Digital Commons Network^™

An Assessment Of The Legal Framework For Prosecuting Iuu Fishing In Nigeria, Lydia Salla Kadiri

World Maritime University Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Combating Illegal, Unreported And Unregulated (Iuu) Fishing In Argentina : Role Of Argentinian Coastguard As Maritime Authority In Charge Of Law Enforcement, Mario Damian Tiscornia

World Maritime University Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Paclobutrazol Enhances Tall Fescue Salt Tolerance Via Physiological And Root System Architecture Modulation, Shugao Fan, Xindi Sun, Guohao Liang, Zhuanzhuan Ma, Jincheng Hao, Jiawei Wu, Ying Zhao

School of Mathematical & Statistical Sciences Faculty Publications

Background: Salinity represents a major global constraint on crop productivity. Promoting the cultivation of tall fescue in saline environments offers not only nutritional advantages for livestock but also enhances its potential for ornamental use. In this mesocosm study, we examined the effects of paclobutrazol (PBZ) on tall fescue performance under salt stress, focusing on key physiological traits to evaluate salt tolerance.

Results: Under high salt stress, paclobutrazol application increased the total number of lateral roots by 85%, from 18.39 to 34.04, and widened their growth angle by 24%, from 24.10° to 29.88°, fundamentally enhancing topsoil exploration. This reconfigured root system …

Global Cooling Watch 2025, Omar Abdelaziz, Ray Gluckman, Ian Hamilton, Radhika Khosla, Lily Riahi

Research Collection College of Integrative Studies

The second edition of UNEP’s Global Cooling Watch Report takes a deep dive into one of the decade’s most urgent challenges: surging heat, soaring cooling demand, and stark inequalities in access. Produced by the UNEP-led Cool Coalition, the report provides a comprehensive assessment of the rapidly growing global demand for cooling and the need for climate-friendly solutions to the issue. The 2025 report builds on the first Global Cooling Watch (2023), which established the Sustainable Cooling Pathway framework. The new edition deepens analysis of intensifying extreme heat and its effect on cooling demand, improved assessment of passive cooling, and coverage …

Enzymes Of Calendula Officinalis L. As Affected By Foliar Application Of Nano-Nitrogen And Potassium Fertilizers, Under Water Stress Conditions, Aqeel Abdulabbas Alsudani, Qais Hussain Abbas Al-Semmak

Karbala International Journal of Modern Science

Water stress is a major environmental factor that limits the growth and productivity of Calendula officinalis L. To alleviate its negative effects, recent approaches have increasingly focused on nano-fertilizers that enhance plant antioxidant defenses. This study therefore aimed to evaluate the effect of foliar application of nano-nitrogen (0, 2, and 4 mL L⁻¹) and nano-potassium (0, 2, and 4 g L⁻¹) fertilizers under two irrigation regimes (100% and 50% of field capacity) on the activity of key antioxidant enzymes, including catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and peroxidase (POD). The results revealed that irrigation at 50% field capacity significantly increased CAT, …

Dramatic Biases In Terrestrial Nitrogen Fixation In Earth System Models Revealed By Natural Isotope Signatures, Maoyuan Fang, Shushi Peng, Philippe Ciais, Daniel S. Goll, Benjamin Z. Houlton, Ying-Ping Wang, Yilong Wang, Pan Liu, Joshua B. Fisher, Pierre Regnier

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

Biological nitrogen fixation (BNF) is the primary input of new reactive nitrogen to natural terrestrial ecosystems. However, this flux is poorly constrained due to its unclear drivers and associated control mechanisms. Here, we extend the existing theory of nitrogen (N) isotope mass balance to estimate BNF rates and then use a Bayesian approach to constrain the BNF rates in natural terrestrial ecosystems by using measurements of natural N-isotope ratios (δ¹⁵N) in plants (δ_P) and soil (δ_S). Together with pairwise δ_P and δ_S measurements from 18 forest sites covering diverse climates and thousands …

Heavy Metal Contamination And Health Risks In Katoro's Artisanal Gold Mining Soils, Tanzania, Innocent J. Lugendo, Venance Mwesiga

Tanzania Journal of Science

This study assessed heavy metal contamination in surface soils from artisanal gold mining areas in Katoro, Tanzania, evaluating ecological and human health risks. Thirty-six soil samples were systematically collected from three mining villages (Bingwa, Isenye, and CCM) at varying distances ranging from 30 to 90 m from active mining pits alongside twelve control samples from a non-mining area for comparison purposes. Concentrations of Cr, Cu, Ni, Zn, Pb, and As in soil samples were analyzed using energy-dispersive X-ray fluorescence spectrometry (EDXRF). Results revealed severe contamination, with Cr (117–1255 mg/kg), Cu (81–104 mg/kg), and Ni (89–271 mg/kg) exceeding permissible limits. The …

Evaluation Of Soil Quality Index For Sugar Beet Cultivation Under Neutrosophic Set Framework, Asiye Yilmaz Adkinson

Neutrosophic Systems with Applications

Evaluation of soil quality index for sugar beet cultivation is a decision-making problem. So, we use the decision-making methods to solve this problem. We use the ARAS method is a decision-making method to rank the alternatives. The average method is used to compute the criteria weights. Evaluation this problem contains uncertainty information. So, the neutrosophic set is used to solve this uncertainty information. This study uses ten criteria and 15 alternatives. The sensitivity analysis is conducted to show the stability of the ranks. We change the criteria weights by ten cases. Then we apply the steps of the proposed approach …

Neutrosophic Decision Making Methodology For Sustainable Diabetic Diet: Balancing Health And Environment, Rayan Hussein

Neutrosophic Systems with Applications

Sustainable diabetic diet for balancing health and environment is a decision-making problem and contain uncertainty affect negatively in different decisions. So, this paper proposes a decision-making methodology with the neutrosophic set to solve uncertainty in this decision-making problem. We use the MOOSRA method to rank the alternatives. The criteria weights are computed using the average method. Case study with nine criteria and 16 alternatives are proposed for sustainable diabetic diet. The sensitivity analysis is conducted in this case study to show the stability of the ranks. Nine cases are proposed in this study. The results show the ranks of alternatives …

14th International Conference On Business, Technology And Innovation 2025, University For Business And Technology - Ubt

UBT International Conference

Welcome to IC – UBT 2025

UBT Annual International Conference is the 14th international interdisciplinary peer reviewed conference which publishes works of the scientists as well as practitioners in the area where UBT is active in Education, Research and Development. The UBT aims to implement an integrated strategy to establish itself as an internationally competitive, research-intensive university, committed to the transfer of knowledge and the provision of a world-class education to the most talented students from all background. The main perspective of the conference is to connect the scientists and practitioners from different disciplines in the same place and make …

2025 Celebration Of Scholarship, Creativity, And Engagement, Todd Bruns, Jaime Pedigo, Jennifer Smith, Patty Watson, Heather Wohltman, Amanda Wolf

Programs

Each year, Eastern Illinois University proudly recognizes the outstanding achievements of our faculty in research, creativity, and engagement. This collection of accomplishments reflects the dedication of an engaged faculty committed to excellence and the continual pursuit of knowledge. Many of these successes were made possible through meaningful collaboration with our students, who contribute as co-authors, research assistants, and partners in bringing ideas to life. Some of these professional milestones represent years of effort, demonstrating remarkable persistence and determination. We offer our heartfelt congratulations on this wide range of achievements, which bring distinction to our departments, colleges, and the University as …

Myfoodrx: A Personalized Food-As-Medicine Mhealth Application For Food-Insecure Adults With Chronic Conditions, Jay Hiteshkumar Jariwala

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Food insecurity (FI) remains a persistent public health challenge in the United States, disproportionately affecting underserved populations and contributing to higher rates of chronic conditions such as diabetes, hypertension, and obesity. Traditional Food-as-Medicine programs have emerged as promising interventions, but often follow a generalized, non-personalized approach that limits long-term effectiveness, especially among diverse, high-risk communities. This thesis presents MyFoodRx, a personalized mobile health (mHealth) application designed to address the intersection of food insecurity and chronic disease through tailored nutritional guidance, real-time pantry integration, and adaptive educational content.

Developed through a User-Centered Design (UCD) process, MyFoodRx leverages a modular client–server architecture, …

Towards Mitigation Of Hallucination For Llm-Empowered Agents: Progressive Generalization Bound Exploration And Watchdog Monitor, Siyuan Liu, Wenjing Liu, Zhiwei Xu, Xin Wang, Bo Chen, Tao Li

Michigan Tech Publications

Empowered by large language models (LLMs), intelligent agents have become a popular paradigm for interacting with open environments to facilitate AI deployment. However, hallucinations generated by LLMs - where outputs are inconsistent with facts - pose a significant challenge, undermining the credibility of intelligent agents. Only if hallucinations can be mitigated, the intelligent agents can be used in real-world without any catastrophic risk. Therefore, effective detection and mitigation of hallucinations are crucial to ensure the dependability of agents. Unfortunately, the related approaches either depend on white-box access to LLMs or fail to accurately identify hallucinations. To address the challenge posed …

Leucaena - A Permanent Dry Season Forage In Australia, J H. Wildin

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Leucaena (Leucaena Jeucocephala) can play an important role in alleviating the general low pasture quality during the dry season. Extensive commercial use of leucaena for cattle grazing commenced in central Queensland in 1980 when the grazing management of this tree legume was modified to suit Australian beef producers. Plantings increased from 30 ha in 1979 to 3000 ha in central Queensland by February 1985. This rapid expansion can be attributed to beef producers being more aware ofleucaena management and benefits based on several commercial successes. Mimosine toxicity has not been a problem when cattle have access to tree …

Effect Of Some Agronomic Practices On Productivity And Nutritive Analysis Of Aquatic Grass Echinochloa Stagnina, K M. Ghobrial, M A. Gabra, M A. Noreldin, M A. Salem

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Results indicated that the higher green, dry and protein yields increased with increasing plant density up to 105,000 plant per feddan that were fertilized with 45 kg N/fed. The average of the obtained green, dry and protein yields were 14.16, 4.24 and 0.30 ton/fed. respectively. The nutritive analysis on DM basis was 7.13 % crude protein (CP), 2.12% ether extract (EE), 31.56% crude fidre (CF), 47.97% nitrogen free extract (NFE) and 11.22% ash. The calculated starch value (SV) as a feed unit was 1.34 ton/feddan.

The Role Of Temperature Pastures Species In Beef Farming In The Humaid Sub-Tropics Of South America, Y E. Kawabe, E Hayashi

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Attempts were made to identify and solve the problems which a beef farming operation in the humid sub-tropics of South America was facing. A total of 370ha of pasture at C.A.O.S.A. was established using temperate species, Lolium perenne, L. multiflorum, Trifolium repens, T. subterraneum and Medicago sativa, both to establish new and also to improve existing tropical pasture in order to overcome: 1. Cool season feed shortage., 2. Low nutritional value of tropical grasses. A rotational grazing system was introduced and the yield and feed value analysis showed a substantial increase in cool season feed while the …

The Effect Of Row Width And Intrarow Spacing On The Productivity And Nutritional Quality Of Silage Corn, Y Kishida, S Uchida

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

This study was conducted to determine the effect of planting density on silage corn production and silage quality. Dent corn cv. Pioneer 3424 was planted at different or the same densities by changing row width or intrarow spacing or the both. The dry matter yield and silage quality were determined at different stages of ripening and the results are summarized as follows: When intrarow spacing was changed (under different intrarow spacings), the rate of increase of dry matter per plant was high at the low and intermediate planting densities and the dry matter yield per 10 are was high at …

Effects Of Climatic Zone, Topography, Land Utilization And Soil Condition On The Mineral Content Of Natural Grasses In Bali, K Lana, I M. Nitis, S Uchida

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

To evaluate nutritional quality of the natural grasses fed to livestock, grasses grown in different climatic zones (zones B, C, D, E and F), different topographies ( coast, hills and higher altitude), various forms of land utilization (rice field, dry land and plantation) and different soil conditions, allocated in 15 districts of 8 regencies in Bali were analyzed for their macro and micro element contents. Although P, K, Mn and Mo contents were higher and Mg, Na, Fe and Zn contents were lower in wet season than in dry season, Ca and Cu contents were constant throughout the seasons. The …

Potential Role For Stylo In Traditional Crop And Livestock Production Systems In Nigerian Subhumid Zone, M A. Mohamed Saleem, R Von Kaufman, R M. Otsynia, H Suleiman

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

The typical soils (Alfisols) of the subhumid zone of Nigeria deteriorate under continuous cropping and grazing. Due to increasing demand for land, soil recovery through natural fallowing is too time consuming. Because other reclamation techniques are expensive forage legumes that rapidly confer most fallow benefits and improve livestock nutrition have an important role in traditional crop-livestock production systems. In its experiments ILCA subhumid zone team used Stylosanthes spp. (stylo) in the following way: - (i) undersown or sown on alternate ridges with sorghum, (ii) sorghum transplanted into it, and (iii) the succeeded by maize after varying years of its growth. …

Effects Of The Association Corn-Soybean On Dry Matter Production And Nutritional Silage Value, R Garcia, A R. Evangelista, J D. Galvao

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Experiments were conducted to study the influence of corn-soybeans plant population in five cropping systems (four com-soybean associations and single corn) on the dry matter production and nutritional silage value. Variation in corn plant populations did not influenced green matter production, however, dry matter production increased as population increase. The cropping systems influenced both green and dry matter production. Plant population influenced on the nutritional silage value. The protein content and dry matter digestibility was higher for 30 thousand plants of corn per hectare. Two rows of corn to four of soybean resulted in superior protein content. The association com-soybean …

Managerial Characteristics Of The Grassland Type Dairy Farming In Hokkaido, Japan, Y Miyazawa

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Hokkaido is the northernmost island of Japan with an area of about 78,500 km2 and lies between 41 ° and 46°N. Dairy farming in Hokkaido, being endowed with vast land resources, has overcome severe climatic conditions and expanded its scale of operations through such measures as developing and improving grassland. Its main type of dairy farming can be said to be of the-grassland-type and the feeding resources of which depends mainly on pastures. The dairy farming in Hokkaido, therefore, is represented by this grassland-type that is one of the alternative types to be developed under comparatively unfavorable land conditions, such …

Weight Gains And Nutrition Of Cattle Grazing On Grasslands Of Central Interior British Columbia, Canada, D A. Quinton, L Stroesser, H Douwes

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Average daily gains and nutrient deficiencies of cattle grazing three grassland zones in British Columbia are shown. Cattle production was greatest on the rough fescue (Festuca scabrella) -bluebunch wheatgrass (Agropyron spicatum) association and least on the big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata) -bluebunch wheatgrass association. Nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and magnesium (Mg) concentrations in cattle diets generally paralleled cattle gains. Increases in these nutrients in forages correlate to increased cattle gains. Depressed weight gains, poor growth of calves, late estrous cycling of cows, and white muscle disease of calves are all livestock symptoms associated with nutrient deficiencies of cattle …

The Effect Of Fertilization With N-P-K In Yield Of Natural Pasture Grazed By Sheep On Southern Italy, L Postiglione, F Basso, T Di Ella, F Carone

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

In order to raise the very low pasture yield in the dry regions of Southern Italy, a research was undertaken on the efficiency of mineral fertilization, owing to the variability of climatic conditions. Two levels of N (0-50 Kg ha-1), P (0-100 Kg ha-1) and K (0-100 Kg ha-1) arranged in factorial combinations were compared with a pasture grazed by sheep in a hilly area of Basilicata region (550 m s.l.} since 1982. During the spring of the first two years rainfalls amounted respectively to 79 mm and 146 mm while maximum temperature reached 30°C and 22°C in May, therefore …

Influence Of Stocking Rate On The Plant-Animal Interface In Rotational Grazed Mixed Swards, J W. Stuth, J R. Brown, P D. Olson, M R. Araujo

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

The impacts of brief periods of intense grazing in multipasture-single herd grazing systems on critical plant and animal parameters in natural mixed swards are not well understood. It was our objective to determine the interrelationship and nutritional consequence of tiller defoliation intensity, selection ratio and diet composition of two codominant species with contrasting phenology and growth habit as stocking rate was increased. A 16-pasture, 1-herd short-duration grazing regime was simulated at four stocking rates on a little bluestem (Schizachyr­ium scoparium)-brownseed paspalum (Paspalum plicatulum) savannah. Variables measured included morphology and defoliation intensity of marked tillers, diet composition …

The Effect Of Fertilization With N-P-K On Utilization And Nutritive Value Of Natural Pasture Grazed By Sheep In Southern Italy, B Ferrara, V Piccolo, F Basso, A Nizza

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Results of four grazing periods carried-out in 1983 and 1984 in a hilly area of Basilicata region (550 m. above s.I.) on a natural pasture utilized by sheep are reported here. Two levels of N(0-50 kg ha-1), P(0-100 kg ha-1) and K(0-100 kg ha-1) arranged in eight factorial combinations were compared. The utilization coefficients of dry matter (DM), crude protein and milk-FU (MFU) were affected by the climatic conditions and grazing period, whereas fertilization effect was low. The influence of treatments was not very emphasized during the first experimental phase also on the nuttritive value of total and utilized forage.

Vegetational Changes In The Sasa Nipponica Grassland Used By Winter Grazing For Successive Years, Y Ogawa, T Mitamura, K Okamoto

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

The influence of winter grazing by beef cattle on yearly yield and flora changes in Sasa (Sasa nipponica) grassland was examined from 1974 to 1982. This Sasa sward was established semi-naturally on cutover land following deciduous broadleaved forest at an altitude of 1,100 m on Mt. Asama in Japan. Sasa kept its foliage green and nutritive all year round, so that in this experimental grassland a large quantity of its foliage supplied sufficient nutrients for the maintenance of beef cows during winter grazing periods. Foliage weight was 2.6 tons DW/ha before winter grazing use and this value was maintained for …

Grassland Resources And Future Development Of Grassland Farming In Temperate China, Zhu Tingcheng, Li Jiandong, Zu Yuangang

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

In the first part of the paper the grassland resources in the semiarid area of China are descrived. Grasslands cover 2.86 million km2 of the total territory and 100 million livestock are being raised there. Steppes and meadows are classified into several types according to the ecological types of the dominant species and environments, etc. Area, geographical distribution, community structure, species composition, dynamics, nutritive value of herbages, primary production and utilization of each grassland type are outlined. In the second part, the necessity to promote grassland farming and the possibility of its development are discussed based upon the land, population, …

Large Language Models As Information Providers For Appropriate Antimicrobial Use: Computational Text Analysis And Expert-Rated Comparison Of Chatgpt, Claude And Gemini, Marcello Di Pumpo, Maria Rosaria Gualano, Danilo Buonsenso, Francesca Raffaelli, Daniele Donà, Vittorio Maio, Patrizia Laurenti, Walter Ricciardi, Leonardo Villani

College of Population Health Faculty Papers

OBJECTIVES: Antimicrobial resistance is a critical public health threat. Large language models (LLMs) show great capability for providing health information. This study evaluates the effectiveness of LLMs in providing information on antibiotic use and infection management.

METHODS: Using a mixed-method approach, responses to healthcare expert-designed scenarios from ChatGPT 3.5, ChatGPT 4.0, Claude 2.0 and Gemini 1.0, in both Italian and English, were analysed. Computational text analysis assessed readability, lexical diversity and sentiment, while content quality was assessed by three experts via DISCERN tool.

RESULTS: 16 scenarios were developed. A total of 101 outputs and 5454 Likert-scale (1-5) scores were obtained …

Graphrag-Enabled Local Large Language Model For Gestational Diabetes Mellitus: Development Of A Proof-Of-Concept, Edmund Evangelista, Fathima Ruba, Salman Bukhari, Amril Nazir, Ravishankar Sharma

All Works

Background: Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is a prevalent chronic condition that affects maternal and fetal health outcomes worldwide, increasingly in underserved populations. While generative artificial intelligence (AI) and large language models (LLMs) have shown promise in health care, their application in GDM management remains underexplored. Objective: This study aimed to investigate whether retrieval-augmented generation techniques, when combined with knowledge graphs (KGs), could improve the contextual relevance and accuracy of AI-driven clinical decision support. For this, we developed and validated a graph-based retrieval-augmented generation (GraphRAG)–enabled local LLM as a clinical support tool for GDM management, assessing its performance against open-source LLM …

Turning Waste Into Fertilizer: Aloe Vera Leaf Shavings Improve Plant Growth And Support Soil Fertility In Organic Systems, Isaiah Edward Jaramillo, Carine Cocco, James Jihoon Kang, Chu-Lin Cheng, Engil Pereira

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

The Aloe vera industry discards large amounts of outer leaf tissue (“shavings”), creating an opportunity to repurpose this byproduct as a sustainable fertilizer. This study evaluated whether aloe shavings can serve as a plant-based alternative to compost in organic Aloe vera production. A field trial in the Lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas tested three treatments: aloe shavings (applied to supply 39 kg N ha−1), organic compost (39 kg N ha−1), and a non-fertilized control. Laboratory incubations further assessed nitrogen mineralization and microbial respiration. Aloe shavings significantly enhanced vegetative growth: leaf number increased from 5.7 to 12.3 leaves per plant …