Mountain Scholar

Mountain Scholar is an open access repository service that collects, preserves, and provides access to digitized library collections and other scholarly and creative works from Colorado State University and the University Press of Colorado. It also serves as a dark archive for the Open Textbook Library.

Communities in Mountain Scholar

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Colorado State University, Fort Collins 27929
Explore the Colorado State University community’s scholarly output as well as items from the University at large and the CSU Libraries.
Open Textbook Library Archive 25
A limited number of titles are available here. To see all OTL titles, please visit the Open Textbook Library at https://open.umn.edu/opentextbooks. Only Open Textbook Library staff have access to all OTL Archive titles held in Mountain Scholar.
University Press of Colorado 1088
Access is limited to University Press of Colorado members. Non-members: to purchase books, please visit https://upcolorado.com/.

Recent Submissions

Access status: Open Access ,
MIGHTi: a sustainable mushroom pasteurization system for remote and off-grid communities
(2026) Thomason, Emily, author; Mizia, John, advisor; Sly, Brittney, committee member
Mushroom cultivation requires effective substrate pasteurization to eliminate competing organisms while preserving beneficial microorganisms, yet conventional methods such as autoclaves and large-scale thermal systems are often resource-intensive and impractical for off-grid or rural environments. In regions such as rural Zambia, where access to consistent electricity is limited, there is a need for energy-efficient and accessible pasteurization solutions to support food production and improve diet diversity. Organizations such as MIGHTi are working to address these challenges by developing agricultural systems that can operate in resource-limited settings. The purpose of this project is to design and evaluate a mushroom substrate pasteurization system that can operate using off-grid solar power while maintaining effective temperature control and ease of use. This project investigates how a hybrid pasteurization method can meet the required thermal conditions while reducing water and energy consumption. The system was developed through an integrated engineering design approach combining mechanical, electrical, and control system components. The design includes a stainless steel tank housed within a plastic drum, substrate baskets, and a microcontroller-based user interface. A submerged heating element is used to heat water and generate vapor. There are thermocouples that monitor both substrate and water temperatures to ensure proper operation and provide safety shutdown in the event of overheating or low water conditions. The system is designed to maintain substrate temperatures between 60–70°C for durations ranging from 30 minutes to 2 hours, depending on substrate type. The final design demonstrates that a hybrid thermal approach can effectively achieve pasteurization conditions while reducing water usage and enabling compatibility with solar-powered operation. The integration of automated controls and safety features improves system reliability and usability. This project contributes a practical and scalable solution for mushroom cultivation in off-grid environments, supporting increased food accessibility, improved agricultural practices, and sustainable technology implementation in resource-limited communities.
Access status: Open Access ,
Examining the benefits and drawbacks of fluoride usage: a review of literature
(2026) Chikh-Ali, Jude, author; Jeckel, Kimberly, advisor; Maresh, Ryan, committee member
Fluoride is a mineral naturally found in nature that has been utilized as a source of caries prevention. Its inclusion in dental offices, toothpaste, and the water supply in cities across the United States has been a means of caries (dental decay/cavity) prevention, yet its inclusion in these settings has raised concerns and lead to controversy. The purpose of this literature review is to explore research to understand both the benefits as well as the concerns that the use of fluoride in water supply and dental settings presents. The majority of the research indicates that fluoride is beneficial within a certain limit. Having high concentrations of fluoride leads to toxicity, also known as fluorosis. Dental fluorosis, which has cosmetic impacts as it causes opaque white spots on teeth in mild cases, and pits and dark brown streaks on teeth in more severe cases. On the other hand, skeletal fluorosis results in joint pain and difficulty of movement. Excess fluoride also has a rare chance of leading to neurotoxicity if a fetus or a very young infant is exposed to high amounts of it. Despite that, fluoride has presented more benefits than drawbacks as it has been significantly useful in preventing dental decay which many people suffer from worldwide. Most of the research concludes that the benefits of fluoride cannot be dismissed, and it should continue to be incorporated into people’s daily lives if the amount of fluoride intake for the public is moderated to decrease the prevalence of fluorosis.
Access status: Open Access ,
Understanding academic library virtual reference at scale: a multi-institutional content analysis of chat transcripts supplemental materials
(2026) Brown-Sica, Meg, author; Croxton, Rebecca A., author; Church-Duran, Jennifer, author
Access status: Open Access ,
Colorado State University Libraries Water Resources Archives Data Dictionary Version 2.0
(2012-05-29) Hunter, Nancy Chaffin; Rettig, Patricia J.
This document provides guidelines and examples on metadata creation for the Colorado State University Libraries Water Resources Archive digital projects. It succeeds version 1 from 2007 and conforms to the CSU Libraries Core Data Dictionary version 2, issued in 2012.
Access status: Open Access ,
Synthetic and mechanistic studies of novel dioxiranes
(2000) Frohn, Michael John, author; Shi, Yian, advisor
Epoxides are versatile synthetic intermediates. The epoxidation of olefins via dioxiranes provides a particularly efficient route towards their synthesis, and studies into an asymmetric version have received great interest recently. Our group has been active in this area, and we have found an efficient asymmetric epoxidation method for simple unfunctionalized olefins using a fructose-derived ketone as catalyst and Oxone as oxidant. The asymmetric monoepoxidation of unsymmetrical conjugated dienes has been studied using the fructose-derived ketone. The regio- and enantioselectivities have been found to be very high in most cases. As a result, a variety of synthetically useful vinyl epoxides can be readily produced in optically enriched form. The method is complementary to the selective epoxidation of conjugated dienes catalyzed by chiral (salen)Mn complexes, in which the c/j-olefins are preferentially epoxidized. It is also complementary to the Sharpless asymmetric epoxidation of dienyl alcohols, which gives complete regioselective epoxidation at the epoxide proximal to the alcohol. The kinetic resolution of racemic olefins using this asymmetric epoxidation strategy has also been studied intensively. Very high levels of resolution efficiency have been observed with both 1,6- and 1,3-disubstituted cyclohexenes. Exocyclic cyclohexenes and acyclic olefins are resolved less efficiently. The method can be viewed as a valuable alternative to some of the existing kinetic resolutions since it does not involve transition metals and the experimental procedure is simple. Finally, in conjunction with these asymmetric studies, the efficient racemic epoxidation of olefins using dimethyldioxirane at high pH has also been discovered. Nearly every class of olefins can be efficiently epoxidized using the general procedure that has been developed. In addition, it is highly practical, as epoxidations of 0.1 mol can be undertaken without complications. Further advantages include a simple workup procedure and the use of environmentally benign ingredients.