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Analysis Of Land Use/Land Cover Change Impacts Upon Ecosystem Services In Montane Tropical Forest Of Rwanda: Forest Carbon Assessment And Redd+ Preparedness, Mcard Joseph Mlotha

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

Changes in forest cover especially changes within tropical forests, affect global climate change, together with ecosystems and forest carbon. Forests play a key role in both carbon emission and carbon sequestration. Efforts to reduce emissions through reduced deforestation and degradation of forests have become a common discussion among scientists and politicians under the auspices of the United Nations Programme on Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (UN-REDD Programme). This dissertation research assessed the impacts of land use land cover change upon ecosystem services from a protected area focusing on forest carbon distribution and vegetation mapping using remote sensing and …

Explanatory And Causality Analysis In Software Engineering, Yasser Ali Alshehri

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Software fault proneness and software development efforts are two key areas of software engineering. Improving them will significantly reduce the cost and promote good planning and practice in developing and managing software projects. Traditionally, studies of software fault proneness and software development efforts were focused on analysis and prediction, which can help to answer questions like `when’ and `where’. The focus of this dissertation is on explanatory and causality studies that address questions like `why’ and `how’.

First, we applied a case-control study to explain software fault proneness. We found that Bugfixes (Prerelease bugs), Developers, Code Churn, and Age of …

Pan-Mediterranean Holocene Vegetation And Land-Cover Dynamics From Synthesised Pollen Data, Jessie Woodbridge, Neil Roberts, Ralph Fyfe

More Faculty of Science and Engineering Research

AimThe Mediterranean is characterized by diverse and spatially heterogeneous mosaic landscapes. Within this study, a cluster analysis-based method is developed for the classification of Mediterranean vegetation types based on modern and fossil pollen datasets. The application of this approach to multiple pollen records spanning the Mediterranean region has allowed temporal variations in vegetation dynamics to be explored throughout the Holocene. We ask how far back stable baseline vegetation communities can be identified in the pollen record, and whether those types considered to be characteristic of the Mediterranean landscapes have been present in the past as well as at the present.LocationThe …

Quantified Moorland Vegetation And Assessment Of The Role Of Burning Over The Past Five Millennia, Ralph M. Fyfe, Havananda Ombashi, Heather J. Davies, Katie Head

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

© 2017 International Association for Vegetation Science. Aims: To apply the Landscape Reconstruction Algorithm (LRA) to pollen count data from multiple sites to estimate local vegetation abundance and compare with charcoal-derived records of burning. Location: Exmoor, southwest England, UK. Methods: Pollen count data from 16 sites were transformed to estimates of distance-weighted vegetation abundance using the LRA (REVEALS and LOVE models), correcting for bias in pollen production and dispersal. Charcoal concentration data from six sites were normalized using Box-Cox transformation to produce z-scores. Moving-window correlation was undertaken to compare pollen percentage values for key taxa (Calluna, Poaceae) and localized burning. …

Vocalizations Influence Roost-Site Selection In Overwintering Cavity-Nesting Birds In Eastern Washington, Shelby M. Hunter

EWU Masters Thesis Collection

Primary cavity-nesting birds are keystone species because the annual tree cavities they excavate become critical habitat for other species. In eastern Washington, most primary cavity-nesting birds are year-round residents. They increase overwinter survival by night roosting in cavities and forming flocks. The timing of roost site selection can impact the quality of a roost site, thus selecting a roost site too late reduces the odds of selecting the most favorable microclimate available. Birds in flocks use alarm calls to warn of threats and contact calls to promote group cohesion. My study asks if timing of roost site selection and vocalizations …

Quantitative Acoustic Differentiation Of Cryptic Species Illustrated With King And Clapper Rails, Lydia L. Stiffler, Katie M. Schroeder, James T. Anderson, Susan B. Mcrae, Todd E. Katzner

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Reliable species identification is vital for survey and monitoring programs. Recently, the development of digital technology for recording and analyzing vocalizations has assisted in acoustic surveying for cryptic, rare, or elusive species. However, the quan- titative tools that exist for species differentiation are still being refined. Using vocali- zations recorded in the course of ecological studies of a King Rail (Rallus elegans) and a Clapper Rail (Rallus crepitans) population, we assessed the accuracy and effective- ness of three parametric (logistic regression, discriminant function analysis, quadratic discriminant function analysis) and six nonparametric (support vector machine, CART, Random Forest, k-nearest neighbor, weighted …

Behavior Of Stiff-Tailed Diving Ducks And West Indian Whistling Ducks In Laguna Cartagena National Wildlife Refuge, Puerto Rico, Nick S. Goodman

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Masked ducks (Nomonyx dominicus), migratory northern ruddy ducks (Oxyura jamaicensis jamaicensis), non-migratory West Indian ruddy ducks (Oxyura j. jamaicensis Gmelin), and West Indian whistling-ducks (Dendrocygna arborea) are all duck taxa that have declining populations in Puerto Rico. Masked ducks are listed as endangered in Puerto Rico and are a species of concern in the Caribbean while West Indian whistling ducks are considered an "at-risk" species listed as vulnerable. All 4 taxa of duck have areas of their life history where information is lacking including behavioral information. I studied the 4 taxa of duck at Laguna Cartagena National Wildlife Refuge from …

Social And Behavioural Factors Associated With Depressive Symptoms Among University Students In Cambodia: A Cross-Sectional Study, Chanrith Ngin, Khuondyla Pal, Sovannary Tuot, Pheak Chhoun, Rosa Yi, Siyan Yi

OBJECTIVE: To explore social and behavioural factors associated with depressive symptoms among university students in Cambodia.

DESIGN: Cross-sectional study.

SETTINGS: Two public universities-one in the capital city of Phnom Penh and another in Battambang provincial town.

PARTICIPANTS: This study included 1359 students randomly selected from all departments in the two universities using a multistage cluster sampling method for a self-administered questionnaire survey in 2015.

PRIMARY OUTCOME MEASURE: Depressive symptoms measured by using the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression scale. All measures in the study were self-reported.

RESULTS: The proportion of students with depressive symptoms and severe depressive symptoms were 50.6% …

Obesity And Dental Caries In Young Children In Plymouth, United Kingdom: A Spatial Analysis, Martha Paisi, Elizabeth Kay, Irene Kaimi, Robert Witton, Robert Nelder, Costas Christophi, Debra Lapthorne

School of Nursing and Midwifery

No abstract provided.

How Important Is Groundwater Availability And Stream Perenniality To Riparian And Floodplain Tree Growth?, Neil E. Pettit, Raymond H. Froend

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Riparian vegetation is important for stream functioning and as a major landscape feature. For many riparian plants, shallow groundwater is an important source of water, particularly in areas where rainfall is low, either annually or seasonally, and when extended dry conditions prevail for all or part of the year. The nature of tree water relationships is highly complex. Therefore, we used multiple lines of evidence to determine the water sources used by the dominant tree species Eucalyptus camaldulensis (river red gum), growing in riparian and floodplain areas with varying depth to groundwater and stream perenniality. Dendrometer bands were used to …

The Value Of Animal Behaviour As A Bio-Indicator Of Restoration Quality, Floyd Holmes

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Woodland restoration is a complex endeavour, and restoration ecology as a scientific discipline requires constant re-assessments and adjustments if it is to improve outcomes and better provide for biodiversity. The promise of effective restoration is often used to justify destructive processes that affect many of the world’s ecosystems. It is therefore imperative that those promises can be met, which comes down to restoration ecologists’ and land managers’ capacity to predict and facilitate desirable ecological changes in a timely and socio-economically responsible manner. As perspectives have changed, and knowledge has been gained over the past few decades there have been several …

Increased Risk For Obesity And Diabetes With Neurodegeneration In Developing Countries, I. J. Martins

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

The incidence of global obesity and Type 2 diabetes has increased and is predicted to rise to 30% of the global population. Diet and lifestyle factors are incapable to resolve the increased incidence for obesity and diabetes in various populations of the world. Developing countries have come to the forefront because of the higher diabetic epidemic. The urbanization may possibly provide an explanation for the global diabetic epidemic. In Western countries the metabolic syndrome and non alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) have reached 30 % of the population and now at present NAFLD afflicts 20% of developing populations. Western diets …

Socio-Economic Predictors And Distribution Of Tuberculosis Incidence In Beijing, China: A Studyusing A Combination Of Spatial Statistics And Gis Technology, Gehendra Mahara, Kun Yang, Sipeng Chen, Wei Wang, Xiuhua Guo

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Evidence shows that multiple factors, such as socio-economic status and access to health care facilities, affect tuberculosis (TB) incidence. However, there is limited literature available with respect to the correlation between socio-economic/health facility factors and tuberculosis incidence. This study aimed to explore the relationship between TB incidence and socio-economic/health service predictors in the study settings. A retrospective spatial regression analysis was carried out based on new sputum smear-positive pulmonary TB cases in Beijing districts. Global Moran’s I analysis was adopted to detect the spatial dependency followed by spatial regression models (spatial lag model, and spatial error model) along with the …

Effects Of Water Level Increase On Phytoplankton Assemblages In A Drinking Water Reservoir, Yangdong Pan, Shijun Guo, Yuying Li, Wei Yin, Pengcheng Qi, Jainwei Shi, Lanqun Hu, Bing Li, Shengge Bi, Jingya Zhu

Environmental Science and Management Faculty Publications and Presentations

Excessive water level fluctuation may affect physico-chemical characteristics, and consequently ecosystem function, in lakes and reservoirs. In this study, we assessed the changes of phytoplankton assemblages in response to water level increase in Danjiangkou Reservoir, one of the largest drinking water reservoirs in Asia. The water level increased from a low of 137 m to 161 m in 2014 as a part of the South–North Water Diversion Project. Phytoplankton assemblages were sampled four times per year before, during and after the water level increase, at 10 sites. Environmental variables such as total nitrogen as well as phytoplankton biomass decreased after …

Existing Ecological Conditions And Management Recommendations For A Portion Of The Chehalem Ridge Nature Park, Oregon, Amanda Pole

Environmental Science and Management Professional Master's Project Reports

Effective land management and habitat restoration work rely on the collection of baseline information regarding the existing conditions of the planning area. Existing conditions assessments can include such information as hydrologic conditions, botanical species assessment, land use issues, wildlife surveys, habitat distribution/quality assessments, etc. This project provides Oregon Metro’s Parks and Nature department with updated information regarding the existing conditions of a portion of the Chehalem Ridge Nature Park (CRNP) as well as recommendations and supplemental maps to aid in future management planning.

Within the ~61-acre project area exist several habitat types: a developing seasonal wetland, riparian forest, Douglas-fir forest, …

Divergent Pathways On The Road To Sustainability: A Multilevel Model Of The Effects Of Geopolitical Power On The Relationship Between Economic Growth And Environmental Quality, Patrick Greiner, Julius Alexander Mcgee

Urban Studies and Planning Faculty Publications and Presentations

The authors examine the effect of a country’s placement in the world system in 1960 on its ability to use wealth to mitigate environmental impacts. They use random-coefficients models to examine if countries belonging to core, semiperiphery, and periphery categories are able to use growth in gross domestic product (GDP) per capita to reduce CO2 emissions per capita. The findings indicate that core nations have an attenuated relationship between GDP per capita and carbon dioxide emissions per capita at higher levels of economic activity. However, nations in the semiperiphery have a relationship between GDP per capita and CO2 per capita …

Within-Fire Patchiness Associated With Prescribed Burning In The Northern Jarrah Forests Of Western Australia, Zigourney Nielsen

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

There is growing understanding of the importance of landscape mosaics and heterogeneity for biodiversity outcomes in Western Australia. However, there is limited information on the patchiness (spatial configuration of unburnt and burnt patches which occur at a range of spatial scales) within the perimeter of a single prescribed burn. Of particular concern is the idea that prescribed burning operations, carried out under very restricted weather and environmental conditions, can lead to structural and floristic homogenization of the area within a burn perimeter. This may be evident as reduced post-fire vegetation patchiness. Western Australian Jarrah (Eucalyptus marginata) forests are managed to …

Tomicus Piniperda (Coleoptera: Scolytidae) Reproduction And Behavior On Scotch Pine Christmas Trees Taken Indoors, Robert A. Haack, Robert K. Lawrence

The Great Lakes Entomologist

Tomicus piniperda, the pine shoot beetle, is an exotic insect that was first found in North America in 1992. A federal quarantine currently restricts movement of pine products, including Christmas trees, from infested to uninfested counties. We conducted a study to determine if T. piniperda would re- produce in Christmas trees that were cut and taken indoors during the Christmas season. Twelve Scotch pine, Pinus sylvestris, Christmas trees infested with overwintering T. piniperda beetles were cut in Indiana in early December 1993 and taken to Michigan. Four trees were dissected immediately, while the other 8 trees were taken …

Automated Species Classification Methods For Passive Acoustic Monitoring Of Beaked Whales, John Lebien

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

The Littoral Acoustic Demonstration Center has collected passive acoustic monitoring data in the northern Gulf of Mexico since 2001. Recordings were made in 2007 near the Deepwater Horizon oil spill that provide a baseline for an extensive study of regional marine mammal populations in response to the disaster. Animal density estimates can be derived from detections of echolocation signals in the acoustic data. Beaked whales are of particular interest as they remain one of the least understood groups of marine mammals, and relatively few abundance estimates exist. Efficient methods for classifying detected echolocation transients are essential for mining long-term passive …

Residents’ Perception Of Environmental Performance In New Urbanist Landscapes In North Texas: Learning From Addison Circle, Austin Ranch And Hometown, Riza Pradhan

Landscape Architecture Masters & Design Theses - Archive

New Urbanism movement has been shaping the cities and suburbs in increasing numbers in the US for more than three decades. The Congress for New Urbanism is promoting compact, mixed-use, interconnected, and walkable models for sustainable development. In recent years, the environmental implications of New Urbanism have not been sufficiently addressed in the literature (Spirn, 2000; Waldheim, 2010). However, the Charter of New Urbanism (Talen, 2013) highlights the importance and relevance of environmental factors. Overall, the literature lacks sufficient evidence about the environmental performance of the New Urbanist landscapes, specifically in the Dallas- Fort Worth (DFW) region. The purpose of …

New Records Of Five Ground Beetles From Ohio (Coleoptera: Carabidae), Foster F. Purrington, R. Chris Stanton

The Great Lakes Entomologist

Five ground beetles (Carabidae), Carabus sylvosus, Elaphrus americanus, Cyclotrachelus incisus, Piesmus submarginatus and Amara crassispina are reported from Ohio for the first time.

Optimizing Landbird Surveys For Detecting Population And Spatial Dynamics, Jeremy D. Mizel

Biological Sciences

Landbird populations are undergoing concurrent changes in population size, spatial distribution, and phenology. The sensitivity of landbird monitoring programs to detect and distinguish these varied processes is of critical importance. Consequently, these efforts require inference methods that are efficient and fully leverage information about spatial, population, and phenological dynamics. The development of efficient inference methods can be addressed in part through a thorough understanding of how the data are actually generated, the application of sampling methods that attempt to maximize encounter probability, and the tailoring of sampling methods to maximize sensitivity to specific inference objectives. Chapter one of this dissertation …

Survey Of Predators Associated With European Red Mite (Panonychus Ulmi; Acari: Tetranychidae) In Ohio Apple Orchards, Celeste Welty

The Great Lakes Entomologist

A survey was conducted to identify the types and relative abundance of predatory arthropods associated with Panonychus ulmi in 21 Ohio apple orchards. Mite populations were sampled by leaf brushing, and insects and spiders were sampled by limb jarring. A state-wide survey was conducted in early July and in late August 1992, and five blocks were evaluated periodically from May until August 1992 at one farm in central Ohio. Predatory mites were detected in only 27% of the blocks surveyed in early July, but in 74% of the blocks surveyed in late August. The ratio of predatory mites to motile …

Differential Shoot Feeding By Adult Tomicus Piniperda (Coleoptera: Scolytidae) In Mixed Stands Of Native And Introduced Pines In Indiana., Clifford S. Sadof, Robert D. Waltz, Charles D. Kellam

The Great Lakes Entomologist

The larger pine shoot beetle Tomicus piniperda, a native bark beetle of Europe and Asia, was found in North American Christmas tree plantations in 1992 in Ohio. Subsequent surveys found it in six U.S. states and in one Canadian province. The first natural area where Tomicus was found to be established was at the Indiana Dunes State Park, in northwestern Indiana near the Lake Michigan shoreline. Pine stands were surveyed for fallen shoots to determine the extent and range of shoot feeding in the park. Within the study area adult Tomicus fed on the shoots of all native pines …

Diet And Activity Patterns Of Five Bat Species In North-Central Kansas, Holly G. Wilson

Master's Theses or Doctor of Nursing Practice

My study focuses on six bat species that occur in north-central Kansas. Although each species is widely distributed, information about their diet and activity patterns is lacking, especially within Kansas. Increased knowledge about bat species in Kansas can provide a baseline for future studies and conservation efforts for the species included in my study; big brown bat (Eptesicus fuscus), eastern red bat (Lasiurus borealis), hoary bat (Lasiurus cinereus), northern myotis (Myotis septentrionalis), evening bat (Nycticeius humeralis), and tricolored bats (Perimyotis subflavus) were captured and fecal samples were examined for diet diversity. I captured bats in mist nets in the Kansas …

Metabolic Reprogramming Of Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma Cells In Response To Chronic Low Ph Stress, Jaime Abrego

Theses & Dissertations

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is among the most lethal of all cancers with a 5-year survival rate of only 8.2%. This is because PDAC is diagnosed in its advanced stages and is characterized by radio and chemotherapy resistance. Aggressiveness of PDAC tumors is attributed to its high metabolic phenotype, which is characterized by increased glycolysis rate and lactate secretion, while oxidative metabolism is reduced. These metabolic features are required to fulfill the biosynthetic demands of proliferating PDAC cells. However, this increase in metabolic activity results in acidification of the extracellular space because the dense fibrotic stroma of PDAC tumors limits …

No Consistent Evidence For Advancing Or Delaying Trends In Spring Phenology On The Tibetan Plateau, Xufeng Wang, Jingfeng Xiao, Xin Li, Guodong Cheng, Mingguo Ma, Tao Che, Shaoying Wang, Jinkui Wu

Faculty Publications

Vegetation phenology is a sensitive indicator of climate change and has significant effects on the exchange of carbon, water, and energy between the terrestrial biosphere and the atmosphere. The Tibetan Plateau, the Earth's “third pole,” is a unique region for studying the long‐term trends in vegetation phenology in response to climate change because of the sensitivity of its alpine ecosystems to climate and its low‐level human disturbance. There has been a debate whether the trends in spring phenology over the Tibetan Plateau have been continuously advancing over the last two to three decades. In this study, we examine the trends …

Application Of Non-Targeted Volatile Metabolomics In Plant Pathology, Jinyan She

Theses and Dissertations

Our study focuses on the application of volatile metabolomics and chemometrics in plant pathology. Specifically, volatile metabolites or volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from the American chestnut tree (Castanea dentata) and its pathogenic fungus Cryphonectria parasitica have been investigated. The American chestnut was once a dominant tree species in the eastern forests of the United States. However, it was nearly devastated by the fungal pathogen C. parasitica. The loss of this tree species has significantly impacted the ecosystem. Therefore, preservation and restoration of American chestnut are crucial. Chapter one provides an overview of mass spectrometry based volatile metabolomics and their implementation …

Sophomores Photo Is 2018 Ohio Wildlife Legacy Stamp, Ohio University College Of Arts & Sciences

All Forum Articles

No abstract provided.

Pros And Cons Of Marine Zoological Parks According To Marine Conservationists, Kayla L. Patama

HCNSO Student Capstones

Throughout history zoos and aquariums have satisfied a number of different, albeit to some, conflicting roles (Ballantyne, Packer, Hughes, & Dierking, 2007). In recent years, zoos and aquariums have shifted their focus on taking a proactive role in wildlife conservation and promoting conservation learning among their visitors. The present capstone addresses the justifications that marine conservationists see in marine zoological parks and how they believe parks can become more relevant and valuable in the future. A 65 question survey (Appendix I) was distributed to marine science professionals online through personal contact between June and September 2017 questioning participant’s personal opinions …