Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Sustainable Management Of Erosive Shores: An Interdisciplinary Approach Integrating Engineering And Social Sciences At A Tide-Dominant Beach Area, Jun Ik Sohn, Hyun Dong Kim, Kiran Adhithya Ramakrishnan

Civil & Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

This study investigates the causes and consequences of shoreline erosion at Kkotji Beach, a prominent tourist destination on the west coast of South Korea, where the degradation of the coastal environment has increasingly threatened the local tourism industry and economy, by employing a mixed-methods approach that combines field observations with MIKE 21 hydrodynamic simulations and by integrating perspectives from coastal engineering and the social sciences to develop practical, site-specific strategies for mitigating erosion, enhancing public awareness, and promoting sustainable coastal planning and development that support long-term environmental resilience and economic stability. The results show that dominant ebb currents drive southward …

Laboratory Investigation Of Shape And Initial Orientation Effects On Surf Zone Object Migration, Temitope E. Idowu, Jack A. Puleo

Civil & Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

Discarded objects like munitions in marine environments pose public safety risks. The behavior of various density objects deployed at four cross-shore positions in the surf zone of a large-scale 120 m x 5 m x 5 m wave flume were observed under different forcing conditions. Net migration was predominantly directed offshore, with approximately 70 % offshore migration observed near the outer surf zone. Density, shape, and initial orientation were identified as important to object behavior, with density acting as the dominant driver in 67 % of the object pairing scenarios. The influence of shape and initial orientation on net migration …

Low Salinities Impair Heat Tolerance And Alter Reproductive Traits With No Implications For Survival In A Marine Annelid From Coastal Habitats, Gabrielle Newton, Gloria Massamba-N'Siala

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Climate change is expected to intensify salinity and temperature fluctuations in estuarine and coastal habitats. However, the impact of salinity variation on ectotherms’ thermal tolerance remains underexplored, limiting our understanding of the interplay between these stressors. This study investigated salinity-dependent changes in life history traits (survival, growth rate, fecundity, and egg size) over a 33-day exposure to a salinity gradient (12, 17, 22, 27, 32, 35, 40, 45, 50) in the marine annelid Ophryotrocha labronica. Individuals that survived the salinity treatments were assessed for their upper and lower thermal tolerance limits. Female individuals, the target of the study, exhibited …

Cellular Responses Of Astrangia Poculata (Ellis And Solander, 1786) And Its Symbiont To Experimental Heat Stress, Tyler E. Harman, Daniel Barshis, Briana Hauff Salas, Kevin B. Strychar

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Climate change has had devastating effects on tropical coral reefs; however, much less is known regarding how heat stress affects temperate coral. This research focuses on Astrangia poculata (Ellis and Solander, 1786) collected from Narragansett Bay, RI, during the summer and winter seasons and understanding the effect of experimental thermal extremes (i.e., 26 °C) on seasonally different populations. Photosynthetic efficiency (Fv/Fm), symbiont density (via an inverse relationship with pixel intensity), and oxidative stress via reactive oxygen species (ROS) concentrations were measured on symbiotic and aposymbiotic A. poculata. Higher Fv/Fm rates were observed in summer- vs. winter-collected corals (p ≤ …

Alternative Splicing In A Coral During Heat Stress Acclimation And Recovery, Nitin Baliga, Kathryn Stanklewicz, Jacob Valenzuela, Serdar Turkarsian, Wei-Ju Wu, Kelly Gomez-Campo, Nicolas Locatelli, Trinity Conn, Veronica Radice, Katherine Parker, Rachel Alderdice, Line Bay, Christian Voolstra, Daniel Barshis, Iliana Baums

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Climate change has caused drastic declines in corals. As sessile organisms, corals acclimate to environmental shifts through genome-wide changes in gene expression, epigenetic modifications, and alterations in microbiome composition. However, alternative splicing (AS), a conserved mechanism of stress response in many organisms, has been under-explored in corals. Using short-term acute thermal stress assays, we investigated patterns of AS in the scleractinian coral Acropora cervicornis during response to low (33°C), medium (35°C), and high (37°C) heat stress and subsequent overnight recovery. Our findings demonstrate reproducible dynamic shifts in AS of at least 40 percent of all genes during response to heat …

Analyzing Microbial Communities In Porites Astreoides, Sanaa Caldwell, Katie Parker, Daniel Barshis

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Coral reefs are vital marine ecosystems that support many different species and ecosystem services through protecting coastlines from storms and erosion, providing raw materials for medication, and facilitating diversity amongst marine species. Anthropogenic climate change is causing ocean temperatures to exceed the range of coral thermal tolerance resulting in more coral bleaching events globally. However, some corals have the capacity to withstand high temperatures through different thermal tolerance strategies. A balanced microbial community plays a critical role in coral health and recent studies have indicated that a balanced microbiome is associated with temperature-stress tolerant corals. Yet, there is a severe …

Summer Temperature Maxima Already Challenge Thermal Capacities Of Coral In The Southern Persian/Arabian Gulf, Rachel Alderdice, Gabriela Perna, Hannah Manns, Anna Fiesinger, Luigi Colin, Kathryn Stankiewicz, Kelly Gomez-Campo, Samantha Goyen, Line Bayse, Nitin Baliga, Jake Valenzuela, Iliana B. Baums, Daniel J. Barshis, John A. Burt, Christian R. Voolstra

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

The future of coral reefs remains uncertain as intensifying ocean warming continues to drive coral decline and demise worldwide. Corals occurring in extreme environments such as the Persian/Arabian Gulf (PAG), the world’s warmest sea, represent a promising resource to study the genetic architecture of thermal tolerance. However, their thermal capacities remain unresolved. We applied short-term heat stress assays using the Coral Bleaching Automated Stress System (CBASS) to determine signatures of thermal tolerance from three common species (Porites harrisoni, Platygyra daedalea, and Cyphastrea microphthalma) across three sites (two in the extreme southern PAG and a more benign …

Selective Nutrient Incorporation May Underestimate Heterotrophy Of A Mixotrophic Reef-Building Coral, Connor R. Love, Marleen Stuhr, Michael D. Fox, Veronica Z. Radice, Maoz Fine, Kelton W. Mcmahon, David L. Valentine

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Mixotrophic reef-building corals acquire nutrition via photosynthate translocation from endosymbiotic microalgae and by heterotrophic prey/particle capture. Heterotrophy promotes resistance to, and recovery from, environmental stress, but quantifying coral heterotrophy remains difficult due to complex resource exchanges within the coral holobiont. We interrogated the response of multiple biomarkers to coral heterotrophy using fatty acid profiling and stable isotope analysis of Stylophora pistillata grown along a controlled feeding gradient from pure autotrophy to pure heterotrophy. We found that fatty acids and nitrogen were effectively incorporated into both coral host and symbiont tissues, while carbon, which is the primary target for conventional heterotrophy …

Biotime 2.0: Expanding And Improving A Database Of Biodiversity Time Series, Maria Dornelas, Laura H. Antão, Amanda E. Bates, Viviana Brambilla, Jonathan M. Chase, Cher F. Y. Chow, Ada Fontrodona-Eslava, Anne E. Magurran, Inês S. Martins, Faye Moyes, Alban Sagouis, Samuel Adu-Acheampong, Daniel Acquah-Lamptey, Dušan Adam, Penelope A. Ajani, Aitor Albaina, Pablo Almaraz, Jeongseop An, Roger Sigismund Anderson, Madelaine Jean Robertson Anderson, Alexsander Z. Antunes, Ivan Arismendi, Linda Armbrecht, Pedro Aros-Mardones, Sreejith Kalpuzha Ashtamoorthy, Narayanan Ayyappan, Gal Badihi, Joseph J. Bailey, Andrew H. Baird, Mark Edward Baird, Sreekumar Vadakkethil Balakrishnan, José António L. Barão-Nóbrega, Adi Barash, Miguel Barbosa, Jos Barlow, Claus Bässler, Matthieu Beaumont, Natalie Beenaerts, Tiago Octavio Begot, Wallace Beiroz, Ricardo Beldade, David M. Bell, Alecia Bellgrove, Jonathan Belmaker, Lisandro Benedetti-Cecchi, Cassandra E. Benkwitt, Pamela Medina-Van Berkum, Brandon T. Bestelmeyer, Matthew C. Betts, Maxwell Kelvin Billah, Anne D. Bjorkman, Magdalena Błażewicz, Christopher P. Bloch, Shane A. Blowes, Antonio Bode, Juliano A. Bogoni, Thomas Bolger, Timothy C. Bonebrake, Erik Bonsdorff, Roberta Bottarin, Luke N. Brokensha, Rob W. Brooker, Andrew J. Brooks, Helge Bruelheide, Thiago Almeida Bueno, Claire Laguionie, Mariana Lopes Campagnoli, James Cant, Erica Pellegrini Caramaschi, Alexandre Caron, Tadhg Carroll, Tancredi Caruso, Juan Carvajal-Quintero, Giuseppe Castaldelli, Edward Castañeda-Moya, Pedro V. Castilho, Sonia Zanini Cechin, Shahar Chaikin, Uchangi Manjunatha Chandrashekara, Tory J. Chase, Chaolun Allen Chen, Jorge José Cherem, Sei-Woong Choi, Erica M. Christensen, Alexander V. Christianini, Jackson Wing Four Chu, Peter Coad, Carl Van Colen, Lise Comte, Elisabeth J. Cooper, J. Hans C. Cornelissen, Eddy Cosson, Unai Cotano, Luc Crevecoeur, Shannan Kyle Crow, Graeme S. Cumming, Vanessa S. Daga, Gabriella Damasceno, Gergana N. Daskalova, Claire H. Davies, Robert A. Davis, Frank P. Day, Sussy De-La-Zerda, Amy Elizabeth Deacon, Indradatta De Castro-Arrazola, Steven Degraer, Kharran Deonarinesingh, Juan C. Diaz-Ricaurte, Christopher R. Dickman, Tara Dirilgen, Ciaran John Dolan, J. Emmett Duffy, Timothy E. Dunn, Giselda Durigan, Ciara Dwyer, Steven Earl, Dor Edelist, Graham John Edgar, Sally Edmonson, Ashley K. Elgin, Kari Elsa Ellingsen, Sarah C. Elmendorf, Ruth S. Eriksen, S. K. Morgan Ernest, Ruben Escribano, Paula Cabral Eterovick, Brian S. Evans, Jason D. Everett, Vesela Evtimova, Dan A. Exton, Andrew J. Fairbairn, Filipe Moreli Fantacini, Fabiano Turini Farah, Fábio Zanella Farneda, Mario E. Favila, Philippe Fernandez-Fournier, Braulio Fernández-Zapata, Diogo F. Ferreira, Carola Ferronato, Christopher R. Du Feu, Alessandra Fidelis, David A. Fifield, Vilmar Picinatto Filho, Walter Mesquita Filho, Robert N. L. Fitt, Carlos A. H. Flechtmann, William R. Fraser, Donna L. Fraser, Lídia Freixas, John Fryxell, Garrett J. Fundakowski, Scott Stanley Gabara, Elise Gallois, Mariana Garcia Criado, Emili García-Berthou, Joaquim Garrabou, Andrew R. Gates, Roberto Cazzola Gatti, Anna Gavioli, Tal Gavriel, Benoit Gendreau-Berthiaume, Xingli Giam, Carina Gjerdrum, Michael Glemnitz, Jasmin Annica Godbold, Daniel Gómez-Gras, Rodrigo Barbosa Gonçalves, Andy Goold, Richard R. Gordon, Menachem Goren, Fernando Vilas Boas Goulart, William G. Gould, Meagan M. Graboski, Nicholas A. J. Graham, Maurício Eduardo Graipel, Laura J. Grange, Aaron C. Greenville, Gary D. Grossman, Valeria A. Guinder, Peter Haase, Gary N. Haskins, Kris Havstad, Luise Hermanutz, Michael Julian Hames Hickford, Pamela Hidalgo, Pedro Higuchi, Andrew S. Hoey, Gert Van Hoey, Annika Hofgaard, Kristen T. Holeck, Robert D. Hollister, Richard T. Holmes, Mia Odell Hoogenboom, Joaquín Hortal, Tammy Horton, Chih-Hao Hsieh, Christine L. Huffard, Ida-Maria Huikkonen, Allen H. Hurlbert, Julian Hynes, Pascal Irz, Natalia Macedo Ivanauskas, Akemi Iwayama, Darren K. James, Ute Jandt, Anna M. Jażdżewska, Merlijn Jocque, Sophie T. Johnston, Samuel E. I. Jones, Faith A. M. Jones, Julia A. Jones, Edite Jucevica, Ugis Kagainis, Maiko Kagami, Jungwon Kang, Xuejia Ke, Erin Colleen Keeley, Rebecca Kinnear, Kari Klanderud, Uwe Klinck, Roel Van Klink, Stefan Klotz, Carolien Kockaert, Halvor Knutsen, Matti Koivula, Alessandra Kortz, Peter Kriegel, Chao-Yang Kuo, David J. Kushner, Rosina Kyerematen, Raphaël Lagarde, Lesley T. Lancaster, Ori Frid Landau, Wouter Van Landuyt, Eric R. Larson, Mai Lazarus, Cheol Min Lee, Jonathan S. Lefcheck, Jonas J. Lembrechts, Renato A. Ferreira De Lima, Romullo Guimarães Lima, Nathália G. S. Lima, Cristina Linares, Sandra C. Lindstrom, Francisco Lloret, John David Lloyd, Cleonice Maria Cardoso Lobato, David M. Lodge, Peter Richard Long, Celeste López-Abbate, Adrià López-Baucells, Julio Louzada, Maite Louzao, Antonella Lugliè, Micheli Ribeiro Luiz, S. Ellen Macdonald, Joshua S. Madin, André Lincoln Barroso Magalhães, Rajindra Mahabir, David Maphisa, Thomas Edward Martin, Marcio Martins, Patrick T. Martone, Silvia Matesanz, Shin-Ichiro S. Matsuzaki, Thomas J. Matthews, Iain Mccombe Matthews, Connie J. Maxwell, Kent P. Mcfarland, Brian J. Mcgill, Diane Marie Mcknight, Michael J. Mcwilliam, Jason Meador, Henning Meesenburg, Kristin Meier, Viesturs Melecis, Peter L. Meserve, Christoph F. J. Meyer, Anders Michelsen, Natali Olivia Roman Miiller, Marco Milardi, Nataliya Milchakova, Robert J. Miller, Jonathan Millett, Tom Moens, Luciano F. A. Montag, Jon Moore, Jörg Müller, Akhil Murali, Shauna Ann Murray, Isla H. Myers-Smith, Randall W. Myster, Masahiro Nakamura, Sasi Nayar, Francis Neat, James A. Nelson, Michael Paul Nelson, Boris P. Nikolov, Rym Nouioua, Collins Ayine Nsor, Michael O' Connor, Edward Adzesiwor Obodai, Amy Marie Offland, Romà Ogaya, Hisako Ogura, Thomas A. Okey, Julian D. Olden, Luiz Gustavo Rodrigues Oliveira-Santos, Jeffrey C. Oliver, Esben Moland Olsen, Vladimir G. Onipchenko, Daniel Oro, Dais Ozolins, Krzysztof Pabis, Bachisio Mario Padedda, Facundo X. Palacio, Alain Paquette, Sinta Trilestari Pardede, David M. Patersib, Sarah Pausina, Raphaël Pélissier, Steven C. Pennings, Josep Penuelas, Felipe Walter Pereira, Nivaldo Peroni, Sergio Picó, Francesca Pilotto, Hudson Tercio Pinheiro, Oscar Pizarro, Roberto Pizzolotto, Francesco Pomati, Paulo Santos Pompeu, Dominique Ponton, Eric Post, Nicolas Poulet, Juha Pöyry, Steven J. Presley, Herbert H. T. Prins, Pieter Provoost, Kathleen L. Prudic, Vignesh Punjayil, Petr Pyšek, Pascal Querner, Juan Pablo Quimbayo, Indar W. Ramnarine, Daniel C. Reed, Peter Bernard Reich, Suzanne M. Remillard, Cerren Richards, Anthony James Richardson, Itai Van Rijin, Victor H. Rivera-Monroy, Christian Rixen, Kevin Peter Robinson, Ricardo Rocha, Ricardo R. Rodrigues, Cassy Rodrigues, Bjørn De Roos, Denise De C. De Rossa-Feres, Loreta Rosselli, Peter Charles Rothlisberg, Ana Rubio, Lars G. Rudstam, Catalina S. Ruz, Nancy B. Rybicki, Gunther Van Ryckegem, Andrew L. Rypel, Jon P. Sadler, Victor Satoru Saito, Sofia Sal, Renato Portela Salomão, Nathan J. Sanders, Flavio A. M. Santos, Tiago Gomes Dos Santos, Swapan Kumar Sarker, Sara E. Scanga, Marcus Schaub, Jochen Schmidt, Inger Kappel Schmidt, Robert L. Schooley, Alfred Schultz, Alberto Scotti, Amanda Serpell-Stevens, Filipe C. Serrano, Elizabeth H. Shadwick, Matthew Shaft, Thomas W. Sherry, Erika Mayumi Shimabukuro, Jacek Siciński, Caya Sievers, Fernando Rodrigues Da Silva, Ana Carolina Da Silva, Juliana M. Silveira, Tadeu Siqueira, Arunkumar Kavidapadinjattathil Sivadasan, Prasad Theruvil Parambil Sivan, Agnija Skuja, Amalia L. Slaughter, Jasper A. Slingsby, Joseph R. Smith, Bruno Eleres Soares, Martin Solan, Flaviana Maluf Souza, Gabriel B. G. Souza, Joshua L. Sprague, Ulrich Stachow, J. John Stadt, Christopher D. Stallings, Radoslav Hristov Stanchev, Emily H. Stanley, Brian M. Starzomski, Jose Mauro Sterza, Maarten Stevens, F. Gary Stiles, Stefan Stoll, Rick D. Stuart-Smith, Yzel Rondon Súarez, Laura Super, Sarah R. Supp, Tapio Sutela, Iain M. Suthers, Anna Suuronen, Kerrie M. Swadling, Daniel K. Szydlowski, Hisatomo Taki, Sara Jeanne Snell Taylor, Pablo A. Tedesco, Nils Teichert, Akira Terui, Gary P. Thiede, Anne Thimonier, Oliver Thomas, Peter Allan Thompson, Simon Thorn, Jeremy S. Tiemann, Luís Felipe Toledo, Anne Tolvanen, Maria Teresa Zugliani Toniato, Ignasi Torre, Marcos Adriano Tortato, Kumiko Totsu, Andrew Trant, Robert R. Twilley, Hirokazu Urabe, Pierre Valade, Nelson Valdivia, Martha Isabel Vallejo, Thomas J. Valone, Jan Vanaverbeke, Tiago Silveira Vasconcelos, Teppo Vehanen, Fábio Venturoli, Hans M. Verheye, Hendrik Jannes Wietse Vermeulen, Arne Verstraeten, Marcelo Vianna, Rui Vieira, João Paulo Santos Vieira-Alencar, Marc Vilella, Jean Ricardo Simões Vitule, Lien Van Vu, Robert B. Waide, Paige S. Warren, Joseph Paul Wayman, Sara L. Webb, Benjamin Weigel, Ellen A. R. Welti, Fritha West, Fulgor Westermann, Matthew A. Whalen, Ethan P. White, Claire E. Widdicombe, Richard Williams, Mark Williamson, Michael R. Willig, Sonja Wipf, Eric J. Woehler, Alje Woldering, Kerry D. Woods, Wu-Bing Xu, Ruthy Yahel, Zeren Yang, Kyle J. A. Zawada, Camila Zornosa-Torres, Assaf Zvuloni

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Motivation: Here, we make available a second version of the BioTIME database, which compiles records of abundance estimates for species in sample events of ecological assemblages through time. The updated version expands version 1.0 of the database by doubling the number of studies and includes substantial additional curation to the taxonomic accuracy of the records, as well as the metadata. Moreover, we now provide an R package (BioTIMEr) to facilitate use of the database.

Main Types of Variables Included: The database is composed of one main data table containing the abundance records and 11 metadata tables. The data are organised …

Tidal Love Numbers For A Non-Rotating Two-Fluid Neutron Star: Interior Solution, Gregory G Jaurequi

Dissertations and Theses

We investigate the tidal Love numbers for a non-rotating dark matter admixed neutron star (NS). Tidal Love numbers, which quantify a star's response to the tidal field of a companion object, are an important feature in the gravitational wave (GW) signal and vary depending on the star’s equation of state and dark matter profiles. By determining how the internal properties of the NS affect the GW signal, we hope that improvements in gravitational wave detection will help constrain these parameters by providing additional data from neutron star mergers with other compact objects. To this end, we focus on solving the …

Synthesis And Luminescence Studies Of Europium Doped Zinc Lead Germanate Phosphors, Anika Nawar Chowdhury

Dissertations and Theses

Phosphors are luminescent materials that emit light upon excitation, which have significant uses in optoelectronics, bioimaging, sensors, security, and other fields. Inorganic luminescent materials are well known for their stability and broad applications. Among these, germanate based phosphors have recently caught attention because of their inertness, excellent chemical and thermal stability, structural flexibility, and unique properties. For optimizing the properties of the materials, impurities are added to the host intentionally, which are known as dopants. Rare earth elements are often applied as dopants because of their unique f-f transitions. Eu3+ is one of the broadly studied rare-earth dopants among these, …

Leveraging Gpt-4o For Automated Extraction Of Neural Projections From Scientific Literature, Rashmie Abeysinghe, Gorbachev Jowah, Licong Cui, Samden D Lhatoo, Guo-Qiang Zhang

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy (SUDEP) is a major cause of death for epilepsy patients having uncontrolled seizures. Understanding the complex neural circuits within the central nervous system is crucial for understanding the mechanisms underlying cardiorespiratory regulation, particularly in the context of SUDEP. This study explores the potential of GPT-4o, a cutting-edge language model, to automate the extraction of neural projections from scientific literature. We developed prompts to extract neuroscientific structures, extract projections, and perform synonym harmonization. Applying the approach to four neuroscientific articles, the method extracted 205 projections. A random sample of 100 projections identified was handed over to …

Demystifying Misconceptions In Introductory Undergraduate Chemistry Education With 3d Printed Molecular Orbitals, Hiwot Endeshaw, Daniel J. O'Leary

Pomona Senior Theses

Spatial abilities are invaluable skills for the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) subjects. However, women, people from low socioeconomic backgrounds, and ethnic minorities are more likely to have less developed spatial abilities, which is one of the many contributing factors for the lack of diversity in STEM subjects like chemistry. Teaching spatial skills to undergraduate chemistry students may address this issue and help increase the diversity of students who go on to continue their education in the subject. 3D printing technology in higher education has exploded in recent years, presenting a unique opportunity to teach “hard to grasp” concepts …

Modified N-Heterocyclic Carbene Catalysts For Polyurethane Synthesis, Charise D. Young

Pomona Senior Theses

Polyurethanes are widely used polymers synthesized from diisocyanate and diol molecules. They are ubiquitous polymeric materials with important industrial applications. Their increasing market value prompts the need for selective and efficient production which can be achieved through N-Heterocyclic carbene (NHC) catalysis. N-heterocyclic carbenes are heterocyclic molecules containing a carbene atom and at least one nitrogen adjacent to the carbene center. The nitrogen substituents on the adjacent nitrogen play an important role in influencing their steric and electronic properties and resultant reactivity.^1,2 There is a lack of a comprehensive understanding of the steric and electronic properties of NHCs and how …

Optimizing And Scaling Up Tcfh–Nmi Pyrrole Acylation For Organic Syntheses, Grant H. Miller

Pomona Senior Theses

Traditional ketone synthesis often depends on toxic reagents and hazardous solvents, which limits its scalability and environmental compatibility. The TCFH–NMI method has shown strong potential for amide, ester, and thioester formation, but its use in ketone synthesis has only been recently described, and only on small scales. This thesis addresses that gap by optimizing a scalable synthesis of 2-(monomethyl succinyl)-3,5-dimethylpyrrole using monomethyl succinate and 2,4-dimethylpyrrole as model substrates. Key reaction parameters were systematically refined to improve yield, reproducibility, and sustainability. The final protocol avoids chromatography, operates at room temperature, and consistently delivers high yields. These features position it as a …

Huchum: The Legacy Of Fire Suppression, Indigenous Land Management, And Media Representation, Carolyn Coyne

Pomona Senior Theses

In my thesis, I examine how various forms of news media from the 1900s to present day in Ohlone territory have framed a particular hegemonic ideology around fire that matches early colonial journal entries – an ideology that is fueled by fear, sensationalism, and exclusion and directly commits violence against the Ohlone people. I investigate this time period because this is when modern news corporations, like The New York Times, rose into prominence. Specifically, I question how media representations of fire inform regulations over controlled burns; what are the similarities in discourse between media framing and policy? What tactics are …

Swimming In Sh*T: Quantifying Lagoon Flushing Impacts On Fecal Indicator Bacteria In Surf Zones Of Three Beaches On The East End Of Long Island, Ny, Brody C. Eggert

Pomona Senior Theses

This thesis investigates how lagoon flushing influences fecal indicator bacteria (FIB) concentrations—specifically enterococcus bacteria—in the surf zones of East Hampton and Southampton, New York. Focusing on the coastal lagoons of Georgica Pond, Sagg Pond, and Mecox Bay, the study analyzes how episodic inlet openings and environmental conditions affect enterococcus levels at adjacent recreational beaches. Using over 700 observations from the Surfrider Foundation’s Blue Water Task Force (BWTF) database, I construct a series of statistical models ranging from ordinary least squares to mixed effects frameworks; this thesis shows my process in developing this model. My analysis reveals that open inlets between …

Rwanda's Natural Remedies: A Fresh Look At The Fight Against Malaria, Leandre Nsabimana Ndisanze

Pomona Senior Theses

Malaria remains one of the most devastating parasitic diseases globally, disproportionately affecting sub-Saharan Africa, where Rwanda continues to face high transmission rates and rising resistance to conventional interventions. Despite decades of control efforts, the emergence of drug-resistant Plasmodium falciparum and insecticide-resistant Anopheles mosquitoes threatens to reverse recent gains. This research responds to the urgent need for sustainable and culturally relevant alternatives by exploring the therapeutic potential of Rwandan traditional medicinal plants. These indigenous remedies, long used by local healers, offer an underexplored reservoir of bioactive compounds that may provide the basis for novel antimalarial drugs.

The central hypothesis of this …

Alive For The Wake, Anna Kate Powell

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

In the year 2046, bacteria strain B. bibitor has rendered all petroleum hydrocarbon compounds unrefinable. Paramedic Amanda Bailey finds hope in the resilience of humanity but struggles when she learns the powers that be would rather concentrate their efforts on fighting B. bibitor—restoring infected hydrocarbons to their previously refinable (and profitable) nature—rather than investing in already-developed clean firm energies and renewable material manufacture.

Ecology-Driven Machine Learning For Predicting Risk Of Spread For Aquatic Invasive Species., Leif Eric Howard

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Effective management of aquatic invasive species (AIS) requires predictive tools that leverage environmental and ecological data to forecast spread into uninvaded areas. However, species distribution models (SDMs) often struggle to capture key invasion processes such as dispersal, propagule pressure, and biotic interactions. This thesis integrates ecological, dispersal, and environmental predictors within a machine learning framework to enhance AIS risk prediction and model transferability across space.

In Chapter 2, 61 novel predictors were developed for 2,203 Minnesota lakes to model zebra mussel (Dreissena polymorpha) occurrence, incorporating variables related to propagule pressure (e.g., boat visitation), community composition (e.g., fish species …

A Vascular Flora Of The Sacatar Trail Wilderness, Sierra Nevada, California, Kimberly Schaefer Pivetti

CGU Theses & Dissertations

The Sacatar Trail Wilderness in Inyo and Tulare counties, California, encompasses a bioregional transition zone in the southeastern Sierra Nevada. The ca. 233 km 2 (90 mi 2 ) study area, located 32 km (20 mi) northwest of the city of Ridgecrest, ranges from 930 to 2698 m (3051–8851 ft) in elevation. The highly diverse California Floristic Province, Great Basin, and Mojave Desert converge in the region including the Wilderness creating conditions to support a broad spectrum of vegetation assemblages. The Bureau of Land Management has prohibited vehicular activity in this area since its wilderness designation in 1994; consequently, recent …

Mathematical Modeling Of Cancer Tumor Evolution, Belgacem Al-Azem

CGU Theses & Dissertations

Several mathematical models of cancer tumor evolution are presented. The aim of this endeavor is to write a thesis that fosters numerical and analytical understanding of certain mathematical models in the area of oncology as well as to offer potential predictive tools of therapeutic and clinical applicability. In this work, we give a panoramic view of the cancer phenotype, for to understand cancer, we need to "see" its biophysics. Indeed, the discovery of oncogenes led to the thinking that cancer tumor is perhaps a genetic disease. But the role of angiogenesis and other microenvironment-related discoveries (such as the role of …

Geometric Dimensionality Reduction, Daniel Livschitz

CGU Theses & Dissertations

The emergence of AI models developed through computationally intensive training has resulted in a surge of research into dimensionality reduction techniques that spans across numerous mathematical disciplines. In this thesis we establish Geometric Dimensionality Reduction, a non-linear data compression technique that utilizes low dimensional manifolds embedded in dimensional spaces to form composite contraction-and-projection maps. Geometric Dimensionality Reduction is predominantly demonstrated through a novel algorithm entitled LGE (Livschitz-Gu-Eyunni) that utilizes Multicomplex rotation groups and polyspherical coordinates to define a single tuneable logarithmic map from ℝ 2푛 to ℝ 푛+1 with deterministic time complexity, geometric tunability, and semi-reversibility. Significant breakthroughs in the …

Depletion Of Adipose Stroma-Like Cancer-Associated Fibroblasts Potentiates Pancreatic Cancer Immunotherapy, Joseph Rupert, Alexes Daquinag, Yongmei Yu, Yulin Dai, Zhongming Zhao, Mikhail G Kolonin

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

This study shows that populations of CAFs have distinct effects on pancreatic cancer progression and shows that depletion of CAFs expressing adipose markers potentiates tumor/metastasis suppression effects of immune checkpoint blockade.

Gene Expression Changes In Human Cerebral Arteries Following Hemoglobin Exposure: Implications For Vascular Responses In Sah, Chathathayil M Shafeeque, Arif O Harmanci, Sithara Thomas, Ari C Dienel, Devin W Mcbride, Kumar T Peeyush, Spiros L Blackburn

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH), characterized by the presence of hemoglobin (Hb) in the subarachnoid space, significantly impacts cerebral vessels, leading to various pathological outcomes. The toxicity of cell-free Hb released from erythrocytes and its metabolites after SAH causes vasoconstriction and neuronal damage, and correlates with delayed ischemic neurological deficits (DIND). While animal models have provided substantial and invaluable data in the research of aneurysmal SAH, the specific effects of subarachnoid blood on cerebral arteries remain greatly understudied. Here, we describe the changes in the genetic profile of human cerebral arteries exposed to free Hb for 48 h. We performed an ex …

Some Types Of Hyperneutrosophic Set (1): Bipolar, Pythagorean, Double-Valued, Interval-Valued Set, Takaaki Fujita, Florentin Smarandache

Branch Mathematics and Statistics Faculty and Staff Publications

The Neutrosophic Set is a mathematical framework designed to manage uncertainty, characterized by three membership functions: truth (T), indeterminacy (I), and falsity (F). In recent years, extensions such as the Hyperneutrosophic Set and SuperHyperneutrosophic Set have been introduced to address more complex scenarios. This paper proposes new concepts by extending Bipolar Neutrosophic Sets, Interval-Valued Neutrosophic Sets, Pythagorean Neutrosophic Sets, and Double-Valued Neutrosophic Sets using the frameworks of Hyperneutrosophic and SuperHyperneutrosophic Sets. Additionally, a brief analysis of these extended concepts is presented.

Exploring Concepts Of Hyperfuzzy, Hyperneutrosophic, And Hyperplithogenic Sets (I), Florentin Smarandache, Takaaki Fujita

Branch Mathematics and Statistics Faculty and Staff Publications

This work investigates the evolution of traditional set theory to address complex and ambiguous real-world phenomena. It introduces hierarchical hyperstructures and superhyperstructures, where superhyperstructures are formed by iteratively applying power sets to create nested abstractions. The focus is placed on three foundational set-based frameworks—Fuzzy Sets, Neutrosophic Sets, and Plithogenic Sets and their extensions into Hyperfuzzy Sets, HyperNeutrosophic Sets, and Hyperplithogenic Sets. These extensions are applied to various domains, including Statistics, TOPSIS, K-means Clustering, Evolutionary Theory, Topological Spaces, Decision Making, Probability, and Language Theory. By exploring these generalized forms, this paper seeks to guide and inspire further research and development in …

Some Types Of Hyperneutrosophic Set (7): Type-M, Nonstationary, Subset-Valued, And Complex Refined, Takaaki Fujita, Florentin Smarandache

Branch Mathematics and Statistics Faculty and Staff Publications

This paper builds upon the foundational advancements introduced in [26,39–43]. TheNeutrosophic Set provides a versatile mathematical framework for addressing uncertainty through its three membership functions: truth, indeterminacy, and falsity [84]. Extensions such as the Hyperneutrosophic Set and the SuperHyperneutrosophic Set have been recently proposed to address increasingly complex and multidimensional problems. Detailed formal definitions of these concepts can be found in [33]. In this paper, we extend the Type-𝑚, Nonstationary, Subset-Valued, and Complex Refined Neutrosophic Sets using the Hyperneutrosophic Set and the SuperHyperneutrosophic Set frameworks.

Significado Neutrosófico: Partes Comunes De Cosas Poco Comunes Y Partes Poco Comunes De Cosas Comunes, Florentin Smarandache

Branch Mathematics and Statistics Faculty and Staff Publications

Esta investigación explora la Neutrosofía, un enfoque filosófico que se centra en la identificación de elementos comunes entre conceptos opuestos y en el análisis de las diferencias entre conceptos semejantes. En este contexto, se estudian las Partes Comunes a Cosas No Comunes, que se manifiestan cuando elementos como y < antiA > comparten aspectos en su intersección, y las Partes No Comunes a Cosas Comunes, donde conceptos iguales como y difieren al exhibir elementos únicos. Este análisis permite comprender mejor la neutralidad e indeterminación representada por < neutA > y < neutB >, situados entre sus respectivos opuestos. La investigación abarca diversas áreas como la Dialéctica, el Yin …

Superhypergraph Neural Networks And Plithogenic Graph Neural Networks: Theoretical Foundations, Takaaki Fujita, Florentin Smarandache

Branch Mathematics and Statistics Faculty and Staff Publications

Hypergraphs extend traditional graphs by allowing edges to connect multiple nodes, while superhypergraphs further generalize this concept to represent even more complex relationships. Neural networks, inspired by biological systems, are widely used for tasks such as pattern recognition, data classification, and prediction. Graph Neural Networks (GNNs), a well-established framework, have recently been extended to Hypergraph Neural Networks (HGNNs), with their properties and applications being actively studied. The Plithogenic Graph framework enhances graph representations by integrating multi-valued attributes, as well as membership and contradiction functions, enabling the detailed modeling of complex relationships. In the context of handling uncertainty, concepts such as …