Forest Sciences Commons^™

​Spectrophotometric Detection Of Food Additives And Pesticides By Magnetite Cross-Linked Tyrosinase Aggregates (Mcltas)​, İlker Polatoğlu

Turkish Journal of Agriculture and Forestry

In this study, tyrosinase enzyme was cross-linked with glutaraldehyde to form aggregates on the surface of activated magnetite nanoparticles, without the need for a separate support matrix. For the first time, this novel aggregate was employed for the spectroscopic detection of ascorbic acid (AA) and diazinon, as model food additives and pesticides, respectively. This technique, developed as an alternative to optical sensors, not only eliminates their drawbacks but also facilitates the recovery of cross-linked enzyme aggregates (CLEA) from the reaction medium using the incorporated magnetite nanoparticles. A spectrophotometric technique was used to measure the enzyme activity of the aggregates to …

Nitrogen Transport Patterns And Vegetation Community Optimization In Urban Green Space Soils Using Multifactor Coupling Analysis, Shujian Yang, Baoxi Yu, Zheng He, Baochang Liu, Chang Liu

Turkish Journal of Agriculture and Forestry

As vital components of urban ecosystems, urban green spaces directly affect soil fertility and plant growth through nitrogen transport dynamics. This study addresses the existing methodological gaps in understanding nitrogen cycling within urban green spaces, particularly the unclear interaction mechanisms between vegetation structure and soil physicochemical characteristics. The study was conducted in the Green Expo Park located in Nanjing, China. Using a stratified sampling approach, physicochemical indicators of soil layers were measured and combined with community parameters—including leaf area index, vegetation coverage, and plant density—to identify key drivers through correlation and multiple regression analyses. The regulatory mechanisms of soil physicochemical …

Deep Learning Technology In Multimodal Remote Sensing Data Fusion To Analyze Crop Growth And Economic Forecast, Tianlong Jiang, Ziyang Liu, Li Sun

Turkish Journal of Agriculture and Forestry

This paper integrated multimodal remote sensing (RS) data with deep learning to develop a maize growth analysis and income prediction model based on CNN (Convolutional Neural Network)-Attention and Bi-LSTM (Bidirectional Long Short-Term Memory). Utilsing Landsat 8, Sentinel-2, and Sentinel-1 satellite data, the CNN-Attention network extracts vegetation features such as NDVI (Normalised Difference Vegetation Index), EVI (Enhanced Vegetation Index), and canopy density for corn growth stage identification and prediction. The study combined these features with meteorological, soil, and market data and fed them into a Bi-LSTM model for time series analysis to forecast corn income. The method achieved 98.3% accuracy in …

Long-Term Tillage And Straw Returning Practices Enhance Soil Humus Composition, Carbon Sequestration, And Ecological–Economic Benefits, Kai Wang

Turkish Journal of Agriculture and Forestry

While straw return is widely promoted, its specific effects on soil humus composition, structure, and ecological functions are not fully understood. This study investigates the long-term impacts of different straw types and farming practices on humus composition, carbon sequestration, and ecological–economic benefits. In Hunan Province’s paddy fields, six soils with 5–30-year farming histories were selected. Treatments included a blank control, corn straw return, and rice straw return, each replicated three times. Humus structure was analyzed via infrared spectroscopy, component contents were determined by alkali extraction, and a carbon footprint model assessed emissions. Ecological economic analysis integrated soil carbon pool dynamics, …

Development Of A Grease Resistant Barrier For Food Industry Applications, Mira Marino

Honors Theses

The objective of this project is to develop a grease-resistant barrier coating for paper-based food packaging and to evaluate the economic feasibility of implementing this coating system at an industrial scale. As demand increases, this project focuses on identifying an optimal pigment and binder combination that enhances barrier performance while maintaining cost-effectiveness. The primary goal was to maximize grease and moisture resistance of coated paper while ensuring the process is economically viable and compatible with existing paper mill operations.

The final plant design consists of one continuous stirred tank reactor (CSTR) and three centrifugal pumps integrated into an existing paper …

Mitigation Of Salinity Stress In Carnation Plants Through Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles: Growth, Physiological, And Biochemical Responses, Adel A. Rezk, Ishtiaq Ahmad, Maryam, Muhammad Saleem, Othman Al-Dossary, Hossam S. El-Beltagi, Mohammed Aldaej, Bader Y. Alsubaie, Hati̇ce Gülen, Tarek Shalaby, Riaz Ahmad

Turkish Journal of Agriculture and Forestry

Carnation (Dianthus caryophyllus L.) growth and floral yield are severely reduced when grown in soils with excessive salinity. Mitigation of adverse effects from salinity-induced stress is necessary for sustainable carnation cultivation. Although various approaches have been developed, the use of zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO-NPs) to ameliorate these effects remains scarcely explored. The current study explored the potential of ZnO-NPs to alleviate salinity-induced stress by examining their effects on morphophysiological and biochemical traits. A controlled pot experiment was conducted using a factorial design with three concentrations of sodium chloride (0, 50, and 100 mM) and three of ZnO-NPs (0, 50, and …

Silicon-Mediated Enhancement Of Wheat Tolerance To Drought Stress: A Comparative Study Of Antioxidant Activity, Photosynthesis, Secondary Metabolites, And Yield, Abida Kausar, Rida Yasmeen, Shahid Iqbal, Muhammad Bilal Hafeez, Asif Mukhtiar, Sadia Azeem, Ali Raza, Samreen Nazeer, Muhammad Zubair Akram, Muhammad Kamran, Fahd Rasul, Noreen Zahra

Turkish Journal of Agriculture and Forestry

Drought stress (DS) is a major constraint on optimal plant growth and yield. Agricultural researchers have been actively exploring fertilizers that can enhance crop production under DS conditions. Silicon (Si) application has emerged as a promising strategy for managing DS in various crops. This study investigated the potential of Si soil drenching to mitigate the adverse effects of varying levels of DS (at 100%, 70%, and 40% field capacity) in wheat. Two varieties (Ujala-2016 and FSD-2008) were used to evaluate the influence of Si (2.5 mM) on antioxidant activity, oxidative burst, secondary metabolites, growth, and yield. The results indicated that …

Expanding The Convergence Canon: Indigenous Knowledge Systems And Place-Based Convergence Research In Lake Superior’S Keweenaw Bay, Usa, Melissa Baird, Valoree Gagnon, Judith Perlinger, Noel Urban, Larissa A. Juip, Kelly Kamm, Evelyn Ravindran, Caren Ackley, Cassandra M. Reed-Vandam

Michigan Tech Publications

This study presents results from an NSF-funded convergence research project conducted in partnership with the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community (KBIC) in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, USA. While convergence research frameworks often emphasize deep integration, we argue that participatory, place-based, and community-led convergence requires maintaining an integrity of difference. Through a systematic literature review, surveys and semi-structured interviews, we examined how team members operationalized convergence research and the Tribal Landscape System (TLS) framework. Across these data sources, convergence emerged as a negotiated practice shaped by distinct roles, institutional responsibilities, and long-term partnership commitments. Our findings demonstrate that ethical engagement, adaptive collaboration, and …

High Germinability Can Facilitate Recovery Of Adelia Vaseyi (Euphorbiaceae), An Imperiled Tamaulipan Thornscrub Shrub, Saroj Dhakal, Bashira Chowdhury, Alejandro Fierro-Cabo

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

While critical to maintaining dryland biodiversity and drought resilience, reforestation has been limited in subtropical dry forests because of knowledge gaps in seed biology that must be filled to upscale seedling production and ensure recovery of imperiled endemic plants. We characterized seed germination, dormancy, and storage needs for Adelia vaseyi, a threatened endemic shrub commonly included in planting mixes to restore Tamaulipan thornscrub, an imperiled subtropical forest spanning South Texas and Northeastern Mexico. We found A. vaseyi seeds have high germinability (82.0%) and a short mean germination time (3.04 ± 0.08 days). A delia vaseyi seed does not appear …

Forest Characteristics And Avian Community Differences Among Cerulean Warblers (Setophaga Cerulea) Use Types, Dustin Kohler

ATU Scholars Symposium

Avian species are often used to measure the health of an ecosystem, in part because the specific forest structure can significantly impact the avian community. A heterogeneous landscape can support a more diverse avian community and benefit specialist species like the Cerulean Warbler (Setophaga cerulea), a rapidly declining, neotropical migrant that can be found in large deciduous forests. The Ozark Mountains of northwestern Arkansas represent a small core area for the species, but at all sites in the upland Ozarks where Cerulean Warbler research has been conducted, there are fewer individuals than there were twenty years ago; some …

Use Of Basal Tree Cavities By Sylvilagus Aquaticus In Central Arkansas, Heath R. Williams

ATU Scholars Symposium

Basal tree cavities are hollow structures at the base of tree trunks utilized by many wildlife species, including small mammals, furbearers, and bats. Dumyahn and Zollner (2010) demonstrated that swamp rabbits (Sylvilagus aquaticus) use basal tree cavities and speculated that they may be used for thermoregulation at the northern limits of their geographic range or as alternative escape routes. To further investigate swamp rabbit use of basal tree cavities, we placed camera traps approximately 1 m from the entrance of the cavities (n = 43) in various Wildlife Management Areas in central Arkansas. Along with control sites without cavities (n=25), …

Hydrologic History Regulates Microbial Biofilm Diversity And Ecosystem Function, Allison R. Rober, Leah C. Reese, Shawn P. Brown, Katherine D. Mcmahon, Stilianos Louca, Jillian Cieslik, Evan Kane, Merritt R. Turetsky, Kevin H. Wyatt

Michigan Tech Publications

Aquatic biofilms are an understudied component of northern peatlands and are expected to play a more prominent role in ecosystem processes in areas where aquatic habitat is expanding. The goal of this study was to investigate how hydrologic history influences biofilm diversity and functional genes. This study was conducted in a long-term water table manipulation that simulates drought (lowered water table treatment) and flooding (raised water table treatment) conditions relative to a control treatment (no manipulation). We used a combination of metabarcoding and metagenomic approaches to (1) examine the diversity of eukaryotic algae, cyanobacteria, bacteria and fungi within the biofilm …

Testing The Intermediate Disturbance Hypothesis On Anthropogenic Pressure In Central Alabama, Gavin Terrell

Theses

Biodiversity is fundamental to maintaining ecosystem structure and function globally. Prior to the late 20th century, ecological theory generally predicted that biodiversity would be highest in systems experiencing minimal disturbance. However, Joseph H. Connell challenged this view with the Intermediate Disturbance Hypothesis (IDH), which posits that species diversity peaks at intermediate levels of disturbance and declines under conditions of both low and high disturbance. Although widely cited, the applicability of the IDH to natural systems remains debated, particularly in the context of anthropogenic disturbances and when diversity is measured beyond species richness alone.

This study evaluated the predictions of the …

Ecological Studies Of Wolves On Isle Royale, Sarah R. Hoy, Rolf O. Peterson, John A. Vucetich

Ecological Studies of Wolves on Isle Royale

Annual Report 2025-2026

Unraveling Hydrologic And Hydrochemical Processes Based On Long-Term Concentration–Discharge Analysis In The Green Lake 4 Catchment, Colorado Front Range, Usa, Fengjing Liu

Michigan Tech Publications

Concentration–discharge (C-Q) relationships were analyzed over decadal, annual, and seasonal timescales from water years 1982 to 2020 to understand hydrologic and hydrochemical processes in the Green Lake 4 catchment, Green Lakes Valley, Colorado Front Range. Geogenic solutes, along with the magnitude of stable isotopes, were dominated by a strong (p < .05) C-Q power law (C = aQ^b, where a and b are constants from the curve fitting, with b usually termed the b-coefficient) and consistent patterns over various timescales. The b-coefficients of geogenic solutes were negative, suggesting that those solutes primarily originated from groundwater with higher concentrations and diluted by shallow source waters with lower …

Status Of Soils In Protected Areas With Different Management Objectives In Lowland Rainforest, Southwest Nigeria, Bolanle Lisa Olajiire-Ajayi, Adeniyi Sulaiman Gbadegesin, Omotosho Ayodele Ogidan

Journal of Bioresource Management

Understanding soil properties is fundamental to sustaining the ecological integrity of protected forest ecosystems. This study examined the influence of two management categories; Strict Nature Reserve (SN) and Natural Park (NP) on soil physicochemical properties within the lowland rainforest of southwestern Nigeria. Fourteen composite soil samples, six from SN and eight from NP, were analyzed for texture, bulk density (BD), pH, organic carbon (OC), total nitrogen (TN), available phosphorus (AP), exchangeable bases (Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺, K⁺, Na⁺), and cation exchange capacity (CEC); base saturation (BS) was also determined. Both management categories exhibited sandy loam to loamy sand textures, typical of gneissic …

The Effects Of Affordability And Quality Of Care On Utilization Of Primary Healthcare Among Rural Residents In Twifo Ati-Morkwaa District, Ghana: A Qualitative Study, Peter Ansah Boakye, Francis Tei-Nartey, Gideon Owusu

Michigan Tech Publications

Objective: This qualitative study examines how affordability and quality of care influence the utilization of primary healthcare (PHC) services among rural residents in the Twifo Ati-Morkwaa District, Ghana. While Ghana has implemented policies such as CHPS and NHIS to improve access, subjective experiences of rural residents regarding total costs of care and perceived quality remain underexplored. Methods: We conducted a qualitative cross-sectional study between April and September 2024 using purposive and snowball sampling. Ten gender-segregated focus group discussions (FGDs; n = 90 residents) and six in-depth interviews (IDIs) with PHC providers were conducted. Data were collected in Twi, transcribed and …

Humin-Based Bioadhesives For Manufacturing Particleboard Panels, Papiya Bhowmik, Reza Hosseinpourpia

Michigan Tech Publications

This study focused on a novel approach to combine humin, derived from fructose-based biorefinery processes, with two-dimensional graphene nanoparticles and glyoxal, a bio-based crosslinker, to formulate functional bioadhesives for manufacturing particleboards. Five different single-layer 8 mm particleboard panels were prepared using the developed humin-based adhesive formulas with and without graphene and tested by means of their mechanical properties and thickness swelling in accordance with the EN 310 and EN 319standards. The results were compared with panels bonded with commercial melamine-urea-formaldehyde (MUF), showing that the mechanical properties of particleboards bonded with humin reinforced with graphene nanoparticles were almost comparable to those …

Effects Of Forest Management And Land Use Change On Soil Carbon In The Us Gulf Coastal Plain, Lucas E. Nave, Kendall Delyser, Grant M. Domke, Scott M. Holub, Adrienne B. Keller, Darren Miller, Kevin A. Solarik, Erik Schilling, Jason Vogel, Christopher W. Swanston

Michigan Tech Publications

The US Gulf Coastal Plain is a region of diverse forests and management systems and dynamic land use changes. These drivers affect carbon (C) stocks at ecosystem to regional scales, in turn affecting processes such as forest regeneration, hydrologic and biogeochemical cycling, and social and economic systems. We quantified land use change and forest management effects on C stocks in the Gulf Coastal Plain, focusing on soils, using two complementary approaches: meta-analysis of published literature and analysis of forest inventory data. Land use change had larger effects than forest management on soil C stocks at all scales. The direction and …

Structural Dynamic Response Assessment Of Clt Wall Structure Systems In Wind-Only And Sequential Seismic–Wind Scenarios, Yunxiang Ma, Qingli Dai, Xiang Zhao

Michigan Tech Publications

Because of concentrated connection damage, the impact of sequential hazards on CLT shear wall systems is much more severe than that on traditional concrete and steel structures considering ductile component behaviors. The present paper evaluated the dynamic response of CLT wall structures in wind-only and sequential seismic–wind scenarios and compared the structural dynamic responses and damage levels of different CLT wall systems. The structural models were established separately based on an SOM benchmark structure, a SOFIE project three-story CLT shear wall structure, and a PT CLT wall platform structure from the NHERI Tall Wood project. The equivalent fluctuating wind load …