladder’s muscle wall: non-muscle-invasive urothelial carcinoma (NMIUC) and muscle-invasive urothelial carcinoma (MIUC). While NMIUC is associated with a relatively favorable prognosis, progression to MIUC is more aggressive and leads to significantly worse outcomes, including poor treatment response and increased metastasis. Squamous differentiation (SD) in UC is an emerging hallmark of aggressive UC, with patients often having poor prognoses and developing chemoresistance, …

Investigation Of Surfactant-Enhanced Oil Recovery In High Salinity And High Temperature (Hsht) Reservoir Conditions: A Case Study In The Bakken Formation, Tomiwa Isaac Oguntade

Theses and Dissertations

This study investigates improved strategies for enhancing oil recovery (EOR) in challenging reservoir conditions by combining chemical surfactant flooding and data-driven optimization techniques. Given rising global energy demand and the depletion of conventional oil reserves, chemical EOR methods, particularly surfactant flooding, are gaining popularity for their ability to mobilize residual oil via mechanisms such as reducing interfacial tension, altering wettability, and inhibiting asphaltene formation. The research begins by examining the effectiveness of surfactant applications across various reservoir conditions, emphasizing the need for surfactants capable of withstanding challenging environments characterized by high temperatures, high salinity, and low permeability. Laboratory experiments demonstrated …

Eco-Friendly Synthesis Of Anemonin From 5-Hydroxymethylfurfural, A Biomass-Derived Starting Material, Diane Zefack Tangmi

Theses and Dissertations

Anemonin, a valuable cyclobutane containing dilactone is a bioactive natural product from Ranunculaceae plants. It holds great potential for applications in pharmaceuticals and materials science. However, traditional synthesis methods are hampered by low yields, toxic reagents, and environmental concerns, limiting its practical use. This study highlights the development of green and scalable synthetic strategies designed to achieve high yields while minimizing environmental impact. Our approach focuses on sustainable methodologies, including optimized steam and fractional distillation performed under mild conditions to reduce waste and energy demands. Protoanemonin’s natural ability to dimerize under mild heating offers a green approach to anemonin synthesis, …

Hillslope Degradation: Coarse Sands May Move Faster But Fines Dominate Flux, Robert Chance

Theses and Dissertations

Hillslopes are one of the most pervasive landforms on Earth yet the details of the processes that drive their evolution are not completely understood. Excluding boulders, the majority of mass and volume in soil-mantled hillslopes is composed of sand-sized and finer grains. Understanding the transport rates and governing transport mechanisms of these grains is therefore key to advancing our knowledge of hillslope evolution.This research investigates sand-sized sediment transport through field experiments at 20 sites tracking surface sediment motion and 11 sites measuring depth-dependent transport. These empirical results are compared against outputs from a novel grain-based hillslope diffusion simulation (GBHDS), which …

Congolese Refugee Narratives Of Belonging, Grief, And Cultural Continuity In Appalachia, Kayla Davis

Theses and Dissertations

This research examines the communicative challenges that Congolese refugees face after resettlement, particularly as they strive to reconstruct a sense of belonging in the United States that reflects their experiences in either their home country or secondary countries where they endured protracted displacement in refugee camps. Narrative qualitative research methods were used to conduct interviews with five Congolese refugees in Appalachia. Through qualitative thematic and lexical analysis derived from the interviews, the study reveals patterns of linguistic isolation, community continuity, and emotional displacement. A key finding is that participants often conceptualize community not as a geographic entity, but as an …

Strengthening Traffic Safety Laws On The Crow Indian Reservation, Darcy Merchant

Theses and Dissertations

The Crow Indian reservation is located in south-central Montana. The reservation is one of the largest land-based tribes in Montana, encompassing an area of over three thousand square miles. The reservation borders the state of Wyoming to the south and the Northern Cheyenne Indian reservation to the east. The reservation features a comprehensive transportation system that encompasses tribal, county, state, and federal roadways. Drivers and passengers who travel on these roadways are at higher risk for fatal and severe injury-related motor vehicle crashes than those in other reservations. This situation largely stems from the critical absence of targeted traffic safety …

Advancing Human-Computer Interaction Systems Through Explainable And Secure Ai Integration, Ifiok Udoidiok

Theses and Dissertations

As artificial intelligence (AI) systems increasingly shape how humans interact with digital environments, the need for transparency, security, and robustness in intelligent decision making has become critical. This thesis explores how explainable and secure AI techniques can be integrated into modern human-computer interaction (HCI) systems to enhance trust, resilience, and alignment with human operators.

We present three related studies, each addressing a distinct challenge in the design of human-centered AI. First, we apply XAI methods, specifically Local Interpretable Model-Agnostic Explanations (LIME), to deep learning (DL) based CAPTCHA solvers. By interpreting model attention patterns, we uncover exploitable weaknesses in text CAPTCHA …

Public Perceptions Of Fracking And Anti-Fracking Activism: A Theory Of Planned Behavior Approach And Its Implications For Environmental Policy, Okhumode Hector Yakubu

Theses and Dissertations

Hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, has become one of the most contentious energy technologies of the 21st century, drawing support for its economic and energy security benefits and opposition due to its perceived environmental and health risks. This study applies the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) to examine the psychological, social, and informational factors that shape public perceptions of fracking and motivate anti-fracking activism. Using a nationally representative sample of U.S. adults (N = 522), this research investigates how attitudes, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control, and domain-specific knowledge predict support or opposition to fracking, as well as intentions to engage in …

The Perceptions Of Australian Identity By Year 5 And Year 6 Students In An Australian Independent School, Renae Nahajski, Dianne Chambers, Shane Lavery

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

The study described here explored the perceptions of eight Year 5 and Year 6 students of their Australian identity in an independent Western Australian metropolitan school. The epistemological approach for this research was constructivism with an interpretivist theoretical perspective. We aimed to understand the perspectives of the eight student participants by use of a phenomenological methodology. Semi-structured interviews and student drawn pictures provided the data. Results revealed common values, citizenship, and a strong sense of belonging as important attributes of the participants’ perceptions of their own Australian national identity. The results provide insights into how students perceive their sense of …

Ancient Service Systems In Historic Houses And Their Contribution To Sustainable Urban Development : The Case Of Architect Sinan’S House, Gülşen Dişli, Gül Gediri-Gökçen

Journal of Urban Culture Research

The service systems of historic buildings, namely, heating, ventilation, cooling, lighting, and drainage play a critical role in the life cycle of buildings and sustainable urban development to preserve traditional knowledge systems. Therefore, a detailed investigation is required before, during, and after any preservation activity to ensure the historic integrity. Hence, this research aims to identify, investigate, and research the original service systems of a historic building, namely, the Architect Sinan's house in Ağırnas, Türkiye, to reveal and sustain these original passive survivability details to future generations and to learn from these details in present constructions. Main methods were site …

Creative Thai Art Learning For Urban Society’S Well-Being, Apichart Pholprasert, Soamshine Boonyananta, Intira Phrompan, Suchart Imsamraan, Wanalee Chanrangsri, Priyasri Promchinda

Journal of Urban Culture Research

Lifestyles in crowded, fast-paced urban societies have created conditions that negatively affect physical, mental, and social well-being. This research aimed to develop and implement creative Thai art learning activities to promote well-being in urban communities. A mixed-methods approach was employed in four stages: (1) documentary research and community surveys, including interviews with 5 community leaders and 100 residents in the Rama IV area; (2) development of creative Thai art learning kits; (3) implementation of learning activities with a sample of 500 community residents; and (4) data collection involved satisfaction and well-being assessments and follow-up interviews; the resulting data were then …

Towards A Sustainable Play-Ground : Performance Ecosystems For A Livable Bangkok Neighborhood, Pornrat Damrhung

Journal of Urban Culture Research

This article examines an effort to turn urban research into creative placemaking by using performances to make a livable Bangkok neighborhood more vibrant. Research explored diverse stakeholders of Samyan-Banthat Thong in central Bangkok during COVID-19. This exploration found opportunities to link the neighborhood’s entrepreneurs, students, visitors and property managers, and discovered key characteristics of the complex and changing neighborhood. We used this knowledge to design a small festival bringing performing artists into the area’s main park and to important sites surrounding it for a weekend of live performances, workshops and demonstrations. By using performance to attract diverse publics to the …

Global Patterns And Drivers Of Seagrass Biomass, Net Primary Production And Meadow Structure, Nicole R. Foster, Enric Gomis, Diana I. Montemayor, Simone Strydom, Miguel Angel Mateo, Eduard Serrano, Aurora M. Ricart, Martin Dahl, Ines Mazarrasa, Paulina Cisternas, Harry Whiteley, Elliott J. Bates, Viena Puigcorbé, Uxue Moreda, Mar Truc, Karina Inostroza, Rafael Huertas, Roisin Mccallum, Anna Lafratta, Chanelle L. Webster, Caitlyn M. O'Dea, Nicole E. Said, Carlos M. Duarte, Paul S. Lavery, Oscar Serrano

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Aim: We decipher global patterns in seagrass growth and structure to advance seagrass science, facilitate multidisciplinary research, and promote effective management strategies and policy development for seagrass habitats. Location: Global. Time period: 1975 to 2024. Major taxa studied: Seagrasses—marine angiosperms. Methods: A global data set on seagrass total biomass, total net primary productivity (NPP), shoot density, and percent cover was compiled across 11 genera. We tested how these variables change across seagrass genera, life-history strategy, and geographic location; and then modelled the environmental drivers (temperature, nutrients, light availability) of the patterns observed. Results: The mean (±SE) total biomass of seagrasses …

Pygoscelis Penguins Prefer Different Oceanographic And Terrestrial Habitats During The Austral Summer, Katherine L. Gallagher, Rachel Herman, Katherine Walton, Michael S. Dinniman, Heather J. Lynch

OES Faculty Publications

Pygoscelis penguins interact with both terrestrial and marine environments, especially during the austral summer when they raise their chicks. Accessible ice-free ground spaces serve as locations for penguins to build colonies and successfully raise chicks while the surrounding marine environment serves as the foraging grounds for adult birds. Penguins must be able to navigate through the waters around their colonies to forage for Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba), their primary prey during the austral summer. Krill, whose distributions are driven partially by the surrounding physics and partially by their behaviors, must also be plentiful in the waters near the …

From Wind To Whales: Potential Hydrodynamic Impacts Of Offshore Wind Energy On Nantucket Shoals Regional Ecology, Eileen E. Hofmann, Jeffrey R. Carpenter, Qin J. Chen, Josh T. Kohut, Richard L. Merrick, Erin L. Meyer-Gutbrod, Douglas P. Nowacek, Kaustubha Raghukumar, Nicholas R. Record, Kelly Oskvig

OES Faculty Publications

The National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine convened a committee in June 2023 to assess the potential hydrodynamic and ecological impacts from offshore wind energy development in the Nantucket Shoals region, with particular attention to impacts on the critically endangered North Atlantic right whale (Eubalaena glacialis) that forages on zooplankton aggregations in the region. The assessment suggested that the effects of offshore wind energy development will be difficult to distinguish from the effects of natural variability and climate change in this region. The Consensus Study Report recommendations highlight observational and modeling studies that will advance understanding of …

Increased Nitrate Intake From Beetroot Juice Over 4 Weeks Changes The Composition Of The Oral, But Not The Intestinal Microbiome, Rebeka Fejes, Joana Séneca, Petra Pjevac, Martin Lutnik, Stefan Weisshaar, Nina Pilat, Romy Steiner, Karl Heinz Wagner, Richard J. Woodman, Catherine P. Bondonno, Jonathan M. Hodgson, David Berry, Michael Wolzt, Oliver Neubauer

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Inorganic dietary nitrate, metabolized through an endogenous pathway involving nitrate reducing bacteria, improves cardiovascular health, but its effects on the oral and intestinal microbiomes of older adults with treated hypertension are unknown. Our study investigated the effects of nitrate from beetroot juice on the oral and intestinal microbiomes of this population. A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover trial was conducted with 15 participants (age range: 56–71 years), who consumed nitrate-rich or nitrate-depleted (placebo) beetroot juice for 4 weeks. The oral microbiome analysis revealed an increase in Neisseria and a decrease in Veillonella relative abundance (for both, PERMANOVA p < 0.001), with no significant changes in the intestinal microbiome composition. Our findings suggest that an increased dietary nitrate intake from a vegetable source may selectively modulate the oral microbiome and promote an increased abundance of nitrate-reducing species, which was previously associated with improved cardiovascular health outcomes.