Digital Commons Network^™

Citizens' Preferences On Green Infrastructure Practices And Their Enhancement In Portland, Oregon, Katsuya Tanaka, Hal T. Nelson, Nicholas Mccullar, Nishant Parulekar

Public Administration Faculty Publications and Presentations

Green infrastructure (GI) has been gaining increasing attention due to its efficiency in controlling and purifying urban stormwater runoff, creating environmental amenities, and biodiversity conservation. Nevertheless, the existing knowledge of people's preferences for GI is not yet sufficient for evidence-based policymaking for enhancing GI. This study analyzes citizens' perceptions of the relative importance of six GI practices and estimates their willingness to pay (WTP) to enhance them. To this end, the study applies two types of stated preference methods (best-worst scaling and contingent valuation) to citizen survey data collected in Portland, Oregon. We found that GI practices that are more …

High Daily And Year-Round Variability In Denitrification And Nitrogen Fixation In A Northern Temperate River, Kevin Nevorski, Amy M. Marcarelli

Michigan Tech Publications, Part 1

Rates of nitrogen (N) cycling processes like denitrification and dinitrogen (N2) fixation, which together are the primary contributors to N2 flux rates from surface waters, may change at different time scales from seasons to weeks to days. Yet, we know little about the magnitude, mechanisms or drivers of these temporal changes, especially at shorter daily and weekly timescales. Quantifying variation in rates and drivers across temporal scales is essential to understand how nutrient cycling processes operate in aquatic ecosystems and predict how they may respond to shifting seasonal dynamics caused by global change (i.e., earlier snowmelt and extreme weather events). …

Dampak Kebijakan Psbb Terhadap Konsentrasi Pm2.5 Di Indonesia, Erwin Dariyanto

Jurnal Kebijakan Ekonomi

The aims of this study was to examine the impact of implementation of the Large-Scale Social Restriction or PSBB policy on the concentration of particulate matter 2.5 (PM_2.5). The observation period lasted from September 1, 2019 to December 31, 2020 in five major cities in Indonesia, namely Jakarta, Bandung, Yogyakarta, Semarang, and Surabaya. The data was processed using the fixed effect least square dummy variable (LSDV) model to test the impact of the PSBB policy or restrictions on citizen mobility to reduce the spread of COVID-19 on PM_2.5 concentrations.

As a result, the PSBB policy had a …

A Decade Of Gigascience: A Perspective On Conservation Genetics, Stephen James O'Brien

Biology Faculty Articles

Wide interest in species conservation is young. To many it began early in 1903 when Teddy Roosevelt and John Muir set up a camp under the Grizzly Giant in the Mariposa Grove of California's Yosemite Valley. Over three days they decided to broaden the US National Park footprint across the USA. Conservationists were inspired in the coming decades by the writings of wildlife conservation pioneers—Osa Johnson (I Married Adventure), Karen Blixen (Out of Africa) and Rachel Carson (The Silent Spring). Countless crusaders developed a passion for preserving dwindling species in those early days, yet …

In Search For An Alternative To The Computer Metaphor Of The Mind And Brain, Damian G. Kelty-Stephen, Paul E. Cisek, Benjamin De Bari, James Dixon, Luis H. Favela, Fred Hasselman, Fred Keijzer, Vincente Raja, Jeffrey B. Wagman, Brandon J. Thomas, Madhur Mangalam

Biomechanics Books and Monographs

The brain-as-computer metaphor has anchored the professed computational nature of the mind, wresting it down from the intangible logic of Platonic philosophy to a material basis for empirical science. However, as with many long-lasting metaphors in science, the computer metaphor has been explored and stretched long enough to reveal its boundaries. These boundaries highlight widening gaps in our understanding of the brain's role in an organism's goal-directed, intelligent behaviors and thoughts. In search of a more appropriate metaphor that reflects the potentially noncomputable functions of mind and brain, eight author groups answer the following questions: (1) What do we understand …

Collaborative Research: From Cooperation To Exploitation: Context-Dependent Effects Of Nectar Microbes On Pollination Mutualisms, Robert Nelson Schaeffer

Funded Research Records

No abstract provided.

Climate Change And The Global Nutrient Overload: The Microbial Response Of Extreme Waterbodies To Environmental Change, Samuel P. Bratsman

Theses and Dissertations

One of the defining characteristics of our current epoch—the Anthropocene—is modification of nutrient cycles. At regional to global scales, humans have fundamentally reshaped the availability of carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus. These changes are particularly apparent in freshwater ecosystems, which receive surface and groundwater inputs of nutrients from agriculture, fossil fuel use, and wastewater. In this thesis, I investigated how the addition of nutrients affects microbial community and biogeochemistry in two extreme environments: the hypereutrophic shallow Utah Lake and nutrient-limited Arctic permafrost streams. In my first chapter, I used bioassay and dilution bioassay experiments to identify what factors control harmful algal …

"We've Created Cheap Energy Off The Backs Of Salmon": Dam Removal Politics And Alliances In The Lower Snake River Basin, Krista Harrington

Dissertations and Theses

Dams, once considered by many to be good for water development in the Western U.S., might not be a part of a climate resilient future. Dams have come under increasing scrutiny due to undesirable ecological implications. Although dam removal proposals are growingly popular in recent decades, they are controversial since they impact different stakeholders in different ways. In the Pacific Northwest, the Lower four Snake River dams have long been criticized for their negative impacts on salmon. In February 2021, US Congressman Mike Simpson (R-Idaho) proposed a comprehensive framework to deconstruct the Lower four Snake River dams as an attempt …

Darkness Matters: Understanding The Ecological Effects And Human Sensory Perception Of Night Lighting, Zitong (Shirley) Hui

Masters Theses

Night is 50% of the planetary experience. Nighttime visible illumination is strongly tied to progress, human activities and urban structure. As our cities become brighter, they bring huge impacts on ecology and human perception.

Darkness is still something worth pursuing in urban nightscapes. This thesis explores the potential of using darkness as the starting point for designing public spaces for use at night, and focuses on the restoration of the ideal habitat for fireflies in the Jamaica bay area, in New York City. The study of the dynamic relationship between light, culture and wildlife can produce a flexible strategy that …

The International Cannabis Toolkit (Icanntoolkit): A Multidisciplinary Expert Consensus On Minimum Standards For Measuring Cannabis Use, Valentina Lorenzetti, Chandni Hindocha, Kat Petrilli, Paul Griffiths

Faculty and Student Publications

Background: The lack of an agreed international minimum approach to measuring cannabis use hinders the integration of multidisciplinary evidence on the psychosocial, neurocognitive, clinical and public health consequences of cannabis use. Methods: A group of 25 international expert cannabis researchers convened to discuss a multidisciplinary framework for minimum standards to measure cannabis use globally in diverse settings. Results: The expert-based consensus agreed upon a three-layered hierarchical framework. Each layer—universal measures, detailed self-report and biological measures—reflected different research priorities and minimum standards, costs and ease of implementation. Additional work is needed to develop valid and precise assessments. Conclusions: Consistent use of …

Bio-Inspired Fire-Resistant Building Materials, Ryan Lee

Materials Engineering

An increased frequency of fires in California motivates the development of fire damage mitigation strategies, including environmentally-friendly fire-resistant materials. A novel succulent-inspired sandwich composite consisting of HardiePlank (a cement-fiber composite), waxed paper, cardboard, paper, and mucilage (here labeled HPWM) is proposed. Sample manufacturing considerations were investigated, and the resulting composite design was evaluated for aging, mechanical, and flammability performance. Variability in sample manufacturing was assessed by measurements of sample weight before and after applying mucilage. Thermogravimetric analysis was conducted on sample materials to better understand thermal degradation. HPWM samples using two different types of waxed paper (soy wax, beeswax) were …

Characterizing T Cell Features Of Atypical Lymphocytes For The Optimization Of Adoptive Immunotherapies, Taylor L. Wilson

Theses and Dissertations (ETD)

T lymphocytes with atypical antigen targets or mechanisms or antigen recognition have been implemented into therapeutic approaches for the treatment of disease with auspicious results. Two such populations are regulatory T cells (Tregs) and CAR (chimeric antigen receptor-modified) T cells. The functional role of Tregs in the immune system is non-canonical, in that they prevent hyper-inflammation and resolve immunopathology by constraining conventional immune cell effector functions and producing mediators that promote tissue repair. Similarly, the targets of CAR T cells are also self-derived but are recognized through an engineered receptor designed to bypass the conventional mechanism of antigen-recognition. Despite their …

Taxi Travel Time Based Geographically Weighted Regression Model (Gwr) For Modeling Public Housing Prices In Singapore, Yi’An Wang, Fangyi Cai, Shih-Fen Cheng, Bo Wu, Kai Cao

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

In this research, a taxi travel time based Geographically Weighted Regression model (GWR) is proposed and utilized to model the public housing price in the case study of Singapore. In addition, a comparison between the proposed taxi data driven GWR and other models, such as ordinary least squares model (OLS), GWR model based on Euclidean distance and GWR model based on public transport travel time, have also been carried out. Results indicates that taxi travel time based GWR model has better fitting performance than the OLS model, and slightly better than the Euclidean distance-based GWR model, however, it is not …

The Relationship Between Voting Restrictions And Covid-19 Case And Mortality Rates Between Us Counties, Roman Pabayo, Erin Grinshteyn, Brian Steele, Peter Muennig, Sze Yan Liu

Department of Public Health Scholarship and Creative Works

Background

Since the 2010 election, the number of laws in the U.S. that create barriers to voting has increased dramatically. These laws may have spillover effects on population health by creating a disconnect between voter preferences and political representation, thereby limiting protective public health policies and funding. We examine whether voting restrictions are associated with county-level COVID-19 case and mortality rates.

Methods

To obtain information on restricted access to voting, we used the Cost of Voting Index (COVI), a state-level measure of barriers to voting during a U.S. election from 1996 to 2016. COVID-19 case and mortality rates were obtained …

Optimizing Stable Isotope Sampling Design In Terrestrial Movement Ecology Research, Andrea Contina, Sarah Magozzi, Hannah B. Vander Zanden, Gabriel J. Bowen, Michael B. Wunder

School of Integrative Biological & Chemical Sciences Faculty Publications

1. The recognition of adequate sampling designs is an interdisciplinary topic that has gained popularity over the last decades. In ecology, many research questions involve sampling across extensive and complex environmental gradients. This is the case for stable isotope analyses, which are widely used to characterize large-scale movement patterns and dietary preferences of organisms across taxa. Because natural-abundance stable isotope variation in the environment is incorporated into inert animal tissues, such as feathers or hair, it is possible to draw inferences about the type of food and water resources that individuals consumed and the locations where tissues were synthesized. However, modern …

Rethinking Italy’S Margins Through Walking: Mobility, Activism And Positionality In Wu Ming 2’S Il Sentiero Luminoso (2016) And Giuliano Santoro’S Su Due Piedi (2012), Simone Brioni Dr.

Department of English Faculty Publications

The article argues that Wu Ming 2’s Il sentiero luminoso (2016) and Giuliano Santoro’s Su due piedi. Camminando per un mese attraverso la Calabria (2012) describe walking as an activity which allows one to recognize the social modifications of space, and to rethink the geographies of suburban areas in Italy. This analysis resounds with Robert P. Marzec’s invitation to study how literature has represented the privatization and the capitalist and neoliberal organization of space, revealing forms of internal colonization which epitomize a pillar of colonial ideology. Il sentiero luminoso and Su due piedi reconfigure walking as an epistemological, ecocritical …

The Shallow Benthic Invertebrate Recovery From The End-Cretaceous Mass Extinction Across The Gulf Coastal Plain, Ronan B. Beltracchi

Master's Theses

The Gulf Coastal Plain, in the southeastern United States, contains several sites with well-preserved fossil assemblages from the Cretaceous- Paleogene boundary (K/Pg). Changes in benthic macroinvertebrate assemblages after mass extinction events commonly include reduction in body size of surviving organisms and preferential survival based on ecospace occupation. This study examines patterns of functional ecology and body size change in mollusk fossils from bulk samples collected throughout the post-extinction recovery interval at a well-studied boundary site from Darting Minnow Creek in Brazos, Texas USA and a recently described K/Pg boundary section on the Ouachita River in Malvern, Arkansas USA. The proportional …

Distribution Patterns Of The Invasive Mussel Arcuatula Senhousia In Mission Bay, San Diego, California: Effects Of Sediment Grain Size And Byssus Thread Production On Predation, Samantha Ahlman

Theses

The ability of bivalves to avoid predation by using defensive behaviors such as burrowing and byssus production may vary depending on the sediment characteristics of a given habitat. The varying sediment characteristics that change with water velocity within estuaries may influence the distribution of bivalves and limit them to areas that optimize their ability to defend against predators. We examined the distribution patterns of the invasive Asian date mussel Arcuatula senhousia relative to the sediment grain size distribution in Mission Bay, an urban estuary located in San Diego, California, USA. Mussels and sediment were collected using an Ekman grab at …

Spatio-Temporal Variability In Drifting Fish Aggregating Device (Dfad) Beaching Events In The Seychelles Archipelago, Isla Macmillan, Martin J. Attrill, Taha Imzilen, Christophe Lett, Simon Walmsley, Clarus Chu, David M. Kaplan

School of Biological and Marine Sciences

Abstract Purse-seine fisheries use drifting Fish Aggregating Devices (dFADs), human-made floating objects, to facilitate the capture of tropical tunas. Currently, the majority of dFADs are constructed primarily of highly durable non-biodegradable materials and there is no legal obligation to recover dFADs after deployment, leading to beaching events and potentially negative environmental impacts. We assessed beachings as a function of intra- and inter-annual trends, water depth, distance from land, seasonality, and benthic habitat within the local context of the Seychelles Archipelago using trajectories of dFADs deployed by French purse seiners over 2008–2020. Overall, 3842 beaching events associated with 2371 distinct dFAD …

Monitoring Avian Populations With Acoustic Indices In The Central Platte River Valley, Bethany Lynn Ostrom

Biology Theses, Dissertations, and Student Creative Activity

Acoustic indices are mathematical summaries of sound waves. Several researchers have tried to find relationships between them and vocal animal communities to use them as a passive monitoring method, as human-derived surveys are expensive, time-consuming, and suffer from observer bias. However, supplanting manual surveys with acoustic indices is a daunting task, considering effective indices for biological monitoring would need to differentiate biologically relevant sounds from the broader soundscape, including from human-derived (anthrophony) and earth-derived (geophony) sound. We collected avian community data and calculated six commonly used acoustic indices from acoustic recordings in the largest remaining intact lowland tallgrass prairie in …

The Modern-Day Effect Of Holc Redlining On Neighborhood Development, Liubov Ivashov

Master's Theses

Racial segregation, which happened more than one hundred years ago in the U.S., is a fundamental cause of economic inequality for people living in historically segregated neighborhoods today. Redlining was one form of federal policy that forced to separate communities by race even more after the Great Depression. The Home Owners Loan Corporation (HOLC) maps are widely used in economic research papers as one of the most comprehensive sources of data available to measure the effect of residential segregation. In this paper, using the Historical Redline Score (HRS) method, the author measured the association between modern-day population distribution, rent prices, …

In Situ Observations Of Fish Attraction To Light-Emitting Diodes On An Undersea Observation Deck, Makoto Tomiyasu, Yoko Tanouchi, Yasuzumi Fujimori, Minato Kaji, Takuma Hayashi, Naoto Matsubara, Hiroki Yasuma, Susumu Shimizu, Seiji Katakura

Journal of Marine Science and Technology–Taiwan

Many fisheries employ fishing lights to manipulate the behaviors of target fish and to attract them toward the light; however, relatively few long-time observations of fish attraction have been performed in the field. Here, an underwater observation deck was used to examine the differences in the fish-attracting effect of light-emitting diode (LED) lights on the number of attracted fish and on their behavior in the field, using white-edged rockfish as the target species. A total of 604 ± 324, 307 ± 203 and 171 ± 106 white-edged rockfish individuals were attracted to the observation window when it was illuminated with …

Impacts Of Human Development And Salt Marsh Characteristics On Variation In The Growth And Reproduction Of Spartina Alterniflora, Alora Lovely

Honors Theses

This study focused on how human development may impact salt marshes using the common native species Spartina alterniflora as an indicator. Salt marshes are vital coastal ecosystems that help protect against major flooding and can filter pollutants from the water. Like many environments, salt marshes have been impacted by human development in many ways, from construction of cities and roadways to pollution from industrial facilities and equipment. The salt marshes that once dominated many coastlines along the North American Atlantic coast have been destroyed or reduced in size dramatically with the extensive development that has occurred along these shores. Three …

Loggerhead Shrike Detectability And Occurrence In Coastal South Carolina Urban Areas, Michelle Krauser

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Grassland birds, such as the loggerhead shrike (Lanius ludovicianus), are threatened by extensive land-use change, including urbanization. Loggerhead shrikes have been declining since the early 1900s and are rare or extirpated in portions of their former range. Obtaining reliable population estimates of loggerhead shrikes is important to identify demographic trends and ensure conservation decisions are based on an accurate assessment of their current status. Imperfect detection, or the inability to detect every shrike during a survey, can result in biased population estimates. Estimating detection probability is labor-intensive and requires assumptions that are difficult to satisfy in most field studies. Understanding …

Understanding How Whole Genome Duplication In Plants Impacts Herbivore-Plant Interactions, Anne Curé

Dissertations - ALL

Herbivory by insect herbivores is a strong selective force in many communities. Although herbivore-plant interactions have been a focus of interest for decades, we are still exploring how large-scale genetic changes in the host plant alters their interactions with insect herbivores. One such prevalent change in plants is whole-genome duplication (WGD), or polyploidy, but we are still learning how WGD affects ecological interactions. In particular, studies of herbivory on polyploids have primarily focused on established polyploid plant populations. Although this approach has yielded exciting results that suggest WGD affects insect herbivores feeding on polyploids, this approach also confounds the effects …

A Review Of Current Methods In Avian Dietary Analysis And Their Integrated Application To Characterize The Trophic Niche Of Louisiana Waterthrush (Parkesia Motacilla)., Brandon Hoenig

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Characterizing a species’ dietary composition presents an avenue to understand many facets of its ecological niche and can provide essential information for the species’ long-term conservation. To date, the vast majority of diet studies have relied on direct identification of prey during foraging observations or from diet samples to characterize the dietary habits of birds. However, advancements in laboratory-based approaches have revolutionized the field of trophic ecology by allowing researchers to indirectly infer dietary habits with higher resolution across greater time scales. Here, I apply two of these laboratory-based techniques, namely DNA metabarcoding and stable isotope analysis, to characterize the …

Global Community Of Practice: A Means For Capacity And Community Strengthening For Health Professionals In Low- And Middle-Income Countries, Allison Silverstein, Amy Benson, Catriona Gates, Diane Nguyen

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

BACKGROUND: Low- and middle-income countries face distinct challenges in providing health care services and training. The community of practice (CoP) has been described as a method of facilitating much-needed connections and conversations on this topic and has been adapted over time to include virtual CoPs. We describe the development and evaluation of a global Clinical Lead Forum (CLF) using a CoP framework to structure informal continuing professional development (CPD) and enhance the capacity of health care professionals in low- and middle-income countries.

METHODS: Baylor College of Medicine International Pediatric AIDS Initiative (BIPAI) and its network of affiliated, independent non-governmental organizations …

Assessing And Mapping Of Provincial Risks Of Covid-19 Using Regression-Based Significant Factors In The Philippines, Pauline Dela T. Roca, Jasper Victor Y. Miranda, Shirl Angelee R. Ocampo, Timothy F. Olvina

DLSU Senior High School Research Congress

The Coronavirus disease (COVID-19), a highly contagious fatal viral disease, has infected millions of people and led to substantial losses of human lives worldwide. The Philippines was considered a COVID-19 high-risk country because of the numerous surges, especially in the National Capital Region (NCR) and nearby provinces (‘NCR Plus’ bubble). In line with the UN Sustainable Development Goal 3 on health and well-being, this research was conducted to identify the significant correlates of COVID-19 relative risks and cases in the Philippines in 2020 and 2021, using multiple linear regression model, negative binomial regression model, and principal component analysis. It also …

The Identification And Quantification Of Organophosphate Flame Retardants In Raw Materials Utilized In Polyurethane Production, Lindsay Tudor

Master of Science in Chemical Sciences Theses

Flame retardant additives are utilized in various polyurethane applications to comply with industry and flammability standards. Federal regulations and restrictive standards continue to tighten controls on certain impurities found in flame retardant blends. These restrictions include the limitation of organophosphates. Extensive research has been conducted to examine the effects of organophosphates in humans. To date, researchers have predominantly focused on the final product, mainly furniture and bedding products, rather than the raw materials utilized in production. Industrial chemists continue to grapple with the development of an effective method for detecting and quantifying organophosphate compounds in various flame retardant mixtures as …

Remedying Renewable Energy Research: Implementation Of Green Chemistry In Laboratories, Julia Mayes

Student Theses 2015-Present

One of the pillars of environmental studies is the analysis of the natural world and the research being done to rectify harmful human activity on it. Laboratory components in the fields of chemistry, biology, ecology, among others, are powerful tools for learning about the way our environment works and assessing how human activities harm it. More advanced laboratories conduct research in the pursuit of new technologies to mitigate anthropogenic climate change. Concurrently, this work yields large quantities of waste. While laboratories are inherently valuable to the field of environmental science, the waste created by them raises a question of net …