Digital Commons Network^™

Heavy Metals Analysis And Physicochemical Characterization Of Groundwater At A Battery Recycling Site In South-Western Nigeria, Adeniyi T. Adeleke, Rasaki K. Odunaike, Shamsideen K. Alausa, Idris O. Olayiwola, Adetoro T. Talabi, Qasim A. Adeniji, Adejumobi C. Adeniyi

Tanzania Journal of Science

Indiscriminate dumping of battery waste is a huge issue that endangers human health and the environment. This study aimed at analysing the health impacts of exposure to pollution from spent battery recycling in Ogun State, which houses a diverse range of battery recycling industries. At this study site, forty water samples were studied over the Wet and Dry seasons to assess the impact of battery recycling waste on groundwater. Except for the TSS, the physiochemical parameters of the groundwater vary with season and are within the permissible limits. The electrical conductivity (EC), turbidity, Phosphorus, Biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), Dissolve oxygen …

Synthesis Of Template-Free Flower-Like Zno Nanorods Using A Simple Chemical Bath Technique, Benard S. Mwankemwa

Tanzania Journal of Science

Flower-like ZnO nanorods were successfully synthesised using a template-free, low-temperature chemical bath deposition method. The effects of growth time on the structural, morphological, and vibrational properties of flower-like zinc oxide were investigated. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) indicated that the crystallite size and density of flower-like ZnO nanorods increased with increasing growth time. Raman spectroscopy confirmed the existence of specific Raman modes that correspond to the wurtzite structure of ZnO. In addition, Raman measurements revealed that increased growth time increases the Raman modes intensity of the flower-like ZnO nanorods. Moreover, the measurements of the Au/ZnO nanorods/FTO Schottky …

Safety, Immunogenicity, And Mechanism Of A Rotavirus Mrna-Lnp Vaccine In Mice, Chenxing Lu, Yan Li, Rong Chen, Xiaoqing Hu, Qingmei Leng, Xiaopeng Song, Xiaochen Lin, Jun Ye, Jinlan Wang, Jinmei Li, Lida Yao, Xianqiong Tang, Xiangjun Kuang, Guangming Zhang, Maosheng Sun, Yan Zhou, Hongjun Li

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Rotaviruses (RVs) are a major cause of diarrhea in young children worldwide. The currently available and licensed vaccines contain live attenuated RVs. Optimization of live attenuated RV vaccines or developing non-replicating RV (e.g., mRNA) vaccines is crucial for reducing the morbidity and mortality from RV infections. Herein, a nucleoside-modified mRNA vaccine encapsulated in lipid nanoparticles (LNP) and encoding the VP7 protein from the G1 type of RV was developed. The 5' untranslated region of an isolated human RV was utilized for the mRNA vaccine. After undergoing quality inspection, the VP7-mRNA vaccine was injected by subcutaneous or intramuscular routes into mice. …

Infusing Quantitative Reasoning Skills Into A Differential Equation Class In An Urban Public Community College, Tanvir Prince

Numeracy

This research centers on implementing Quantitative Reasoning (QR) within a differential equations course at an urban public community college. As a participant in the Numeracy Infusion for College Educators (NICE) faculty development program, I sought to integrate QR skills into my curriculum. Students in the course were introduced to QR goals using real-world data sets, particularly those related to population growth, which aim to enhance their understanding, sharpen their problem-solving abilities, and cultivate a positive perspective on the real-world relevance of mathematics. Preliminary findings indicate varied levels of QR skill development among students. These results underscore the potential benefits of …

Parallels Of Quantum Superposition In Ecological Models: From Counterintuitive Patterns To Eco-Evolutionary Interpretations Of Cryptic Species, David G. Angeler, Hannah B. Fried-Petersen

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Background Superposition, i.e. the ability of a particle (electron, photon) to occur in different states or positions simultaneously, is a hallmark in the subatomic world of quantum mechanics. Although counterintuitive at first sight, the quantum world has potential to inform macro-systems of people and nature. Using time series and spatial analysis of bird, phytoplankton and benthic invertebrate communities, this paper shows that superposition can occur analogously in redundancy analysis (RDA) frequently used by ecologists.

Results We show that within individual ecosystems single species can be associated simultaneously with different orthogonal axes in RDA models, which suggests that they operate in …

Aromatic Residue Positioning Influences Helical Peptoid Structure In Aqueous Solution, Jwwad M. Javed, Katherine Scukas, Michelle T. Nguyen, Amelia A. Fuller

Chemistry and Biochemistry

Water-soluble peptidomimetics, including peptoids, are promising functional surrogates for biologically relevant, amphiphilic, helical peptides. Twenty amphiphilic peptoid hexamers with predicted helical structures were designed, prepared, and studied using circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy. The site-specific contributions of aromatic and charged residues to the helical structure of peptoid hexamers in aqueous solution was evaluated, revealing that aromatic residue positioning most significantly impacts structure.

On Modeling Arterial Blood Flow With Or Without Solute Transport And In Presence Of Atherosclerosis, Daniel N. Riahi, Saulo Orizaga

School of Mathematical & Statistical Sciences Faculty Publications

In this article, we review previous studies of modeling problems for blood flow with or without transport of a solute in a section of arterial blood flow and in the presence of atherosclerosis. Moreover, we review problems of bio-fluid dynamics within the field of biophysics. In most modeling cases, the presence of red blood cells in the plasma is taken into account either by using a two-phase flow approach, where blood plasma is considered as one phase and red blood cells are counted as another phase, or by using a variable viscosity formula that accounts for the amount of hematocrit …

Model Selection Through Cross-Validation For Supervised Learning Tasks With Manifold Data, Derek Brown

The Journal of Purdue Undergraduate Research

No abstract provided.

The Effects Of Wildfire Aerosol Emissions On Air Quality, Emma Braun, Audrey Shirley

The Journal of Purdue Undergraduate Research

No abstract provided.

Machine Learning Of Big Data: A Gaussian Regression Model To Predict The Spatiotemporal Distribution Of Ground Ozone, Jerry Gu

The Journal of Purdue Undergraduate Research

Tracking pollution levels on the ground is important to the environment and public health. One of the pollutants of concern is ozone, which, at high concentrations, can cause respiratory and cardiovascular problems. The National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) has published valuable ozone data obtained from ground-based sensors installed at selected locations. Because it is unfeasible to measure the exact ozone levels everywhere at any time, it would be valuable to predict the temporal-spatial distributions of ozone concentration based on existing data. This would help us better understand the patterns and trends in the data and make better decisions to …

A Computational Profile Of Invasive Lionfish In Belize: A New Insight On A Destructive Species, Joshua E. Balan

The Journal of Purdue Undergraduate Research

Since their discovery in the region in 2009, invasive Indonesian-native lionfish have been taking over the Belize Barrier Reef. As a result, populations of local species have dwindled as they are either eaten or outcompeted by the invaders. This has led to devastating losses ecologically and economically; massive industries in the local nations, such as fisheries and tourism, have suffered greatly. Attempting to combat this, local organizations, from nonprofits to ecotourism companies, have been manually spear-hunting them on scuba dives to cull the population. One such company, Reef Conservation Institute (ReefCI), operating out of Tom Owens Caye outside of Placencia, …

De Novo Drug Design Using Transformer-Based Machine Translation And Reinforcement Learning Of An Adaptive Monte Carlo Tree Search, Dony Ang, Cyril Rakovski, Hagop S. Atamian

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

The discovery of novel therapeutic compounds through de novo drug design represents a critical challenge in the field of pharmaceutical research. Traditional drug discovery approaches are often resource intensive and time consuming, leading researchers to explore innovative methods that harness the power of deep learning and reinforcement learning techniques. Here, we introduce a novel drug design approach called drugAI that leverages the Encoder–Decoder Transformer architecture in tandem with Reinforcement Learning via a Monte Carlo Tree Search (RL-MCTS) to expedite the process of drug discovery while ensuring the production of valid small molecules with drug-like characteristics and strong binding affinities towards …

A Tale Of Two Viruses: Why Smallpox Was Eradicated And Polio Persists, Katherine G. Mcgough, Erin N. Bodine

Spora: A Journal of Biomathematics

The smallpox and poliomyelitis (polio) viruses were, at a time, one of the largest threats to global public health killing millions until global eradication campaigns were put into effect. Vaccination led to the eradication of smallpox and the elimination of polio for most of the world. However, polio continues to persist at endemic levels in Pakistan and Afghanistan. We developed ODE models of smallpox and polio to explore differences in transmission dynamics and determine if the underlying biology has made poliomyelitis more difficult to eradicate. Our model analysis shows there are multiple factors which should allow polio to have a …

Analyzing Novel Metal Alloys For Glucose Sensing And Electrocatalysis, Anna Grace Boddy

Theses and Dissertations

In pharmaceutical and medicinal chemistry, metals and metal alloys often receive less attention compared to biological or organic compounds due to many factors including toxicity in the body for drug development or the cost of these metals. However, metals can play an important role in pharmaceuticals, having an impact on original cancer drugs, such as platinum used for head and neck tumors. Electrocatalysis is also another topic that receives less attention over topics such as chromatography in pharmaceuticals due to its potential toxic catalysts and voltages that could be harmful to the body. Electrocatalytic sensors can play an important role …

Toward The Ir Detection Of Carbon Acid: Absorption And Emission Spectrum, Ryan C. Fortenberry, Vincent J. Esposito

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

With the recent radioastronomical detection of cis-trans-carbonic acid (H₂CO₃) in a molecular cloud toward the Galactic center, the more stable but currently unobserved cis-cis conformer is shown here to have strong IR features. While the higher-energy cis-trans-carbonic acid was detected at millimeter and centimeter wavelengths, owing to its larger dipole moment, the vibrational structure of cis-cis-carbonic acid is more amenable to its observation at micron wavelengths. Even so, both conformers have relatively large IR intensities, and some of these fall in regions not dominated by polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Water features may inhibit observation …

Prevention And Potential Treatment Strategies For Respiratory Syncytial Virus, Bo-Wen Sun, Peng-Peng Zhang, Zong-Hao Wang, Xia Yao, Meng-Lan He, Rui-Ting Bai, Hao Che, Jing Lin, Tian Xie, Zi Hui, Xiang-Yang Ye, Li-Wei Wang

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a significant viral pathogen that causes respiratory infections in infants, the elderly, and immunocompromised individuals. RSV-related illnesses impose a substantial economic burden worldwide annually. The molecular structure, function, and in vivo interaction mechanisms of RSV have received more comprehensive attention in recent times, and significant progress has been made in developing inhibitors targeting various stages of the RSV replication cycle. These include fusion inhibitors, RSV polymerase inhibitors, and nucleoprotein inhibitors, as well as FDA-approved RSV prophylactic drugs palivizumab and nirsevimab. The research community is hopeful that these developments might provide easier access to knowledge and …

Auto-Combustion Synthesis Of Lanthanum-Doped Tio2 Nanostructures For Efficient Photocatalytic Degradation Of Crystal Violet Dye, Gharieb Meselhy, Mostafa Yasine Nassar, Ibrahim Mohamed Nassar, Sabry Hamed Seda

Dentistry

Utilising the solution combustion technique, nanocrystalline photocatalysts that included both pristine TiO₂ and doped TiO₂ with various La (III) dopant percentages (1, 3, 5, and 7 mol%) were created. Different methods, including thermal analysis, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM), X-ray diffractometer (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), and field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), were used to investigate the prepared nanostructures. The XRD results indicated the anatase form and the crystalline nature of the products (pristine and doped TiO2) in the size range of a crystallite (5–16.5) nm. The photocatalytic assessment of the prepared nano-photocatalysts was carried out by …

Designing Dual-Purpose Management Strategies For Sheep Production And Pollinators In Dryland Pastures, Mia Caudillo, Andony Melathopoulos, Mary Smallman, Sarah A. Kinkaid, David E. Prado-Tarango, Serkan Ates

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Development of novel grazing management practicesfor both livestock production and pollinator health is becoming increasingly crucial in pasture-based farming systems. The effect of pasture type and spring closing dates on lamb liveweight gain, pasture production, botanical composition, bloom density and bee visitation was monitored over 2 years at the Oregon State University in Corvallis. Total annual dry matter yield (DMY) of diverse pastures in 2020/2021 was 8.8 t DM ha^-1 and this was greater (P-1) and legume pastures (6.6 t DM ha^-1). In successive years, lambs grew faster in legume pastures (287, 215 g per head d …

Tillering Of ‘Marandu’ Brachiaria Under Different Nitrogen Rates In The Brazilian Savannah, A. B. O. Assis, A. L. Bocchi, T. C. Pedrosa, A. O. Matos, A. P. B. Soares

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

The tiller is the basic unit of grass growth and tiller density determines the horizontal ground cover, leaves production and pastures perennially. The objective in this study was to quantify the number of aerial and basal tillers and basal:aerial tillers ratio in Urochloa brizantha cv. Marandu, established in Brazilian savannah, submitted to nitrogen doses (0, 50, 100 and 150 kg N/ha). The experiment was carried out in the Forage and Pasture Sector of Jataí Federal University (UFJ) and after soil correction and fertilization, plots were established with Marandu palisade grass in a randomized block design, with four replications and four …

Effect Of Soil Source And Variety On The Heavy Metal Contents Of Guinea Grass, C. C. Anotaenwere, P. O. Bankole, P. A. Dele, Alaba O. Jolaosho

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

The aim of this study was to evaluate the heavy metal content in soils and grasses planted on selected contaminated soils. The study was a 3 x 2 factorial experiment in a completely randomized design comprising of two factors which are: 3 soil sources (i.e., industrial site, dump site and Fadama (a lowland around a river/stream) which was used as the control) and 2 varieties of Megathyrsus maximus (var. Local and Ntchisi) replicated four times. Soils were collected from the three sites and planting was done in a greenhouse. Soil samples were collected before and after planting. Samples of the …

Effect Of Nitrogen Source And Age At Harvest On The In Vitro Digestibility Of Oba Super Ii Maize Fodder, C. C. Anotaenwere, P. A. Dele, F. E. Salawu, B. T. Akinyemi, O. A. Okukenu, Alaba O. Jolaosho

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

This experiment was carried out in the Pasture Section of the Directorate of University farms and the laboratory of Department of Pasture and Range Management, Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, Nigeria, to evaluate the effect of nitrogen source (Swine manure, N.P.K. 15:15:15 as well as the control) and age at harvest on the in vitro gas production and digestibility of Oba Super II maize fodder. The experiment was in a split plot design. The nitrogen source was applied at the rate of 120 kgN/ha two weeks after planting. Maize was harvested at 8, 10 and 12 weeks after planting, oven …

Harvest Time Determine Biomass And Nutritive Value Of Forage Soybean In The Northwestern Loess Plateau Of China, An Dong, Jean Marie Vianney Nsigayehe, Y. Y. Shen

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Soybean is a critical legume crop, which can be used as high protein forage in a crop-forage rotation system to supplement forage and increase system productivity. According to the actual production demand, selecting a suitable harvest time and the best feeding variety of soybean can provide a theoretical basis for applying forage soybean in a rotation system. In this study, four forage soybean varieties were selected in the Loess Plateau of northwest China. They were harvested on three dates suitable for local rotation conditions, and their biomass and nutritive value were evaluated. At the early harvest (20 August), the nutritive …

Developing A Simple Bioassay For Detection Of Alfalfa Autotoxicity In Field Soils, P. Baisley, K. Cassida, S. Gruss, E. Hill

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Alfalfa autotoxicity causes yield reductions in alfalfa production by inhibiting plant establishment and decreasing plant productivity. Accurate predictions regarding autotoxic potential of the soil in a given field at a given time are an essential tool for alfalfa growers to make appropriate planting decisions. To address this issue, we are developing a soil bioassay that can be conducted as a mail-in soil test for alfalfa growers through plant diagnostic service laboratories. We hypothesize that we will detect differences in seed germination, emergence, root length, and root morphology between control and autotoxic soils. A preliminary trial testing alfalfa field soils and …

Phyllochron And Growth Dynamic Of Lolium Perenne L. And Bromus Valdivianus Phil. As Affected By Soil Ph, Phosphorus And Nitrogen Restriction, Oscar A. Balocchi, M. F. Alonso, I. Calvache

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Permanent grasslands are the main food for livestock production systems in Southern Chile. Therefore, it is essential to develop management tools that optimize the use of pastures. Among these tools, the phyllochron could be a better method to control grazing frequency. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of three levels of soil pH, phosphorus (P) and nitrogen (N) on the phyllochron and growth dynamic of Lolium perenne and Bromus valdivianus. Nine monophytic mini-swards of each species were established in 125 L containers for three different pH, P and N levels. For one year we measured: …

Mass Production And Morphology Of Marandu Brachiaria Under Different Nitrogen Rates In The Brazilian Savannah, V. L. Banys, A. O. Matos, A. L. Bocchi, I. I. Silva, L. V. D. Ribeiro

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Nitrogen is the nutrient that most contributes to increase forage productivity and quality. The objective was to evaluate Marandu brachiaria submitted to nitrogen doses in the Brazilian savannah through the total and green mass production, leaf:stem and brachiaria:weed ratio. Plots were established in a randomized block design, with four replications and four N doses 0, 50, 100 and 150 kg N/ha). After the uniformization cut, the data collect cycles occurred when the canopy reached 30 cm average height. Samples were taken until 15 cm from the ground in an area of 0.25 m². Fractions were separated according botanical …

Grazing Management For Alfalfa Persistence And Productivity In Warm-Climate Regions, D. Basigalup

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Alfalfa is the most important cultivated forage crop in Argentina, where about 3 million hectares are grown. Even though the use of direct grazing is coming down during the last 15 years, it is still important for both beef and dairy production. Alfalfa grazing can play an important role in reducing operative costs and decreasing quality loss due to forage conservation (hay or silage). In this paper, the main concepts necessary to implement adequate and practical rotational grazing systems are briefly discussed. Particular attention is given to issues such as grazing frequency, grazing period, pasture use efficiency, and alfalfa quality …

Genetic Improvement Of Bermudagrass For Hay Producers, W. F. Anderson, L. Baxter, R. N. Gates, E. Rios

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Bermudagrass (Cynodon spp.) is considered the most valuable warm-season perennial grass for hay producers in the Southeastern United States. Bermudagrass genotypes have overall good forage quality, high yields, and store well. However, there are challenges to producing good hay for the market. First, early green-up in the spring is needed to allow for four to five productive clippings during the summer. When first establishing production fields, quick emergence and cover are important for reducing weeds. Forage bermudagrass is somewhat tolerant to drought, however, low rainfall substantially reduces yields. If rainfall is too abundant, it is difficult to have timely …

Genetic Variability Of Lucerne Landraces From Central Italy Detected By Rapd Markers, L Russi, G Barcaccia, M Falcinelli, F Veronesi

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

With the aim to characterize six lucerne landraces (Medicago sativa L.), representing a sample of a collection from central Italy, sixty individuals per landrace were evaluated by screening for RAPD markers with three lucerne-specific primers. Twenty-one amplification products were scored as present or absent across all plants. The dendrogram from mean genetic similarity estimates displayed Casalina alone and the other landraces clustered into one distinct group, showing a single branch point with more than 73% of genetic similarity. The discriminant analysis grouped the landraces in a similar manner. The first function maximally separated the group Grosseto, Gubbio and C. …

Amphicarpic Legumes For Tropical Pasture Persistence, R Schultze-Kraft, A Schmidt, H Hohn

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Amphicarpy, by which a plant produces underground seeds in addition to aerial fruits, is found in many plant families and in species of at least 15 legume genera. First studies on the tropical Centrosema rotundifolium and subtropical Macroptilium panduratum revealed for both species, besides their stoloniferous growth habit, two important mechanisms for survival under unfavorable conditions: (1) Underground meristems and reserve organs, and (2) regeneration from a soil seed reserve based on underground, aerial-flowering independent, seed production. Underground seed production was for both species particularly high on very sandy soils, but amphicarpy enables the plants to exhibit a plasticity response …

A Coupled Model Of Population, Poaching, And Economic Dynamics To Assess Rhino Conservation Through Legal Trade, Henry Doyle, Kylie Champagne, Ditto Rajpal, Grace Seebeck, David J. Gerberry

Spora: A Journal of Biomathematics

Rhinoceros populations in Africa are in peril largely due to the high value of their horns and the poaching that ensues. The strategy of legalizing the international trade of rhino horn is receiving increased support among both the people and government officials in Africa. Many in the international conservation community remain opposed to the idea. The legalization strategy is straightforward in theory: legalizing the trade of rhino horn will introduce a large quantity of horn to the market, the increased supply will lead to lower prices for rhino horn, and lower prices will reduce the overall poaching pressure these animals …