ScholarWorks@UMassAmherst
We are now able to accept submissions directly in ScholarWorks. For submissions that are not doctoral dissertations or masters theses, please log in with your NetID, click the + (plus) in to the top left corner, and select the Submit Research option.
Graduate students filing for February 2025 degrees: We are now accepting submissions directly to ScholarWorks. Directions for submissions can be found in this guide. Please email scholarworks@library.umass.edu if you have any questions.
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This site is still under construction, please see our ScholarWorks guide for updates.
Recent Submissions
Person Publication Landscape Controls on Spatial Hydrobiochemical Variability in Streams within Great Lakes Watershed(Taylor & Francis Group, 2025)Understanding the drivers of stream trophic states is crucial for evaluating freshwater ecosystem health and guiding effective management strategies. This study examines which indicators are most effective for assessing spatial variation in stream trophic states by comparing a range of biochemical and physical properties with landscape features. Using monthly water samples collected from streams ranging from headwater tributaries to river outlets in a temperate lowland region of the Great Lakes Basin, we developed an analytical framework that integrates Principal Component Analysis (PCA) to assess stream ecosystem services. The PCA analysis based on water properties explained approximately 85% of the variance in annual mean trophic states, which increased to 91% with the inclusion of landscape features. Using principal components as variables, the linear regression model based on landscape features explained 63% of the variance in suspended chlorophyll-a concentrations (R² = 0.63), outperforming traditional models based on water properties (R² = 0.55). Despite ongoing challenges in quantifying benthic chlorophyll biomass (BCHL), our linear models based on either water properties or landscape features showed comparable correlations with field measurements (R = 0.57 and R = 0.56, respectively). These findings highlight the strong predictive power of landscape features for assessing stream trophic states, offering a scalable approach for regional water quality assessments.Publication Empowered Voices: An Open Letter to Black Mothers and Caregivers in Graduate Programs(2025-04-16)This reflective essay delves into the complex experiences of a Black woman who is a mother navigating graduate school during the COVID-19 pandemic. This paper uses a personal narrative framed as a letter to analyze the systems that sustain racial and gender disparities in graduate education. The research enhances our understanding of the intersectional challenges faced by Black mothers in doctoral studies and offers practical implications for fostering well-being in higher education.Publication Defining post-treatment Lyme disease syndrome: A systematic scoping review(2025-05)Background Lyme disease is an illness caused by borrelia bacteria that is generally transmitted to humans through the bite of an infected tick. It is reported that anywhere from 5-20% of patients continue to experience symptoms after completing the standard treatment for Lyme disease which is referred to as post-treatment Lyme disease syndrome (PTLDS). Clinicians do not have a standard definition, symptomatology, or diagnostic procedure for PTLDS which is why this review examined how different studies define post-treatment Lyme disease syndrome. Methods PubMed was searched on February 16 2025 for scientific studies that discuss PTLDS. Eligible studies were conducted in the United States, stated a clear definition of PTLDS, and included symptomatology and diagnostic procedures. All studies were either randomized control trials, observational studies, or clinicians’ guidelines. Results were narratively synthesized by symptomatology, and grouped by diagnostic procedures. Results Nine studies were included, eight of which were patient facing, which resulted in 1,671 participants being represented. Of the included participants, 1,558 were classified as cases with PTLDS and 113 did not have PTLDS. Of studies that reported demographic information, the majority of participants (greater than 90%) across all studies were white individuals with an average age in the 50s. There was a relatively equal representation of gender across studies. Four terms were commonly included across the nine studies, however there was no consensus about what PTLDS actually entails for patients. The same six studies stated that fatigue, musculoskeletal pain/myalgia, and cognitive dysfunction were primary symptoms. Five studies cited subjective non-specific symptoms as the main indicator of PTLDS. One study did not have any of the aforementioned key words and defined PTLDS as patient-reported symptoms after treatment for Borrelia burgdorferi infection. Discussion The literature is not representative of all people at risk for developing PTLDS. More research is needed with a more diverse cohort of patients. There was no standard of duration or intensity for symptoms experienced by patients which limits understanding of the disease. Clinicians should work with researchers to develop a concrete definition for PTLDS to design treatment protocols.Publication The impacts of natural disasters on breastfeeding practices: A systematic scoping review(2025-05)Background: Understanding barriers and facilitators to breastfeeding practices in areas impacted by natural disasters can help humanitarian aid organizations make changes to the way they provide resources during crises. This review aims to assess the impacts of natural disasters on women’s breastfeeding practices. Methods: PubMed was searched on February 19, 2025 for primary studies looking at the impact of a natural disaster directly on women’s breastfeeding practices globally. The results were narratively synthesized and grouped by natural disaster type and outcome. Results: 10 studies were included in this review with 11 papers, with one reporting on the same event. Included studies all focused on barriers and facilitators of breastfeeding. Overall, the included studies represented 1,400 participants. Study size ranged from 6 to 897 participants. All studies were conducted outside of the United States, with two being in Turkey, and the rest from Iran, Italy, India, Haiti, Nepal, Canada, and Pakistan. Natural disaster types in this review included earthquakes, floods, a tsunami, and a wildfire. In the aftermath of a natural disaster, common barriers to breastfeeding practices were lack of privacy for breastfeeding, stress/anxiety, nutrition and low food consumption, cultural beliefs, and shelter. Nutrition and low food consumption as well as mental health stressors both, in some cases, reduced breast milk production. Humanitarian aid acted as a barrier to some and a facilitator to others, depending on the circumstances. Facilitators of breastfeeding were more sparse in the literature, but themes were religion and cultural breastfeeding norms, aid, privacy, and sense of community among other women. Only one study had breastfeeding practices assessed at more than one time after the natural disaster. Discussion: Further research should be done assessing breastfeeding practices at multiple points in time. These papers presented information about displaced populations and it would be interesting to see future research on non-displaced populations. Humanitarian interventions were sometimes inconsistent with the needs of the displaced mothers pointing to the need for further refinements to encourage breastfeeding practices during natural disasters.
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