Digital Commons Network^™

The Influence Of Fermentation Duration And Secondary Fermentation Conditions On The Bioactive Compound Profile Of Kombucha, Jordan Vereen

Honors Theses

Kombucha is a fermented sweet tea produced using a symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast (SCOBY) and has gained widespread popularity due to its proposed health benefits. Kombucha has been studied to understand these advantages in cardiovascular support, improved metabolism, increased antioxidant effects, enhanced antimicrobial properties, and even potentially slowing the progression of certain diseases. Despite its increasing popularity, the way in which the specific bioactive compounds responsible for these effects and the fermentation conditions that influence their production remain unclear. The present study, conducted in collaboration with Dr. Budner, focuses on quantifying bioactive compounds in kombucha to better understand …

Nutrilog: Design And Development Of A Full-Stack Web Application For Holistic Health Tracking, Jaromir J. Saloni

Honors Theses

NutriLog is a web-based fitness and nutrition tracking application designed to help users record, organize, and interpret personal health data in one centralized platform. Many existing applications focus primarily on either nutrition tracking or exercise performance, which can make it difficult for users to understand how food intake and physical activity interact. NutriLog addresses this gap by combining food logging, exercise logging, calorie adjustment, nutrition summaries, and historical tracking into a single dashboard-based interface.

The application was developed using React and TypeScript for the frontend and Supabase for authentication, database storage, and user-specific data management. Nutrition data is supported through …

Pest Risk Modelling For Climate-Smart Vegetable Production In East Africa, Marc Marin Agbodjan, Komi Mensah Agboka, John Odindi, Elfatih Abdel-Rahman, Onisimo Mutanga, Frank Chidawanyika, Chrysantus Tanga, Daniel Munyao Mutyambai, Sevgan Subramanian, Bonoukpoè Mawuko Sokame

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

Agricultural productivity in East Africa is increasingly threatened by climate-sensitive insect pests. This study investigates the occurrence of key vegetable pests: Brevicoryne brassicae, Plutella xylostella, Maruca vitrata, and Liriomyza mik. A comparative species distribution modelling evaluated pest risk projections under climate change. Four variable selection strategies were tested: case 1 (correlation and variance inflation factor [VIF] filtering across all predictors), case 2 (correlation and VIF filtering of bioclimatic variables merged with other predictors), case 3 (filtering based on environmental values at species occurrence point to approximate realized niches), and case 4 (dimensionality reduction using principal component analysis). These strategies were …

Fodder Maize Variety Trial: Broome 2021, Carla Milazzo, Samuel Crouch, Christopher Ham, Geoff Moore

Grain and other field crops research reports

• High yielding, highly digestible maize can be produced under irrigation on Pindan sands in northern Western Australia.
• Using high inputs, the biomass and digestibility of all trialled varieties equalled or exceeded varieties used in well-established maize growing regions of Australia.
• Eleven hybrid maize varieties were trialled near Broome. The average dry matter yield of all trialled varieties was 24t/ha at 10.5MJ/kg of dry matter.
• The impact of fall armyworm on yield was successfully reduced by using integrated pest management combining NPV virus (nucleopolyhedrovirus) with strategic insecticide applications.

Limit Of Detection Variations In Polyphenol Mixtures Using Parafac-Feem Spectroscopy, Ken Overway, Brockton Zorn

Honors Projects

Polyphenols are chemical compounds commonly found in food products like olive oil and red wine. Research suggests that their presence in such foods conveys positive cardiovascular and cognitive health benefits. This group of compounds is often difficult to quantify in such samples due to an overlap in the chemical signals and the presence of interferences, such as coloring, found naturally in the food. Use of 3D Fluorescence Excitation Emission Matrix (EEM) measurements combined with pH sensitivity could establish a method in which polyphenols are identified more easily in mixtures. Binary and ternary mixtures of polyphenols were analyzed without the additional …

Course Insight Portfolio: Math 1060 Calculus Of One Variable I, Minh Ha, Dinaniaina Florence Rafidimanantsoa, Preston Sessoms, Rishabh Shukla

Publications

The following portfolio is a representation of the course MATH 1060, Calculus I, taught at Clemson University. The contents can be broken down into 3 major components.

• The first being an analysis of the students who may typically be in the course, the prerequisites required to take the course, and what paths students have after completing the course. This analysis is based upon the course curriculum at Clemson, and as a result will likely not align with that of other universities

. • The second major component is a map of the concepts discussed in MATH 1060 as well …

At The Intersection Of Science And Sustainability: A Qualitative Study Of Food Scientists' Personal And Professional Perspectives, Srushti Parikh

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Sustainable food systems require not only technological innovation but a more profound understanding of the professionals involved in the field. Even though the topic of sustainability is currently gaining importance throughout the food industry, the real expertise of food scientists is under-researched. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to explore food scientists' perspectives on sustainability, how these perceptions influence the way they pursue their careers, and how they view their impact in the larger sustainability agenda of the food industry. METHODS AND MATERIALS: This study captured detailed insights of 22 food scientists’ perspectives through qualitative methods. Food scientists in …

Enhancing Food Security In Stann Creek. Belize Using Meat Rabbits, Lindsey Garretson

Crop, Soil and Environmental Sciences Undergraduate Honors Theses

In recent years, food insecurity and the prevalence of hunger have rapidly grown throughout the world, but especially within Latin America and the Caribbean. Along with growing rates of food insecurity and hunger there are increases in medical conditions including negative impacts the functioning of every major organ system, increased rates of mental illness, both overweight and underweight children, wasting in both children and adults, and anemia. Availability and access to healthy, nutritional food options can help lower the risk of these conditions. With these considerations, the goal of this project was to create an all-encompassing manual and construction guide …

Soil Property Responses To Push-Pull Cropping In East Africa, Grace Mercy Amboka, Mattias Jonsson, Celina Apel, David Meinhof, Adomas Liepa, Frank Chidawanyika, Andargachew Detebo, Felipe Librán-Embid, Emily A. Martin, Ingolf Steffan-Dewenter, Marcell K. Peters, Jie Zhang, Michael Thiel, Michael Otim, James Mugisha, Ghebremedhin Belay Bahta, Fredah Maina, Alice Murage, Benjamin Feit, A. Sigrun Dahlin

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

Push-pull technology is increasingly promoted in sub-Saharan Africa, particularly for pest management and enhancing crop productivity. However, its influence on soil properties remains understudied, despite its potential implications for soil health and sustainable soil fertility management. This study examines soil properties in push-pull and conventional non-push-pull cropping systems. Soil samples were collected from push-pull and conventional plots in Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, and Uganda. We examined the associations between soil physicochemical properties and cropping systems, along with key components of push-pull, namely Desmodium coverage and plot age, and manure and mineral fertiliser application. Overall, there were a few differences in soil …

Grazed Pasture Effects On Greenhouse Gas Emissions In The Ozark Highlands, Tyler Buchanan

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In the United States (US), grazinglands serve as the main foundation for the livestock industry, and, in Arkansas specifically, pastures are essential for rotational grazing and dairy operations. Climate change is increasingly becoming a concern in the agriculture industry, largely caused by anthropogenic activities increasing greenhouse gas (GHG) concentrations in the atmosphere, at least partly due to the nutrient recycling that occurs from animal manure additions in grazinglands. Therefore, quantifying GHG emissions from pastures is essential to better understanding the impacts of grazing on the environment. The objective of this study was to quantify and evaluate the potential effects of …

Impacts Of Climate-Smart Agriculture On Greenhouse Gas Emissions In Southeast Arkansas Cotton, Cassandra Seuferling

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Increasing concerns of climate change have led to the evaluation of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions [i.e., carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O)] from agroecosystems, particularly cotton (Gossypium hirsutum) production. Technology improvement and conservation agriculture methods [i.e., reduced-tillage (RT) instead of conventional tillage (CT) and the use of cover crops (CC)] require further evaluation regarding GHG emissions from Arkansas cotton production. The first objective of the study was to evaluate four gas-flux-determination methods [i.e., linear or exponential regression models, with negative fluxes (WNF) included in the dataset or replacing negative fluxes (RNF)] on CO2, CH4, and N2O fluxes …

Herbivory Of Phragmites Australis Along A Salinity Gradient In Connecticut Wetlands, Sydney H. Kolz

Honors Scholar Theses

Invasive Phragmites australis (common reed) is widely distributed in New England wetlands, where it often outcompetes native plants and decreases biodiversity throughout the food web. Controlling its invasion is a priority, especially in salt marsh habitat, but current management techniques are inefficient. Leveraging natural processes may improve control strategies, but in order to do so, we must first better understand how abiotic and biotic stressors interact and affect Phragmites. This study focuses on herbivory and salinity, two factors limiting Phragmites’ fitness. I measured soil salinity and quantified the damage of three herbivore guilds (i.e. gall-formers and stem-borers, leaf-chewers, and …

Molecular Mechanisms Of Pfas Induced Protein Dysfunction: Implications For Neurodegenerative Risk, Daisy Lee Wilson

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are persistent environmental contaminants with widespread human exposure and well-established links to adverse health outcomes. However, despite increasing epidemiological and experimental evidence, the molecular mechanisms underlying PFAS-induced neurotoxicity remain incompletely defined. This dissertation investigates PFAS toxicity across biological scales, integrating protein biophysics with neuronal cell models to elucidate pathways relevant to neurodegeneration. At the molecular level, we demonstrate that PFAS disrupts the structure and function of globular proteins, including the impairment of α-lactalbumin's calcium-binding capacity and of β-lactoglobulin's retinol binding, through concentration-dependent conformational destabilization. By applying these findings to a neuronal model, we show that …

Computational Studies Of Alpha-Lactalbumin Binding To Perfluorodecanoic Acid, Randhal Smith Ramirez Orozco

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

This thesis investigates the structural and thermodynamic interactions between Perfluorodecanoic acid (PFDA) and bovine alpha-lactalbumin (ALAC), a critical milk protein essential for infant nutrition. The primary objectives were to computationally determine the most probable binding sites of PFDA to ALAC and to quantify the strength of these interactions alongside the structural changes they induce. This study addresses a critical gap in understanding how persistent environmental contaminants like PFDA are recruited and transported by nutritional proteins within the milk matrix. The methodology integrated high-throughput molecular docking with long-range, molecular dynamics (MD) simulations to provide a dynamic characterization of the ALAC-PFDA complex. …

College Of Natural Sciences Spring Newsletter, College Of Natural Sciences

College of Natural Sciences Newsletters and Reports

[Page 1] Dean's Message
[Page] 2 Awards & Recognitions // Student Spotlights
[Page] 3 Zhang Named to Landsat Science Team // The Power of Teaching
[Page] 4 “Science as Art” Competition Welcomes High School Artists
[Page] 5 Testing for “Forever Chemicals” in Surface Water // New Faculty Spotlight
[Page] 6 Ambassador Initiated Outreach
[Page] 7 57th Annual Geography Convention
[Page] 8 Twice the Impact on On Call with the Prairie Doc
[Page] 9 Making Staple Foods Healthier // Halaweish & Cole-Dai Retire
[Page] 10 Drone Day 2026
[Page] 11 Student Research, Scholarship, and Creative Activity Day (SRSCAD)
[Page] 12 Ceremony …

Resilience By Living With The Land And Community: A Case Study Of A Local Food Forest, Olivia Beck

Honors Theses

Imagine a public space where food, leisure, outdoor activity, and community engagement occur in one place, all in an urban forest ecosystem. For many, this is a hopeful vision of the future, and that is exactly what the idea of an urban food forest provides. In agroecology, a food forest or forest garden consists of planting diverse edible plants and mimicking the patterns of natural ecosystems. The intricate planning and design ensure the forest is self-sustaining, much like a natural forest, making it very resilient once established. However, they face many challenges and take time to grow and develop to …

Growing Change: A Gis Spatial Analysis To Plan Urban Gardens In Chattanooga, Carson A. Chalk

Honors Theses

Food insecurity and limited access to fresh nutritious food in Chattanooga is a prevalent issue, primarily among lower socioeconomic households, and can put strain on overall well-being. This study aimed to identify suitable vacant parcels in Chattanooga where urban gardens could be developed using a GIS-based spatial analysis. Spatial data involving vacant parcels, slope, zoning, and proximity to grocery stores was cross referenced with socioeconomic data focused on poverty rates, vehicle ownership, and mean household income to identify the most suitable sites in areas of greatest need. Sites identified as suitable through GIS were then visited to verify their suitability. …

Ontogeny And The Effects Of Perinatal Stress In The First Immature Skeleton Of Teleoceras Aepysoma (Perissodactyla, Rhinocerotidae), Joe Gajewski

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Recovery of an immature fossil rhinoceros (Teleoceras aepysoma) skeleton (ETMNH 32999) from the Gray Fossil Site in Tennessee offers the first insights into the ontogeny of the species. ETMNH 32999 is interpreted to be a subadult male in an age class equivalent to ~17-20% of potential lifespan. Comparative analyses support the hypothesis that subadults of related taxa are typically ~91% of average adult size in most dimensions. However, certain cranial dimensions are substantially lower than expected in ETMNH 32999, averaging only ~74% of the average conspecific adult. Such departure from typical growth rates is suggested to be attributable …

Synthesis And Evaluation Of Long-Term History-Aware Medical Dialogue, Hebin Hu, Renke Dai, Ah-Hwee Tan, Yilin Kang

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

An effective healthcare agent must be able to recall and reason over a patient’s longitudinal medical history. However, the absence of datasets with realistic long-term dialogue timelines limits systematic evaluation. Real clinical text is constrained by privacy and ethics, while existing benchmarks focus on isolated interactions, failing to capture cross-session reasoning. We introduce a framework for synthesizing high-quality, long-term medical dialogues with LLMs. Our approach entails a knowledge-guided decomposition into three stages: constructing synthetic patient profiles with diverse disease and complication trajectories, generating multiturn dialogues per encounter, and integrating them into a coherent longitudinal history dataset, MediLongChat. We establish three …

Manned Exploration Of Satellites Of The Outer Planets: An Analysis Of Current Technologies And A Discussion Of Advancements Required, Joshua Carson Meador

Theses and Dissertations

The Solar System’s outer planets have many satellites, some of which are known to be the most likely places to find extraterrestrial life in our celestial backyard. Multiple scientific missions have been sent to glean information from these satellites, yet the possibility of a manned expedition has long been exclusive to science fiction stories. This paper intends to collect and analyze the current state of space travel technology to explore the feasibility of such a mission with modern technology and to discuss which future advancements should be the focal point for making such missions a reality. To begin, data on …

The Impact Of Label Material On Perceived Value And Environmental-Friendliness Of Beverages In Returnable Glass Bottles Versus Actual Environmental Impact Via Life Cycle Assessment, Toni Sharp

All Dissertations

With guidance from the EPA to reduce virgin packaging use and alternatively increase reuse, the concept of reusable packaging has re-emerged as a potential sustainable alternative to single-use and recyclable packaging. For businesses, an understanding of the potential environmental benefits of switching from single-use packaging to reusable packaging, along with consumer willingness to pay for sustainable packaging are paramount. Existing literature on willingness to pay (WTP) for ethical or sustainable products typically relies on consumers’ stated preferences found through surveys using hypothetical products and prices. It has been revealed that sustainability claims printed on the label or products in glass …

High Throughput Phenomics Pipeline For Pulse Crop Nutritional Breeding, Amod Udayanga Madurapperumage

All Dissertations

Dry pea (Pisum sativum L.), lentil (Lens culinaris Medik.), and chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) are major pulse crops valued for their high nutritional composition and importance to global food systems. Pulses are rich in carbohydrates, protein, and essential minerals, making them ideal whole foods and critical contributors to food and nutrition security. Due to these advantages, pulse breeding programs are increasingly focusing on enhancing nutritional traits, such as protein quality, amino acid balance, and micronutrient density, through the process of biofortification. However, improvement of agronomic traits remains equally essential. Characteristics such as plant height, standability, stress tolerance, …

Growth Of Vanilla Cuttings Under Modified Acid Soil Media And Application Of Several Plant Growth Regulators, Rifqi Raditya Kurniawan, Yugi Rahayu Ahadiyat, Etik Wukir Tini

Jurnal Kultivasi

This research aimed to optimize the growth of vanilla (Vanilla planifolia) cuttings in acid soils by modifying the growing media and applying several types of plant growth regulators (PGRs). Several types of PGRs, including synthetic compounds such as indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) and 6-benzylaminopurine (BAP), as well as natural extracts from shallot (Allium ascalonicum L.) and moringa leaves (Moringa oleifera), were tested to enhance plant performance in acid-growing conditions. The primary objectives were to determine the optimal soil amendment formula and the most effective PGR type for promoting vanilla growth, and to develop a measurable, easy-to-use PGR formulation accessible to farmers. …

Response Of Chlorophyll, Morphology, And Yield Of Several East Java Superior Soybean (Glycine Max L.) Varieties To Levels Of Salinity, Puji Lestari Tarigan, Ida Retno Moeljani, Fadila Suryandika, Hadi Munarko

Jurnal Kultivasi

Soybean production has been extended to saline areas. This development is a strategy to expand planting areas to suboptimal land to increase worldwide production. To support cultivation in these locations, it is necessary to develop superior varieties that are resistant to salinity and provide supporting technological inputs. In saline conditions, soybeans may face stress that leads to morphological, physiological, and yield disturbances. Consequently, the response of several soybeans in East Java should be observed. This study is a pot experiment and arranged in a Factorial Completely Randomized Design (CRD) consisting of two factors, soybean varieties and NaCl concentrations. The treatments …

Optimization Of Physalis Angulata L. Callus Induction And Salinity-Induced Antioxidant Production, Firstian Naufal Sistyananda, Erni Suminar, Anne Nuraini, Muhamad Kadapi, Murgayanti, Syariful Mubarok, Rahmat Budiarto, Eddy Renaldi, Kusumiyati

Jurnal Kultivasi

Groundcherry (Physalis angulata L.) is a plant with many medicinal potentials due to its rich secondary metabolites such as phenolic and flavonoid. However, conventional agriculture practices are still limited, especially in Indonesia. This study was divided into two stages. The first stage was conducted to determine optimal 6-BAP and 2,4-D combination for callus induction, while the second stage was conducted to determine callus phenolic, flavonoid, and antioxidant response to salinity stress. The first stage was arranged in factorial completely randomized design with two factors: 6-BAP (0, 2, and 4 mg/L) and 2,4-D (0, 0.5, 1, and 1.5 mg/L). The second …

Program And Proceedings, The Nebraska Academy Of Sciences 1880–2026: 146th Anniversary Year, One Hundred-Thirty-Sixth Annual Meeting

Nebraska Academy of Sciences: Programs and Proceedings

Program and abstracts of the proceedings for the Nebraska Academy of Sciences 136th annual meeting, 2025

Sessions

Aeronautics and Space Science

Anthropology

Biological and Medical Sciences

Earth Sciences

Ecology, Sustainability, and Environmental Science

Physics and Engineering

General Poster Session

2026 Maiben Lecture: Shifting Extremes: Understanding Nebraska’s Changing Climate and Preparing for What Lies Ahead, Deborah Bathke

2026 Friends of Science Awards: Julie Shaffer and Irina Filina

2026 C. Bertrand and Marian Othmer Schultz Colleaguate Schoalrship Award: Piper Ryschon and Bryce Reeson

In Memoriam: Paul Royster

Reproductive Season And Fecundity Reassessment Of Gopher Tortoises (Gopherus Polyphemus) In Southeastern Florida, Riley Waters

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2020 - Present

The gopher tortoise (Gopherus polyphemus) breeding season occurs throughout spring and early summer across its distributional range, but recent research shows that in southeastern Florida, mating also occurs in the fall and winter months. This project evaluates the gopher tortoise’s extended reproductive season in southeastern Florida and female fecundity. The study, conducted at two locations in South Florida: Jupiter, FL and Boca Raton, FL, used field ultrasound equipment and radiographs to identify gravid females and determine clutch size. The data suggest a much earlier start to egg development and nesting, and the possibility of an extended egg development …

Vanadium’S Journey From Essential Trace Metal To Emerging Environmental Pollutant In The Anthropocene Era, Tanu Arora, Nivedita Agnihotri, Mohammad Azam

Turkish Journal of Chemistry

Vanadium, previously considered a minor trace element, is gaining global environmental attention due to its expanding applications in metallurgy, energy storage, catalysis, and agriculture. With this rise in its industrial and technological uses, however, anthropogenic emissions of vanadium into the atmosphere, soils, and water bodies have also escalated. Unlike many heavy metals, vanadium exhibits complex redox behavior, primarily existing as V(IV) and V(V) species, which significantly impacts its environmental mobility, bioavailability, and toxicity. Vanadium exhibits complex behavior that necessitates an integrated research approach to better understand its various roles in scientific fields. This review summarizes the current knowledge on vanadium’s …

Computational And Experimental Analysis Of Oleanolic Acid As An Allosteric Activator Of Sirt1, Emrah Sariyer, Eda Dokumacioğlu, Hati̇ce İskender

Turkish Journal of Chemistry

Sirtuin 1 (SIRT1) is a member of the sirtuin protein family and the biological effects of SIRT1 encompass various areas such as the ageing process, metabolism regulation, and cellular stress response. SIRT1 activators are compounds that enhance the activity of SIRT1 enzyme. These activators can be natural or synthetic compounds and have the potential to provide health benefits by augmenting the biological effects of SIRT1. Oleanolic acid (OA) is a triterpenoid compound that has antiinflammatory, antioxidant, and glucose and lipid metabolism-regulating properties naturally found in many plants. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of OA …

Investigation Of The Enzyme-Inhibitory, Antibacterial, And Anticancer Properties Of Metal Phthalocyanines, Meryem Topal, Fevzi̇ Topal, Firat Yilmaz, Esra Bulut Atalay, Ümi̇t Muhammet Koçyi̇ği̇t, Emre Güzel

Turkish Journal of Chemistry

In this study, the enzyme inhibitory, antibacterial, and anticancer activities of a phthalonitrile derivative and its metal phthalocyanines (Pcs; indium, zinc, copper, cobalt, and manganese; 1–6) were investigated. The cobalt and manganese Pcs were synthesized for the first time in this study. The inhibitory activities of the symmetric Pcs, which were expected to interact with acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) via their 4-(isopropylbenzyl)oxy substituents through host–guest interactions, were investigated. More selective inhibition of AChE than BChE was observed for these compounds. For AChE, CoPc was identified as the most potent inhibitor (IC50 = 14.81 nM), whereas for BChE, InPc was …