Life Sciences Commons^™

A Qualitative Look Into Repair Practices, Jumana Labib

Undergraduate Student Research Internships Conference

This research poster is based on a working research paper which moves beyond the traditional scope of repair and examines the Right to Repair movement from a smaller, more personal lens by detailing the 6 categorical impediments as dubbed by Dr. Alissa Centivany (design, law, economic/business strategy, material asymmetry, informational asymmetry, and social impediments) have continuously inhibited repair and affected repair practices, which has consequently had larger implications (environmental, economic, social, etc.) on ourselves, our objects, and our world. The poster builds upon my research from last year (see "The Right to Repair: (Re)building a better future"), this time pulling …

Clearing The Air Between Methane And Commercial Beef Cattle In Ireland, Clodagh V. Ryan

ORBioM (Open Research BioSciences Meeting)

Background

Rumen methanogenesis is the single most significant source of anthropogenic methane (CH₄) emissions. This research aimed to analyse CH₄ data recorded by GreenFeed systems by assessing the repeatability of such phenotypic measures, estimating the heritability of CH₄, and generating CH₄ estimated breeding values (EBVs) for inclusion in the national breeding index_.

Methods

CH₄ measurements were recorded on 979 cattle for 20 to 83 days using GreenFeed machines, resulting in 211,136 individual CH₄ observations. The phenotypic repeatability of CH₄ was estimated for six different averaging periods using a linear mixed …

Validation Of The Irish National Sheep Genetic Evaluations, Niamh Barry

ORBioM (Open Research BioSciences Meeting)

Background: In Ireland, national sheep genetic evaluations have been implemented since 2009, however, to date no large scale study has been undertaken to investigate the accuracy of genetic evaluations in a large multi-breed population. The aim of this study was to validate the estimated breeding values (EBV) on a range of traits, using national data comprising 203,469 records across a range of phenotypic traits from 9,377 flocks.

Methods: The association between direct and maternal EBV on a range of lamb growth traits was quantified using a fixed effects model. For the lambing traits the association between direct and maternal EBV …

An Investigation Of The Novel Use Of Bacteriophages To Diagnose And Treat Johne's Disease In Cattle, Max Kevane-Campbell

ORBioM (Open Research BioSciences Meeting)

Johne’s disease is a scourge to dairy farmers all over the world. It is an infectious disease that causes chronic inflammation and lesions along the inside of the small intestine of, primarily, ruminant animals (i.e., cattle and sheep). It is an incurable disease and urgently requires new and radical intervention strategies. Apart from careful on-site farm management practices, little can be offered to farmers to reduce the risk of infection, and nothing short of livestock culling is effective once an animal becomes infected. Currently, there are no vaccines licensed in Ireland or antibiotic treatment strategies available for Johne’s disease. This …

Promoting Ecosystem Services By Implementing Agroforestry, Martin L. Emerson

Ideas: Exhibit Catalog for the Honors College Visiting Scholars Series

A recent proposal to enhance the sustainability of agriculture is agroforestry, the practice of integrating trees into farmland. This technique can be analyzed through the ecosystem services model, which describes the interrelatedness of natural land, managed land, producers, and consumers. Agroforestry could shelter crops from the adverse weather conditions as well as provide habitat for wildlife. On the other hand, implementing agroforestry would also entail the drawback of a substantial upfront cost. Environmental scientists propose that efforts to reinforce ecosystem services could play a significant role in mitigating the effects of global environmental change on agriculture.

Digging Into Sustainable Agriculture, Gabrielle I. Tanner

Ideas: Exhibit Catalog for the Honors College Visiting Scholars Series

Between climate change and increasing global populations, humanity has reached a critical moment for agriculture. The push to produce more food has resulted in declining ecosystems and a diminishing crop biodiversity. Experts propose shifting towards sustainability to protect and augment natural ecosystem services, upon which agriculture depends. Widespread implementation of practices such as cover cropping and green manures have the potential to reduce waterway pollution and climate change while preserving the biodiversity that allows agroecosystems to be resilient against threats like pests. Ultimately, an agricultural revolution such as this is necessary in the effort to feed humanity in the future.

A Comparative Assessment Of Soil Characteristics Between Forests And Urban Lawns, Remigio Casanova, Stephanie Huerta, Lukia Kalugin, Garrison Layne, Valerie Pacheco

Undergraduate Research Conference

Objectives

• Examine the differences in soil characteristics between a recreational lawn and a forest

• Make comparisons between a forest and lawn sampling area from a visual standpoint to observe a difference in what vegetation the soil supports.

• Collect data through on on-site and in in-laboratory methods.

• Interpret the results by examining the collected data and looking for patterns.

Deploying Live Dashboard Data Using Usda Data Apis To Inform Farmers/Producers, Indira Fuyal, Paurakh Paudel, David Zeng

SDSU Data Science Symposium

The main objective of this project is to provide the farmers/producers and small business owners with a data intensive information hub to better understand the market trends and patterns in an interactive way to help make informed decisions. This technology is part of a larger project that includes AI powered data services to provide users with decision making support for real time data solutions. Together with Natural Language Generation, there is a huge potential to deploy this technology. In this small demo of this hugely beneficial technology, we make use of the publicly available Open Data Services – ESR Data …

Community Responses To Food Insecurity During Covid-19: A Case Study In Sheffield, England, Nicole Kennard

Urban Food Systems Symposium

The COVID-19 pandemic gave rise to a group of newly food insecure people and deepened hardship for those already food insecure. The crisis disrupted national food supplies and created challenges to accessing and utilizing the food that was available. As financial struggle deepened for people, and some became unable to shop for food or cook due to isolation requirements and illness, many turned to community organizations to obtain food. In Sheffield, England, small community food organizations soon became the leaders of the city’s emergency food response. One such organization is the Foodhall Project, a community food organization which had previously …

The Biggest Grower - A Youth Gardening Competition For Growing Specialty Crops And Urban Farmers, Stacy A. Adams, Terri James

Urban Food Systems Symposium

Youth today have tendencies for unhealthy lifestyles, being sedentary, consuming high fat diets low in fruits and vegetables, all contributing to child obesity, type 2 diabetes, hypertension, and precedence for life-long health concerns. School lunch programs provide opportunity for youth to consume balanced diets but does not make a significant change in lifestyle. Research has identified that youth participating in gardening at home were positively impacted with making lasting healthy choices by improved knowledge and garden connection. For rural and economically disadvantaged urban households, poor diet is directly attributed to the inaccessibility of fresh produce, affordability and understanding of preparation …

Biodiversity Loss In Our Ecosystems Results In Increased Food Insecurity, Kyler A. Bartol

Ideas: Exhibit Catalog for the Honors College Visiting Scholars Series

Food security has always been a pressing issue in both our country and across the world. Recently, our food security has become at risk, and one main cause of this is the loss of biodiversity in our ecosystems. Dr. Alison Power has worked extensively with the legume plants in Ethiopia, and she has seen firsthand how their farming techniques have preserved biodiversity. Current research methods focus on alternative agricultural methods in order to protect biodiversity and keep our food secure.

The Impacts Of Land Management Practices On Soil Organic Carbon And Soil Physical Properties, Kinsey Hamby, Raelee Story, Dallas Patey

Scholars Week

The Impacts of Land Management Practices on Soil Organic Carbon and Soil Physical Properties

K. Hamby, R. Story, D. Patey, C. Hale, I. P. Handayani, B. Parr, and M. Snider

Hutson School of Agriculture, Murray State University

ABSTRACT

To understand how to care for our soils, an understanding of soil physical properties must first be established. Soil organic carbon (SOC) refers to the carbon component of the organic compounds found in soil organic matter (SOM). SOC can be an indicator of soil structure, tilth, aeration, drainage, and stability. Soil pH is the measure of hydrogen ions suspended in a soil …

Impact Of Covid-19 On Course Presentation & The Efficacy, Madison Gartman

Undergraduate Research Conference

With the appearance of COVID-19 in March of 2020, classes on the campus of Stephen F. Austin State University’s (SFASU) were forced to move online out of concern for the health and safety of the faculty and students. Due to this fact, the modality of many courses was forced to change. With the change of modality, some students and faculty- who had limited experience with online classes- were forced to conquer the entirety of their course load and instruction online. However, with this abrupt change arose some creative teaching techniques that aided students’ remote academic success for the remainder of …

Evaluating The Effectiveness Of The Building Excellence Conference, Jordan Stanford

Undergraduate Research Conference

No abstract provided.

Microplastics: Nacogdoches County’S Hidden Threat, Jordan Stanford, Sydney Matlock, Courtney Sims, Samantha Montes

Undergraduate Research Conference

Microplastics and their threat to marine environments are well known, but studies in freshwater environments are few and far between. Microplastics can be created by the breaking down of plastics or in the process of making plastics. They affect biological lifeforms in a multitude of ways, water temperature, permeability of the sediment. Pollution in Texas waterways have motivated groups like the Environmental Protection Agency, Trash Free Texas, and Environment Texas to get involved. The objectives of this study are two analyze Bonita and La Nana Bayou for microplastic presence and to educate and create awareness for Nacogdoches County on microplastics. …

Soil Quality As Affected By Hemp And Grain Production Systems In Western Kentucky, Jack Eaker

Scholars Week

Since 2018, hemp cropping systems have become increasingly popular in Kentucky. However, there is limited data on soil’s behavior/changes under these management practices as compared to corn and soybean cultivation systems. Therefore, the objective of this study was to determine soil characteristics including soil organic matter, bulk density, water holding capacity, macroporosity, and water at field capacity in hemp and grain cropping systems. The thirty undisturbed soil samples were collected from three different hemp fields and a corn, soybean, and a bare field adjacent to these hemp fields. Each field was located at Murray State University West Farm, Calloway County, …

Restoration Through Regeneration: An Analysis Of Agriculture In The United States, Rebecca Norine Graham

Capstone Showcase

The industrialization of agriculture in the mid-twentieth century has revolutionized global food systems, with enough food produced annually to sustain 10 billion people on a planet of only 7.8 billion people. Such a high-yielding agricultural system comes at a great cost to the Earth’s ecosystem, as industrialized farming has taken on factory-like production methods. Particularly harmful is the livestock sector, with ruminating animals such as cattle contributing to rising global temperatures and environmental degradation. The environmental destruction caused by industrialized animal agriculture can be halted and ultimately reversed through regenerative agriculture. Regenerative agriculture is a restorative farming practice that promotes …

Harvest Of The Month, Abigail E. Heidenreich

Indiana STEM Education Conference

Harvest of the Month curriculum exists in many states, but Indiana lacks a statewide effort in this area. To meet this need, collection of lessons with complementary activities that are specific to Indiana agriculture were created. The driving force behind the curriculum was to create a lesson that is fun and engaging for students, but also well-rounded and standards-based for teachers. Components of the lesson include Life Cycle Discussions, Taste Testing, Interactive Activities, and Journal Prompts. Partnering with Indiana farmers, a harvest video was created to accompany each lesson that features a different agricultural product grown in Indiana each month. …

Creating Awareness Of The Turkey Industry Through Stem-Based Online Curriculum, Elizabeth Simmermeyer, Elizabeth Karcher

Indiana STEM Education Conference

As the food industry has evolved over the years, consumers have more accessible and convenient outlets to buy groceries, dine in, or carry out. While there are many advantages to this ever-changing industry, a large gap exists in the understanding of food production from farm to fork. Consumer perceptions are influenced beginning at an early age. Education is the solution to bridge this gap between farm to fork; however, there are limited STEM-based agricultural resources available for teachers to implement in their classrooms. Creating these agricultural resources provides teachers the opportunity to share the story of the agricultural industry with …

The Impact Of Hemp Cropping Systems On Soil Quality In Western Kentucky, Jack Eaker

Scholars Week

Recently, hemp farming systems are increasingly popular in Kentucky replacing tobacco cropping systems. However, the study on the impacts of hemp cropping on soil properties is rarely conducted, resulting in limited data on soil’s behavior/changes under these management practices. Therefore, the objective of this study was to determine soil characteristics including compaction, acidity level, moisture level, and water retention. The measurements were collected from three different hemp fields, three crop rotation studies ( in 2020 - corn, soybean and tobacco) and a bare field adjacent to these fields. All fields are located at Murray State University West Farm, Calloway County, …

Evaluating The Impact Of Common Fertilizers On Soil Properties After Planting Tomatoes And Marigolds, Rachel Stuckey, Iin Handayani

Scholars Week

There are many name brand fertilizers that are used today in gardening in the state of Kentucky. Due to the standardization of name brand fertilizer production in factories, this can cause the fertilizers to compromise the nutrients of soil, while all-natural fertilizers are seen as better quality for the consumers, plants and soils. Alaska, Miracle Grow, Monty’s, Pure Gold, Tiger Bloom are the top five fertilizers sold in the state of Kentucky. This study aims to determine the impact of five top commercial fertilizers on soil quality indicators including organic matter, acidity level and moisture content. These fertilizers were applied …

The Study Of Mashing Methods And Features Of Fermentations Products, Mybeshir Pajaziti, Kastriot Pehlivani

UBT International Conference

If mashing is conducted at 62 to 63˚C, a higher maltose composition is obtained, and the limit is of fermentation rate is higher. The wort, which has a lot of maltose ferments quickly, and the yeast is kept suspended for a long time. Continuous mashing at 62 to 64˚C yields beer with a high fermentation limit; if these temperatures are exceeded, and continuous mashing is carried out at 72 to 75˚C, beers with high dextrin content and low fermentation limit are obtained. To produce beer, primary and secondary fermentation are performed. During primary fermentation, the obtained sugars are converted into …

Refining Process And Quality Control Of Sunflower Oil, Etrit Beshtica, Luljeta Ajdini, Mentor Arifi, Lenda Ramadani, Donjeta Halimi

UBT International Conference

The quality control of edible sunflower oil is monitored through several stages, from unrefined oil, during the whole refining process as well as the bottled oil. Initially is checked the unrefined oil by means of analyzing its origin, enabling us to understand what the origin of the oil is. Subsequently are checked the compounds that need to be removed from the sunflower oil in the refining process. We also pay special attention to the preservation of some compounds present in the unrefined oil. The methodologies applied for oil quality control are physical- chemical and microbiological methods.

Determination Of Vitamin A And E In Fodder Concentrates And Cow Milk From The Region Of Gostivar, North Makedonia, Ilmije Vllasaku

UBT International Conference

Given the importance of oxidative effects on the health of dairy cows and their milk production, a study has been carried out on the concentration of antioxidants, vitamins A and E. The main objective of this research was to determinate the vitamins A and E in fodder concentrate and raw cow milk from the region of Gostivar, North Macedonia. The amount of vitamin A in fodder concentrate was 23.92 mcg/100 g, while the amount of vitamin E was 35.7mcg/kg. The amount of vitamin A in raw cow milk was 38.25 mcg/100 g, while the amount of vitamin E was 1.09 …

Looking At The Perceived Benefits Of Feeding Program In The Eyes Of The Stakeholders, Jane M. Candelanza, Sheena Mae T. Comighud

UBT International Conference

The study focused on the effects of school-based feeding program in the eyes of the stakeholders conducted on March 2019 to grades 1 to 6 beneficiary pupils, selected teachers, SBFP In-Charge and School Head of Mansagomayon Elementary School, District 4 of Sta. Catalina, Division of Negros Oriental. A descriptive design was used in this study whichd eemed appropriate in the context of this study since the researcher will describe the effectiveness of the SBFP as employed in the research locale. Additionally, Key informant interview with the selected representatives of the identified groups of stakeholders was conducted to provide qualitative support …

Impact Of Covid-19 On Cow's Milk Producers In Kosovo- The Case Of Gjilan Region, Medin Zeqiri, Emine Daci Zejnullahi, Mërgim Mestani, Ylli Biçoku

UBT International Conference

This paper aims to analyze the impact of Covid-19 on cow’s milk production in Gjilan region. It is a descriptive and quantitative survey. The random sampling technique was used to select the respondents of 71 dairy farms in three municipalities of Gjilan (Vitia, Kamenica, and Gjilan). Interviews include farms where 5-78 dairy cows are bred. Data on milk production, farm expenses, and returns for each farm were recorded during the period February- April 2020 and a comparison was performed with the same period for 2019. The farmers reported that restrictive measures undertaken as a result of Covid-19, did not have …

Oxidative Stress And Methods Used For Hydroxyl Radical Determination, Bashkim Misini, Imri Demelezi, Wolfhardt Freinbichler, Laura Della Corte, Wolfgang Linert

UBT International Conference

Understanding the role of oxidative stress in brain as well as developing medical strategies to reduce its damaging potential in the aging process and pathogenesis of cancer, neurological diseases like Alzheimer’s diseases and Parkinson’s diseases and other incurable illnesses is an important direction in medicine and biochemistry over the world. This review outlines the processes by which hROS may be formed, their damaging potential and determinations methods. Also, the questions upon the nature of reactive hROS in a Fenton (like) system plays a crucial role will be addressed on this part and several lines of evidences will be presented in …

Meat Consumption In Kosovo And Consumer Perception Of Animal Welfare, Vlora Rama

UBT International Conference

Meat is an important source of nutrition and include fats, protein, vitamins B1, B6, B12, D, iron and zinc. The recommended amount of protein for adults is generally 0.8gr per kg of body weight. This research determines the quality and consumption of meat. The survey include 170 people were responded about animal welfare, meat quality and consumption. From 170 respondents, 64.7% are female, 35.3% are male, which 33.5% are under 25 years old, 60.5% are 25-45 years old, 4.8% are 45-65 years old and 1.2% are over 65 years old. 96.4% of them consume meat while only 3.6% are not …

Research On Microbiological And Physico-Chemical Characteristics Of Cow Milk Collected From Farms In The Region Of Prizren, Arianeta Nura, Veton Haziri, Herolinda Halimi, Doruntina Coçaj

UBT International Conference

This study was conducted for 6 months in the region of Prizren. During the research period, December 2019 – May 2020 were collected 292 samples from four smallholders in the “SHARRI” dairy. Samples were collected using a proportional random sampling method. Samples were subject to microbiological (total bacterial count and somatic cells) and physicochemical ((fat, protein, lactose, SNF, TS, FPD, density and acidity, density) measurements of raw cow milk, by international standard methods. The results of samples from the four farmers showed that the number of samples that belonged to the third class of TBC count was: farmer 1 - …

Microbiological And Physicochemical Parameters Used For The Analysis Of Water Quality In Gjakova Watershed, Arianeta Nura, Veton Haziri, Rrona Resyli

UBT International Conference

This study aimed to estimate the microbiological and physicochemical characteristics of water in Gjakova watershed in different months of the year. In the six months, from January 2020 to June 2020 are defined changes of these parameters such as total coliform bacteria, fecal coliform bacteria, aerobic mesophilic bacteria, pH, temperature, NTU, NH3, and NO2. The object of the study was treated water and untreated water from the lake. The results showed that the microbiological and physicochemical parameters of the treated water samples were within the ISO Standards for drinking water, while the parameters of the lake water samples were shown …