Digital Commons Network^™

Shark Wildlife Tourism’S Influence On Conservation Efforts, Elizabeth C. Saraf

All HCAS Student Capstones, Theses, and Dissertations

Shark wildlife tourism has the potential to shape pro-environmental values and attitudes, fostering meaningful conservation behaviors. Understanding the influence of participating in shark tourism activities provides valuable insights into its effectiveness as a conservation tool. This study compared different intervention types related to wildlife tourism, including both direct (i.e., swimming with sharks) and indirect (i.e., viewing a related documentary) interactions with sharks. To evaluate the impact of these intervention events, participants were surveyed at three time intervals: before, immediately afterwards, and one month after the event. The surveys assessed respondents’ psychological constructs related to the environment, specifically their value orientations, …

Preliminary Study Of A Support System For Noninvasive Pneumonia Detection Using Breath Sound Analysis In Calves, Yasuhiro Morita, Seiji Inoue, Satoshi Ohkura

The Thai Journal of Veterinary Medicine

Pneumonia in calves is caused by a complex association between host, pathogen, and environmental factors, and it is challenging to detect the subclinical stages. Therefore, it is crucial to accurately and rapidly identify calves with pneumonia on farms to provide appropriate treatment in a timely manner. In the present study, we focused on the frequency components of lung sounds to distinguish calves with and without pneumonia, without the need for veterinary expertise. In addition, we evaluated the pathogenesis of pneumonia by clarifying the relationship between the frequency components of lung sounds and lung ultrasound findings in calves. Although further case …

The First Thirty Years Of Green Stormwater Infrastructure In Portland, Oregon, Michaela Koucka, Cara Poor, Jordyn Wolfand, Heejun Chang, Vivek Shandas, Adrienne Aiona, Henry Stevens, Tim Kurtz, Svetlana Hedin, Steve Fancher, Joshua Lighthipe, Adam Zucker

Geography Faculty Publications and Presentations

Over the past 30 years, the City of Portland, Oregon, USA, has emerged as a national leader in green stormwater infrastructure (GSI). The initial impetus for implementing sustainable stormwater infrastructure in Portland stemmed from concerns about flooding and water quality in the city’s two major rivers, the Columbia and the Willamette. Heavy rainfall often led to combined sewer overflows, significantly polluting these waterways. A partial solution was the construction of “The Big Pipe” project, a large-scale stormwater containment system designed to filter and regulate overflow. However, Portland has taken a more comprehensive and long-term approach by integrating sustainable stormwater management …

Fungal Resistance Of Citric Acid Crosslinked Chitosan Treated Wood, Samuel Jacob Barton

Theses and Dissertations

Chitosan (CH), a linear polysaccharide biopolymer derived from chitin, is known for its antimicrobial and antifungal properties. However, its natural hydrophilicity limits its application as a wood preservative. This study explores the crosslinking of chitosan with citric acid (CA) to improve its stability and hydrophobicity, aiming to enhance its efficacy as a wood preservative. The study investigates fungal resistance against Gloeophyllum trabeum (brown-rot) and Trametes versicolor (white-rot) fungi using the AWPA E-10 soil block test for pine and gum samples vacuum-treated and dip-treated with CH-CA concentrations (CH 6%/CA 3%, CH 4%/CA 3%, CH 2%/CA 3%, and CH 1.5%/CA 3%). The …

Impact Of Buffered Dry Vinegar And Fermented Onion Juice On The Quality And Shelf-Life Of Fresh Pork Breakfast Sausage, Emily M. Little

Theses and Dissertations

The demand for clean-label meat products has increased interest in natural alternatives to synthetic antioxidants and antimicrobials. This study evaluated the effects of buffered dry vinegar (BDV), fermented onion juice (FOJ), and their combination (CMB) on microbial stability and sensory quality of pork sausage during 9 days of refrigerated storage. Sausages were assigned to control, FOJ (0.5%), BDV (0.5%), or CMB (0.25% each) treatments. BDV and CMB significantly reduced aerobic and psychrotrophic counts by days 7-9, while yeast increased across all treatments over time, reaching ~7 Log CFU/g by day 9. Sensory analysis revealed lower oxidation and off-note intensity in …

Advancing Rangeland Vegetation Mapping Through Integrated Uav And Satellite Imagery: A Comparative Machine Learning Framework For Fractional Cover Classification, Nishat Shermin

Theses and Dissertations

This study presents a multi-scale remote sensing framework to classify fractional vegetation cover (FVC) across rangelands by integrating UAV multispectral imagery, LiDAR structural data, and multisource satellite inputs. Four machine learning models, ranging from UAV-only to fused UAV-LiDAR-Sentinel models, were developed and evaluated using Random Forest (RF) and Extreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost) algorithms. The research was conducted at Martin Ranch, Texas, using Uncrewed Ariel Vehicle (UAV)-collected multispectral imagery, LiDAR-derived canopy height, and Sentinel-1/2 indices. Model 2 (UAV + LiDAR) emerged as the optimal model for balancing accuracy, processing time, and compatibility with ecological simulation tools. This model captures both spectral …

Design For Longevity: A Relational And Systemic Perspective, Sheng-Hung Lee

Nordes Conference Series

As Relational Design (RD) grows in popularity, Casual Loop Diagrams (CLD) can complement RD in systemic analysis by visualizing relationships between variables. This study integrates CLD with RD within the context of longevity planning, which considers dimensions of financial, social and physical wellness. While RD maps static relationships, CLDs model dynamic interactions and feedback loops, enhancing innovation through a holistic and adaptive approach. By bridging relational and systemic perspectives, this preliminary study advances discourse in service design, system thinking, and research methodologies, demonstrating how RD and CLD contribute to a more comprehensive understanding of longevity planning. Findings emphasize the importance …

Activation Or Deactivation? Rethinking Ferrate(Vi) Reactivity Within A Broader Modulation Framework, Zepei Tang, Yang Deng

Department of Earth and Environmental Studies Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

No abstract provided.

The Impact Of The Mcgirt Supreme Court Decision On Federal Water Policy Within Shared Watersheds, Travis Alexander Younce

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This dissertation explored the following research question: What are the public policy implications of the McGirt Supreme Court decision on federal water policy and regulations governing shared watersheds between state, tribes, and federal control? Specifically, this study examined the changing freshwater availability within Oklahoma and Montana. Oklahoma is one of the nation’s most diverse water management lands, with over 85% of its water within tribal boundaries. Eleven lakes and reservoirs in central Oklahoma provide water to the increasingly urbanized population. This dissertation aimed to identify integrated regulations regarding water policy and impacts by examining requirements, use, clarity, and climatological data …

Perspectives On Water Policies And Alternative Land Uses Among Alfalfa Farmers In The Great Salt Lake Basin, Bryn Watkins, Stacia Ryder

Publications

Climate change threatens many resources necessary for life. In arid and semiarid regions like Utah, water represents one of the key climate-related conflicts (1,2). In Utah, a changing climate paired with human overconsumption has contributed to the drying of the Great Salt Lake. Rising temperatures will lead to greater evapotranspiration and decreasing headwater streamflow and groundwater storage, resulting in increasing dryness in the Great Salt Lake Basin regardless of human water consumption (3). This in turn threatens the ecosystems, economies, and cultures of the Great Salt Lake Basin, accelerating the local impacts of climate change (4).

Utahns’ Understanding & Support Of Environmental Equity & Justice, Dallin Johnson, Jordan Rowley, Stacia Ryder, Jennifer E. Givens, Avery C. Edenfield, Harley Thomas

Utah People and Environment Poll (UPEP)

Utah faces its fair share of environmental problems. Top concerns among residents are issues of drought, air quality, and the drying of the Great Salt Lake (1). However, research suggests that the impacts of environmental issues like disasters, pollution, resource overuse and climate change are not shared equally across society (2). This is a challenge for environmental justice, which maintains the need for fair treatment and outcomes for all people, regardless of race, ethnicity, and class, with respect to the enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and policies (3). Put more simply, everyone is entitled to a clean and healthy environment …

Novel Sequential Modeling Framework Improves Phytoplankton Biomass Predictions In Response To Multiple Environmental Stressors, Zhuyin Tong, Jiayu Guo, Yikai Liu, Lizhen Lin, Jixin Chen, Xin Liu, Bangqin Huang, Edward A. Laws, Wupeng Xiao

Faculty Publications

Understanding the impacts of multiple environmental stressors on phytoplankton biomass is crucial for predicting marine ecosystem responses under global climate change. This study employed a sequential modeling framework integrating principal component analysis, generalized additive models, and artificial neural networks to improve predictions of phytoplankton chlorophyll a concentrations in the Taiwan Strait. Analyzing a decadal dataset, we found that a 2°C rise in sea surface temperature and a 0.2 pH decline will each lead to an 11.3% reduction in chlorophyll a biomass, whereas nitrogen enrichment is expected to increase it by only 2.8%. The combined effects of these stressors will result …

A Multi-Proxy Approach For Understanding The Chicxulub Asteroid Impact (Cretaceous / Paleogene Boundary) And Its Aftermath, Hermann D. BermúDez

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

The Chicxulub asteroid impact in what is now the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexican Caribbean, coincides with the Cretaceous/Paleogene boundary (K/Pg boundary ~66Ma) and marked the extinction of three-quarters of the species, including the iconic non-avian dinosaurs. The collision created a massive crater, releasing enormous amounts of energy and expelling millions of tons of molten and vaporized materials into the atmosphere. Chicxulub is an ideal case study for massive impact events since it is the only recognized asteroid impact on Earth's history that preserved a globally traceable ejecta layer representing a precise time-stratigraphic marker. Although numerous studies have examined the consequences of …

Crop, Soil Nutrient, And Soil Health Responses Within Integrated Crop And Livestock Systems, Alyssa K. Hall

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

We evaluated the influences of grazing livestock on crop production, soil nutrients, and soil health indicators of integrated crop livestock systems using three experiments during a seven-yr. period. Objectives were to (1) determine livestock grazing and cropping system effects on crop yield and soil properties across six yr. in corn-soybean (C-S) and wheat-corn-soybean (W-C-S) systems with and without periodic composted manure application, (2) explore seasonal variation in soil nutrient patterns over two yr., and (3) measure residual responses for corn grain yield plus soil health indicators in yr. seven following a six-yr. study. In experiment 1, neither livestock grazing ( …

Ecological And Social Resilience In Wildfire-Prone Communities, Melissa Burnett

All Theses

Climate projections suggest extreme weather variability, introducing extremely wet years, followed by years with extreme drought. These weather conditions are creating fire weather conducive to increasing wildfires across the southeast over the next century, which can have extreme ecological consequences. The Appalachian Mountains historically had some of the highest fire frequencies in North America but have been subjected to decades of fire suppression and prevention policies, resulting in an environment subject to more high-severity wildfires. The fall of 2016 was one of the driest seasons on record in this region and resulted in intense and destructive fires in the southeastern …

Environmental Controls Of Hail In Quasi-Linear Convective Systems, Cameron A. Barker

Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

A study of hail occurrence in quasi-linear convective systems (QLCS), as well as severe weather parameters contributing to the likelihood and intensity of hail, is presented. Rapid Refresh (RAP) proximity soundings for 218 QLCS events from 2012 to 2022 are selected to sample QLCS environments near peak intensity. Study objectives are to assess common environmental parameter spaces that favor hail in QLCSs while connecting these findings to results for supercells. Hail occurrence is also examined in terms of synoptic regime.

Six synoptic regimes were identified to support QLCSs with hail, from high shear, low cape (HSLC) to low shear, high …

Cognitive And Affective Factors Related To Geoscience Academic And Career Choice, Amanda Diane Manzanares

Dissertations

Recruitment and retention continue to be a challenge for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) fields. Research shows that both cognitive and affective factors influence student learning, which can then shape academic and career choice. Therefore, my alternatively formatted dissertation includes three articles examining two STEM disciplines: geosciences and Interdisciplinary Environmental and Sustainability programs adding to prior research and further uncovering specific factors that could predict student educational and professional aspirations.

Regarding cognition, students often begin STEM courses with pre-existing mental frameworks, also referred to as schemas that are formed by their prior experiences. These schemas may conflict with established …

Sustainability: Buzz Word Or Future Of Fashion? Measuring The Feasibility Of Outright Sustainability Among Fast Fashion’S Biggest Agents, Ryan Miller

Apparel Merchandising and Product Development Undergraduate Honors Theses

Abstract

The fashion industry is currently experiencing unsustainable rates of pollution within its supply chains. The rapid increase in demand for short lead times perpetrated by large-scale retailers has led to hazardous practices negatively affecting both the environmental conditions and working conditions of producing countries. With this increased pressure, relationships between brands and suppliers have become untenable. Limited transparency and imbalanced power dynamics at the hand of the industry’s leading retailers require restructuring in order to build more sustainable and equitable supply-chain practices. Further, governmental regulation is currently limited in its capacity to enforce sustainable business practices on a global …

Interdisciplinary Studies At Grand Valley State: Brooks College At Twenty, Eric Covey

Grand Valley Reports and Histories

This study, focused chiefly on academic programs, begins with a brief outline of the history of the Cluster Colleges at Grand Valley State University and then goes on to detail how the arrival of a new provost in 2002 revived and reshaped the idea of an independent college dedicated to interdisciplinary experiments. It was written partially to commemorate the 20th anniversary of Brooks College of Interdisciplinary Studies.

Acute Exposure Of American Oyster (Crassostrea Virginica) To Selected Antidepressant Drug: Histological, Biochemical, And Immunohistochemical Assessments, Md. Faisal Amin

Theses and Dissertations

The rapid increase in pharmaceutical use has brought significant health benefits to humans. Studies have shown that many pharmaceuticals, such as antidepressants, are often detected in surface waters, groundwater, and even drinking water. These pharmaceuticals in aquatic environments threaten marine life seriously. Marine bivalves are vital source of seafood for people worldwide. In this study, we examined the effects of short-term exposure to fluoxetine, an antidepressant used to treat depression, at low (0.5 μg/L) and high (5 μg/L) doses over a one-week period on American oysters (Crassostrea virginica) under controlled laboratory conditions. Histological analysis revealed atrophy in the gills and …

Conceptions Of Climate Change Skepticism: A Phenomenographic Investigation On Perspectives From Climate Scientists And Climate Activists, Candace L. Penrod

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

This study addresses how climate change denial is understood by climate scientists and climate activists. This research also investigates what communication strategies addressing climate change denial are used by climate scientists and climate activists. Phenomenography was selected as a methodology to address the qualitative and quantitative aspects of this inquiry. Pre-recorded data from interviews with six climate scientists and six climate activists living in the Intermountain West were used as the data source. Interview transcripts were read, marked, and coded to identify how climate scientists and climate activists understood climate change denial. Five conceptions of climate change skepticism were identified …

An Evaluation Of Key Components Of Natural Resource Camps, Undergraduate Persistence And Success In Natural Resources, Brandy Bishop

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study explores the key components that connect natural resource camps, undergraduate persistence, and overall success through gainful employment within the natural resource industry. The aim of this study was to assess early interest and attitudes towards natural resource career pathways and how education interventions shape students’ career outcomes thus leading to overall success. A longitudinal mixed method design was used combining Conservation Careers Camp survey data (n = 39) with institutional records for Forestry majors (n =655) in the Arthur Temple College of Forestry and Agriculture on the Stephen F. Austin State University campus. Quantitative data was analyzed through …

Critical Communication Pedagogy At The End Of The World, Tyler S. Rife

Journal of Communication Pedagogy

This essay draws upon my experiences teaching the undergraduate course, “Communication at the End of the World,” to argue for an approach to critical communication pedagogy (CCP) contextualized by and reflexively responsive to planetary-scale ecological crises. I outline how five commitments have come to guide my classroom’s explorations through our topic of “end-times” communication: (1) Anthropocentrism and speciesism participate in the maintenance of social hierarchy; (2) environmental justice and social justice are intimately entangled projects; (3) ecological crisis is (re)made concrete, embodied, proximal, and implicative; (4) critique of language involves critique of humanism and humanist historicization; and, (5) ecologically just …

Microplastics And Other Plastic-Like Microdebris In Sediments From The Dart River And Estuary, Southwest England, Maia Killian, Andrew Turner

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

Surficial sediment samples (n = 10) collected from a transect of a river-estuary (Dart) in southwest England have been analysed for geochemical characteristics, anthropogenic metals (Cr, Cu, Sn, Pb, Zn), and microplastics (∼50 μm–5 mm) and other microplastic-like debris. Results indicated the finest grains towards the lower river and upper estuary, a seaward increase in sedimentary Ca, and loss on ignition ranging from about 0.7 to 4 %. Anthropogenic metals were heterogeneously distributed throughout the catchment with maximum concentrations in the river or lower estuary. Microplastics were dominated by fibres, with concentrations ranging from 110 to 1800 kg−1 and composition …

Adapting To Change In Amenity-Oriented Communities: Innovative Strategies For Shifting Social And Environmental Needs, Emma L. R. Epperson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Amenity-oriented communities are places with significant and desirable natural amenities that are highly visited and plentiful within the Intermountain West. These high rates of visitation create complex challenges such as congestion in recreation spaces and in towns and increase costs of living. These communities are typically rural and often do not have the resources, funding, or infrastructure to combat these challenges. Although tourists provide financial stability and other amenities to these towns, local wellbeing is highly impacted. Outdoor recreation and the nature connections derived from outdoor experiences are major contributors to wellbeing in amenity communities. This research investigates the changes …

The Recreation Opportunity Spectrum In Practice: A Classification Of Visitors And Sites In The Roaring Fork Valley, Colorado, Usa, Jessica Bruck

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Researchers and public land managers continue to investigate what motivates visitors to recreate and how to best sustain environmental conditions to provide for these recreation demands and support conservation goals. Much recreation research has successfully identified visitor motivations at a single recreation area (spatial scale), but few studies broadly assess the manifestation of visitor motivations at an array of recreation areas that present unique recreation experience opportunities. Additionally, it is known that there are a diversity of visitor motivations and preferences, which presents a complex challenge to public land managers who must ensure that a diversity of recreation opportunities are …

Migration As Adaptation: Place-Based Vulnerability Near The Drying Great Salt Lake, Dallin Johnson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

The drying of the Great Salt Lake presents a complex and evolving threat to Utah residents, with wide-ranging environmental, economic, and health implications. This study explores the individual and structural factors impacting Utahns' ability to utilize migration as a form of adaptive capacity in response to these threats, using mobility justice and cumulative advantage and disadvantage theory as guiding frameworks. Drawing on survey data, a multilevel logistic regression model identifies key structural factors, including age, income, and gender, that influence perceived migration ability. Additionally, a 2x2 typology categorizes distinct profiles of vulnerability to the Great Salt Lake based on different …

Health And Weather In Unfavourable Environments: Exploring The Historical Dynamics Of Colonial Medical Meteorology In Nineteenth-Century Tropical Asia, Fiona Williamson

Research Collection College of Integrative Studies

Medical meteorology had a long precedent in medical thought across Eastern and Western traditions. This article considers the tradition of medical meteorology that was favoured by Western doctors in the nineteenth century, which was often applied within colonial contexts to the understanding of new climates and how they might impact on human health. Looking at British-held tropical and sub-tropical colonies of the Straits Settlements and Hong Kong respectively, medical meteorology was stimulated by the new pathological and atmospheric conditions that European explorers and settlers now inhabited in the name of the British Empire. They brought with them concepts of disease …

Greening The Virtual: An Interdisciplinary Narrative Review On The Environmental Sustainability Of The Metaverse, Mousa Al-Kfairy

All Works

As the Metaverse continues to evolve as a transformative digital ecosystem, its environmental implications remain insufficiently examined within academic discourse. Despite growing interest in its technological and societal impacts, there is a lack of comprehensive evaluations that synthesize existing knowledge on its sustainability potential. This interdisciplinary narrative review addresses this gap by critically exploring how Metaverse technologies intersect with environmental sustainability across key sectors, including education, healthcare, tourism, e-commerce, manufacturing, and urban development. Employing a narrative review methodology informed by a systematic selection of scholarly and industry sources, the study consolidates current practices, emerging opportunities, and notable trade-offs. While the …

Regulation Of Icer Degradation And Its Role In Melanoma, Justin Wheelan

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Melanoma is the deadliest form of skin cancer, with 100,640 new cases and 8,290 deaths estimated in the United States in 2024. While targeted therapies and immunotherapy have improved patient outcomes, resistance remains a major challenge, necessitating new therapeutic approaches. Approximately 50% of melanomas harbor BRAFⱽ⁶⁰⁰ᴱ mutations, leading to constitutive MAPK pathway activation. Targeted small molecule therapies such as BRAF and MEK inhibitors are available and initially reduce tumor burden, however resistance frequently occurs, likely through many pathways including compensatory activation of cAMP signaling. ICER (Inducible cAMP Early Repressor), a transcriptional repressor of CREB-mediated gene expression, is absent in melanoma …