Digital Commons Network^™

Strategies For Success In The E-Grocery Industry, Tong Niu

Theses

US e-grocers have been testing different business models with varying results. This research conducted a meta-analysis of six online grocers (Peapod, Tesco, Safeway, FreshDirect, Webvan and Streamline) to identify the pattern of strategies that contribute to their performance. Each company's management capabilities, expansion and market selection strategy, order-picking method, delivery method, website design and Customer Relations Management (CRM) are explored and compared to identify the factors that provide these businesses with a greater chance of success. The findings suggest that knowledge of and experience in the grocery business play an important role in the success of an online grocer. Using …

An Overview Of Packaging Sustainability Topics, Alexandros Astropekakis

Theses

This thesis presents the global challenges behind the need of sustainable development. It links packaging to this need and describes the way packaging can positively contribute to this process. It presents industry examples of "green packaging" that claim to or may actually contribute to sustainable development. It monitors the understanding of packaging professionals for what is called "packaging sustainability" through a custom made on-line survey. Finally it presents a comparison of environmental impacts for different polymer materials used for the production of rigid containers (HDPE, PP, PET, PVC and PLA) through an analysis of Life Cycle Inventory (LCI) data for …

Automated Grazing Management, Gregory J. Von Pless

Theses

Management-intensive grazing is a grazing management strategy that relies on careful monitoring of animals at pasture and frequent relocation of animals between various regions of the pasture, or paddocks, in order to maximize the nutrients and sustenance the animals obtain through grazing. When applied successfully, this approach to grazing management yields higher animal production, while cutting feed costs; however, a great deal of overhead is introduced in monitoring and moving the animals throughout the pasture, making this approach very difficult to implement at a large scale. Recent successes in the field of dynamic virtual fencing have demonstrated the feasibility of …

Evaluation Of Nutrient (Protein) – Organism (Fish) Relationship Using A Saturation Kinetic Model, Zainab Saad Abdul Rahman

Theses

The primary objective of this thesis was to demonstrate that the net nutrient (protein) deposition and weight gain as a function of nutrient (protein) intake fits the Saturation Kinetic Model and utilize the model parameters to describe and predict intake-deposition relationship.

Groups of Nile tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus, fry (0.01 g) and small fingerlings (0.15 g) were each separately fed twelve semi purified diets in triplicates to the fingerling and duplicate to the fry trial. Each test diet contains a percentage of protein. Protein levels were 0, 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, 50 and 54 percent …

Biological Control Of Fusarium Oxysporum Wilt Disease Of Tomato By Antagonistic And Plant Growth Promoting Actinomycetes, Nada Mohammed Ibrahim Al-Shugairan

Theses

Soil-borne fungal plant pathogens cause some of the most widespread and serious plant diseases. Root diseases caused by these pathogens such as wilt, root rot, collar rot, foot rot, seedling pre- and post-emergence damping-off are the foremost of problems which are gaining importance from day to day in the world and for which no direct control measures have been evolved so far. Fusarium spp. is a widespread soil-borne plant pathogen and is the causal agents of wilt disease of many economically important crops. Fusarium spp. is a limiting factor in the plant productivity in most agricultural soils. Wilt disease of …

Sttructure-Function Correlations Of The Antagonist Effects Of Flavonoids Present In Medicinal Plants On Oxidative Reactive Molecules, Deema Khalil Al Jayousi

Theses

Flavonoids are phenolic compounds with significant antioxidant properties. The propensity of a flavonoid to inhibit free-radical mediated events is governed by its chemical structure. Since these compounds are based on the flavan nucleus, the number, positions, and types of substitutions influence radical scavenging and chelating activity. The main objective of this thesis was to establish structure-activity relationships of flavonoids by means of experimental and computational techniques.

Initially, a series of dietary flavonoids belonging to the most representative families (flavonols; myricetin, quercetin, morin, kaempferol, and 3-hydrxoyflavone, flavones; flavone and flavanones; naringenin) were studied during the reaction with DPPH radical following addition …

Migration During The Dust Bowl, Devin Kerr

Theses

None provided.

Dishsoap For Clean Water: How The Design Of Everyday Objects Can Promote Happiness, Xanthe Matychak

Theses

This project began with the question: What keeps us from achieving sustainable happiness, happiness for ourselves and future generations? I have chosen to focus on the citizen/consumer conflict which occurs when our consumer choices are incongruous with our moral obligations to society. This conflict is a consequence of the market systems that are in place and consumers’ lack of a critical understanding of these systems. Thus, with this project, I am attempting to make these systems more transparent. Looking at economic approaches like price adjustment and awareness-raising strategies I have focused on the latter. Drawing from the history of semiotics …

Rescuing System Design, Il-Chan Lee

Theses

There are many different technologies and equipment to search for objects underground today including mine ore, water, mineral or oil, but almost none of those technologies and equipment are applied to searching for people. This research will help to define what kinds of detecting methods exist, and what kind of technologies could be possibly applied for detecting human beings underground. ... The primary goal is to develop a new system for rescuing people under special circumstances such as building collapses, earthquakes, and being trapped underground (e.g., mine shaft collapses). There are many different technologies that could be applied to these …

A Dynamic Supine Stander For Subjects With Disabilities Leading To Prolonged Immobility, Luis Alberto Espina

Theses

Bone tissue needs to be exposed to loading in order to stimulate the osteogenic response of the body. Disabilities that lead to prolonged immobility will result in a decrease of the osteogenic processes and an increase in resorption of bone by osteoclast cells. This disuse modeling can lead to osteopenia, osteoporosis, and subsequent non-traumatic fractures. These disabilities are varied in nature and duration, and can include load bearing bone fracture, excessive obesity, spinal cord injury, and cerebral palsy.

The following describes the concept and design of a novel dynamic supine stander that will provide loads simulating ambulation to the lower …

To Establish Accurate Local Adult Reference Ranges For Routine Chemistries In A Large Diagnostic Clinical Biochemistry Laboratory In The Hse South Area, Barbara Kenneally

Theses

The objectives of this project were:

i. To establish adult reference ranges for routine chemistries quoted in the Clinical Biochemistry Department, Cork University Hospital (CUH), by using samples from blood donors at the local blood bank. 120 samples of blood from male blood donors and 120 samples from female blood donors were collected from the Irish Blood Transfusion Service (Cork). These samples were analysed for 21 routine chemistry analytes, using non-parametric statistics.

ii. To study the statistics of nineteen routine chemistries of the adult population served by the laboratory over a one- month period. Results were collected for each of …

Anaerobic Digestion: Decision Support Software, Marco Poliafico

Theses

Ireland has significant quantities of livestock; meat exportation is a vibrant sector of the economy. Environmental management of animal wastes has therefore become an important concern. On the other hand in the last decade, national and EU policy debate has highlighted the need to investigate alternative energy: in particular energy for transport.

This study investigates the quantities of animal wastes produced in Ireland and their potential treatment using Anaerobic Digestion technologies. In 2005 Ireland had over 8 millions animals (cattle and pigs) and the annual slaughter accounted for over 4.2 million of these creatures. These animals have been responsible for …

Development Of An Immunoturbidimetric Particle Enhanced Assay For Detection Of C-Reactive Protein, Maria Nicholas

Theses

Background: C-reactive protein (CRP) is a well-known marker for inflammation. Recent studies have demonstrated that increases in CRP concentrations are associated with future coronary events in apparently healthy men and women. The requirement for assays, capable of testing CRP concentrations within the range 1-lOmg/l, is therefore great.

Methods: Two CRP assays were developed. The Sensitive assay is capable of measuring CRP concentrations as low as lmg/l for use as a potential cardiac marker test. The Normal assay can measure concentrations from 5-400mg/l for establishing levels of inflammation. Both assays developed are latex particle enhanced immunoturbidimetric assays designed for use on …

Effective Approaches To Minimize The Problem Of Pharmaceuticals And Other Personal Care Products In The Environment, Papun Pramanick

Theses

Studies have shown that pharmaceuticals and other personal care products (PPCPs) are present in the environment, especially in water, due to different human activities. Some of these compounds are toxic to our eco-system. Although there is no evidence of adverse human health effect from the presence of PPCPs in the environment to date , some adverse effects on aquatic life cycle already have been found. Therefore, protecting our environment as well as human health from adverse effect(s) of PPCPs is a growing concern. The objective of this thesis work was to collect information about the principal approaches available to pharmaceutical …

Fundamentals Of The Network Neutrality Debates, Tayfun Uslu

Theses

The Network Neutrality debate is a complicated one because of the dramatic impact of networks, mainly the Internet, on people’s lives. Therefore, concepts like innovation, decentralized networks, social and political aspects need to be analyzed to have a better understanding of the fundamentals of the debate.

Epidemiology Of Hepatitis A In Al Ain: With Emphasis On Age-Related Seroprevalence, Salwa Saeed Al Shamisi

Theses

Hepatitis A (HAV) is common worldwide, but with falling sero-prevalence in residents of developed countries is an indication of improved food and water hygiene. It is well known that the sero-prevalence of hepatitis A are highly correlated with socioeconomic status. The main objective of this study was to have base line data on the age-related sero-prevalence of HAV in Al Ain district and the possible risk factors.

Blood and a questionnaire data were obtained from 280 UAE citizens' outpatients of Tawam Hospital and 333 expatriates' inhabitants of Al Ain city. The expatriate subjects were heterogeneous coming from 24 different countries. …

Avian Seed Dispersers Of The Invasive Rubus Niveus (Rosaceae) In The Galapagos Islands, Ecuador, Monica C. Soria

Theses

The foraging behavior of bird assemblages at Rubus niveus was determined over two seasons in the agricultural zone of Santa Cruz Island, Galapagos in order to identify effective seed dispersers of the species and understand the factors that aid invasion of fleshy fruited weeds. A total of seven bird species were observed feeding on R. niveus fruits. In both seasons, the small ground finch (Geospiza fuliginosa), the introduced smooth-billed ani (Crotophaga ani ) and the small tree finch (Camarhynchus parvulus) were the most common visitors. Mean number of seeds removed per visit was higher for …

Assessing Ecological Correlates Of Avian Disease Prevalence In The Galapagos Islands Using Gis And Remote Sensing, Shane Robert Siers

Theses

In recognition of the potential consequences of pathogen introduction to the Galapagos Islands, the Saint Louis Zoo and the University of Missouri¿Saint Louis, in cooperation with the Galapagos National Park Service and the Charles Darwin Research Station, implemented an avian disease surveillance program in 2001, with the objective of identifying and monitoring for pathogens that pose risk for native bird populations. The purpose of this thesis is identify environmental factors that might influence the geographic distribution of avian pathogen infection, based on two data sets obtained as a result of these surveillance efforts: 1) seroprevalence data on 10 common poultry …

Matthew Ford's Diet: An Application Of The Diet Problem, Matthew Ford

Theses

Linear Programming has its origins in the 1940's, when complex planning problems needed to be solved to contribute to the wartime operations. The Diet Problem was one of those problems. My project deals with the formulation of my own diet problem tailored to my personal tastes where I minimize the cost of eating for one week while maintaining a healthy diet. I gathered data for different meals as well as nutritional information such as calorie count and number of servings. The formulation was eventually modified to introduce variety into the diet.

Biosorption Of Priority Pollutants Of Petroleum Refinery Wastewater, Deen Adnan Sheikha

Theses

Heavy metals and organic materials pollution in the aquatic system have become a serious threat today. Zinc, phenol and naphthalene are common environmental contaminants. The fate and transport of these chemicals must be sufficiently understood to predict detrimental environmental impacts and to develop technically and economically appropriate remedial action to minimize environmental degradation. In this study, microbial biomass has emerged as an option for developing economic wastewater treatment. Dead algal biomass may passively sequester metals and organic materials by the process of biosorption from dilute solutions, where biomass functions as an ion exchanger by virtue of various reactive groups available …

Quantification Of Mrna Expression Of Her2/Neu, Estrogen Receptors Eralpha And Erbeta, And Progesterone Receptor Using Real-Time Reverse Transcription Pcr In Small Tumor Biopsies, In Human Breast Cancer, Evonne Marie. Mc Cabe

Theses

Early detection is an effective means of reducing cancer mortality. Early detection greatly improves treatment options and the chances for successful treatment. The prognosis for patients with breast cancer is determined by well-established biological features associated with biological aggressiveness, histological grade, tumour size, and nodal involvement. Breast cancer results from multiple genetic abnormalities, and cellular differentiation, tumour growth, and metastatic potential are the end result of these changes. Identification of molecular changes is of considerable value in enhancing the accuracy of prognostic indices, and more importantly, it may indicate various changes as putative targets for therapy. In recent years a …

Parent Leadership Initiative, Evanna M. Disalvo

Theses

Parental involvement in urban public schools is a vital part of any strategic plan to improve student achievement and close the achievement gap, but many parents lack the leadership skills that would enable them to spearhead activities that positively affect school or neighborhood climate and support teamwork with teachers and school administration. My project was to familiarize parents with Kouzes and Posner's five practices of exemplary leadership from The Leadership Challenge using family films to demonstrate leadership, give the parents practice in writing SMART objectives to develop a plan of action, and coach them in implementing a project directed at …

The Development Of Functional Food Ingredients From Yeast Cell Wall Beta Glucans, Susan Keogh

Theses

The intracellular contents of spent yeast can be used to produce flavours and flavour enhancers. However there still remains after this process, a significant quantity of cell wall material, which makes up 20-25% of the dry weight of yeast biomass. A major component of the yeast cell wall is the polysaccharide P-glucan. This project involved the investigation of the extraction and characterisation of p-glucan as well as its evaluation as a functional food ingredient. A preparation of spent yeast p-glucan was obtained from two types of spent yeast species, Saccharomyces cervisiae (brewers yeast) and Kluyveromyces marxianus (dairy yeast) obtained from …

Date Palm (Phoenix Dactylifera L.) Tissue Culture: Type Of Contamination And Improvement Of Disinfestation Techniques, Mouza Nasser Al-Shamisi

Theses

Date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) cultivation in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is considered one of the most important economic supports for the agricultural sector. Propagation of date palm by offshoots cannot satisfy the increasing demand of date palm trees, and high propagation rate can only be achieved using tissue culture techniques. However, one of the major problems of this technique is the failure of producing aseptic cultures, yielding to the loss of the explants at the initiation phase.

The objectives of this study were to develop a reliable disinfection technique of date palm explants at the initiation …

Proteomic Studies Of Pseudomonas Putida Kt2440 In Carcinogenicity Screening Via 2-Dimensional Gel Electrophoresis, Mingyi Yao

Theses

This project is part of a pilot study designed to establish a two dimensional gel electrophoresis-based protocol, which can be utilized in screening mutagencity/carcinogencity of uncharacterized substances. Currently, the Ames test is the most commonly used method, which is solely based on mutation at the genome level. In contrast to the genome, which is static, protein expression in a cell under a given set of conditions (the proteome) is dynamic. A screening method based on the proteome rather than the genome may prove more reliable and quantitative in predicting mutagenicity and carcinogenicity. In this project, Pseudomonas putida KT2440 was employed …

Incorporating Adventure Education Into Your Classroom, Dana Romanello

Theses

Approaching outdoor adventure and challenge as a way to teach perseverance, skill, teamwork, leadership, and compassionate service was the brain-child of Kurt Hahn, a native to Berlin, Germany. Hahn became aware of the enormous impact that German submarines had on British ships in the North Sea during World War II. Drawing from his experiences as an educator, he and a team of others devised a program of intensive training for British Seamen. The program became known as Outward Bound, from the nautical term for a ship leaving port on a sea journey. (Sakofs& Armstrong, 1996)

A Structured And Personalized Listening Program For Deaf And Hard Of Hearing High School Students: A Curriculum Development Project, Susan Bregman

Theses

There are many different kinds of auditory training programs available for use by children who are deaf or hard of hearing. However, there are only a few that are appropriate to be used by high school students and even fewer still that relate to the student's academic courses. An auditory training curriculum for deaf and hard of hearing high school students was developed relating to a New York State regents course in biology using the CardMaster 2020 from Califone. Fifteen key vocabulary words from three biology units were chosen for use in this curriculum. Five of these fifteen words were …

Characteristics Of Schools For The Deaf That Offer Comprehensive Science Programs: A Descriptive Profile, Patrick Freivald

Theses

Studies documenting the state of science education for deaf students are two decades old. However, these studies give insight into many of the reasons that science education is lacking in so many areas. The present study examined the differences in characteristics between schools for the deaf that offer higher level sciences such as chemistry and physics and schools for the deaf that do not. To this end, a survey was distributed to a sample of schools for the deaf in New York and Pennsylvania in an attempt to identify these differences. The primary finding of this study is that the …

The Creation And Testing Of A Mock Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging Facility For Pain Patients, Gladstone Vincent Reid

Theses

Unfamiliarity with functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) facilities leads to unwanted stress-related disturbances in the processing of fMRI data. A mock fMRI facility was developed to increase familiarization among subjects participating in fiviRI studies and to alleviate the time and cost of familiarizing each subject in an actual fMRI facility. A decommissioned Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) unit was remodeled to visually and aurally resemble the Siemens Magnetom Allegra 3 Telsa fMRI machine currently used at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ), Newark, New Jersey. Instrumentation was developed using LabVIEW software which presented subjects with recreated sounds …

Elucidation Of The Mass Spectral Fragmentation Pathways Of Cyclic Hepatopeptides Microcystins, Paloma Muniz Ortea

Theses

The most frequently found cyanobacterial toxins in blooms from fresh and brackish waters are the cyclic peptide microcystins (MCs) and nodularin family. These toxins cause fatal poisonings of agricultural livestock, wild animals, birds and fish on a worldwide basis. The involvement of these toxins in human health problems has also been inferred in several countries and their presence in drinking water sources is of interest to the drinking water industry.

One of the biggest problems in the analysis of MCs is the lack of commercially available standards to be used for the identification and characterisation of these cyanobacterial toxins. One …