Digital Commons Network^™

Confronting The Seaport Resilience Gap: Incentives, Frameworks, And Case Studies For Enhancing Resilience To Natural Hazards In Port Planning And Policy, Rosemarie Fusco

Open Access Dissertations

This dissertation investigates the critical issue of seaport resilience, focusing on the gaps in resilience planning and the role of incentives in motivating resilience investment. The research arc addresses the question: What incentivizes seaports to increase natural hazard resilience (NHR)? It is organized into three interconnected manuscripts, each examining distinct aspects of the problem.

The first manuscript critically examines the resilience planning approaches of Small Island Developing States (SIDS) as outlined in their National Adaptation Plans (NAPs), highlighting the limited consideration of seaports despite their critical role in economic and social connectivity. SIDS offer critical insight into seaport resilience due …

Textual Sediments: Genre And The Planetary Novel, William Bowden

Open Access Dissertations

This dissertation investigates how twenty-first-century prose fiction navigates the ecological and temporal dimensions of planetary crisis. In response to accelerating pressures - climate change, ecological collapse, and the intensification of capitalist modernity - literary studies has turned increasingly to the planetary as a conceptual frame. Yet this shift has often outpaced the development of adequate critical vocabularies and narrative methodologies. By drawing on ecocriticism, narrative theory, phenomenology, and related fields, Textual Sediments proposes a new framework for reading what it terms the planetary novel: a sedimentary genre characterized by temporal layering, formal hybridity, and a recursive engagement with scale. Through …

Quantifying Mixotrophy Potential As A Function Of Environmental And Biological Drivers In Coastal And Estuarine Plankton Communities, Erica Ewton

Open Access Dissertations

The discovery of mixotrophic plankton has bridged gaps in nutrient cycling budgets and altered the understanding of food webs and energy transfer. Mixotrophic plankton are capable of simultaneous or sequential photosynthesis and heterotrophy, providing multiple avenues of nutrition and thus reducing limitations that affect specialists. These energy dense cells provide increased biomass for higher trophic levels, which may increase organism sizes throughout the food web. Additionally, they may be physically denser, which alters biogeochemical cycling including carbon sequestration. The work presented here uses LysoTracker Green, an acidotropic stain that attaches to phagocytic vacuoles within potentially phagotrophic small (< 20 µm diameter) phytoplankton communities (‘mixoplankton’), to better understand their abundance, relative abundance, and growth rates in relation to the matrix of natural conditions they inhabit. Understanding the prevalence and drivers of mixoplankton is vital to better parameterize biogeochemical cycling and energy transfer in the ocean and for models that predict the fate of future oceans.In the first study, I compared the abundance of mixoplankton in the Northeast U.S. Shelf (NES) and Coastal California Current System (CCS) during two cruises in the NES in summer 2021 and one cruise in the CCS in summer 2022. These two contrasting coastal systems span the breadth of environmental conditions observed in temperate marine ecosystems and thus provided an opportunity to examine indicators of mixoplankton across temperate coastal regions. I discovered higher mixoplankton abundance in the NES than CCS yet similar population sizes of nanoeukaryotic photosynthesizers, resulting in higher relative abundance of mixoplankton in the NES than CCS. Across both systems, I found increased mixoplankton abundance associated with decreasing temperature and combined nitrate + nitrite concentrations (N+N), and increasing light intensity and Synechococcus abundance …

Investigating The Photophysical Dynamics Of Anthracene And Acridine Derivatives Using Time-Resolved Spectroscopy, Sophia Tiano

Open Access Dissertations

Anthracenes and acridines are among the simplest visible light absorbing heterocyclic and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and as such are extensively used in a variety of applications including photosensitizers and fluorescent sensors. Although the photophysics of some derivatives have been studied in the past, there is still a lot of unknown fundamental information that is vital in order to optimize these molecules for particular applications. Transient absorption spectroscopy was used to study the photophysics of the 9-substituted methyl, hydroxymethyl and formyl derivatives of acridine and anthracene. The growth and decay of the triplet-triplet absorption peak were quantified for each dye in …

Per- And Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (Pfas) Effects On Tissue Disposition, Proteome, And Health Effects, Juliana Agudelo Areiza

Open Access Dissertations

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances are a class of nonbiodegradable synthetic aliphatic environmental toxicants that are ubiquitous in the environment. A small subset, specifically perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), have been designated as highly hazardous to human health by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA). PFOA and PFOS-associated adverse health effects include, but are not limited to, immune suppression, thyroid dysfunction, increased serum cholesterol, liver damage (i.e., alanine aminotransferase (ALT)), and developmental toxicity (i.e., low fetal birth weight and neurotoxicity). In this doctoral dissertation, it was hypothesized that environmental PFAS …

Stability And Global Dynamics Of Autonomous And Nonautonomous Discrete Population Models With Stocking, Harvesting, And Cooperation, Sam Habach

Open Access Dissertations

This dissertation investigates the local and global behavior of several classes of discrete population models involving stocking, harvesting, and cooperation. The study is divided into three major manuscripts, each offering new theoretical in sights, bifurcation results, and applications to real-world data.

In Manuscript 1, we study the Beverton-Holt population models with constant and proportional stocking and harvesting, as well as sigmoid Beverton-Holt models under constant stocking and harvesting, both in autonomous and non-autonomous settings. We analyze stability and explore global dynamics using established local and global dynamics theorems, bifurcation theory, and explicit solutions when available. Special attention is given to …

A Socio-Ecological Investigation Of Ulithian Spearfishing, Joshua Pi

Open Access Dissertations

Coral reef socio-ecological systems (SESs) characterize the interconnected relationships between coral reef ecosystems and reef-dependent communities. One such SES exists in Ulithi Atoll, Federated States of Micronesia, where Ulithians fish, steward, and govern their reefs through customary marine tenure, traditional ecological knowledge, and cultural taboos. In recent decades, rapid modernization in Ulithi has introduced new fishing technologies, transformed fishing practices, and ultimately reshaped the functioning of Ulithi’s traditional SES. One significant change was the introduction of spearfishing during the mid-20^th century, which is more selective and individualistic compared to other community-centric fishing methods that have existed for generations. This …

“What’S Supp” Developing An In Vitro Model For Healthy Oral Biofilms, Alex Labossiere

Open Access Dissertations

The study of oral plaque has largely been influenced by the study of pathogens. Here in Chapter 1, I will discuss how this pathogenic focus has been dominant until the onset of microbiome research and begin to explain microbiomes in the context of supragingival plaque in homeostatic communities. From there we will then discuss the possible roots where dysbiosis may arise from plaque to cause disease and ways in which we can study healthy supragingival plaque by in vitro models.

In chapter 2, I will discuss molecular commensalism and how it can be viewed as a tool to further understand …

Ultra-Rapid Electrophilic Cysteine Arylation Using Pyridinium Salts, Bradley M. Lipka

Open Access Dissertations

Small molecule-based bioconjugation enables in vitro and in vivo functionalization of proteins and peptides, significantly expanding the chemical space of biomacromolecules. Among these transformations, nucleophilic aromatic substitution (S_NAr) of cysteine residues is a widely employed strategy for protein bioconjugation.

Although many reagents facilitate cysteine arylation, they are disadvantageous in two crucial aspects - limited synthetic modularity and undesired hydrophobicity. First, conventional cysteine arylating reagents are frequently activated by multiple electron-withdrawing groups (EWGs) on a single aromatic ring, leaving few synthetic handles to derivatize the reagents for advanced applications. Second, these labeling reagents are generally hydrophobic in nature and …

Working With Physical And Virtual Manipulatives: A Systematic Review Of Affordance And Cognitive Engagement Manifested Through Implementation, Seokmin Kang, Chun-Hao Chang, Sungyeun Kim

Teaching and Learning Faculty Publications

Virtual tools are rapidly supplementing physical tools in classrooms. Although extensive research has compared the benefits of using virtual and physical manipulatives, few studies have systematically explored the learning benefits of using a physical and a virtual tool. As the major learning goal in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education is to help students better understand scientific and mathematical concepts and processes, this study reviewed empirical studies comparing learning performance between working with physical and virtual manipulatives published between 2000 and 2022 in Education and Psychology journals. The results revealed inconsistent patterns in learning comparison across studies even with …

Inflammatory Mediators And The Rage Pathway In Placental Tissues Of Pregnancies Complicated By Severe Preeclampsia, Neelima Chandra, Thomas D. Kimble, Kathleen R. Heim, Sharon M. Anderson, Andrew P. Wong, Andrea R. Thurman, Gustavo F. Doncel

CONRAD Publications

Introduction: Preeclampsia (PE) is a complex multisystem disorder of pregnancy associated with abnormal placentation, vascular anomalies, and systemic inflammation and hypertension. Previous research assessing inflammatory triggers of the condition used plasma, amniotic fluid, or explant samples. Studies using placental tissue from either vaginal or cesarean deliveries are confined to semiquantitative analysis using subjective scoring methods and generally involve a small sample size.

Methods: In this study, we have quantified the expression of inflammatory mediators by immunohistochemical image analysis of archived placental tissues obtained from cesarean delivery of preeclamptic, chorioamnionitic, and normal pregnancies.

Results: Among the inflammatory mediators, we found a …

Synthesis And Evaluation Of Anti-Hiv Activity Of Fatty Acyl Conjugates Of Tenofovir Alefanamide, Muhammad Sajid, Naglaa Salem El-Sayed, Louise A. Ouattara, Amita Verma, Gustavo F. Doncel, Keykavous Parang, M. Iqbal Choudhary, Hina Siddiqui

CONRAD Publications

The activity of nucleoside and nucleotide analogs as antiviral agents requires phosphorylation by intracellular enzymes. Phosphate-substituted analogs have low bioavailability due to the presence of ionizable negatively-charged groups. To circumvent this limitation, several prodrug approaches have been proposed and developed. Herein, we hypothesized that the conjugation of anti-HIV fatty acids with the nucleotide tenofovir alafenamide (TAF) (1) could improve the anti-HIV activity of the nucleotide. Several fatty acyl amide conjugates of TAF were synthesized and evaluated in comparative studies with TAF. The synthesized compounds were evaluated as racemic mixtures for anti-HIV activity in vitro in a single-round HIV-1 infection assay …

Using Electro-Peroxone Process To Remediate Soil Contaminated With Phenol, Elaheh Faghih Nasiri, Farhad Qaderi, S. Mustapha Rahmaninezhad

Civil Engineering Faculty Publications

Industrial processes are among human activities that cause production of a large volume of wastewater containing organic pollutants such as phenol and its derivatives. Soil remediation is crucial for enhancing environmental quality for both humans and other living organisms. This study investigate the use of an electro-peroxone system to remove environmental pollutants from soil. In conjunction with ozonation, the study employed electrochemically generated hydrogen peroxide using a carbon electrode, addressing concerns about transportation and storage. Experiments were structured using response surface methodology (RSM) with three variables: ozone dosages ranging from 4 to 8 l/h, initial pollutant concentrations from 20 to …

Proteomic Characterization And Comparison Of The Infective And Adult Life Stage Secretomes From Necator Americanus And Ancylostoma Ceylanicum, Yide Wong, Bruce A. Rosa, Makedonka Mitreva, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

More than 470 million people globally are infected with the hookworms Ancylostoma ceylanicum and Necator americanus, resulting in an annual loss of 2.1 to 4 million disability-adjusted-life-years. Current infection management approaches are limited by modest drug efficacy, the costs associated with frequent mass drug administration campaigns, and the risk of reinfection and burgeoning drug resistance. Subunit vaccines based on proteins excreted and secreted (ES) by hookworms that reduce worm numbers and associated disease burden are a promising management strategy to overcome these limitations. However, studies on the ES proteomes of hookworms have mainly described proteins from the adult life stage …

Patient Stratification By Genetic Risk In Alzheimer's Disease Is Only Effective In The Presence Of Phenotypic Heterogeneity, Jack Euesden, Muhammad Ali, Chloe Robins, Praveen Surendran, Padhraig Gormley, Alzheimer’S Disease Neuroimaging Initiative, David Pulford, Carlos Cruchaga

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Case-only designs in longitudinal cohorts are a valuable resource for identifying disease-relevant genes, pathways, and novel targets influencing disease progression. This is particularly relevant in Alzheimer's disease (AD), where longitudinal cohorts measure disease "progression," defined by rate of cognitive decline. Few of the identified drug targets for AD have been clinically tractable, and phenotypic heterogeneity is an obstacle to both clinical research and basic science. In four cohorts (n = 7241), we performed genome-wide association studies (GWAS) and Mendelian randomization (MR) to discover novel targets associated with progression and assess causal relationships. We tested opportunities for patient stratification by deriving …

Nanobody Screening And Machine Learning Guided Identification Of Cross-Variant Anti-Sars-Cov-2 Neutralizing Heavy-Chain Only Antibodies, Peter R. Mcilroy, Zhuoming Liu, Sean Whelan, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) continues to persist, demonstrating the risks posed by emerging infectious diseases to national security, public health, and the economy. Development of new vaccines and antibodies for emerging viral threats requires substantial resources and time, and traditional development platforms for vaccines and antibodies are often too slow to combat continuously evolving immunological escape variants, reducing their efficacy over time. Previously, we designed a next-generation synthetic humanized nanobody (Nb) phage display library and demonstrated that this library could be used to rapidly identify highly specific and potent neutralizing heavy chain-only antibodies (HCAbs) with prophylactic and …

System Readiness And The Patient Care Pathway For Alzheimer's Disease Diagnosis And Treatment, B Joy Snider, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Promising therapeutic interventions that target the underlying pathophysiology are changing the landscape of Alzheimer's disease (AD) research. The AD care pathway must be transformed to meet the challenge of bringing these new therapies to the increasing number of people living with AD within the existing healthcare framework. Challenges include identifying patients who may benefit from treatment interventions early in the course of the disease, ensuring that diagnostic tools are accessible and accurate, and developing capabilities to monitor the effectiveness of interventions over time. These challenges must be addressed at all levels, from primary care settings to tertiary treatment centers; this …

Proceedings Of The 12th Annual Deep Brain Stimulation Think Tank: Cutting Edge Technology Meets Novel Applications, Alfonso Enrique Martinez-Nunez, Nico U F Dosenbach, Evan M Gordon, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

The Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) Think Tank XII was held on August 21st to 23rd. This year we showcased groundbreaking advancements in neuromodulation technology, focusing heavily on the novel uses of existing technology as well as next-generation technology. Our keynote speaker shared the vision of using neuro artificial intelligence to predict depression using brain electrophysiology. Innovative applications are currently being explored in stroke, disorders of consciousness, and sleep, while established treatments for movement disorders like Parkinson's disease are being refined with adaptive stimulation. Neuromodulation is solidifying its role in treating psychiatric disorders such as depression and obsessive-compulsive disorder, particularly for …

Association Of Item-Level Responses To Cognitive Function Index With Tau Pathology And Hippocampal Volume In The A4 Study, Idris Demirsoy, Elham Ghanbarian, Babak Khorsand, Bhargav T Nallapu, Kellen K Petersen, Richard B Lipton, S Ahmad Sajjadi, Laura A Rabin, Ali Ezzati

2020-Current year OA Pubs

INTRODUCTION: Alzheimer's disease (AD) has a long preclinical phase in which individuals may accumulate amyloid beta (Aβ) and tau pathology without noticeable cognitive impairment. Subjective cognitive impairment reports can provide early insights into cognitive decline.

METHODS: In the A4 Study, 339 cognitively unimpaired, Aβ-positive individuals underwent tau positron emission tomography imaging. Tau status was classified based on medial temporal lobe tau standardized uptake value ratios (tau

RESULTS: Higher tau

DISCUSSION: These findings support the utility of participant- and study partner-reported concerns as early indicators of preclinical AD pathology, with potential value for early detection and trial enrichment strategies.

HIGHLIGHTS: Higher …

Early Alzheimer's Disease Patient Care Pathway And Health System Readiness: A Framework For Integrated Care, Ilya M Nasrallah, Erik S Musiek, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

UNLABELLED: Alzheimer's disease (AD) is often underdiagnosed, especially at early stages when symptoms are mild, and patients may benefit from new and recently approved anti-amyloid therapies. An updated patient care pathway may facilitate timely diagnosis and intervention. We conducted a scan of published information and convened an expert panel of health care professionals to gain insights on early AD care pathways. We developed an Early AD Patient Care Pathway as an implementation guide that includes new diagnostic and treatment modalities and addresses needs and opportunities. The Early AD Patient Care Pathway focuses on patient identification, assessment, diagnosis, treatment, and management …

Physical Activity As A Resistance Or Resilience Mechanism In Down Syndrome Alzheimer's Disease, Victoria L Fleming, Beau M Ances, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

INTRODUCTION: Adults with Down syndrome (DS) are at risk for Alzheimer's disease (AD). Lifestyle factors such as engagement in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) reduce risk or delay the onset of AD. This study aimed to determine whether MVPA confers a

METHODS: Analyses included 69 adults with DS (aged 26-58) who participated in a longitudinal study across 3.29 years. An actigraphy accelerometer assessed MVPA across 7 days. Directly administered and informant-reported measures assessed cognitive functioning, specifically memory and dementia symptoms. Neuroimaging biomarkers quantified amyloid beta (Aβ) burden, as assessed via positron emission tomography imaging.

RESULTS: In regression models, baseline MVPA was …

Review Of Boats, Bones & Bison: Archeology And The First Colonization Of Western North America, Alexander E. Curry

Nebraska Anthropologist

Dr. Dixon in his text Boats, Bones & Bison: Archeology and the First Colonization of Western North America has written a masterclass in archeological synthesis and analysis. In order to dispel long held myths of the first group to colonize the Americas solely being big game hunters. Dixon’s consolidation of dozens of archeological sites paints a picture of relatively earlier settlement time marked by water vessel usage and notable fishing activity. This text is a wonderful read for anyone interested in archeology concerning the peopling of the Americas, as its light analytical elements combined with extensive documentation of the …

Review Of Origin: A Genetic History Of The Americas By Jeniffer Raff, Patrick Barchett

Nebraska Anthropologist

Review of Origin: A Genetic History of the Americas (2022) by Jeniffer Raff.

Non-Coding Rnas As Regulators Of Coral Biology, Jill Ashey

Open Access Dissertations

Coral reef ecosystems face increasing threats from climate change, yet knowledge of the molecular mechanisms that underlie coral acclimatization, resilience, and development remains incomplete. Among these mechanisms, non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs), specifically microRNAs (miRNAs), are emerging as key regulators of gene expression in response to environmental and developmental cues. This dissertation explores the diversity, function, and dynamics of ncRNAs in scleractinian corals across ecological, physiological, and developmental contexts. In Chapter 1, I present the first comprehensive analysis of ncRNAs - specifically long ncRNAs (lncRNAs), miRNAs, and piwi-RNAs (piRNAs) - in three reef-building coral species from Mo’orea, French Polynesia: Acropora pulchra, …

Environmentally Friendly Chelation For Enhanced Algal Biomass Deashing, Agyare Asante, George Daramola, Ryan W. Davis, Sandeep Kumar

Civil & Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

High ash content in algal biomass limits its suitability for biofuel production by reducing combustion efficiency and increasing fouling. This study presents a green deashing strategy using nitrilotriacetic acid (NTA) and deionized (DI) water to purify Scenedesmus algae, which was selected for its high ash removal potential. The optimized sequential treatment (DI, NTA chelation, and DI+NTA treatment at 90–130 °C) achieved up to 83.07% ash removal, reducing ash content from 15.2% to 3.8%. Elevated temperatures enhanced the removal of calcium, magnesium, and potassium, while heavy metals like lead and copper were reduced below detection limits. CHN analysis confirmed minimal …

Biochar For Soil Amendment: Applications, Benefits, And Environmental Impacts, Ujjwal Pokharel, Gururaj Neelgund, Ram L. Ray, Venkatesh Balan, Sandeep Kumar

Civil & Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

The excessive use of chemical fertilizers results in environmental issues, including loss of soil fertility, eutrophication, increased soil acidity, alterations in soil characteristics, and disrupted plant–microbe symbiosis. Here, we synthesize recent studies available from up to 2025, focusing on engineered biochar and its application in addressing issues of soil nutrient imbalance, soil pollution from inorganic and organic pollutants, soil acidification, salinity, and greenhouse gas emissions from fields. Application of engineered biochar enhanced the removal of Cr (VI), Cd²⁺, Ni²⁺, Zn²⁺, Hg²⁺, and Eu³⁺ by 85%, 73%, 57.2%, 12.7%, 99.3%, and 99.2%, …

Artificial Intelligence & Criminal Justice: Cases And Commentary, Benjamin Perrin

All Faculty Publications

When I was given the chance to develop a seminar this year at UBC’s Peter A. Allard School of Law, I jumped at the opportunity to develop something new and engaging. After brainstorming ideas with students, it quickly became evident that there was substantial interest and enthusiasm for a seminar on the growing integration of artificial intelligence and the criminal justice system.

Embarking on this journey has been a steep learning curve for me as my students and I worked together to shape the course along with input from generative AI tools like ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity, along with open-source …

The Damage Done: How The Disease Model Of Addiction Harms Marginalized People In Canada, Sara Gordon

All Faculty Publications

Over 50,000 Canadians have died of unregulated drug poisoning since 2016. And while the toxic drug crisis is the leading cause of death in British Columbia for people between the ages of 10 and 59, some British Columbians are at a higher risk than others. In 2023, First Nations people—who comprise 3.4% of BC’s population—accounted for 17.8% of its toxic drug deaths. Other marginalized communities are also at heightened risk: racialized people, young people, and people living in poverty or without shelter are all disproportionately impacted. These disparities reflect more than a public health crisis—they largely exist due to legal …

'Decide One More Time': Prostitution And Sexual Intelligence In The Early Writings Of Andrea Dworkin, Janine Benedet

All Faculty Publications

Andrea Dworkin’s first book, Woman Hating, was published in 1974, and written while Dworkin was in her 20s. It is experimental, literary, and ultimately hopeful. Right Wing Women, which had its start as a Ms. Magazine article in 1977, was expanded into a book in 1983. The most difficult of Dworkin’s works to find today, it was also her least favourite, owing to the academic conventions demanded by the publisher. It is dense, political and unflinching in its criticism. Despite their differences, these two books demonstrate the evolution of Dworkin’s thinking as she grapples with a central feminist …

Enhancing Safety: Multi-Institutional Fmea And Fta On 177 Lu-Based Radio-Pharmaceutical Therapy, Siju C George, Santiago Aguirre, Nichole M Maughan, Ranjini Tolakanahalli, E James Jebaseelan Samuel, Sven L Gallo, Jacqueline E Zoberi, Yongsook C Lee

2020-Current year OA Pubs

PURPOSE: This study investigates potential failure modes and conducts failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA) and fault tree analysis (FTA) on the administration of

METHODS: We reviewed the literature to investigate the administration of Pluvicto and Lutathera, focusing on prospective procedural failures and potential failure modes (PFMs) and their outcomes. We distributed an FMEA survey to multiple experienced centers in

RESULTS: The findings from the literature review and survey responses on the prospective study have identified several critical areas at risk of failure. These areas include non-optimized treatment delivery, inadequate patient monitoring, and lack of safety training, leading to radiation …