Digital Commons Network^™

Modeling Ungulate Population Parameters Across Human-Modified Landscapes, Sarah Richard

Master's Theses and Capstones

As human activity and development continue to alter natural landscapes, large ungulates are increasingly exposed to changing habitat structures, altered mortality risks, and climate-related stressors. These ecological shifts can influence their survival, behavior, and population dynamics. Understanding how such complex and evolving conditions shape demographic trends in these species is critical for effective management. In this thesis, I examined two ecologically and culturally important ungulate species, white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) and moose (Alces alces), across human-modified environments. Specifically, I analyzed how intrinsic factors, behavioral development, and landscape composition influence stage-specific mortality in deer neonates and population parameters in moose in …

A Geoacoustic Bayesian Inversion For Large Calibrated Singlebeam Echosounder And Ground Truth Datasets, Andrew Paul Niedbla

Master's Theses and Capstones

This thesis describes the development of a geoacoustic inversion technique to estimate seafloor sediment characteristics that is designed for use with existing fisheries survey single beam echosounder (SBES) datasets. The geoacoustic inversion technique consists of a forward model and inversion algorithm. The forward model is a high frequency, physics-based, near normal incidence acoustic backscatter model enhanced with a density depth gradient model and geoacoustic sediment regressions. The inversion algorithm is a parallel tempered Markov-chain Monte Carlo Bayesian inversion. The geoacoustic inversion produces posterior probability distributions for mean grain size, density, porosity, sound speed, seafloor roughness characterization, and sediment volume scattering …

September 2025 Library & Learning Newsletter, Minnesota State University, Mankato. Library & Learning Dean’S Office Communications Team

Library & Learning Newsletters

PDF version of the September 2025 (Volume 4, Issue 2) Library & Learning Newsletter.

Editorial: Building The Future Of Education Together: Innovation, Complexity, Sustainability, Interdisciplinary Research And Open Science, María Soledad Ramírez‑Montoya, M.A. Montoya, Diana Hernández-Montoya, Genaro Zavala-Enríquez, Antonio Martínez-Arboleda

Artículos científicos

On the eve of building the future of education, the need arises to seek unexplored paths toward an educational future built from the collective and for the collective. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), through its international commission, issued a report in which it invites us to reimagine the future of education, stating that education is a fundamental pillar for forging a common and shared future, connecting humanity in the face of global challenges such as climate change and disinformation (UNESCO, 2021a). UNESCO mobilized a major conference “Transforming Knowledge for a Just and Sustainable Future” on the …

Towards Sustainable Indoor Lighting Design: Ensuring Energy Efficiency, Health And Human Wellbeing—A Review, Lara Vélez González, Alejandra Santamaría Melenchón, David Baeza Moyano, Roberto Alonso González-Lezcano

Artículos científicos

The design of lighting systems, has, in recent years, transcended the basic function of providing visibility, becoming a key com-ponent of promoting the health and well-being of occupants by integrating biological, psychological, and energy aspects. Thegrowing understanding of the effects of light on the circadian cycle has posed a fundamental challenge in luminaire design. Thetwo before-mentioned review is, to analyze how light, both artificial and natural, affects the well-being and health of occupantsin various indoor environments, such as classrooms, hospitals and offices, Indoor lighting research has advanced significantly,recognizing both visual and non-visual effects on human health. These efforts focus on …

Analysis Of Nutrient Accumulation Within A Bioretention System, Amina Halim Nefic

Master's Theses and Capstones

Bioretention systems are widely used in stormwater management to mitigate nutrient pollution, particularly nitrogen and phosphorus. Over time, these systems undergo changes in nutrient retention efficiency due to organic matter accumulation and biogeochemical transformations. This study examines the distribution and long-term retention of total nitrogen (TN), total Kjeldahl nitrogen (TKN), nitrate (NO3-), total phosphorus (TP), and orthophosphate (PO43-) within a 16-year-old bioretention system. A combination of k-means clustering and non-parametric statistical tests (Kruskal-Wallis and Wilcoxon rank-sum tests) were employed to analyze nutrient concentrations across different soil depths and media types. Results indicate that TN and TKN are concentrated in the …

Beech Bark Disease Agent Responses To Exogenous Application Of Tree Defense Inducing Phytohormones, Erin Reilly

Master's Theses and Capstones

Pathogens and insects face several barriers to successful infection and colonization of a host plant, including a range of physical and chemical defenses, some of which are inducible (modified or initiated by attack or infection). These interactions can be complex and are influenced by environmental conditions, tree physiological status, host age, and timing of attack. Non-native pathogens and insects can have an advantage against a plant’s evolved chemical defenses, but they are also subject to abiotic stressors and conditions. In North America, beech bark disease (BBD) is a disease complex where the beech (Fagus grandifolia) host is subject to concurrent …

Penicillin Adverse Drug Reaction (Historical), Children's Mercy Kansas City

Clinical Pathways

No abstract provided.

Dual Investigations Into Broiler Health: Mitochondrial Gene Expression In Ascites Susceptibility And G-1,25(Oh)₂D₃-Driven Modulation Of Bone And Gut Integrity In Lameness, Layla Hussein Al-Mitib

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Modern broiler production faces persistent challenges from metabolic and skeletal disorders, particularly ascites and bacterial chondronecrosis with osteomyelitis (BCO), which compromise animal welfare and production efficiency. This dissertation examines two key factors that contribute to these conditions: mitochondrial gene expression associated with pulmonary hypertension syndrome (PHS) and the role of intestinal barrier integrity in mitigating lameness. In the first study, the expression of mitochondrial genes COXII and ATP6 was evaluated in the breast, thigh, and lung tissues of three broiler genetic lines—ascites-susceptible (SUS), ascites-resistant (RES), and unselected relaxed (REL). While no significant expression differences were observed in muscle tissues, SUS …

Adaptive Filters At The First Olfactory Synapse, Elizabeth H Moss, Benjamin R Arenkiel

Duncan NRI Faculty and Staff Publications

The olfactory system is able to filter odor representations based on attention and learning. Two PLoS Biology studies reveal how short axon cells in the olfactory bulb integrate cholinergic input from the basal forebrain to dynamically regulate olfactory input.

Diagnostic Yield Of Exome Sequencing For Pregnancies With And Without Fetal Anomalies And For Stillbirth, Roni Zemet, Christian M Parobek, April D Adams, Mohamad Ali Maktabi, Lena Shay, Linyan Meng, Pengfei Liu, Hongzheng Dai, Fan Xia, Christine Eng, Ignatia B Van Den Veyver, Liesbeth Vossaert

Duncan NRI Faculty and Staff Publications

Objective: Exome sequencing (ES) benefits the genetic work-up for fetuses with structural anomalies, but data on its utility for fetuses without anomalies and stillbirths is more limited. We report our experience with prenatal ES for all three indications.

Method: We retrospectively reviewed results from 344 trio-ES performed for fetuses with structural anomalies (N = 262), stillbirths (N = 39), and fetuses without anomalies (N = 43), many of which had a relevant family history. We classified pathogenic variants (P), likely pathogenic variants (LP), or variants of uncertain significance (VUS) favoring pathogenicity in a gene consistent with the fetal phenotype as …

Quantification Of Terpenes In Various Commercial Cannabis Products By Gas Chromatography-Flame Ionization Detection And Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry, Kaitlyn M. Ignaszak

Forensic Science Master's Projects

The goal of this research project was to identify and quantify the terpenes in five commercial cannabis products (dried bud, kief, two tinctures, and a pain cream) using gas chromatography-flame ionization detection (GC-FID) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Terpene identification and quantification were conducted using GC-MS and GC-FID, with a standard sample containing 21 terpenes of known concentrations. To determine the most effective extraction conditions, three organic solvents (ethanol, acetonitrile, and ethyl acetate) were employed. Additionally, the effects of extraction time on terpene yield were investigated by analyzing aliquots collected at five different time intervals, ranging from one hour to …

The End Of International Migration? The Case Of North America, David Swanson, Jeff Tayman

Publications, Reports and Presentations

Although there are exceptions (forced migration and retirement migration, for example), international migration is largely driven by people of working age. Population forecasts to the year 2100 show that the numbers of people of working age (20-64) will diminish in North America (Canada, Mexico, and the United States), and dramatically diminish among those of the younger working ages (20-34 and 35-44). Underlying this expectation is the fact that North America, like the world as a whole, will have completed the demographic transition or be very close to completing it within 75 years, which means this region of the world will …

Script-Based Inferences In An Image Schema Story Understander, Jamie C. Macbeth, Boming Zhang, Sharmin Badhan

Computer Science: Faculty Publications

Recent studies of large language models (LLMs) have revealed that they lack human-like cognitive models of reasoning and understanding. An important thread of research merges image schemas into symbolic artificial intelligence systems where their use as conceptual building blocks and primitives shows promise for the study of human cognition through intelligent systems that perform neurosymbolically. The work presented in this paper demonstrates image schema primitives being used in structures of a representation system called conceptual dependency (CD) and in broader commonsense knowledge structures called scripts. We present a story under- standing system that uses image schemas as primitives in scripts …

Maternal Systemic Iron Homeostasis In Diabetes-In-Pregnancy: A Cross-Sectional Analytical Study From A Tertiary Health Care Centre Of South India, Kamila Thalapalliyil, Zachariah Bobby, Gowri Dorairajan, Pampa Ch. Toi

Saudi Medical Journal

ABSTRACT Objectives: To explore whether uniform supplementation causes iron overload among a cohort of South Indian non-anemic pregnant women with diabetes-in-pregnancy (DIP). Methods: The study took place between May 2022 and May 2024 and consisted of 120 participants from 2 groups: healthy pregnant women (HP) and pregnant women with DIP. Levels of Hb and the serum indices of iron homeostasis-iron, unsaturated iron-binding capacity, total iron-binding capacity, transferrin saturation, ferritin, hepcidin, soluble transferrin receptor (sTfR), and sTfR index, were estimated. The levels of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, indices of oxidative stress, malondialdehyde, total antioxidant status (TAS), and oxidative stress index (OSI; ratio …

Dean’S Report: U-M School Of Dentistry - Celebrating A 150-Year Tradition Of Excellence — And Planning For The Future

The Journal of the Michigan Dental Association

This report commemorates the 150th anniversary of the University of Michigan School of Dentistry, founded in 1875 largely due to the lobbying efforts of the Michigan Dental Association (MDA). It details the leadership of its first dean, Dr. Jonathan Taft, who established high professional standards that shaped the institution's commitment to excellence. The school boasts over 12,000 DDS graduates and 3,460 dental hygiene graduates, emphasizing its continuous role in advancing dentistry through innovation, research, and patient care, from early textbook development to modern digital tools like CBCTs and CAD-CAM technology. The incoming DDS Class of 2029 marks a milestone with …

Helminth And Malaria Co-Infection Among Pregnant Women In Battor And Adidome Towns Of The Volta Region Of Ghana, Navneet Kaur, William K. Anyan, Abraham K. Anang, Nilanjan Lodh

Clinical Lab Sciences Faculty Research and Publications

Aim: In sub-Saharan Africa, approximately 40 million pregnant women are exposed to parasitic diseases such as malaria caused by Plasmodium falciparum, Schistosome parasites, and soil-transmitted helminths (STHs). When parasitic diseases share the same habitat and overlap in distribution, then high co-infection rates occur. The co-infection can lead to consequences for the child, such as intrauterine growth retardation, low birth weight, pre-term delivery, and neonatal mortality.

Methods: The objective of the study was to determine the nature and extent of coinfection from 100 samples collected from the Battor (50) and Adidome (50) towns of Ghana in collaboration with the Noguchi …

Systematic Review And Evidence Gap Mapping Of Alzheimer's Disease Biomarker Studies In Those With Intellectual And Developmental Disability, Lubnaa B. Abdullah, Ney Alex Alliey, Emma Elizondo, Ney Alliey Rodriguez, Gladys Maestre, James Hall

School of Medicine Publications

There are a relatively small number of investigations into brain aging in those with intellectual and developmental disability (I/DD). This project seeks to (1) characterize the internationally available multi-omics Alzheimer's disease (AD) biomarker studies including those with I/DD, and (2) discuss future research directions. PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus were searched under the following criteria: cross-sectional or longitudinal AD-omics studies on adults (18 +) with I/DD. 532 studies were identified, 186 studies were evaluated for full-text, 79 studies were excluded, and 117 studies were extracted. Most biological specimens were analyzed in blood, plasma, or serum. Metabolomics, hormonomics, and transcriptomics …

Local Identity In The Lives Of The Fathers Of Mérida: When Ethnicity And Religion Aren’T The Point, Erica Buchberger

History Faculty Publications

While scholarship on early medieval Europe often centers ethnicity or religion over other forms of identity, they were not always the most relevant form of identification for contemporaries. In the Lives of the Fathers of Mérida (late sixth-early seventh century), ethnic and religious identity were actually deployed to construct a local identity around the space and people of the city. This article explores how the text did so by closely analyzing terms used and their context, and by applying social scientific theories of boundary construction to illuminate the strategies of identification behind it. It argues that such an approach …

Evaluating Unoccupied Aerial Systems (Uass) For The Monitoring Of Unmarked Moose In New Hampshire, Usa, Lily Hall

Master's Theses and Capstones

Accurate estimates of wildlife densities are important for understanding population dynamics and informing management decisions. Recent technological developments such as improvements of unoccupied aerial systems (UASs) and sensors provide novel pathways to estimate wildlife densities. However, these methods require critical evaluation of efficacy. In this research, we evaluated the capability of UASs to predict moose (Alces alces) density across a large landscape (~12,000 km2) in northern New Hampshire, USA using longwave infrared imagery via UAS sampling. In Chapter 1, our objective was to account for imperfect detection by creating a sightability model for unmarked moose that includes covariates expected to …

Csd 210.50: Speech, Language, Hearing, & Occupational Sciences, Anya A. Leyhe

University of Montana Course Syllabi, 2021-2025

No abstract provided.

Fors 330.01: Forest Ecology, Andrew J. Larson

University of Montana Course Syllabi, 2021-2025

No abstract provided.

Fors 538.01: Statistical Models For Ecological Data Analysis, Solomon Z. Dobrowski

University of Montana Course Syllabi, 2021-2025

No abstract provided.

Biob 480.01: Conservation Genetics, Andrew R. Whiteley

University of Montana Course Syllabi, 2021-2025

No abstract provided.

Systematic Review And Evidence Gap Mapping Of Alzheimer's Disease Biomarker Studies In Those With Intellectual And Developmental Disability, Lubnaa B. Abdullah, Ney Alex Alliey, Emma Elizondo, Ney Alliey Rodriguez, Gladys Maestre, James Hall

School of Medicine Publications

There are a relatively small number of investigations into brain aging in those with intellectual and developmental disability (I/DD). This project seeks to (1) characterize the internationally available multi-omics Alzheimer's disease (AD) biomarker studies including those with I/DD, and (2) discuss future research directions. PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus were searched under the following criteria: cross-sectional or longitudinal AD-omics studies on adults (18 +) with I/DD. 532 studies were identified, 186 studies were evaluated for full-text, 79 studies were excluded, and 117 studies were extracted. Most biological specimens were analyzed in blood, plasma, or serum. Metabolomics, hormonomics, and transcriptomics …

How Graduates Of Color Developed Marketable Skills As On-Campus Student Employees, Christopher A. Burnett, Z.W. Taylor

Journal of Research Initiatives

Research on how students of color are employed in on-campus student affairs positions and the development of their marketable skills for post-graduation employment is limited. To address this gap, this study examined the experiences of 12 students of color in student affairs roles. The goal was to understand how these students benefitted from their on-campus employment, developed valuable skills, and secured job opportunities after graduation.

The findings indicate that students of color were able to readily identify and communicate the marketable skills they acquired during their time as students. These skills include management, teamwork facilitation, digital literacy, and the ability …

Exploring Design-Based Research: Enhancing Methodologies For Educational Innovation, Awang Najib Awang Mohamad, Zaimuariffudin Nordin, Mohd Hafizan Hashim

Journal of Research Initiatives

Design-based research (DBR) has proven to be a robust methodology for transforming educational practice through a systematic cycle of analysis, design, development, and real-world implementation. Its distinctive strength lies in fostering close collaboration between researchers and educators within authentic learning contexts, producing design principles and theories that are deeply responsive to local needs. This paper presents a critical and comprehensive examination of the three core phases of the McKenney and Reeves (2012) generic DBR model, illustrating how it integrates rigorous inquiry with practical problem-solving. It also introduces Sandoval's (2014) concept of conjecture mapping as a strategic tool for aligning theoretical …

Resource Assessment Report No. 4: North Coast Demersal Scalefish Resource - Kimberley 2025 Assessment, Fabian Trinnie, Rubie Evans-Powell, Ainslie Denham, Sybrand A. Hesp, Corey Wakefield, Craig L. Skepper, Brett Crisafulli, Stephen J. Newman

Resource Assessment Reports

The North Coast Demersal Scalefish Resource (NCDSR) comprises ecological suites of tropical demersal fish species that occur predominantly in inshore waters (20–250 m deep) and offshore waters ( > 250 m deep) of the North Coast Bioregion (NCB). More than 60 demersal species are landed by fisheries operating in the Kimberley and Pilbara regions of the NCB each year, including high-value snappers (Lutjanidae), groupers (Epinephelidae), and emperors (Lethrinidae). As outlined in the NCDSR Harvest Strategy (DPIRD, 2017), the Kimberley resource is currently monitored through annual reviews of total removals and catch rate trends of indicator species, as well as periodic (every …

The Blacker The Berry: Food Environments And Intake Associated With Perinatal Depression And Secondary Breastfeeding Outcomes Among Black Americans In The St. Louis Metropolitan Area, Najjuwah S. Walden

Brown School Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

The relationship between the food environment, intake, and health is complex. The purpose of this study was to evaluate if food environments in proximity to Black pregnant women in the St. Louis Metropolitan Area were associated with prenatal eating habits and if these eating habits were associated with the risk of developing depressive symptoms in pregnancy and postpartum. The study also aimed to understand if there was a relationship between prenatal eating habits and the decision to breastfeed and if the onset of postpartum depressive symptoms has any effect on this relationship. Due to the importance of nutrient-dense, anti-inflammatory foods …

Impact Of Varied Dietary Macronutrient Ratios On The Nutrition Status Of Swiss Albino Mice, Hellen Kinyi, Charles Kato, Gertrude Kiwanuka

Biomedical Sciences, East Africa

The nutrition status of an organism depends on the balance between nutrient intake and utilization. Malnutrition results not only from inadequate caloric intake but also from imbalanced macronutrient ratios, which can affect aging, metabolism, and health. While many studies focus on individual nutrients, this study used purified, isocaloric diets with varying macronutrient ratios to assess dietary effects on nutrition markers in Swiss albino mice.

Mice were randomized into 6 dietary groups, each containing 6 males and 6 females housed separately. Each group received an isocaloric diet with different carbohydrate, protein, and lipid ratios for 15 weeks. Animal weight, body mass …