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Evaluating Forest And Land Rehabilitation Using Remote Sensing: A Case Study In Maros Regency, Syamsu Rijal, Munajat Nursaputra, Chairil A

Jurnal Penelitian Kehutanan Wallacea

Remote sensing technology has become crucial in vegetation monitoring, particularly for assessing vegetation density. Despite its broad application, its use in evaluating land rehabilitation efforts remains limited. The increasing extent of degraded lands has underscored the importance of effective forest and land rehabilitation activities. Traditionally, evaluating these efforts involves direct site visits to monitor plant growth annually for three years post-planting, which is time-consuming, labor-intensive, and costly. According to rehabilitation standards, a program is successful if 75% of the planted vegetation survives until the end of the third year. This study presents an efficient alternative by evaluating a rehabilitation site …

Spatiotemporal Variation Of Vegetation Cover In Mining Areas Of Ysr Kadapa District, Andhra Pradesh Using Remote Sensing And Gis, Vinod Kumar Yarlanki, Prudhvi Raj Muppala, Prem Kumar Yasam, Balaji Gollapudi, Sumanth Moddu, Appanna Besta

Journal of Sustainable Mining

The spatiotemporal variation of vegetation cover in the mining areas of YSR Kadapa district, Andhra Pradesh, using Remote Sensing and GIS techniques. By focusing on the years 2014, 2018, and 2023, the analysis provides insights into changes observed in water bodies, bare soil, sparse vegetation, moderate vegetation, and dense vegetation. The results reveal dynamic trends in land cover categories, highlighting the environmental impact of mining activities in the region. A significant decline in water bodies is observed, with the area reducing from 3.48 km² in 2014 to 1.91km² in 2023. This decrease raises concerns about the potential degradation …

Measuring Spatial And Temporal Variation In Species Composition Of Ephemeral Pond Amphibian Assemblages Using Metabarcoding, Elizabeth Strasko

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Amphibian populations worldwide face severe threats, heightening the need for reliable monitoring methods. In this thesis, I explored and tested environmental DNA (eDNA) metabarcoding protocols to survey amphibian assemblages in ephemeral ponds of the the Green River Preserve in central Kentucky, USA. First, I evaluated whether the commonly used mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) gene could effectively capture species-level variation in local amphibians for eDNA metabarcoding. Extensive primer design and testing revealed significant challenges in amplifying fragmented eDNA from water samples. In a second study, I applied a metabarcoding approach using the mitochondrial 12S ribosomal RNA (12S) gene …

Looking For Manna, Dung, And Craters - Uncovering Hidden Diversity In Circinaria Lichens, Lizzie Perry, Ginny Basset, Steve Leavitt

Library/Life Sciences Undergraduate Poster Competition 2025

• Lichens, symbiotic partnerships between fungi and photosynthetic organisms, are often overlooked in biodiversity studies due to their cryptic nature. The lichen genus, Circinaria —historically, described as “Manna Lichens”, “crater lichens”, “pigeon dung lichens”, and “excrement of the earth”¹ —remains understudied.
• This genus includes approximately 40 formally described species worldwide, however, only 13 have been documented in North America³.
• To better understand species-level diversity of Circinaria in Western North America, we used an integrated data set – DNA, morphology, and ecology – to characterize diversity and delimit potential candidate species.

Expression And Function Of Floral Symmetry Genes In The Regulation Of Flower Shape In Fedia Graciliflora, Theresa A. Mustacchio

Theses and Dissertations

Shifts between radial symmetry (actinomorphy) and bilateral symmetry (zygomorphy) in flowers have occurred multiple times independently within angiosperms (flowering plants). Evidence across angiosperms indicate the transcription factors RADIALIS (RAD), DIVARICATA (DIV), and CYCLOIDEA (CYC) play a major role in regulating floral symmetry and morphology. The CYC-like genes have been shown to shift their expression dorsally independently in nearly all shifts to bilaterally symmetrical flowers examined. Three core eudicot clades of CYC-like genes have been identified: CYC1, CYC2 and CYC3, with only CYC2 genes being shown to have a role in floral symmetry. We use the non-model plant, Fedia graciliflora (Caprifoliaceae) …

Climate And Gypsum Parent Material Shape Biocrust Communities And Moss Ecology In The Chihuahuan And Mojave Deserts, Katelyn Gobbie, Nicole Pietrasiak, Brian M. Jusko, Rebecca E. Drenovsky

2025 Faculty Bibliography

Biological soil crust communities (biocrusts) establishing on gypsum soils have been well-documented for their prolific appearance and rich diversity of lichens and bryophytes. However, studies characterizing gypsum biocrusts have occurred primarily outside of the U.S., most of which lack comparisons to other soil types. We conducted intensive field surveys to evaluate the ground cover and frequency of biocrust functional groups and moss species on gypsum and non-gypsum soils in the U.S. regions with the most extensive gypsum outcrops, the northern Chihuahuan and eastern Mojave Deserts. Study sites were stratified by geomorphology and paired, so that every gypsum site was matched …

Association Between Excess Body Weight And Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma Incidence, Taylor Parks

High Impact Practices Student Showcase Fall 2025

No abstract provided.

Small-Scale Green Infrastructure In Urban Networks - Trinity Presbyterian Church As A Pilot Project, Selvana Getsy -

Landscape Architecture Masters & Design Theses - Archive

Rapid urbanization and increasing impervious cover in cities like those within the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex have intensified flooding, heat, erosion, and declining ecological quality. Although large-scale green infrastructure (GI) interventions are widely recognized as solutions to these issues, small-scale institutional landscapes remain a neglected yet powerful component of urban GI networks. This study functions as a pilot/demonstration project to evaluate the potential of small-scale GI interventions at Trinity Presbyterian Church, Plano, Texas. The goals are to reduce stormwater runoff, provide ecological and microclimatic improvements, increase community engagement, biodiversity enhancement, and environmental awareness in public institutional settings.

The study utilizes a …

Indirect Effects And Context Dependency In Stream Fish Invasions, William K. Annis, Lily M. Thompson, Stephen R. Midway, Julian D. Olden, Brandon K. Peoples

Faculty Publications

Aim: Invasion ecology is replete with a body of well-supported yet contradictory evidence for numerous invasion hypotheses, likely as a result of context dependency. Context dependency in invasion studies can arise in two ways: (1) apparent, when results differ between studies solely due to methodical differences, or (2) mechanistic, when results truly differ due to ecological processes. One form of apparent context dependency occurs when causally linked factors associated with invasion success (hereafter, invasion drivers) either mask or enhance each other's effect on invasion success. Mechanistic context dependency can occur when regional scale processes modify the influence of local scale …

Sptiotemporal Changes In Aboveground Biomass, Canopy Cover And Livestock Movements Across Mongolia Grasslands, Abhinav Chandel

Dissertations and Theses

This study presents an integrated geospatial framework for understanding grassland productivity dynamics and livestock movement behavior across the Mongolian steppe. Mongolia’s grasslands constitute one of the world’s largest pastoral ecosystems, yet they face increasing vulnerability due to climate variability, overgrazing, and land degradation. To quantify vegetation change and grazing responses, this research combines multi-decadal remote sensing with high-frequency GPS-based livestock movement tracking. Using Landsat imagery from 1990 to 2023, Aboveground Biomass (AGB) and Canopy Cover (CC) were estimated through Random Forest regression models integrating key spectral vegetation indices (e.g., NDVI, OSAVI, CTVI, TNDVI, IPVI) and climatic predictors such as summer …

Enhancing Disease Surveillance In Conflict Settings: An Ecological Case Study On Cholera In Sudan At The Intersection Of Environmental And Conflict Drivers, Kinsey Medlin

Public Health Theses

Cholera outbreaks are complex and driven by an interaction of environmental circumstances and conflict-related disruptions, yet few studies have integrated both in the context of conflict regions. This ecological study examines cholera transmission dynamics in Sudan from 2016 to 2025, exploring temporal associations using cross-correlation analysis and applying generalized additive mixed models (GAMMs) to analyze the influence of remotely sensed environmental variables (rainfall, temperature, NDVI, NDWI) and conflict indicators (civilian targeting, political violence, demonstrations) on cholera cases. Weekly cholera surveillance data, combined with satellite-derived environmental variables and conflict event datasets, were modeled across two time periods: pre-conflict (2016-2018) and active …

Exploring The Link Between Low-Income Communities And Increased Cancer Risk From Nitrate Contamination In Drinking Water: A Review, Anna Wiggins, Rena Phillips, Michael L. Phillips, Wei-Hsiung Yang

South Atlantic Division GME Research Day 2025

No abstract provided.

Use Of E-Cigarettes And Other Substances And Related Psychiatric Symptoms In Undergraduate Students, Grant L. Saba

Senior Honors Theses and Projects

This study evaluated the role that use of alcohol and e-cigarettes had in the development of dependence and demand of each other, along with symptoms of depression and anxiety in undergraduate college students. It tested four hypotheses: (1) that these symptoms are related to more frequent e-cigarette use, (2) they are related to problematic alcohol dependence, (3) alcohol demand will be higher in e-cigarette users, and (4) e-cigarette demand will be higher in problematic drinkers. 173 undergraduate students completed self-report inventories describing their alcohol dependence, e-cigarette dependence, depression, and anxiety, along with completing two hypothetical purchase tasks where they were …

Designing A Catholic School In The Twenty-First Century, Emmanuel I. Ugwejeh S.J.

Journal of Catholic Education

Data show an increasing number of Catholic schools from elementary to tertiary levels in developing countries, especially countries in Sub-Saharan Africa. These new Catholic schools seem to follow the industrial-era school design trajectories. However, the exigencies of the 21st century require a paradigm shift, ensuring that Catholic schools move away from the industrial method of education that did not attend to the specific educational needs of the student to a kind of education that further enriches the holistic education offered by the Catholic school. This enrichment includes architectural designs that support Catholic educational ideals and practices that preserve the earth. …

The Association Of Vitamin D Supplement Intake On Cardiovascular Health Outcomes Among U.S. Adults, Using Nhanes Data., Lamisa Tanzim Ruhin

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Background: Vitamin D, a fat-soluble nutrient essential for bone health and calcium homeostasis, has also been implicated in cardiovascular health outcomes. Despite extensive observational studies suggesting an inverse association between vitamin D deficiency and cardiovascular diseases (CVD), randomized controlled trials (RCTs) have yielded inconsistent findings regarding the efficacy of vitamin D supplementation in reducing cardiovascular risk.

Objective: This study investigated the association between reported vitamin D supplement intake and cardiovascular health biomarkers, specifically focusing on non-HDL cholesterol, among U.S. adults using NHANES 2021-2023 data.

Methods: A cross-sectional, quantitative analysis was conducted utilizing secondary data from NHANES. Participants aged 18 and …

Predicting Capture And Survival Probabilities Of The Arizona Tiger Salamander: A Comparison Of Capture-Recapture Models, Brittney Nelson

Murray State Theses and Dissertations

Capture-recapture models are essential tools for estimating population dynamics in ecological studies. A fundamental component of these models is the capture history matrix, which records individual detection over time and serves as the basis for estimating survival and capture probabilities. This presentation explores three statistical approaches to these estimations: the Cormack-Jolly-Seber (CJS) model, the Hidden Markov Model (HMM) for CJS, and the Bayesian CJS model. The CJS model provides a likelihood-based framework for estimation, and the HMM CJS incorporates latent states into the model to account for uncertainty in detection. The Bayesian CJS extends this same analysis by integrating prior …

Mucking Up Public Health: A Geospatial Analysis Of Agricultural Sludge Application And Cancer Prevalence In Maine, Sarah A. Bassett

Honors Theses

This study investigates the impact of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) on cancer prevalence throughout Maine. The main contribution of this project is the database constructed to examine cancer rates at a novel aggregation area: watersheds. By using a watershed as the aggregation area, this study gains insight into the threat that spreading sludge as fertilizer on agricultural fields poses to human health through groundwater pathways. Using geospatial analysis and an ordinary least squares regression model, this study estimates the effect of the presence of PFAS in a watershed from 2017 to 2021, in addition to estimating the impact of …

Seasonal Divergence In Reproductive Timing On The Verge Of Spring, Devraj Singh, Adam M. Fudickar, Ellen D. Ketterson

Biology Faculty Publications

Every year as spring approaches and day length increases, many birds begin to reproduce, an annual expression of seasonal phenology that requires physiological preparation. In species distributed over a broad geographic range, populations that breed at higher latitudes are often migratory and delay reproduction until later in the year as compared to those breeding at lower latitudes. Dark-eyed Juncos serve as an excellent model for understanding the timing mechanisms regulating population-level variation in seasonal reproductive responses. We compared two seasonally sympatric dark-eyed junco populations in early spring. One migrates (Junco hyemalis hyemalis) and breeds in Alaska and Canada, while the …

History, Annotated Gazetteer, And Bibliography Of Ornithology In Kalimantan, Indonesian Borneo, Frederick H. Sheldon, Mohammad Irham, Daisy G. S. Kho, Erik Meijaard, Subir B. Shakya, Dewi M. Prawiradilaga, Sebastianus (Bas) Van Balen

Occasional Papers of the Museum of Natural Science, Louisiana State University

Kalimantan comprises nearly three quarters of the island of Borneo and is the place where scientific study of Bornean birds began. We describe the history of bird research in Kalimantan from its beginning, highlighting the ornithologists who explored the region and how their interests and methods changed over time, from a concentration on specimen collection, to examinations of community ecology, to conservation in the face of habitat change and species depletion, to the latest investigations using satellite, genetic, and digital technology. We also highlight some future directions for research, especially the need for more work on basic ecology and biogeography. …

Anthropogenic Prairies Of The Southern Salish Sea: Ethnographic And Archaeological Landscapes, South Puget Sound, Washington., Jamey D. Taylor Ms.

All Graduate Projects

This project report has been completed to fulfill requirements of the Master of Applied Science of Cultural and Environmental Resource Management (MAS-CERM) at Central Washington University. The project models the cultural landscapes of the southern Salish Sea. These landscapes include anthropogenic prairies, travel routes (trails and roads), salmon runs, and archaeological sites. This study maps the historic boundaries of prairies and recent data sets for key plant species. The locations of prairies and indicator species are overlaid with ethnohistoric settlements, archaeological site locations, and trail systems. The spatial correlations of these data are used to interpret the prominence of anthropogenic …

Temporal Variation In Microbial Extracellular Enzyme Activity Along The Mississippi Gulf Coast, Jacqueline Pavlovsky

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Microbial extracellular enzymes play critical roles in the degradation of organic matter and mineralization of nutrients in marine systems, yet few studies have examined how enzyme activity varies over short-and long-term timescales in nearshore coastal environments. In this study, I assessed day-to-day, week-to-week, and month-to-month variation in the activity of three hydrolases (phosphatase, β-glucosidase, N-acetylglucosaminidase) in seawater and sand at five beaches along the Mississippi Gulf Coast. In addition, the activity of two oxidases (phenol oxidase, peroxidase) was assayed in sand, and environmental factors determined at each site. Seawater enzyme activity showed more variation over time than between beaches and …

The Legacy Of Housing Discrimination: Asthma Disparities In California Cities, Taylor Daetz

CMC Senior Theses

This thesis examines the effect of discriminatory housing policy on current asthma rates in California cities. This study uses boundary design and propensity score methodologies to analyze asthma-related emergency department visits in census tracts with corresponding appraisal grades from the Home Owners’ Loan Corporation maps. The results indicate significantly higher asthma burdens in grade D (redlined) census tracts compared to grade C tracts, even when controlling for present-day pollution concentrations, with historically redlined tracts experiencing an average of 26.88 additional emergency department visits per 10,000 residents. The analysis further reveals disparities between grade C and B neighborhoods, suggesting that even …

The Effects Of Return To Prairie In Barber County, Kansas: A Case Study Using Ndvi And Dendrochronology, Elijah O. Joy

Master's Theses or Doctor of Nursing Practice

This study aims to evaluate the impact of prairie restoration efforts in Barber County, Kansas, with a focus on removal of Eastern Red Cedar. Restoration effectiveness was assessed using remote sensing of satellite scenes via NDVI, density analysis, and dendrochronological methods. The tree density analysis revealed a 66% reduction across the study area and a 99% reduction in the fully restored zones. NDVI analysis from 2010 to 2024 showed higher summer vegetation health and seasonal fluctuations influenced by climate variability and fire events. Dendrochronological data from tree cores reveals growth patterns and establishes a baseline for future dendrochronological chronologies. The …

The Influence Of Anthropogenic Infrastructure On The Reproductive Success Of Northern House Wrens (Troglodytes Aedon) In Proximity To Highways, Nana-Esi Irie Hanson

Master's Theses or Doctor of Nursing Practice

Anthropogenic disturbances, particularly road infrastructure and noise pollution, significantly affect avian populations, influencing their ecology, behaviour, and reproductive success. This study examined the impact of highway proximity on the reproductive success of the Northern House Wrens (Troglodytes aedon) in a rural landscape. Noise levels and reproductive outcomes were compared between two sites in Hays, Kansas: a high-traffic site near Interstate 70 (Sternberg Museum Nature Trail) and a lower-traffic site at Big Creek on the Fort Hays State University campus. I hypothesized that increased traffic volume and noise pollution would negatively affect Northern House Wren reproductive success. Ambient noise …

Microgravity-Induced Effects On Global Gene Fitness And Secondary Metabolite Yield In Bacteria, Gayatri Sharma

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Bacteria are ubiquitous and capable of colonizing nearly any environment, including extreme conditions such as deep oceans, high altitudes, and even space-faring vehicles. These vehicles present unique stresses not found on Earth such as microgravity and radiation. As space exploration advances, understanding how microgravity affects bacterial life has become increasingly important. Over the past 60 years, studies using both real and simulated microgravity have revealed species-specific responses, collectively indicating broad changes in bacterial function and physiological adaptations.

Initially, this study examined Novosphingobium aromaticivorans, a lignin-degrading bacterium detected in spacecraft cleanroom environments by assessing gene fitness during growth in microgravity on …

Environmental And Behavioral Determinants Of Congenital Defects: An Ecologic Study In Kentucky, Amelia G. Floyd

Theses and Dissertations--Public Health (M.P.H. & Dr.P.H.)

Congenital defects are a significant contributor to infant morbidity and mortality. The multifactorial etiology of such defects presents complex challenges for public health. This ecologic study investigates the association between environmental and behavioral exposures and congenital defects rates at the county level in Kentucky from 2010 to 2019. The Kentucky Department for Public Health, Office of Vital Statistics, provided all relevant defect data. County-level exposure data was collected from multiple sources.

Descriptive and geospatial analyses revealed substantial geographic variability, with notable high defect rates in northeastern Kentucky. Negative binomial regression models identified behavioral and socioeconomic factors to be the strongest …

The New Urbanism In New York City: A Case Study Comparing Battery Park City And Alphabet City, Lena Farley

Pomona Senior Theses

This thesis examines two Manhattan neighborhoods, Battery Park City and Alphabet City, through the lens of New Urbanism—an urban planning approach developed in the 1990s. New Urbanist principles prioritize walkability, connectivity, mixed-use development, diversity, varied housing options, architectural quality, green transportation, sustainability, and accessible green spaces. While Battery Park City represents a top-down, master-planned New Urbanist neighborhood based on a 1979 plan, Alphabet City emerged from the 1811 Manhattan grid with significant community-driven design, notably through community gardens and grassroots initiatives. Using a mixed-methods approach including residential surveys, qualitative, and quantitative analyses, this research investigates how these neighborhoods embody New …

Scientific Writing: A Guide From Data To Draft, Kristin M. Klucevsek

Open Education Materials

Textbook for ENGL302W (Scientific Writing)

CC BY-NC-SA (2025)

Metabarcoding-Biomass Relationships And Internal Standards For Quantitative Dna Metabarcoding, Frances Webber

Open Access Master's Theses

DNA metabarcoding has been widely adopted due to its power in investigating the composition of protistan communities, accurately identifying even small and cryptic taxa. However, the compositional nature of DNA metabarcoding results, and the distortion of natural abundances due to variation of the often-used 18S rRNA gene copy number over several orders of magnitude, renders these results semi-quantitative at best, limiting the application of DNA metabarcoding to ecological study. Here, we constructed mock communities from uni-algal cultures of taxonomically diverse phytoplankton and conducted metabarcoding using multiple primer sets and both DNA and cDNA as PCR templates. For each culture, chlorophyll …

Fire And Mammal Herbivory On Arthropods In The Protected Savannas: A Systematic Review, Ludzula Mukwevho, Mduduzi Ndlovu, Frank Chidawanyika

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

Protected areas in the savannas are key global reserves for biological diversity, including arthropods. Fire and mammal herbivory disrupts the diversity of biological organisms that alternately affects the functioning of the ecosystem. The study presents a global synthesis review of arthropod responses to varying intensities of fires and mammal herbivory in the protected savannas. We hypothesise that the intensity of predetermined fires and mammal herbivory has cascading impacts on abundance, species richness and diversity of terrestrial arthropods in the protected savannas. A minimum selection criteria was used to collate relevant literature from electronic databases of previous studies performed in the …