Digital Commons Network^™

Introduction To Integrated Crop-Livestock Systems, P. Troy White

STEM & Agricultural Education Curriculum Resources

This presentation is an introductory lesson on integration of crop-livestock systems in the United States. The lesson includes national Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources Standards, objectives, and a student project. This lesson is intended to be inquiry-based, and as such only foundational information is presented. Students are expected to take the introductory information and fins specific information needed to sold the problem posed at the beginning of the presentation. It is expected that at a minimum this lesson will take three 50-minute class periods and could take longer based on teacher preferences.

Simulating Transport Pathways Of Pelagic Sargassum From The Equatorial Atlantic Into The Caribbean Sea, Nathan F. Putman, Gustavo J. Goni, Lewis J. Gramer, Chuanmin Hu, Elizabeth M. Johns, Joaquin Trinanes, Mengqiu Wang

Marine Science Faculty Publications

Since 2011, beach inundation of massive amounts of pelagic Sargassum algae has occurred around the Caribbean nations and islands. Previous studies have applied satellite ocean color to determine the origins of this phenomenon. These techniques, combined with complementary approaches, suggest that, rather than blooms originating in the Caribbean, they arrive from the Equatorial Atlantic. However, oceanographic context for these occurrences remains limited. Here, we present results from synthetic particle tracking experiments that characterize the interannual and seasonal dynamics of ocean currents and winds likely to influence the transport of Sargassum from the Equatorial Atlantic into the Caribbean Sea. Our findings …

Diurnal Changes Of Cyanobacteria Blooms In Taihu Lake As Derived From Goci Observations, Lin Qi, Chuanmin Hu, Petra M. Visser, Ronghua Ma

Marine Science Faculty Publications

Using frequent and long‐term measurements (eight times per day, 2011 to present) from a geostationary satellite sensor (Geostationary Ocean Color Imager, GOCI), this study investigates diurnal changes of cyanobacterium Microcystis aeruginosa blooms (near‐surface high concentrations or surface scums) in Taihu Lake, from which vertical migration patterns could be inferred. After proper atmospheric correction, a cyanobacterial index algorithm is used to quantify equivalent surface cyanobacterial density (σ, 0–100%) at both pixel and synoptic scales from each cloud‐free image, followed by analysis of diurnal changing patterns of σ at both scales. Three typical diurnal changing patterns are identified from all …

Biotime: A Database Of Biodiversity Time Series For The Anthropocene, Maria Dornelas, Laura H. Antão, Faye Moyes, Amanda E. Bates, Anne E. Magurran, Dušan Adam, Asem A. Akhmetzhanova, Ward Appeltans, José M. Arcos, Christopher D. Stallings

Marine Science Faculty Publications

Motivation: The BioTIME database contains raw data on species identities and abundances in ecological assemblages through time. These data enable users to calculate temporal trends in biodiversity within and amongst assemblages using a broad range of metrics. BioTIME is being developed as a community‐led open‐source database of biodiversity time series. Our goal is to accelerate and facilitate quantitative analysis of temporal patterns of biodiversity in the Anthropocene.

Main types of variables included: The database contains 8,777,413 species abundance records, from assemblages consistently sampled for a minimum of 2 years, which need not necessarily be consecutive. In addition, the database contains …

Trapped In The Goddess's Mousetrap: Equitable Solutions For Poverty Poaching Of Venus Flytraps, Katrina Outland

Washington Journal of Environmental Law & Policy

Most discussions of poaching—the intentional, unlawful taking or killing of a living organism—focus on animals. However, poaching is also the primary threat for many prized collectible plants. The bizarre Venus flytrap has particularly drawn media attention as North Carolina struggles to save its endemic State Carnivorous Plant from extinction. Existing federal plant protection laws are sparse and either ineffective (in the case of the Endangered Species Act) or underutilized (in the case of the Lacey Act). Traditional poaching enforcement methods, which target individual poachers with small fines, are designed for animal poaching, and fail to adequately protect plants. Not only …

Environmental Justice In The United States: The Human Right To Water, Tamar Meshel

Washington Journal of Environmental Law & Policy

Many low-income communities, communities of color, and indigenous communities in the United States are suffering from unequal access to safe and affordable water. This is partially the result of an ineffective and fragmented legal framework governing water issues in the country. In addition, the notion of a human right to water and sanitation, accepted internationally to reinforce and protect human needs related to water, has yet to be meaningfully recognized in the United States. This article sets out, first, to examine the legal framework governing access to freshwater in the United States and the concerns underlying the reluctance of the …

Island Edge Morphodynamics Along A Chronosequence In A Prograding Deltaic Floodplain Wetland, Azure E. Bevington, Robert R. Twilley

Faculty Publications

Much of the previous research on coastal deltaic land building has focused on the planform delta dimensions; whereas this research focuses on shifts in vertical elevation and deltaic island edge cross-sectional morphology in relation to a proposed conceptual model of deltaic island edge morphological development. This study was conducted using data collected from the Wax Lake Delta in the northern Gulf of Mexico. Island edge cross-sectional elevation profiles were extracted from a 2012 LIDAR elevation survey. Four morphometric variables (levee width, interior slope, mean elevation range, and total elevation range) were selected to describe the shape of each of these …

Clark Magazine, Summer 2018, Clark University

Clark Magazine

The Summer 2018 edition of Clark Magazine. Clark Magazine is a twice-yearly publication primarily geared towards Clark University Alumni.

The cover story is 'After Maria: Clark students and alumni were left reeling from Hurricane Maria. As they rebuild, they struggle with the question 'Is this our new normal'?'

Lipidated Α/Α-Aa Heterogeneous Peptides As Antimicrobial Agents, Sylvia Singh, Alekhya Nimmagadda, Ma Su, Minghui Wang, Peng Teng, Jianfeng Cai

Chemistry Faculty Publications

With an increase of resistance in bacteria there is an urgent need for alternative treatment methods that could complement conventional antibiotics. In the past two decades, focus has been drawn to Host Defense Peptides (HDPs) as potential antibiotic agents. Herein we reported our studies on the development of lipidated α/α-AA heterogeneous peptides as a new class of HDP mimetics. These compounds showed potent antimicrobial activity toward both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, and they also displayed excellent selectivity as they only exhibited limited hemolytic activity. The fluorescence microscopy suggested that the mechanism of action of these heterogeneous peptides is …

Medical Simulator, An Innovative Tool For Experiential Learning, Application And Reflection Of Knowledge, Malik Hassan Mehmood, Salman Siddiqi, Rehana Rehman

Department of Biological & Biomedical Sciences

No abstract provided.

Biomass-Derived Renewable Energy: Prospective Pathways And Key Barriers To Advanced Bio-Fuels, Mohammad Sadra Sharifi

Civil and Environmental Engineering Student Research

This paper provides a short review on recent advances in production of renewable energy through thermochemical processes followed by upgrading techniques such as hydrodeoxygenation, esterification, and steam reforming. Pyrolysis, gasification, and hydrothermal liquefaction have been the main processes of interest for the production of biomass energy for the past decades. However several challenges such as high capital cost due to high energy utilization for thermal processes and hydrogen consumption make these processes less competitive with the existing fossil fuel energy. Further processing of the raw bio-oil is required to improve its fuel properties such as energy density, octane number, and …

The Effects Of Family Factors On Treatment Outcomes For Pediatric Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: Accommodation And Expressed Emotion, Natalia Desouza

Clinical Counseling Psychology Capstone Projects – Psychology

No abstract provided.

Introduction To Anthropology, Anth 1101, Syllabus, Lisa Pope Fischer

Open Educational Resources

No abstract provided.

Kenyon College Alumni Bulletin - Summer 2018

Kenyon College Alumni Bulletin

No abstract provided.

Nbc Peacock North Summer 2018, Peacock North Staff

NBC Peacock North Newsletter

Highlights include: Nightly News 70th Anniversary -- Dick Enberg Rembered --Peter Rolfe Retires -- Silent Microphones -- Don Imus Retires

Kant, Neo-Kantianism, And Phenomenology, Sebastian Luft

Philosophy Faculty Research and Publications

This chapter offers a reassessment of the relationship between Kant, the Kantian tradition, and phenomenology, here focusing mainly on Husserl and Heidegger. Part of this reassessment concerns those philosophers who, during the lives of Husserl and Heidegger, sought to defend an updated version of Kant’s philosophy, the neo-Kantians. The chapter shows where the phenomenologists were able to benefit from some of the insights on the part of Kant and the neo-Kantians, but also clearly points to the differences. The aim of this chapter is to offer a fair evaluation of the relation of the main phenomenologists to Kant and to …

“The Americas Seek Not Enlightenment But Liberation”: On The Philosophical Significance Of Liberation For Philosophy In The Americas, Grant J. Silva

Philosophy Faculty Research and Publications

No abstract provided.

The Effect Of Cobra Training On First Responder Self-Confidence To Work In A Toxic Chemical Or Biological Agent Environment, Robert A. Mann

Dissertations

First responders are our nation’s front line defense against intentional or accidental releases of toxic chemical or biological agents. Self-confidence which is a building block of self-efficacy is hypothesized to be malleable and increased through training. The purpose of this study was to determine the change if any, which first responders undergo during Chemical, Ordnance, Biological, and Radiological (COBRA) training, in their self-confidence to operate in a toxic chemical or biological agent environment. That is to determine if there is a correlation between increased self-confidence and COBRA training. The methodology of this study was based on quantitative methods of analysis …

Student Resistance To Collaborative Learning, Sheri Stover, Cindra Holland

International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching & Learning

The advancing complexity of today’s corporate environment requires that employees are able to collaborate in the workplace. This mixed methods research study follows a nursing faculty’s efforts to incorporate collaborative learning (CL) into an introductory nursing class. The mixed-methods research study found that while students’ final grades improved in the initial CL flipped classroom design (p < .0005), their levels of student resistance deepened which resulted in significantly lower levels of community of inquiry (p = .004), lower levels of satisfaction, and many negative open-ended comments (83%). Using Tolman and Kreming’s (2017) integrated model of student resistance (IMSR) as a guideline, the instructor was successful in redesigning the CL class to overcome students’ resistance as measured by …

Facilitating Undergraduate Learning Through Community-Engaged Problem-Based Learning, Ronica N. Rooks, Brooke Dorsey Holliman

International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching & Learning

We used problem-based or experiential learning in our undergraduate Health Policy course to examine food deserts via a health impact assessment (HIA) assignment. A HIA evaluates potential effects on population health before a policy/program is implemented, to improve health and reduce adverse outcomes. We investigated if the HIA assignment facilitated student learning using mixed-methods to descriptively analyze students’ pre-/post-test and peer group assessment surveys, guest lecture reflections, mid-semester evaluations, and HIA research paper reflections. Quantitatively, students’ pre-/post-test ratings of their learning decreased from positive to neutral Likert scale scores, but they rated their group work positively over time. Qualitatively, students …

The Significance Of Mgmt Methylation In Glioblastoma Multiforme Prognosis, Aaida Mumtaz Rao, Ayesha Quddusi, Muhammad Shahzad Shamim

Section of Neurosurgery

Methylation of O6-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase (MGMT) has been extensively studied as a biomarker in predicting the prognosis of patients with GBM (Glioblastoma multiforme). Its significance has been studied in various subgroups, including age, gender and even race. Correlation between prognosis with MGMT methylation and different treatment regimens has also been studied in detail. There are multiple techniques to analyze MGMT methylation in tumour specimen. We review the current evidence for the importance of MGMT methylation as a biomarker for prognosis in GBM patients, the techniques to analyze it and the effect of epidemiologic factors on its significance.

Factors Affecting Functional Outcome After Decompressive Craniectomy Performed For Traumatic Brain Injury: A Retrospective, Cross-Sectional Study, Farid Khan, Arif Villani, Abdul Rehman, Muhammad Ehsan Bari

Section of Neurosurgery

Background: Factors affecting functional outcome after decompressive craniectomy (DC) performed for traumatic brain injury (TBI) remain poorly understood.
Methods: We conducted a retrospective study of all patients who underwent primary DC for TBI at our hospital between 2010 and 2014. Multivariate regression analyses were used to determine the predictors of functional outcome and overall survival.
Results: A total of 98 patients with severe (n = 81, 82.6%) or moderate (n = 17, 17.4%) TBI underwent primary DC and were included in this study. The 30-day and overall mortality rates were 15.3% and 25.5%, respectively. At a median follow-up …

National Coral Reef Management Fellows Newsletter Volume 2 | Issue 1, National Oceanic And Atmospheric Administration (Noaa) Coral Reef Conservation Program

National Coral Reef Management Fellowship Newsletter

No abstract provided.

Comparison Of Nitrogen Fertigation Management Strategies For Center-Pivot Irrigated Maize In The Sub-Humid Area Of China, Jingjing Li, Wenjing Zang, Yaojun Li, Derek M. Heeren, Haijun Yan

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

In the sub-humid region of Northeast China, increasing use of center-pivot irrigation systems has caused increased interest in sprinkler fertigation technology in maize production to improve nitrogen (N) use efficiency and protect the environment. However, the lack of fertigation strategies for maize cultivation restrains the adoption of sprinkler fertigation technology. A field experiment was carried out in a sub-humid region of Northeast China on maize to determine the effect of different fertigation management strategies on plant growth, grain yield and nitrate content in the soil during the maize growing season. Three N rates (200, 160, and 120 kg N ha …

Introduction To Human Development (Ghc), J. Sean Callahan, Elizabeth Dose, Stephanie Wright, Camille Pace, Katie Bridges, Rachel Earl, Dana Nummerdor

Psychology, Sociology, Anthropology, and Social Work Grants Collections

This Grants Collection for Introduction to Human Development was created under a Round Nine ALG Textbook Transformation Grant.

Affordable Learning Georgia Grants Collections are intended to provide faculty with the frameworks to quickly implement or revise the same materials as a Textbook Transformation Grants team, along with the aims and lessons learned from project teams during the implementation process.

Documents are in .pdf format, with a separate .docx (Word) version available for download. Each collection contains the following materials:

• Linked Syllabus
• Initial Proposal
• Final Report

Psychological Adjustment, Tori Kearns, Deborah Lee

Psychology, Sociology, Anthropology, and Social Work Open Textbooks

This textbook for Psychological Development was created by Dr. Tori Kearns and Dr. Deborah Lee under a Round Nine Textbook Transformation Grant. Topics covered include:

• Theories of Humanistic and Personality Psychology
• Coping and Mental Illness
• Interpersonal Communication
• Sexuality
• Understanding Gender
• Work and Choosing a Career
• Coping with Death and Loss
• Finding Meaning

The textbook is a collection of 14 course modules, which are available in their original format through LibGuides at East Georgia State College: https://ega.libguides.com/ALGTextPSYC2101

Design modifications were made to the textbook version for accessibility purposes.

Accessible files with optical character recognition (OCR) and auto-tagging provided by the …

A Dose Falloff Gradient Study In Rapidarc Planning Of Lung Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy, Ganesh Narayanasamy, Dharmin Desai, Sanjay Maraboyina, Jose Penagaricano, Robert Zwicker, Ellis Lee Johnson

Radiation Medicine Faculty Publications

Introduction: Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG) report #0813 and 0915 recommends using D_2cm and R_50% as plan quality metrics for evaluation of normal tissue sparing in stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) of lung lesion. This study introduces dose falloff gradient (DFG) as a tool for analyzing the dose beyond the planning target volume (PTV) extending into normal tissue structures. In ascertaining the impact of PTV size and SBRT planning techniques in DFG, this study questions the independence of the RTOG recommended metrics. Materials and Methods: In this retrospective study, 41 RapidArc lung SBRT plans with 2 or 3 …

Modulation Of The Retinal Immune Environment In A Zebrafish System Of Rod Photoreceptor-Specific Degeneration, Zachary I. Blume, Diana Mitchell

Idaho Conference on Undergraduate Research

Activated and pro-inflammatory microglia, along with accompanying local inflammation, are associated with human retinal degenerative disease. However, it remains unclear if these aspects of the immune response are symptomatic or directly initiate and/or contribute to disease pathology, such as the death of additional retinal neurons. One theory for continued loss of neurons in retinal degenerative disease is that microglia may engulf, or possibly initiate cell death of, otherwise healthy neurons. Our project attempts to test this theory using a zebrafish system in which rod photoreceptors die due to a toxic transgene (XOPS:mCFP), but cone photoreceptors survive. We first characterized microglial …

Raman Spectroscopy And Fusion Classification To Identify Plastic Recycables Targeting Microplastics, Beauty K. Chabuka, John H. Kalivas (Mentor)

Idaho Conference on Undergraduate Research

Identification of plastic type for microplastic particles (size range of 0.001 mm – 5 mm) is vital to understand the sources and consequences of microplastics in the environment. Fourier- transform infrared and Raman spectroscopy are two dominating techniques used to identify microplastics. The most common method to identify microplastics with spectroscopic data is library searching, a process that utilizes search algorithms against digital databases containing spectra of various plastics. Presented in this study is a new method to utilize spectroscopic data called fusion classification. Fusion classification consists of merging multiple non-optimized classification methods (classifiers) to assign samples into categories (classes). …

Onewaytests: An R Package For One-Way Tests In Independent Groups Designs, Osman Dag, Anil Dolgun, Naime Meric Konar

The R Journal

One-way tests in independent groups designs are the most commonly utilized statistical methods with applications on the experiments in medical sciences, pharmaceutical research, agriculture, biology, engineering, social sciences and so on. In this paper, we present the one-way tests package to investigate treatment effects on the dependent variable. The package offers the one-way tests in independent groups designs, which include ANOVA, Welch’s heteroscedastic F test, Welch’s heteroscedastic F test with trimmed means and Winsorized variances, Brown-Forsythe test, Alexander Govern test, James second order test and Kruskal-Wallis test. The package also provides pairwise comparisons, graphical approaches, and assesses variance homogeneity and …