Digital Commons Network^™

Ocean Science Diplomacy - The All-Atlantic Ocean Research Alliance Case, Andrei Polejack

World Maritime University Ph.D. Dissertations

Science diplomacy, the interlinkage between research and foreign affairs, is a recent field of research, albeit being claimed to be an ancient practice in international relations. Science diplomacy practices generally include the influence of scientific advice during international negotiations, the bridging of communities (or even conflicting nations) through joint research projects and the promotion of science by diplomatic channels, just to name a few. Largely identified today by mainstream intergovernmental policy-makers as a beneficial practice, science diplomacy is promoted as being rooted in the universality and cooperative nature of science and as a means for peaceful and uncontested international interactions. …

Negotiating The Bbnj Agreement : Exploring The Caribbean Community's Engagement From A Blue Economy Perspective With Special Focus On Environmental Impact Assessment Provisions, Kahlil Hassanali

World Maritime University Ph.D. Dissertations

The countries of the world are engaged in negotiations to develop an international legally binding instrument under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) on the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction (The BBNJ agreement). In the BBNJ process, the member States of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) participate as a regional bloc and have been actively involved in the negotiations. This thesis applies an action research methodology along with a mix of methods, including the reading of primary, secondary and grey literature; document content analysis; interviews and informal conversations; …

The Legal Framework For Multimodal Transport In West Africa: The African Continental Free Trade Area In Perspective, Damilola Idris Osinuga

World Maritime University Ph.D. Dissertations

This thesis examines how multimodal transport can play a role in achieving the objectives of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). The thesis argues that multimodal transport is cheaper compared with unimodal transportation. While there are a number of issues affecting the operationalisation of multimodal transport in Africa, this study considers, at its core, the legal regimes and other fragmented institutional and governance frameworks of multimodal transport in West Africa. The fragmentation of the legal framework governing multimodal transport leads to uncertainty and unforeseeability of the liability of parties involved in multimodal transport, consequently leading to increased legal costs. …

Current Trends In Covid-19 Diagnosis And Its New Variants In Physiological Fluids: Surface Antigens, Antibodies, Nucleic Acids, And Rna Sequencing, Menna Mostafa, Ahmed Barhoum, Ekin Sehit, Hossam Gewaid, Eslam Mostafa, Mohamed M. Omran, Mohga S. Abdalla, Fatehy M. Abdel-Haleem, Zeynep Altintas, Robert J. Forster

Research Outputs: 2025-Present

Rapid, highly sensitive, and accurate virus circulation monitoring techniques are critical to limit the spread of the virus and reduce the social and economic burden. Therefore, point-of-use diagnostic devices have played a critical role in addressing the outbreak of COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2) viruses. This review provides a comprehensive overview of the current techniques developed for the detection of SARS-CoV-2 in various body fluids (e.g., blood, urine, feces, saliva, tears, and semen) and considers the mutations (i.e., Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta, Omicron). We classify and comprehensively discuss the detection methods depending on the biomarker measured (i.e., surface antigen, antibody, and nucleic acid) …

A Modified Spectroscopic Approach For The Real-Time Detection Of Pollen And Fungal Spores At A Semi-Urban Site Using The Wibs-4+, Part I, Emma Markey, Jerry Hourihane Clancy, Moisés Martínez-Bracero, Finnian Neeson, Roland Sarda-Estève, Dominique Baisnée, Eoin Mcgillicuddy, Gavin Sewell, David J. O’Connor

Research Outputs: 2025-Present

The real-time monitoring of primary biological aerosol particles (PBAP) such as pollen and fungal spores has received much attention in recent years as a result of their health and climatic effects. In this study, the Wideband Integrated Bioaerosol Sensor (WIBS) 4+ model was evaluated for its ability to sample and detect ambient fungal spore and pollen concentrations, compared to the traditional Hirst volumetric method. Although the determination of total pollen and fungal spore ambient concentrations are of interest, the selective detection of individual pollen/fungal spore types are often of greater allergenic/agricultural concern. To aid in this endeavour, modifications were made …

Valence Bond Glass State In The 4d 1 Fcc Antiferromagnet Ba2Lumoo6, O. H.J. Mustonen, H. M. Mutch, H. C. Walker, P. J. Baker, F. C. Coomer, R. S. Perry, C. Pughe, G. B.G. Stenning, C. Liu, S. E. Dutton, E. J. Cussen

Research Outputs: 2025-Present

B-site ordered 4d¹ and 5d¹ double perovskites have a number of potential exotic ground states including multipolar order, quantum spin liquids and valence bond glass states. These arise from the complex interactions of spin-orbital entangled J_eff = 3/2 pseudospins on the geometrically frustrated fcc lattice. The 4d¹ Mo⁵⁺ perovskite Ba₂YMoO₆ has been suggested to have a valence bond glass ground state. Here we report on the low temperature properties of powder samples of isostructural Ba₂LuMoO₆: the only other known cubic 4d¹ perovskite with one magnetic cation. Our …

Real-Time Monitoring Of Aerosol Generating Dental Procedures, Mehael Fennelly, Catherine Gallagher, Mairead Harding, Stig Hellebust, John Wenger, Niall O'Sullivan, David O'Connor, Michael Prentice

Research Outputs: 2025-Present

Objective: We aimed to quantify aerosol concentrations produced during different dental procedures under different mitigation processes. Method: Aerosol concentrations were measured by the Optical Particle Sensor (OPS) and Wideband Integrated Bioaerosol Sensor (WIBS) during routine, time-recorded dental procedures on a manikin head in a partitioned enclosure. Four different, standardised dental procedures were repeated in triplicate for three different mitigation measures. Result: Both high-volume evacuation (HVE) and HVE plus local exhaust ventilation (LEV) eradicated all procedure-related aerosols, and the enclosure stopped procedure-related aerosols escaping. Aerosols recorded by the OPS and WIBS were 84 and 16-fold higher than background levels during tooth …

Non-Enzymatic Phenylboronic Acid-Based Optode Membrane For Glucose Monitoring In Serums Of Diabetic Patients And In The Culture Medium Of Human Embryos, Mohamed M. Taha, Mahmoud S. Rizk, Mohamed A. Zayed, Fatehy M. Abdel-Haleem, Ahmed Barhoum

Research Outputs: 2025-Present

Monitoring glucose levels is important not only for diabetics, but also for tracking embryonic development in human embryo culture media. In this study, an optochemical sensor (glucose-selective polymer membrane) was fabricated for the determination of glucose in serum from diabetic patients and the culture media of human embryos. The optode membranes were formulated using polyvinyl chloride (PVC) as the polymer matrix and 4′,5′-dibromofluorescein octadecyl ester (ETH 7075) as the chromoionophore. The sensitivity of the optode membranes was optimized using two different plasticizers (tricresyl phosphate-TCP and nitrophenyloctyl ether-NOPE) and three ionophores (nitrophenylboronic acid-NPBA, trifluorophenyboronic acid-TFPBA, 4′-nitrobenzo-15-crown-5) and tested for glucose detection. …

Granulated Organoclay As A Sorbent To Protect The Allelochemical Scopoletin From Rapid Biodegradation In Soil, Jose Antonio Galán-Pérez, Beatriz Gámiz, Rafael Celis

Research Outputs: 2025-Present

Allelochemicals have been proposed as environmentally friendly bioherbicides, but their short persistence in soils often limits their performance as natural weed management products. In this study, incorporation into organoclay granules was investigated as a strategy to protect the allelochemical scopoletin from rapid biodegradation and prolong its persistence in soil. The commercial organoclay Cloisite® 10A, in its raw powder form, was used to prepare the granules. A kinetic study revealed slower sorption of scopoletin on the granules than on the organoclay powder and indicated an intraparticle pore diffusion mechanism. The half-life of scopoletin in soil under laboratory conditions increased significantly by …

From Mandates To Governance: Restructuring The Employment Relationship, Brett Mcdonnell, Matthew Bodie

Articles

No abstract provided.

For The Need, Amelia Walker

Architecture Theses

Architecture is often thought of as a grand, expensive undertaking – one reserved only for the privileged and for those who can afford to build huge houses, breathtaking museums, and playthings for the rich. However, it is my belief that not only can architecture help those truly in need, but that it should. Those who struggle most in our current climate are usually those dealing with the struggles of living below the poverty line. Low-income housing and community centers are widely known to be often ugly, ramshackle, and generally undesirable. And yet, the people burdened with these failures of architecture …

Minding The Gap, Taylor Hemmesch

Architecture Theses

Increasingly, there is a shift from multigenerational family living to seniors residing in age-specific facilities. Due in part to the relative isolation seniors experience here, there is also a noticeable rate of depression and other psychological struggles among this age group. The loneliness epidemic is not unique to seniors; significantly more people from all ages and backgrounds are facing this problem. This, combined with factors such as rapid technological advancement and increasing diversity, is making it necessary for people to find new ways to connect, specifically with those outside of their immediate circle. The thesis addresses this need by creating …

The Potential Mediating Effects Of Social Support Network Size And Physical Activity On Cognitive Function And Mortality Risk, Madeline Zipperer

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

BACKGROUND: Low cognitive function has been shown to be an independent predictor of all-cause and cardiovascular disease (CVD)-related mortality. Social support network size and total physical activity volume (TPAV) are two modifiable factors which have been shown to be independently associated with cognitive function and mortality risk. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine the potential mediating effects of social support network size and TPAV on cognitive function and all-cause and CVD-related mortality risk in a large, nationally representative sample of U.S. adults.

METHODS: Study sample (N =2,550) included older adult (≥ 60 years of age) participants …

Interprofessional Education Activities And New Practitioner Competence: Implications For Practice In Nutrition And Dietetics Education, Stephanie N. Petrosky

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Interprofessional education (IPE) and interprofessional collaborative practice (IPCP) are associated with improved perception, values, attitudes towards collaborative practice, and therefore benefits patients, practitioners, and health care systems. Notable organizations have long promoted standardized guidelines for best practices in interdisciplinary team-based learning to improve patient safety and health outcomes. The state of IPE in nutrition and dietetics practice was recently addressed by the Nutrition and Dietetic Educators and Preceptors (NDEP) practice group of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. The authors generated a call to action to engage in IPCP while pushing the boundaries of leadership in teaching, research, and practice. …

A Quasi-Experimental Correlational Study Of Knowledge, Attitude, Behavior Of Nutrition Paraprofessionals Receiving An Online Nutrition Education Training. A Framework For Training Nutrition Paraprofessionals In Northwest Georgia Wic, Cicely Clarisse Thomas

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Background In 1998, Georgia Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) adopted the Florida Department of Public Health WIC Nutrition Training Guide. The purpose of adopting the course was to use it as a resource to properly educate and train nutrition paraprofessionals to conduct low risk education to Georgia WIC participants.¹ The Georgia WIC policy requires that each nutrition paraprofessional complete the approved nutrition training prior to educating WIC participants. The current resource for training nutrition paraprofessionals in Georgia WIC is outdated. Last updated in 2007, the formal training no longer accurately trains paraprofessional staff to …

Mary Lou Graves, Nolen Breedlove, And The Nineteenth Amendment, Ellen D. Katz

Articles

This close examination of two cases is part of a larger ongoing project to provide a distinct account of the Nineteenth Amendment. In 1921, the Alabama Supreme Court held the Nineteenth Amendment required that any poll tax be imposed equally on men and women. Sixteen years later, the Supreme Court disagreed. Juxtaposing these two cases, and telling their story in rich context, captures my larger claim that—contrary to the general understanding in the scholarly literature—the Nineteenth Amendment was deliberately crafted as a highly circumscribed measure that would eliminate only the exclusively male franchise while serving steadfastly to preserve and promote …

Disparate Discrimination, Leah M. Litman

Michigan Law Review

This Article explains and analyzes a recent trend in the Supreme Court’s cases regarding unintentional discrimination, where the argument is that a law has the effect of producing a disadvantage on members of a particular group. In religious discrimination cases, the Court has held that a law is presumptively unconstitutional if the law results in a comparable secular activity being treated more favorably than religious activity. Yet in racial discrimination cases, the Court has said the mere fact that a law more severely disadvantages racial minorities as a group does not suffice to establish unlawful discrimination.

The two tracks for …

Molecular Heterogeneity In Pediatric Malignant Rhabdoid Tumors In Patients With Multi-Organ Involvement, Katherine E Miller, Margaret Shatara, Et Al

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Rhabdoid tumors (RTs) of the brain (atypical teratoid/rhabdoid tumor; AT/RT) and extracranial sites (most often the kidney; RTK) are malignant tumors predominantly occurring in children, frequently those with

Microfoundations Of Dynamic Managerial Capabilities: A Personality Perspective, Alan Jiun Haw Tea

Dissertations and Theses Collection (Open Access)

Research in dynamic capabilities (Teece 2007) looks at how organizations derive and potentially sustain competitive advantage by dynamically making sense of opportunities, marshalling and manipulating assets and resources in response to these opportunities (Eisenhardt & Martin, 2000; Teece, 2007). The study of dynamic managerial capabilities is concerned with the microfoundations – attendant attributes as it were – that underpin managers’ ability to effectively participate in the dynamic capabilities of sensing, seizing and reconfiguring (Helfat & Martin, 2015b; Helfat & Peteraf, 2015). Apart from the predominant cognitive account of microfoundations, there remains an under-theorized and underresearched gap in the field of …

The Effects Of Recommender System On Sales Promotion Of High-Value Products: Evidence From A Field Experiment In The Real Estate Industry, Lian Liu

Dissertations and Theses Collection (Open Access)

Real estate sales industry in China has long suffered the problem of inefficient matching of customers to projects. Inspired by the design of recommender systems, which have been widely used in the online retail industry, and are shown to facility customer-product matching and improve sales, we apply this system to the real estate sales industry using a novel approach. Instead of recommending products to customers, we suggest the best potential customers to salespeople with whom they will conduct sales with. Using city-wide sales data from the largest real estate sales company in China, we first develop a recommend system based …

The Industry Expertise Of Sell-Side Equity Analysts, Matthew Louis Dearth

Dissertations and Theses Collection (Open Access)

Institutional investors, the most important consumer of analyst research, consistently rank industry knowledge as the most important attribute of analysts. Despite this, little is known about how investors measure industry knowledge since analyst output which can be evaluated objectively is usually associated with firm-level outcomes such as earnings forecasts or price targets. Comprehensive data are recently available for analyst forecasts of key performance indicators (“KPIs”), firm-performance metrics specific to a particular industry. Whereas reactions to earnings forecasts and other firm-level outputs only inform us about analyst skill in firm-level predictions, stock-price reactions to forecast revisions of industryspecific KPIs can proxy …

Re-Crosslinking Particle Gel For Co2 Compliance Control And Co2 Filtration Blocking, Yifu Long, Baojun Bai, Thomas P. Schuman

Patents

The present invention generally relates to the composition of particle gels for CO2 - EOR and CO2 storage . More particularly , CO2 resistant particle gels are provided that can re - crosslink at subterranean conditions . These particle gels can be deployed to improve the conformance of CO , flooding , CO , huff - puff , or Water - Alternative - Gas ( WAG ) . The applications may also involve CO2 storage , such as the blocking of CO2 leakage and similar CO2 processing .

Hot Rolled Light-Gauge Martensitic Steel Sheet And Method For Making The Same, James W. Watson, Paul Kelly, David C. Van Aken, Christopher Ronald Killmore

Patents

A hot rolled light - gauge martensitic steel sheet made by the steps comprising : ( a ) preparing a molten steel melt comprising : ( i ) by weight , between 0.20 % and 0.35 % carbon , less than 1.0 % chromium , between 0.7 % and 2.0 % manganese , between 0.10 % and 0.50% silicon , between 0.1 % and 1.0 % copper , less than 0.05 % niobium , less than 0.5 % molybdenum , and silicon killed containing less than 0.01 % aluminum , and ( ii ) the remainder iron and impurities result …

Fiber Assisted Re-Cross-Linkable Polymer Gel And Preformed Particle Gels For Fluid Loss And Conformance Control, Baojun Bai, Ze Wang, Zhe Sun, Jingyang Pu, Thomas P. Schuman

Patents

Described herein are compositions useful for controlling fluid flow, for example in a target zone of a subterranean environment, and methods of forming and using the same. The composition generally comprises a quantity of fibers and a quantity of swellable particles, which may be dispersed in a carrier fluid. The composition may be synthesized in the form of a bulk gel or may be gelatinated during use. The fibers in the compositions provide improved performance as compared to prior PPG and RPPG particle containing compositions. Specifically, the compositions reinforce the re-cross-linked/re-associated hydrogel plug in underground features and support proper rehydration …

Aluminum-Free Steel Alloys And Methods For Making The Same, Daniel Morye Field, David C. Van Aken

Patents

Disclosed herein are TRIP (transformation induced plasticity) steel alloy thin metal strips or, stated differently, high strength, high ductility steel alloy thin metal strips formed of a composition described herein, being substantially free or free of aluminum. In being substantially free, the aluminum content is equal to or less than 0.01 % by weight.

3d Printed Zeolite Monoliths For Co2 Capture, Fateme Rezaei, Harshul V. Thakkar

Patents

Carbon dioxide (CO2 ) capture materials comprising one or more 3D-printed zeolite monoliths for the capture and or removal of CO2 from air or gases in enclosed compartments, including gases or mixtures of gases having less than about 5% CO2 . Methods for preparing 3D-printed zeolite monoliths useful as CO2 capture materials and filters, as well as methods of removing CO2 from a gas or mixture of gases in an enclosed compartment using 3D-printed zeolite monoliths are provided.

Fuel Cell Having Corrugated Membrane Electrode Assembly, Jonghyun Park

Patents

An electrochemical reaction cell comprising an anode electrode, a cathode electrode, and a membrane electrode assembly (MEA). The MEA is positioned between the anode electrode and the cathode electrode. The anode electrode, the cathode electrode, and the MEA each have a corrugated shape and are contained within a recess of a housing.

Evaluating The Bude Water Vole Reintroduction Project And The Factors Which Determined The Successes And Failures, Teagen Louise Hill

School of Biological and Marine Sciences Theses

Water voles (Arvicola amphibius), once a widespread species in Britain, became the fastest declining British mammal due to habitat fragmentation and North American mink (Neovison vison) introduction. Bude catchment (North Cornwall, England) was the location of the first water vole release project in Cornwall and has been closely monitored since the first releases in 2013. Latrines, being the most accurate field sign, were recorded twice a year, alongside burrows and feeding signs, giving an indication to the presence of voles in and around the release locations. In the Bude release catchment the presence of water voles was strongly correlated with …

Investigating The Microbiota Associated With Maerl Beds Located In The Fal Estuary, Cornwall, Anthony Scales

School of Biological and Marine Sciences Theses

The microbiota of maerl has the potential to contain diverse communities of bacteria which are thought to aid in maintaining maerl health and potentially be a driving factor in the settlement and development of ecological and economical important bi-valve species. However, little is currently known regarding the composition and structure of these communities, leading to uncertainty of their importance and their direct association to maerl beds. Using 16s amplicon sequencing analysis, the bacterial community composition associated with live and dead maerl (Phymatolithon calcareum) has been examined and compared to the communities associated with those of the surrounding environment - adjacent …

An Interdisciplinary Assessment Of The Mud Crab Scylla Serrata As A Sustainable Livelihood Resource In Southwest India, Elina Apine

School of Biological and Marine Sciences Theses

Fishing and aquaculture are important income-generating activities for coastal communities in India. However, the challenges of climate change and overexploitation have prompted the exploration of new, alternative, sustainable, target species that previously have received little attention. This thesis considers the potential of the mud crab Scylla serrata as a sustainable livelihood resource for local communities in southwest India where currently crab fishing and, particularly, farming is less common compared to southeast India. As fisheries and aquaculture are inherently complex social-ecological systems affected both by biological and socio-economic factors, this thesis has taken an interdisciplinary approach to identify the main barriers …