Digital Commons Network^™

A Guide To Freshwater Aquariums, Noah Savastano

Senior Honors Projects

The objective of this project was to create a complete guide, useful for someone of any aquarium expertise level, describing how to set up and care for an aquarium. This guide explains the science behind processes involved in setting up and maintaining an aquarium. It also educates the reader on how to properly prioritize the safety of the fish. A full text was first created including all relevant information gathered from scholarly texts and online sources. Original photographs were incorporated as a supplement to the text. Fish and aquatic plants were drawn to further illustrate the concepts that were described …

Critical Thinking In A Service-Learning Course: Impacts Of Information Literacy Instruction, Heather R. Kennedy, Anne Marie H. Gruber

Communications in Information Literacy

It is well demonstrated that service-learning positively impacts a variety of student outcomes. However, methodological limitations have contributed to a lack of clear understanding of the mechanisms through which these effects occur. Additionally, little research has connected information literacy instruction explicitly with outcomes in service-learning courses. The present study used a pre-/post-test design to investigate cognitive outcomes, including critical thinking, using the Problem-Solving Analysis Protocol (P-SAP). Fifty-nine students from an undergraduate family services course participated. Results highlight the importance of library instruction to students’ critical thinking skills and suggest implications for collaborations between discipline faculty and library faculty in service-learning …

Covid-19: Descriptive Case Study Of A K-8 School District’S Abrupt Transition To Remote Learning From A Traditional In-Person Model, Matthew C. Ferreira

All Theses And Dissertations

COVID-19 resulted in many changes worldwide in how humans and organizations interact and operate. One such significant adjustment was the closure and transition from a classroom instruction model to a remote instruction model across the United States. The purpose of this descriptive case study was to explore student achievement, teacher preparation and instructional hours, and student attendance levels for grades kindergarten through eighth grade (K-8) at four schools in a single school district. The study examined these datasets at a school administrative unit (SAU) comprising of three terms during the 2019-20 school year, comparing pre-COVID-19 levels with post-COVID-19 levels. The …

The Energy Savings-Oxidative Cost Trade-Off For Migratory Birds During Endurance Flight, Scott R. Mcwilliams, Barbara J. Pierce, Andrea Wittenzellner, Lillie A. Langlois, Sophia Engel, John R. Speakman, Olivia Fatica, Kristen J. Demoranville, Wolfgang Goymann, Lisa Trost, Amadeusz Bryla, Maciej Dzialo, Edyta T. Sadowska, Ulf Bauchinger

Biology Faculty Publications

Elite human and animal athletes must acquire the fuels necessary for extreme feats, but also contend with the oxidative damage associated with peak metabolic performance. Here, we show that a migratory bird with fuel stores composed of more omega-6 polyunsaturated fats (PUFA) expended 11% less energy during long-duration (6 hr) flights with no change in oxidative costs; however, this short-term energy savings came at the long-term cost of higher oxidative damage in the omega-6 PUFA-fed birds. Given that fatty acids are primary fuels, key signaling molecules, the building blocks of cell membranes, and that oxidative damage has long-term consequences for …

Concentration And Treatment Of Odors Generated By Landfills, Gabriel Cohen

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Landfills produce hydrogen sulfide (H₂S), an odorous compound that can be a nuisance and danger to public. Biological treatment, in particular bio-trickling filters, is a method for controlling H₂S emissions but startup costs can be costly. The goal of this study is to provide a low-cost method for improving environmental air quality in Nebraska through an odor control device. This study determined that the Loup Central Landfill located near Elba, NE would be an adequate site for the testing and implementation of the odor control device. The off-gas of the Loup Central Landfill was tested for …

Neonicotinoid Pesticide And Nitrate Removal In Floating Treatment Wetlands, Julia Lindgren

Department of Environmental Engineering: Theses and Other Student Research

Nutrient and pesticide concentrations in surface water are a growing concern in the Midwest. Floating treatment wetlands (FTWs) are often used to remove excess nutrients from surface water and should be considered for removal of emerging contaminants, such as neonicotinoids. Therefore, the objectives for this research project were: 1) Determine FTW neonicotinoid removal capacity, 2) Quantify neonicotinoid incorporation into floating macrophytes, and 3) Explore potential implications of neonicotinoids on microbial denitrification. A microcosm and mesocosm experiment was completed. The mesocosm experiment evaluated 3 treatments: 1) FTW mesocosm with neonicotinoids, 2) FTW without neonicotinoids, and 3) mesocosm with neonicotinoids and without …

When Leaders Surrender Their Divine Lineage: The Loss Of Cosmic Connection Between Maya Local Lords And Their Supernatural Deities, Amy S. Peterson

Department of Anthropology: Theses and Student Research

The Maya who lived during the Classic Period (200 CE to 900 CE) went through many changes in their daily lives. In the Late Classic Period (600 to 900 CE), social, political and economic stressors caused even more change to their routines, leading to the “collapse” around 800-900 CE. Current hypotheses for this collapse included warfare, environmental factors, human degradation of landscapes, as well as internal and external influences. I hypothesize that in the Early Classic (200 to 600 CE), rulership of local communities by Maya lords, or ajawob, related mainly to their connection to a pantheon of supernatural …

Behavioral And Enhanced Perinatal Intervention (B-Epic): A Randomized Trial Targeting Tobacco Use Among Opioid Dependent Pregnant Women, Amanda Fallin-Bennett, Michelle R. Lofwall, Teresa M. Waters, Paul Nuzzo, Janine Barnett, Letitia Ducas, Andrea Mccubbin, Niraj R. Chavan, Lisa Blair, Kristin Ashford

Nursing Faculty Publications

Background

Opioid use during pregnancy is a significant public health issue. The standard of care for treating opioid use disorder during pregnancy includes medications for opioid disorder (MOUD). However, tobacco use often goes unaddressed among pregnant women on MOUD. In 2018, our team received a National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) funded R34 to conduct a three year-randomized trial to test the feasibility of a novel tobacco intervention for pregnant women receiving MOUD.

Aims

The aims of this study are: (1) to determine the impact of the B-EPIC intervention on maternal tobacco use and stage of change; (2) to determine …

False Codling Moth, Thaumatotibia Leucotreta (Meyrick) A New Threat To Horticulture Industry: Stakeholders’ Perspectives On The Status, Impact And Management In Kenya, Daniel M. Mutyambai, Nyang’Au I. Mbeche, Emmanuel Onamu, Muo J. Kasina, John H. Nderitu, Allan N. Mweke

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

False codling moth (FCM) has emerged as a major constraint to the production of horticultural crops in Kenya and is currently the leading cause of interceptions of Capsicum and cut flowers exported to European Union. Use of pesticides to control this pest is not only unsustainable, uneconomical but also contributes to interceptions of export produce due to higher levels of pesticide residues in the produce. Further, due to cryptic nature of feeding by the pest, pesticides often do not result to efficient control. Growing crops under protected areas though effective is not affordable to smallholder resource poor farmers necessitating search …

Genetic And Mirna Transcriptomic Analysis Of Autoregulation Of Nodulation Signaling In Medicago Truncatula, Diptee Chauligain

All Dissertations

Legumes can source nitrogen from the air through biological nitrogen fixation inside root nodules formed in a symbiosis with rhizobia. A complex root-to-shoot-to-root signaling pathway called Autoregulation of Nodulation (AON) controls the number of nodules formed depending on the plant’s nitrogen requirements. In Medicago truncatula, the MtSUNN receptor complex in the shoot binds to the root-generated AON signals, peptides called MtCLEs, resulting in downregulation of miR2111 expression in the shoot, with the effect of decreased transport of miR2111 to the roots. Decreased miR2111 levels in the roots then cause an increase in transcript levels of the miR2111 targets MtTML1 …

High Sulfur-Content Materials From Free Fatty Acids, Ashlyn Dennis Smith

All Dissertations

The consumption of traditional plastics continues to climb to meet increasing consumer needs, despite growing awareness that these petrochemical-derived materials are detrimental to the environment. Sustainability scientists are faced with the task of trying to replace some of these materials with sustainably sourced compounds, leading the industry away from fossil fuel-derived monomers. Fatty acid derivatives have proven to be versatile sources for monomers. As constituents of several high-volume and low value waste streams and, given their origins in plant and animal sources, fatty acid derivatives are an ideal starting material. The presence of alcohol, carboxylic acid and olefin functional groups …

Validation Of Physically Heat-Treated Process For Poultry Litter And Analysis Of Microbial Community Of Animal Waste-Based Soil Amendments Using Sequencing Approach, Hongye Wang

All Dissertations

Biological soil amendments of animal origin (BSAAO), such as animal waste or animal waste-based composts, commonly used as organic fertilizer, may contain human pathogens such as Salmonella and Listeria monocytogenes. To reduce harmful microorganisms, animal waste can be treated by composting or other validated scientific methods. But insufficient treatment may introduce pathogens into agricultural fields. As a nutrient-rich fertilizer, poultry litter may also contain human pathogens with Salmonella spp. as a primary focus. Physical heat treatments can kill Salmonella in poultry litter with or without the composting process, but validation studies or guidelines are still needed for the litter processing …

Statistical Models For The Analysis Of Complex Data, Stefani Mokalled

All Dissertations

This dissertation focuses on developing statistical models to analyze complex data. The motivating applications in this work include infectious disease screening, engineering, and public health problems. Chapters 2 and 3 take a frequentist approach to modeling and parameter estimation while Chapters 4 and 5 proceed with Bayesian methods. Maximum likelihood estimation is implemented in a case of missing data through latent variables (Chapter 2) as well as by embedding a finite element model within the likelihood framework (Chapter 3). Two Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) algorithms are applied to estimate parameters and fit regression models using data obtained from a …

Simulated And Applied Precision Feeding System Of High And Low Forage Diets With Different Fat Sources And Sequences Of Dietary Fat Concentration In In-Vitro And In-Vivo Studies, Saad Ali M. Hussein

All Dissertations

Controlling dry matter intake (DMI) is one strategy to meet the animal’s requirements while reducing feed costs and increasing feed efficiency. Controlling intake through precision-feeding provides a more nutrient-dense diet, allowing an increase in energy and nutrient utilization efficiency while decreasing nutrient loss. The literature about precision feeding has provided information regarding optimal N intake and different dietary fiber proportions, but more information needs to be addressed. This is one of the first attempts to further our knowledge through the use of fat inclusion. In the present dissertation, a total of 4 in-vitro and in-vivo experiments were conducted. Simulated and …

Veteran Teachers’ Perceptions On The Negative Implications Of Classroom Disruptive Behavior And Redirection Strategies, Charvelia Sharae Lewis

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Classroom teachers are responsible for creating an environment where all students are able to receive an optimal educational experience. However, disruptive behavior demonstrated by students in classrooms often makes it more difficult for teachers to provide quality instruction to all students. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to understand the perceptions of veteran teachers related to student disruptive behavior as well as the redirection strategies utilized to decrease the occurrence of such behavior during instructional time. Along with completing an open-ended survey related to strategies used to address disruptive behavior, the veteran teacher participants shared their experiences in …

What Does It Take? Reflections On Foundation Practice In Building Healthy Communities, 2010–2020, Prudence Brown, Tom David, Anand Sharma

The Foundation Review

Foundation practice — how a foundation goes about its work — plays a significant role in determining the results of the work, particularly for foundations that take on roles that position them as part of the action rather than solely as sources of funds.

This article aims to build upon the lessons from past place-based work by examining the practices of The California Endowment as it designed and implemented Building Healthy Communities, a 10-year initiative to promote health equity. The initiative combined intensive investment in 14 historically disinvested communities with sophisticated state- and regional-level policy campaigns and coalition-building strategies to …

Dinosaur Representation In Museums: How The Struggle Between Scientific Accuracy And Pop Culture Affects The Public Perception Of Mesozoic Non-Avian Dinosaurs In Museums, Carla A. Feller

Museum Studies Theses

This thesis examines the struggle of museums to keep up with swiftly advancing scientific discoveries relating to the study and display of Mesozoic (approximately 250 million years to 65 million years ago) non-avian dinosaurs. The paper will explore the history of dinosaur discoveries, their display methodologies in museums, and how pop culture, including movies and video games, have influenced museum displays and public perception over time. The lack of updated dinosaur exhibits in smaller local museums leads to disbelief, or an outright denial, of new information such as feathered dinosaurs. Entertainment, such as movies and video games that have non-avian …

Be Still: A Pedagogical Analysis Of Mindfulness-Based Practices In Vocal Music Education, Hattie Hannah Elder

Masters Theses

Mindfulness and mindfulness-based practices improve productivity in general education and vocal settings and have the potential to revolutionize choral music education. The purpose of this research is to improve vocal music education, vocal pedagogy, and voice practice, through the study of mindfulness-based practices and their relevance in vocal practices. The essential question answered as part of this research is, how do mindfulness and mindfulness-based practices increase productivity in the choral classroom? Sub questions addressed in this research include: 1) What is mindfulness meditation?, 2) How is mindfulness already utilized in vocal settings?, and 3) How can mindfulness best be included …

Subjective Emotional Experience And Social Cognition In Schizophrenia And Healthy Controls, Shaina R. Ponce

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Individuals with schizophrenia have impaired social cognitive abilities that include emotion recognition, Theory of Mind and affective empathy deficits compared to healthy controls (Bekhtereva, Craddock, & Müller, 2015; Bora, Gökçen, & Veznedaroglu, 2008; Bora, Yucel, & Pantelis, 2009; Martin J Herrmann, Ellgring, & Fallgatter, 2004). Subjective emotional experience measured by valance (pleasantness) and arousal have been found to have significant effects on perceptual processes related to emotion recognition (Champion, 2016; Lang, Greenwald, Bradley, & Hamm, 1993; Lundqvist, Juth, & Öhman, 2014). It is not clear to what extent valance and arousal impact emotion recognition, Theory of Mind, and empathy in …

Emergency Messages Dissemination Challenges Through Connected Vehicles For Efficient Intelligent Transportation Systems: A Review, Muhammad Akram Akram Mujahid, Kamalrulnizam Abu Bakar, Tasneem S.J Darwish, Fatima Tul Zuhra, Muhammad Aamer Ejaz, Gul Sahar

Baghdad Science Journal

Recent growth in transport and wireless communication technologies has aided the evolution of Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS). The ITS is based on different types of transportation modes like road, rail, ocean and aviation. Vehicular ad hoc network (VANET) is a technology that considers moving vehicles as nodes in a network to create a wireless communication network. VANET has emerged as a resourceful approach to enhance the road safety. Road safety has become a critical issue in recent years. Emergency incidents such as accidents, heavy traffic and road damages are the main causes of the inefficiency of the traffic flow. These …

Association Between Allelic Variations Of -174g/C Polymorphism Of Interleukin-6 Gene And Chronic Kidney Disease-Mineral And Bone Disorder In Iraqi Patients, Mohanad Yasir Al-Radeef

Baghdad Science Journal

This--study-was designed to examine association-between-174G/C-polymorphism of interleukin-6 gene and phosphate, calcium, vitamin D3, and parathyroid hormone levels in Iraqi patient with chronic kidney disease on maintenance hemodialysis. Seventy patients with -chronic renal-disease-(patients-group) and-20 healthy-subjects (control-group) were enrolled and genotyped for interleukin-6 polymorphism byconventional-polymerase-chain-reaction-restriction-fragment-length-polymorphism.There were nosignificant -differences-in phosphate -levels-observed-in –both patient-and -control-groups with -different interleukin-6 -genotypes. Control had non-significant differences in calcium levels, -while--patients--with-GG-and-GC-genotypes showed-significant elevation with time. Conversely, control and patients with GG and CC genotypes had significant elevation in vitamin D3levels with time.Regarding parathyroid hormone, control had non-significant differences,while patients with GG and CC genotypes showed significant elevation with …

The Fractional Local Metricdimension Of Combproduct Graphs, S. Aisyah, Mohammad Imam Utoyo, Liliek Susilowati

Baghdad Science Journal

For the connected graph G with vertex set V(G)and edge set E(G), the localresolvingneighborhood R1{u,v}of two adjacent vertices u,v isdefined by R1{u,v}={ x ꞓ v(G):d(x,u)≠��d(x,v)}. A local resolving0function f1of G is a real valued function f1:V(G)→[0,1]such0 that f1(R1{u,v})≥1 for every two adjacent u,v vertices u,v ꞓ (x,v).Thefractional local metric dimension of graph G denoted dim f1(G), is defined by dim f1(G)=min⁡{| f1|:f1}.One of the operation in graph is the comb product graphs. The comb product graphs of G and H is denoted by ��G ⊳ H⊳��.The purpose of this research is to determine the fractionallocal metric dimension of G ⊳ …

Seasonal Variation And Correlation Between The Physical, Chemical And Microbiological Parameters Of Nile Water In Selected Area In Egypt (Case Study), Sayed Rashad, Muhammad Abdul Moneem, Ghadir El-Chaghaby

Baghdad Science Journal

Fresh water resources in terms of water quality is a crucial issue worldwide. In Egypt, the Nile River is the main source of fresh water in the country and monitoring its water quality is a major task on governments and research levels. In the present case study, the physical, chemical and algal distribution in Nile River was monitored over two seasons (winter and summer) in 2019. The aims of the study were to check the seasonal variation among the different water parameters and also to check the correlations between those parameters. Water samples were collected from the Nile in Cairo …

Smart Irrigation System For A Small Plant Nursery Based On Soil Moisture Level, I.M. Methsarani Fernando, Sachini Gunasekara

Journal of Innovation in Science, Engineering and Technology

This study is an examination about soil moisture level based on an automated watering system for a small plant nursery. The soil moisture sensors sense the current soil moisture level and send a notification to the user if the current soil moisture level is below than the required soil moisture level. Then the user should select the plant which requires watering, and then it displays the current soil moisture level and the required soil moisture level. To start watering automatically, the user must switch on the motor from the mobile application, and if not, he gets a notification to turn …

Best Solution For The Graphic Problem: A Single Gpu Or A Multi-Gpu Or An Upgradable Gpu, R.M.C.L. Rathnayake, D. Dhammearatchi

Journal of Innovation in Science, Engineering and Technology

Graphical Processing Unit (GPU) or in general graphic cards or VGA (Video Graphic Array) cards become major hardware of the computer world. After the development of the Graphical User Interfaces (GUIs) of Operating Systems (OSs), the most developed hardware after the processor is a graphic card. But a graphic card is consisting of a fixed amount of memory. It is the major limitation to use a graphic card for a certain big task because the memory limits the amount of data that can store in the graphic card. This paper briefly examines the possibility of installing more memory on a …

Factors Affecting For The Service Quality Of Three-Wheeler Transportation In Kurunegala City, S.M. Nuwarapaksha, C.A. Kankanamge, D.G.N.D. Jayarathna

Journal of Innovation in Science, Engineering and Technology

Public Transport service is vital to the wellbeing of any country. Three-wheeler transportation service in Sri Lanka has become poor in quality and unreliable due to the expectations of passengers. Therefore, the scope of this study was limited three-wheeler transportation in Kurunegala city. Quality service is a procedure of total evaluation of service or product. If the service provider is separate from the service it offers, then the passengers regularly get attached to the service quality. Transportation service in Sri Lanka is in poor quality because it does not meet the passenger expectations and needs. Quality three-wheeler service implementation in …

Dynamic Route Planning (Drp) Module For Distribution Business, Darshana T. Dayaratne, Sachini Gunasekara

Journal of Innovation in Science, Engineering and Technology

In the Sri Lankan logistics industry, delivery route planning is a very important and critical task. It requires many skilled labours and is time-consuming as well. The project aims to develop a Dynamic Route Planning (DRP) Algorithm to computerize the task and make it fast and efficient. The system comprises many features, including identifying the fastest route to deliver goods to all the given delivery locations (drop points). It also captures the cargo volume, vehicle capacity and provides an indication of the number of vehicles required to complete the full delivery by running a calculation using the volume of the …

Labor Redemption In Work Law, Andrew Elmore

Faculty Scholarship

People with criminal records must find and keep work to reintegrate into society. But private employers often categorically exclude candidates with criminal record histories, especially if the candidate is African American or Latinx. The conventional wisdom is that workplace laws offer little to address this problem. People with criminal records are not a protected class under Title VII, and many employers fear that hiring people with criminal records invites negligent hiring liability. Ban the Box privacy laws delay but may not deter overbroad criminal background checks

This Article challenges this standard account by shifting focus to the state in imposing …

Productivity Loss Associated With Functional Disability In A Contemporary Small-Scale Subsistence Population, Jonathan Stieglitz, Paul L. Hooper, Benjamin C. Trumble, Hillard Kaplan, Michael D. Gurven

ESI Publications

In comparative cross-species perspective, humans experience unique physical impairments with potentially large consequences. Quantifying the burden of impairment in subsistence populations is critical for understanding selection pressures underlying strategies that minimize risk of production deficits. We examine among forager-horticulturalists whether compromised bone strength (indicated by fracture and lower bone mineral density, BMD) is associated with subsistence task cessation. We also estimate the magnitude of productivity losses associated with compromised bone strength. Fracture is associated with cessation of hunting, tree chopping, and walking long distances, but not tool manufacture. Age-specific productivity losses from hunting cessation associated with fracture and lower BMD …

Covid-19, Coronavirus, Wuhan Virus, Or China Virus? Understanding How To “Do No Harm" When Naming An Infectious Disease, Theodore C. Masters-Waage, Nilotpal Jha, Jochen Reb

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

When labeling an infectious disease, officially sanctioned scientific names, e.g., “H1N1 virus,” are recommended over place-specific names, e.g., “Spanish flu.” This is due to concerns from policymakers and the WHO that the latter might lead to unintended stigmatization. However, with little empirical support for such negative consequences, authorities might be focusing on limited resources on an overstated issue. This paper empirically investigates the impact of naming against the current backdrop of the 2019-2020 pandemic.