Digital Commons Network^™

Modeling The Global Plastic Pollution In Our Oceans, Anna Fateiger

Honors Program Theses and Projects

Plastic is everywhere—from our plastic bottles and straws to the inside of our phones and the clothes we wear every day. Its widespread use has left a legacy of trash, with large amounts of plastic spilling from landfills into oceans. The accumulation of plastic debris in our oceans has severely affected marine life and has even entered into the human food chain. In this project, we created a mathematical model to estimate global plastic waste-generation and ocean runoff using existing data from 1980 to 2015. Using a dynamic system, we calculated the amount of plastic that ends up in landfills …

Establishment And Early Growth Of Improved Brachiaria Cultivars In Different Agro-Ecological Zones Of Kenya, Donald M. G. Njarui, Clotilda O. Nekesa, Elkana Nyambati, Mwangi Gatheru, Sita R. Ghimire, Joseph G. Mureithi

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Livestock feed scarcity is a salient feature in East Africa (Njarui et al., 2011) and it is a major constraint to livestock productivity particularly during the dry seasons. The recent interest in livestock development in Kenya fueled by rising demands of animal products has led to research in identifying drought tolerant, productive and persistence forages to support livestock productivity. Brachiaria grasses have shown a great potential in South America and Australia as livestock feed. It is the most widely cultivated forage in tropical America, with estimated acreage of 99 million hectares in Brazil alone (Jank et al., 2014), …

Evaluation Of Tropical Herbaceous Legumes For Drought Resistance In Myanmar, Jue Jue, Nang Khan Hline, Khin San Mu, Moe Thida Htun, Lwin Naing Oo, Soe Min Thien, Dezin Soe Lwin, Jenny Hanks, Ganda Nakamanee, Werner Stür, Aung Aung

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Animal nutrition systems in the tropical and subtropical countries utilize a wide range of feedstuffs, mainly the crops and agricultural by-products, grasses, legumes, trees and shrubs. During the dry season, the crude protein concentration in the native grasses can drop below 3% crude protein (Atta-Krah and Reynolds, 1989). Fodder tree is not sufficient and is of low quality in Myanmar (Myo and Aye, 2007). Shrubs represent an enormous potential source of protein for ruminants in the tropics (Devendra, 1992). Browses are rich in nitrogen and minerals which are low in other conventional feeds of tropical regions. Herbaceous legume species play …

Routes Of Dicyandiamide Uptake In Pasture Plants: A Preliminary Laboratory Study, Pranoy Pal, Andrew M. S. Mcmillan, Surinder Saggar

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

A consequence of intensification of New Zealand pastures is increased nitrogen (N) inputs to the soil in the form of urine, dung and mineral fertiliser. Dairy cow urine has a high N content that causes large N losses from the grazed system via nitrate (NO₃^-) leaching, nitrous oxide (N₂O) emissions and ammonia volatilization. Dicyandiamide (DCD) is a nitrification inhibitor that has been proven to reduce NO₃^- leaching and N₂O emissions, and increase pasture in New Zealand pastures (De Klein et al., 2014). DCD was commercially available for use in New …

Selection Of Suitable Varieties Of Grasses For Myanmar, Nang Khan Hline, Khin San Mu, Moe Thida Htun, Lwin Naing Oo, Soe Min Thien, Dezin Soe Lwin, Jue Jue, Aung Aung, Jenny Hanks, Werner Stür, Ganda Nakamanee

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

The basal feed resources for ruminants available in most developing countries in the tropics are crop residues, pasture from infertile land, for example communal land, or agro-industrial by-products. These are low in protein and of low digestibility. A major problem facing livestock producers in tropical areas is proper nutrition for their animals during the dry season when pastures, cereal residues and maize stover are limiting in nutritional quality. The researchers in Myanmar have tried to improve the nutritive value of fibrous agricultural residues. Aung Aung et al. (2006) supplemented the sesame and chickpea husk to bulls fed on urea-treated …

S Nutrition Is Involved In Alleviation Of Damage Of Photosynthetic Organelles By Salt Stress In Kentucky Bluegrass (Poa Pratensis L.), Sang-Hyun Park, Bok-Rye Lee, Tae-Hwan Kim, Se-Jong Oh

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Salt-stress is considered as one of the major environmental factor limiting plant growth and productivity. It has been well reported that salt stress induce the reduction of stomatal density and number leading to poor gaseous exchange which resulted in decrease of photosynthesis is associated with inhibition of several enzymes related to the Calvin cycle such as RuBisCo. In addition, salt stress decreases photosynthetic pigments such as chlorophyll and carotenoid which has important role in photosynthesis.

Sulfur (S) is one of six macronutrients needed for proper plant growth and development. In our previous work, we found that sulfur nutrition has significant …

Fodder Productivity Of Different Genotypes Of Cenchrus Ciliaris Under Hot Arid Climate Of Thar Desert, M. P. Rajora, R. K. Bhatt, S. K. Jindal, C. S. Shantharaja

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Indian arid zone occupies about 31.7 million ha of land, of which 62% lies in western Rajasthan. The climate of the area is typically arid, characterized by hot dry summers, sub-humid monsoon and cold dry winters. The soils are coarse loamy sand with low level of nutrients. These factors render cropping an undependable proposition, while animal husbandry remains the main stake of the local people. Lasiurus sindicus, Cenchrus ciliaris, C. setigerus, Panicum antidotale, P. turgidum and Cymbopogon spp., are the main perennial grasses grow in this area. These grasses had three folds advantages in the arid agricultural economy, …

Breeding Strategies For Improving Fodder Security In Semi-Arid Tropics (Sat), Vijay Kumar Yadav, P. Kaushal, P. K. Ghosh

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Semi-Arid Tropic region extends in 55 countries of the world mostly developing nations which extend from Asia to Africa and provides home for 38 % of total poor of the world (Thornton et al., 2000). South Asia holds maximum areas under SAT which is followed by the countries from African continent and South America. The region is under tremendous change and facing acute problem of water, land degradation and soil health and loss of biodiversity. Demand for livestock product in the region is growing much more rapidly than the demand for food grains. Livestock numbers have increased significantly in all …

Yield And Yield Component Development In Dual-Purpose Barley, A. K. Singh, Pradeep Saxena

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) is a widely adapted small-grain annual cereal and is a key feed and fodder in India (Kharub et al., 2013). Barley can provide nutrition to the animals through its green fodder at vegetative stage and grains after harvest from the regenerated plants. The vegetative portion of the crop is valuable as a source of pasture, cut green forage, and straw. Their relative importance is determined at different ontogenetic stages of plant. An area of barley breeding receiving increasing attention is the development of dual-purpose (green forage and grain) varieties for plains as well as …

Root Architecture And Morphology Of Advanced Synthetic Lines Developed By The Red Clover Breeding Program Of Inia-Chile, Fernando Ortega, Luis Inostroza, Catalina Vasquez, Joel Ibañez, Hernán Acuña

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Red clover (Trifolium pratense L.) is one of the most important forage legumes in temperate regions of the world. In Chile, it is the only forage species with a breeding program that has been continue over decades and produced commercial cultivars. Because of the good seed and forage production potential, red clover cultivars released by the INIA breeding program (INIA-BP) are commercialized both in Chile and abroad. The main limitation of the species worldwide is its low persistence, determined by the high plant mortality due to the deterioration of the main root and crown (Ortega et al., 2014). …

Plant Growth Regulators For Mitigating Water Stress In Cowpea, Syama S. Menon, K. E. Savithri

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Water is becoming a scarce commodity for irrigation especially under the present changing climatic scenario. Water stress hampers important physiological and biochemical mechanisms leading to reduction in plant growth and yield. Studies revealed that the exogenous application of plant hormones has been found to alleviate the negative effects of various abiotic stresses. Cowpea, being a non-season bound crop, can be grown throughout the year and it performs well during summer season under irrigation, but water scarcity limits its area under cultivation. However, limited research works have been conducted to investigate the potential benefits of exogenous application of plant growth regulators …

Effects Of Warming On Decomposition Of Submerged Plant Litter And Associated Microorganisms In Streamside Channels, Kaity Ackerman

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Surface air temperatures are predicted to increase in the near future, which will likely affect microbial activity and carbon flow in stream ecosystems. I performed an experiment in streamside channels at Coweeta Hydrological Laboratory, NC to assess responses of litter-associated microorganisms to moderate increases in water temperature (5 levels, ambient to +4°C). The objectives of the experiment were to determine: (1) if there are differences in the magnitude of responses to temperature among various microbial parameters and (2) whether microbial responses to temperature vary among plant litter of different carbon quality. Thus, I measured litter decomposition rate, fungal biomass (ergosterol), …

Development Of A Reference Set Of Sorghum (Sorghum Spp.) For Cyanogenic Potential (Hcn-P) And Evaluating Their Fodder Yield Traits, B. J. Karthikeyan, C. Babu, A. John Joel, S. Ganeshram

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench) the fifth most important cereal crop of the world is also valued for its fodder and stover. In India, fodder sorghum is grown in 2.6 mha mainly in western UP, Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan and Delhi and fulfils over two-third of the fodder demand.

Sorghum has four desirable qualities viz., high dry matter yield, light, water and nitrogen use efficiency. Sorghum stover is valued over all other sources of fodder. Thus, sorghum is used as fodder to the domestic animals for its better performance. The projected demand for fodder in India in 2020 is expected …

A Review Of Major Role Of Vitamin D3 In Human Immune System And Its Possible Use For Novel Corona Virus Treatment, Florentin Smarandache, Victor Christianto

Branch Mathematics and Statistics Faculty and Staff Publications

the evidences showing major role of Vitamin D3 in human immune system and its potential use for novel corona virus treatment. Our argument is based on research finding that corona virus has viral envelope glycoproteins. In this regard, Vitamin D3 proves to offer various beneficial effects, including immunomodulatory effect, in order to break the glycoproteins envelope of the virus. One of the greatest benefit of vitamin D3 is the fact that it is easy to get 10,000 - 20,000 IU of daily intake requirement, by sunbathing for more or less twenty minutes. Such a method is likely applicable in many …

The Role Of Bacterial Symbionts And Bioluminescence In The Pyrosome, Pyrosoma Atlanticum, Alexis Berger

HCNSO Student Theses and Dissertations

The pelagic tunicate, Pyrosoma atlanticum, is known for its brilliant bioluminescence, but the mechanism causing this bioluminescence has not been fully characterized. This study identifies the bacterial bioluminescent symbionts of P. atlanticum collected in the northern Gulf of Mexico using various methods such as electron microscopy, light microscopy, and molecular genetics. The bacteria are localized within a specific pyrosome light organ. Bioluminescent symbiotic bacteria of Vibrionaceae composed >50% of taxa in tunicate samples (n=13), which was shown by utilizing current molecular genetics methodologies. While searching for bacterial lux genes in 2 tunicate samples, we also serendipitously generated a draft …

Quality Of Fodder Cowpea Varieties As Influenced By Soil Moisture Stress Levels, S. Lakshmi, M. R. Anita

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

A serious drawback of sustainable livestock production system in Kerala is the inadequate seasonal distribution of fodder production. The quantity and quality of herbage available in the lean dry months from January to May is very low. Therefore it is imperative to develop a fodder production system that increases the availability and improves the quality of herbage in the dry summer months. Fodder cowpea (Vigna unguiculata L. Walp) is a legume inherently more tolerant to drought than other fodder legumes (Fatokun et al., 2009) and considered as a crop capable of improving sustainability of livestock production through its …

Genetic Variability In Sorghum Exotic Accessions For Nutritional Attributes And Methane Emission Potential, Sultan Singh, D. C. Joshi, R. V. Kumar

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Sorghum an important fodder crop grown for multiple uses as fodder, food and fuel constitute major chunk of forage produced in India. Over the past years Indian farmer’s preference to dual purpose sorghum has changed. Introduction of dual-purpose sorghum varieties to sustain rural development, enhance renewable energy production and improve food security has been stressed Genetic variability of sorghum may be exploited to bred dual purpose hybrids/varieties for higher fodder yield without compromising grain yield.Substantial variations in the fodder value of sorghum stovers have been reported that supports the concept of genetic enhancement to improve dual-purpose sorghum cultivars. Under the …

Genetic Diversity Of Genus Avena In North Western-Himalayas Assessed By Morphological Traits, V. K. Sood, Indu Rana, Aditi Sharma, Rajan Katoch, H. K. Chaudhary, Waseem Hussain

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Oat (Avena sativa L.) is a cool season, annual crop grown mainly in moist areas of temperate climates of the world serving as a food for mankind and forage for cattle. Oat is an important rabi fodder crop in India.In India, oat is also cultivated in Himalayan states like Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand. Oat in these regions have a wider adaptability, because of its excellent growing habitat, quick re-growth and better nutritional value (Misri, 2004). Oat breeding programme in Indian regions has not achieved much impetus due to a narrow genetic base of cultivated gene pool within the …

Wild Halophyte Plants As Potential Fodder Resource Under Extreme Saline Environment Of Kachchh, Gujarat, India, Shamsudheen Mangalassery, Devi Dayal, A. K. Mishra, Sachin Patel, Nisha Goswami

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Rann of Kachchh in North West India is a unique saline marshy desert. It is described as "a desolate area of unrelieved, sun-baked saline clay desert, shimmering with the images of a perpetual mirage"(Mountfort et al., 1991) and is regarded as the largest salt desert in the world. In the Indian part it stretches in 7505.22 sq. km known as Great Rann and 4,953 sq. km known as Little Rann. The Ranns turns into marshy land by inundated water from runoff during monsoonal rainfall and water driven by forces of winds and tides from Arabian Sea making the area unapproachable …

Symbiosis And Bioinvasive Dynamics Of Durusdinium Trenchii And Its Acroporid Coral Hosts, David Craig Lawson

HCNSO Student Capstones

Biological invasions are a growing threat to coral reef ecosystems, as increasing anthropogenic transport and changing environmental patterns allow invasive species to establish and spread. Durusdinium trenchii is a dinoflagellate that has invaded the Greater Caribbean reef system and established symbioses with coral hosts. Establishment and persistence of invasive endosymbionts like D. trenchii could indicate a shift in the clade composition of coral holobionts worldwide. Statistical analyses were performed on the GeoSymbio database (Franklin et al. 2012) to determine whether differences in clade composition have occurred over time. Factors that influence biological invasions in marine ecosystems were assessed and analogous …

Temperature Dependence On Enzymatic Activity Of A82f F87a Mutant And Wild-Type Cytochrome P450 Bm-3, Sally Seder

Undergraduate Theses

Cytochrome P450 is an enzyme mainly found in liver cells. It plays a key role in the breakdown of drugs and toxins by hydroxylating substrates making the substrates more water soluble. P450s are also involved in cholesterol and hormone synthesis. The third P450 from bacterium Bacillus Megaterium (BM3) is used as a model P450 enzyme due to its structural similarity to human P450s and due to its efficiency in the hydroxylation of fatty acids. Within the enzyme’s active site, substrates can occupy a distal or proximal conformation monitored by UV-vis spectroscopy. The proximal conformation is more effective when it comes …

Critical Habitats And Biodiversity: Inventory, Thresholds And Governance, Alex Rogers, Octavio Aburto-Oropeza, Ward Appeltans, Jorge Assis, Lisa T. Ballance, Philippe Cury, Carlos M. Duarte, Fabio Favoretto, Joy Kumagai, Catherine Lovelock, Patricia Miloslavich, Aidi Niamir, David Obura, Bethan C. O'Leary, Gabriel Reygondeau, Callum Roberts, Yvonne Sadovy, Tracey Sutton, Derek P. Tittensor, Enriqueta Velarde

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Reports

Key Messages:

• Evidence suggests that ocean biodiversity at all levels is being lost as a result of the direct and indirect impacts of human pressures. The main drivers of biodiversity loss are overexploitation and human pressures in coastal environments (development, habitat loss, pollution, disturbance). Increasingly, climate change and ocean acidification are and will be drivers of biodiversity loss especially in sensitive coastal ecosystems.
  
  
• Despite advances in understanding the distribution of species and habitats in the ocean, many aspects of marine biodiversity remain poorly understood. As a result, changes in marine biodiversity are difficult to ascertain and there is a critical …

A Social–Ecological Odyssey In Fisheries And Wildlife Management, Andrew K. Carlson, William W. Taylor, Melissa R. Cronin, Mitchell J. Eaton, Mark A. Kaemingk, Andrea J. Reid, Ashley Trudeau

Nebraska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit: Staff Publications

Aldo Leopold, famous ecologist and “father” of North American wildlife management, once said, “These are two things that interest me: the relation of people to each other, and the relation of people to land” (Leopold 1947). Ever prescient, Leopold recognized that natural resource management is fundamentally about humans and their relationship with nature well before conservation became an established way of thinking, much less the bedrock of entire professions. Similarly, amid the Green Revolution to increase agricultural production, in part, through widespread use of pesticides, renowned environmentalist and journalist Rachel Carson noted that we are all “a part of nature, …

Dreissena In The Great Lakes: Benthic Community Impacts And Facilitation, Sonya C. Bayba

Great Lakes Center Masters Theses

Non-native invasive Dreissena mussels have altered the flow of energy in numerous freshwater systems by diverting nutrients from pelagic to littoral benthic food-webs, thus reducing primary production available to deep offshore benthos. Though the effect of the nearshore-dwelling Dreissena polymorpha (zebra mussel) on benthos has been studied thoroughly, little is known about the deep, offshore impacts of Dreissena rostriformis bugensis (quagga mussel). In the last two decades, quagga mussels have displaced zebra mussels in shallow Great Lakes regions and colonized previously uninhabited offshore lake regions. It is likely that the spread of quagga mussels into deep profundal areas has resulted …

Comparative Analysis Of Metabolic Pathways Of Bacteria Used In Fermented Food, Keanu Hoang, Kiran Bastola

Theses/Capstones/Creative Projects

This study presents a novel methodology for analyzing metabolic pathways. Utilizing KEGG REST API through a Biopython package and file parser, data about whether or not a bacteria has an enzyme or not was extracted. The results found that differences in metabolic pathway enrichment values follow along the lines of genera and pathway type. In particular, bacteria found in food spoilage and commercial nitrogen fixing products had high values of enrichment.

Growing Food In Space: A Comparison Of Led And Solar-Fiber-Optic Technologies, Paul Kusuma, J. Matthew Hardy

Utah Space Grant Consortium

Growing food on Mars for long-term space exploration has many benefits including reduced fuel and cost requirements for lift-off, improved nutrition and psychological benefits for astronauts, air purification, and oxygen and water regeneration. However, complications are caused by the thin atmosphere on Mars, which would force production underground or into a heavily armored shelter. Providing the massive number of photons necessary to grow food is expensive and careful consideration must be made regarding the most promising technologies. The two most promising options are a combination of either concentrating mirrors coupled to solar-fiber-optics (SFO), or photovoltaics (PV) coupled to light-emitting diodes …

Determining Donor Age Through Blood Analysis Using Attenuated Total Reflection Fourier Transform-Infrared (Atr Ft-Ir) Spectroscopy For Forensic Purposes, Samantha Leigh Giuliano

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Chapter 1 of this thesis is an overview of the use of attenuated total reflection Fourier transform-infrared (ATR FT-IR) spectroscopy in industry and for examination of body fluids with emphasizes on examination of blood. It covers recent developments for analysis of samples with ATR FT-IR spectroscopy for forensic purposes.

Jplink: On Linking Jobs To Vocational Interest Types, Amila Silva, Pei Chi Lo, Ee-Peng Lim

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Linking job seekers with relevant jobs requires matching based on not only skills, but also personality types. Although the Holland Code also known as RIASEC has frequently been used to group people by their suitability for six different categories of occupations, the RIASEC category labels of individual jobs are often not found in job posts. This is attributed to significant manual efforts required for assigning job posts with RIASEC labels. To cope with assigning massive number of jobs with RIASEC labels, we propose JPLink, a machine learning approach using the text content in job titles and job descriptions. JPLink exploits …

Physical And Life Science - Food And Energy: Animal And Plant Energy, Cassandra Armstrong

Model NGSS Lessons: 4th - 5th Grade

Energy exists in many forms and is constantly being transferred between forms. All energy types can be sorted into two main categories: potential and kinetic. Potential energy is stored energy. Chemical energy, nuclear energy, stored mechanical energy, and gravitational energy are all examples of potential energy. Kinetic energy is the energy of motion. Radiant (light) energy, thermal energy, sound energy, and electrical energy are all examples of kinetic energy. Energy cannot be created or destroyed, only transferred between the types of energy. Most energy we use on Earth stems from the nuclear energy from within the sun.

Evaluating The Influences Of Harvesting Activity And Eutrophication On Loss Of Aquatic Vegetations In Taihu Lake, China, Juhua Luo, Ruiliang Pu, Hongtao Duan, Ronghua Ma, Zhigang Mao, Yuan Zeng, Linsheng Huang, Qitao Xiao

School of Geosciences Faculty and Staff Publications

A rapid degradation of aquatic vegetations in Taihu Lake has roused a wide attention in recent years. Giving large-scale harvesting activity on aquatic vegetation since 2012, whether water eutrophication or the human harvest activity induced the degradation remains controversial and unclear. In this study, based on Landsat and HJ-CCD data acquired from 1984 to 2016 and a 12-year field observation (2005–2016) of water quality, a method was proposed to quantitatively assess impacts of harvesting activity and water quality change on degradations of both floating-leaved aquatic vegetation (FAV) and submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) in Taihu Lake. First, areas of FAV and …