Digital Commons Network^™

Volume 5 - Water (Full)

Green Humanities: A Journal of Ecological Thought in Literature, Philosophy & the Arts

No abstract provided.

Challenge And Response: The Environmental Crisis And The Kibbutz Movement, Jan Martin Bangs

Communal Societies

No abstract provided.

A Retrospective Analysis Of Extended Hospital Stays In Patients With Pneumonia And Diabetic Comorbidities In A Rural Midwestern Area, Shlok Rathi, Abbigail Niewchas, Max Balla, Brendan Lamboglia, Mariam Akhtar, Nova Beyersdorfer, Kerry Johnson, John Paulson

Student Publications

Pneumonia is one of the leading causes of hospitalization in the United States, resulting in many hospitalizations and deaths per year. Diabetes is an often-concurrent diagnosis that affects a large population. There is little research regarding the relationship between diabetes and the length of stay for patients hospitalized with pneumonia. This retrospective study aims to analyze whether the presence of diabetes mellitus in patients diagnosed with pneumonia increases the length of stay. Electronic medical records (EMR) from Freeman Health System in Southwest Missouri were utilized to analyze this relationship. Results of this study demonstrated that, in patients diagnosed with diabetes …

Evaluating Climatic Niche Suitability For Bos Javanicus Reintroduction In Cagar Alam Pananjung Pangandaran Using Maxent And Native-Habitat Benchmarks From Ujung Kulon And Alas Purwo, Azhari Al Kautsar, Masita Dwi Mandini Manessa

Jurnal Geografi Lingkungan Tropik (Journal of Geography of Tropical Environments)

The Javan banteng (Bos javanicus) persists on Java mainly in a small number of protected-area strongholds, making robust climatic niche characterization important for conservation planning and for evaluating potential management or restoration targets. Here, we modeled banteng climatic suitability in southwestern Java using a MaxEnt (maxnet) framework calibrated with bioclimatic predictors from CHELSA and benchmark occurrence records from extant populations in Ujung Kulon National Park (UKNP) and Alas Purwo National Park (APNP). To contextualize transferability to non-occupied protected habitat, we also projected suitability to Cagar Alam Pananjung Pangandaran (CAPP) and quantified environmental novelty using the Multivariate Environmental Similarity Surface (MESS). …

High Elevations Under Threat From Nitrogen Deposition: Air Quality Monitoring, Research, And Management At Rocky Mountain National Park, Kathy Toinnessen

Rocky Mountain National Park

The focus of this discussion is nitrogen deposition in rain and snow and how it affects park ecosystems. This is a story of how state and federal agencies, and university researchers have partnered to collect air quality information and craft a policy approach to help protect the park’s air quality and high-elevation ecosystems from the threat caused by nitrogen deposition.

Final Report To The National Park Service - Colorado State University Cooperative Studies Unit: Vegetational History Of Rock Mountain National Park, Scott Elias, Harvey Nichols

Rocky Mountain National Park

The principal question addressed in this study concerns whether or not the current subalpine ecosystem boundaries are in equilibrium with modern climate, or whether they owe some part of their present distribution to past conditions which no longer exist, and are therefore unusually vulnerable to contemporary damage.

Quantitative Assessment Of Drought Impact On Grassland Productivity In Inner Mongolia Using Spi And Biome-Bgc, Baoyin Liu

Double Helix Methodology

Drought poses a severe threat to grassland biodiversity and ecosystem function. However, quantitative frameworks that capture the interactive effects of drought intensity and duration on productivity remain scarce, limiting impact assessment accuracy. To bridge this gap, we developed and validated a novel hybrid modeling framework to quantify drought impacts on net primary productivity (NPP) across Inner Mongolia’s major grasslands (1961–2012). Drought was characterized using the Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI), and ecosystem productivity was simulated with the Biome-BGC model. Our core innovation is the hybrid model, which integrates linear and nonlinear components to explicitly capture the compounded, nonlinear influence of combined …

"Upgrading" Market Legitimation: Revisiting Habermas's 'Technology As Ideology' In Neoliberal Times, Eran Fisher

Fast Capitalism

This paper revisits Habermas’s notion of ‘technology as ideology’ in the context of contemporary political culture. It argues that the methodological and substantive contours of Habermas’s framework are still valid today. However, the role that technology plays as ideology has changed dramatically in the context of contemporary capitalism. No longer does it provide a legitimation for the political administration of the economy in the context of the Social Democratic state; instead, it legitimizes a new, neoliberal regime, whereby political intervention in the workings of the market is highly prohibited. This argument is substantiated with an empirical analysis of contemporary discourse …

The Fall 2025 Issue, Destiny Dehart, Crystal Walker, Tritan Mioduszewski

Fonds and Feathers

The theme of this issue is "community in shared memory." The past, present, and future of a community's history binds people together through generations and stories,

Reinterpreting The Kutika Manuscript: A Buginese Ethnoecological Perspective, Rahmatia Ayu Widyaningrum, Priscila Fitriasih Limbong, Titik Pudjiastuti, Mamlahatun -. Buduroh -

International Review of Humanities Studies

This article offers a reinterpretation of the Kutika manuscript from a Buginese ethnoecological perspective. Departing from a philological study of the Lontara’ Kutika text in the National Library of Indonesia (PNRI) collection (code VT 129), this research examines how Buginese communities articulate their interaction with nature through this manuscript. The Kutika text has generally been understood merely as a book of time calculation, yet its background is imbued with philosophical values that show how the Buginese talk to nature, read signs, and treat nature as an equal element rather than a mere object. Using the framework of human ecology, this …

A Bovine Cell Line Resistant To Japanese Encephalitis Virus Entry But Permissive To Post-Entry Replication, Sang-Im Yun, Young-Min Lee

Animal, Dairy, and Veterinary Science Faculty Publications

Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) is a mosquito-borne zoonotic orthoflavivirus that poses a significant global health threat. It causes severe neuroinflammatory disease in humans and reproductive failure in swine. Because of the broad host range and cell tropism of JEV, identifying animal cell lines resistant to infection has been a persistent challenge. In this study, we demonstrate that Madin–Darby bovine kidney (MDBK) cells are resistant to JEV infection yet remain fully permissive to viral replication when transfected with viral genomic RNA. Using immunoblotting, immunofluorescence, and flow cytometry, we show that MDBK cells, unlike the highly susceptible baby hamster kidney (BHK-21) cells …

Habitat Diversity Or Altitudinal Gradient? Which Factor Better Explains Ground Beetle (Coleoptera: Carabidae) Biodiversity? A Case Study From Davraz Mountain (Isparta, Türkiye), Ebru Ceren Fi̇dan, Ali̇ Gök

Turkish Journal of Zoology

Ground beetle (Carabidae) species diversity and spatial distribution were surveyed  across five habitat types along an elevational gradient on Davraz Mountain, a  biogeographical transition area in southwestern Türkiye. The analyses showed that  habitat heterogeneity—particularly soil moisture and texture—exerts a stronger  influence on carabid diversity than elevation. Sørensen’s and Jaccard similarity  indices showed strong faunal overlap between some sampling areas, while  multivariate principal components and canonical correspondence analyses verified  distinct environmental gradients influencing community structure. Diversity indices  indicated varying levels of species richness and evenness across sampling areas.  The data highlight the importance of fine-scaled habitat features in driving ground  beetle …

Multilevel Analysis Of The Food And Physical Activity Environment And Adult Obesity Across U.S. Counties And States, Ann Mary Abraham, Michael D Swartz, Alexandra E Van Den Berg, Stephen H Linder

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Adult obesity rates have risen steadily across the United States over the past decade, with more than 40% of adults affected. Persistent geographic and demographic disparities exist in obesity prevalence across the nation. While prior research has examined individual or environmental associated factors of obesity, limited studies have addressed both physical activity and food environments across the nation using multilevel approaches. This cross-sectional ecological study (2014-2024) used a two-level random intercept model to assess the association between county- and state-level factors and adult obesity prevalence across over 3000 U.S. counties nested within 51 states. County-level associated factors included food insecurity, …

Nitrogen Dynamics And Use Efficiency In Pasture-Based Grazing Systems: A Synthesis Of Ecological And Ruminant Nutrition Perspectives, Bashiri Iddy Muzzo

Wildland Resources Student Research

Pasture-based ruminant systems link nitrogen (N) nutrition with ecosystem N cycling. Grazing ruminants convert fibrous forages into milk and meat but excrete 65 to 80% of ingested N, creating excreta hotspots that drive ammonia volatilization, nitrate leaching, and nitrous oxide (N₂O) emissions. This review synthesizes ecological and ruminant nutrition evidence on N flows, emphasizing microbial processes, biological N₂ fixation, plant diversity, and urine patch biogeochemistry, and evaluates strategies to improve N use efficiency (NUE). We examine rumen N metabolism in relation to microbial protein synthesis, urea recycling, and dietary factors including crude protein concentration, energy supply, forage …

Insights On Global Rangeland Ecosystem Services Shaped By Grazing And Fertilization, Laura Yahdjian, Sofía Campana, Pedro M. Tognetti, Juan Alberti, Pamela Graff, Cecilia Molina, Elizabeth T. Borer, Eric W. Seabloom, Suzanne M. Prober, Andrew S. Macdougall, Anita C. Risch, Jodi N. Price, Sally A. Power, Isabel C. Barrio, Erika Hersch-Green, Philip A. Fay, Sumanta Bagchi, Jonathan D. Bakker, Dana Blumenthal, Elizabeth H. Boughton, Cynthia S. Brown, Miguel N. Bugalho, Marc Cadotte, Maria C. Caldeira, Jane A. Catford, Clinton Carbutt, Qingqing Chen, Scott L. Collins, Thomas W. Crowther, Carla D’Antonio, Christopher R. Dickman

Michigan Tech Publications

Rangelands are crucial to human well-being, but their ability to provide ecosystem services is threatened. We (1) quantified key ecosystem services provided by rangelands, (2) assessed short- and long-term impacts of fertilization (nutrient addition) and the exclusion of large grazing herbivores with fences (herbivore exclusion) on services, and (3) identified synergies and trade-offs among services. We measured indicators of ecosystem services and plant diversity at 79 sites across six continents in the global Nutrient Network. Short-term herbivore exclusion increased forage quantity and soil fertility, but longer-term herbivore exclusion decreased both along with plant richness and pollination. Nutrient addition improved forage …

Policy, Misinformation, And Mortality: The Effects Of Abortion Restrictions On Maternal Outcomes, Gabrielle Samiratedu Dmsc, Mcms, Pa-C

Lynchburg Journal of Medical Science

The objective of this review is to evaluate the effects of restrictive abortion laws on maternal mortality and morbidity in the United States. Even before the landmark reversal of Roe v. Wade, the US had one of the highest maternal mortality rates among other high-income countries, and rates are expected to continue to rise in states with restrictive abortion policies. Electronic databases and public health data were analyzed to assess clinical outcomes, access to care, and disparities associated with abortion restrictions nationally and internationally. The findings suggest that states with highly restrictive abortion policies experience higher rates of maternal morbidity …

Epinephrine In Cardiac Arrest: Is It Enough?, Zachary Gusler

The PA Department Journal of Medical Science

Introduction: Epinephrine has long been the clinical mainstay of pharmacologic treatment for cardiac arrest management. It provides both α- and β-adrenergic receptor activation. However, at higher dosages, it may lead to sympathetic overload, oxidative stress, and cardiac myocyte apoptosis. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the rates of ROSC (return of spontaneous circulation) with in-hospital cardiac arrest between epinephrine monotherapy and VSE (vasopressin, steroid, and epinephrine).

Methods: A search via PubMed database using the keywords “Cardiac arrest” AND “VSE” AND “Vasopressor monotherapy” with additional specifiers resulted in 30 articles. 26 articles were removed due to study type and …

Invasion Dynamics, Environmental Conditions, And Community Impacts Of Yellow Sweetclover (Melilotus Officinalis) Across The Northern Great Plains, Sakshi Saraf

Dissertations and Theses

Understanding how environmental conditions and invasion dynamics shape native plant Communities is critical for conserving and managing the semi-arid grasslands of the Northern Great Plains (NGP). Invasive plant species are increasingly altering ecosystem structure and function across this region, yet knowledge gaps remain regarding the drivers of invasion, their spatiotemporal dynamics, and their associations with native plant communities. This dissertation investigates three questions: (1) what environmental conditions are associated with the distribution and abundance of the invasive legume Melilotus officinalis (yellow sweetclover; MEOF), (2) how does MEOF vary across space and time under climatic conditions, and (3) how are environmental …

Meta-Analysis: Diabetes Mellitus And The Risk Of Endometrial Cancer, Tricia Ho, Marika Ongpauco, Han Ha Ngoc Nguyen

Physician Assistant Studies | Graduate Research Papers

Background: Many studies have looked at the relationship between diabetes mellitus and development of endometrial cancer. This study provides an updated systematic review and meta-analysis of the estimated effect of diabetes and the risk of endometrial cancer.

Methods: Some studies were found on databases such as PubMed and Iceberg. The remaining studies were extracted from the initial studies found. Binary data was collected and the raw data was imputed into a Fixed Effects Model.

Results: A total of 25 studies were included in this meta-analysis, generating statistically significant results (p < 0.001, OR 2.05, 95% Cl 1.92-2.19).

Discussion: Diabetes is found to be …

Detection Of Bacterial Internalization In Lettuce (Lactuca Sativa) Leaves Grown In Aquaponic Systems With Nile Tilapia (Oreochromis Niloticus) Under Microbial Challenge, Angélica Adiação Jossefa, Leonildo Dos Anjo Viagem, Karoline Moreira Barbuio, Brunno Da Silva Cerozi, Sebastian Wilson Chenyambuga

All Rsif Scholars' Publications

Aquaponic systems are increasingly recognized as sustainable technologies for integrated fish and vegetable production. However, concerns remain regarding the potential internalization of human pathogens into vegetables grown in these systems. This study assessed the risk of pathogen internalization in lettuce leaves grown in aquaponic systems with Nile tilapia challenged with Escherichia coli or Vibrio cholerae. The system comprised nine fish tanks, eighteen hydroponic pipes, and eighty-one lettuce plants, with tanks assigned to three treatments. Samples of water, fish gut, fish blood, and lettuce leaves were collected. Microbiological analyses included selective culture, biochemical assays, and molecular identification. Although colonies consistent with …

Land Cover Classification Using Optimized Imagery Resolution And Machine Learning Algorithms For A Long-Term Monitoring And Restoration Project, Jessica R. Suoja

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Ecosystem services and functions are prone to water resource exploitation resulting in cascading effects that include decrease of biodiversity and loss of riparian vegetation, a keystone habitat in desert riparian ecosystems. Mono Lake is a prime example of overexploitation of water resources leading to legal action and eventually a legally mandated long-term monitoring and restoration project. Monitoring and restoration projects can benefit from techniques such as remote sensing and machine learning algorithms to generate accurate land cover classification maps for calculating land cover change over time. However, the spatial resolution of remote sensing imagery and the machine learning algorithms chosen …

Climate Change And Species Interactions Jointly Shape Migration Timing And Growth At A Critical Ontogenetic Transition In Juvenile Sockeye Salmon, Margaret E. Veatch

Honors Theses

Climate change is shifting the timing of biological events globally, but the mechanisms linking environmental variation to phenological changes are poorly understood in many systems, particularly those where individuals undergo ontogenetic habitat shifts. Here, I examined the join influence of climate-driven environmental variability and species interactions migration timing and body size at migration in juvenile sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) in Lake Aleknagik, Alaska, using a multi-decadal dataset (1967–2024). Migration timing varied widely among years and was best explained by a combination of ice-out phenology, epilimnetic temperature, and fish densities in littoral habitats. Juvenile sockeye salmon migrated earlier in …

Long-Term Compositional Shifts In The Fish Community Of The Wabash River, Olivia R. Wertman

Masters Theses

There is concern about declining biodiversity in the world today and an increasing need to monitor biodiversity through collecting data and gauging changes occurring in biodiversity over time. Large river fish communities are one area of particular interest due to their sensitivity to environmental changes. One program seeking to address this is the Long-Term Survey and Assessment of Large River Fishes, LTEF, which monitors fish populations in the large rivers of Illinois. In this study, I assessed changes in the fish community of the lower 322 km of the Wabash River from 2010-2025 using annual direct current boat electrofishing surveys …

Baatany Goat Project Year Seven And A Half Update:  Helping Keep Roan Mountain’S Natural Balds Bald Naturally

Faculty Open Access Works

11 February 2015 PowerPoint presentation for Mountain View Garden Club, Washington County, TN, updated and revised for written format.

Climate-Related Environmental Exposures And Adverse Birth Outcomes: An Epidemiological Study In Maryland, Michelle D. Jones

Integrative Learning Experience (ILE) Theses

This study examined the relationship between environmental exposures, specifically heat and air quality, and adverse birth outcomes across Maryland. Using an ecological, correlational study design, the analysis found that while higher temperatures and cooling degree days were initially associated with increased rates of low birth weight (LBW) and infant mortality (IM), these relationships did not remain significant after adjusting for sociodemographic factors. Instead, poverty emerged as the strongest and most consistent predictor of both LBW and IM, with rural residence also linked to higher LBW rates and urban residence appearing protective against IM. The findings suggest that social determinants of …

A Conserved Ethylene-Triggered Cell Death Mechanism May Underlie Hollow Stem Formation Across Plant Species, Mengxiao Yan, Weijuan Fan, Yinghui Meng, Jiamin Zhao, Wei Yang, Ziyin Xu, Yusen Gao, Haiyan Zhuang, Wuyu Zhou, Yuqin Wang, Qingjun Huang, Ling Yuan, Hongxia Wang, Jun Yang

Plant and Soil Sciences Faculty Publications

Hollow stems have independently evolved multiple times across the plant kingdom and play crucial roles in plant development and various environmental adaptations. However, the mechanisms underlying stem hollowness remain poorly understood. Water spinach (Ipomoea aquatica) is one of the few hollow-stemmed plants in the Convolvulaceae family (eudicot: asterid), and its hollow stems are essential for thriving in aquatic environments. Using histochemical staining and transcriptome analysis, we found that programmed cell death (PCD) is involved in cavity formation at water spinach shoot tips. Single-cell and spatial transcriptome analyses further revealed that ethylene and reactive oxygen species (ROS) likely drive …

Strength Of Association Between High Blood Pressure And Dementia Mortality In Adults, Ryan J. Wells

High Impact Practices Student Showcase Spring 2026

Dementia refers to a number of conditions that lead to a decline in cognitive function, with several overlapping symptoms such as a disruptions in thinking, impairments of social abilities, and memory loss being a key indication, among many other signs. These factors may become more apparent as the aging population is at a significantly higher risk. With that being said, it remains important for dementia and its related conditions to receive the attention they deserve to promote the well-being of those affected.

The objective behind the study was to dive into the potential relationship between high blood pressure (hypertension) and …

The Association Between Sedentary Behavior And Heart Disease Mortality Rates Among Florida Residents., Umed Norkulov

High Impact Practices Student Showcase Spring 2026

This research project examines the association between sedentary behavior and Coronary Heart Disease (CHD) mortality among Florida residents. As heart disease remains the leading cause of death in Florida, identifying modifiable risk factors is a public health priority. This study utilizes an ecological design to analyze age-adjusted mortality rates across Florida’s 67 counties, correlating them with the prevalence of sedentary lifestyles reported via the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS).

Key findings indicate that sedentary behavior exceeding 10 hours per day is an independent risk factor for heart disease, increasing risk by 8% to 18%, regardless of other physical activity …

First Record Of Arrhenophagus Chionaspidis Aurivillius (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae) Parasitizing White Mango Scale In Kenya: Its Potential Distribution And Prospects In Biocontrol, Francis Obala, Abdelmutalab G.A. Azrag, Rehemah Gwokyalya, Shepard Ndlela, Ingo Grass, Georg Petschenka, Sunday Ekesi, Samira A. Mohamed

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

The white mango scale, Aulacaspis tubercularis Newstead (Hemiptera: Diaspididae), is one of the most destructive pests of mango worldwide. Its current management in most of the invaded areas largely depends on the intensive use of chemical insecticides. Biological control using parasitoids represents one of the most effective and environmentally sustainable management options. However, in Kenya, one of Africa's leading mango-producing countries, no effective parasitoid species associated with A. tubercularis had previously been recorded. This study aimed to identify encyrtid parasitoids associated with A. tubercularis in Kenya, and to assess how bioclimatic factors influence their occurrence and habitat suitability. Mango leaves …

Oligonychus Trichardti (Acari: Tetranychidae) Associated With Urochloa Grasses In Kenya: An Integrative Taxonomic Approach, Paula Espitia-Buitrago, Claudia Perea, Lavender A. Odhiambo, Rosa N. Jauregui, Frank Chidawanyika

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

Spider mites represent a significant constraint to improved forage grass adoption in East Africa, particularly affecting Urochloa cultivars that are crucial for addressing the region’s 40% livestock feed gap. This study employed an integrative taxonomic approach combining morphological and molecular analyses to identify a spider mite species infesting Urochloa interspecific grasses in Kenya. A colony of 80 spider mites was established from symptomatic Urochloa hybrid cv. Cayman plants collected from Mbita Point, Kenya, showing characteristic foliar chlorosis and necrotic spots. Morphological examination of 46 slide-mounted specimens using Hoyer’s medium revealed consistent morphotypical features characteristic of Oligonychus (Reckiella) trichardti Meyer, 1974. …