Digital Commons Network^™

Two Distinctions About Eating Animals, A.G. Holdier

Between the Species

In this paper I describe two distinctions about what “eating animals” entails which are often confused in conversations or arguments aimed against meat-based diets and try to show how both distinctions, on their own lights, ultimately support a concern for all fellow creatures, regardless of species or other biological categories. The distinctions in question are: the distinction between moral and nonmoral actions, presumptions about which serve to define whether or not particular topics (like meat consumption) deserve moral consideration whatsoever, and the distinction between moral and immoral actions, about which suppositions bear on both reflexive and considered moral …

Socio-Cultural Status Of Albinism In Africa: Challenging Myths, Concepts, And Stereotypes, Raita Steyn

Journal of Global Awareness

This article analyses the socio-cultural status of Albinism in Africa and the role unchallenged stereotypes, irrational concepts, and unfounded beliefs play in the lives of persons with albinism. Following some beliefs, persons with albinism” do not die but vanish” to later “return as ghosts to haunt the living.” The author discusses this paradox about persons with albinism identified as hunted victims and simultaneously haunting perpetrators. The research examines the concept of albinism being a curse from dead ancestors or theodicy and its association with supernatural powers. By a comparative and diachronic approach, the study challenges unsubstantiated stereotypes. This study aims …

Experimental Study On Effect Of Soil Layer Reconstruction And Inoculation On Plant Root Hydraulic Lift In Open-Pit Coal Mine Dump, Bi Yinli, Gao Xuejiang, Ke Zengming, Xiao Li

Coal Geology & Exploration

Soil layer reconstruction of open-pit coal mine dump is of great significance for ecological reconstruction. In order to study the effect of inoculation of dark septate endophytes (DSE) on water utilization of corn root system under different reconstructed soil layer models, soil column simulating and culturing test was adopted, with DSE inoculation and control treatment set up under each of the four soil layer types, in a total of 8 groups. The results show that the roots of corn are the longest with the maximum density under the treatment with 20% loess, which are 3.2, 2.4 and 2.8 times that …

Optimization Of Preparation Of Conjugated Linoleic Acid By Alkali Isomerization Of Peanut Oil, Shen Qiu-Yun, Peng Qing-Jing

Food and Machinery

Objective: To obtain a promising production technique of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA). Methods: The alkali isomerization was used to prepare CLA from peanut oil. The relative content of linoleic acid in peanut oil was determined, and the effects of reaction time, reaction temperature, ratio of alcohol to oil and KOH dosage on the conversion of CLA were investigated. The preparation conditions were optimized by Box-Behnken test. Results: The peanut oil was rich in linoleic acid with a relative content of 27.85%. Therefore, peanut oil was a good raw material for the preparation of CLA. For the conversion …

Optimization Of High Density Culture Of Lactobacillus Fermentum Blhn3, Zuo Meng-Nan, Liu Wei, Zhang Ju-Hua, Quan Qi

Food and Machinery

Objective: This study aimed to develop a low cost and high density lactobacillus starter. Methods: The Lactobacillus fermentum BLHN3 isolated from chopped pepper was used as material, on the basis of MRS medium, the high density fermentation medium and culture conditions were optimized. Results: The optimal carbon source, nitrogen source, buffer salt, growth-promoting factor of L. fermentum BLHN3 were as follows: 30.0 g/L Trehalose, 34.0 g/L Soybean peptone, 2.0 g/L Ammonium citrate, 5.0 g/L Sodium acetate, 2.0 g/L Dipotassium hydrogen phosphate, 10% Carrot juice. The viable count of L. fermentum BLHN3 using the optimized medium was 6.05×109 …

Effects Of Air-Frying And Microwave Treatment On The Quality Of Pumpkin Seed Kernels, Zhang Gui-Hui, Ouyang Hui, Huang Yu, Yu Xiong-Wei, Li Shu-Gang

Food and Machinery

Objective: This study aimed to explore the effect of processing methods on the quality of pumpkin seed kernels. Methods: In this study, pumpkin seed kernels were chosen as the research object and the effects of air-frying (160 ℃, 0~7 min) and microwave treatment (700 W, 0~7 min) on the physical and chemical properties of proteins were investigated. Results: The experimental results showed that: after air-frying and microwave treatment, polyphenol, flavone, polysaccharide contents, as well as sensory scores all increased at the beginning, then decreased gradually, and reached the peak values when being treated by air-frying for 4 …

Research Progress On The Application Of Composite Hydrogel In Food, Wang Shao-Qing, Mu Ming-Wei, Zhang Bo, Deng Na, Wang Jian-Hui

Food and Machinery

At present, most hydrogels used in the food industry are natural polymers, with poor mechanical properties and high moisture content, which is easy to be contaminated by microorganisms, making it difficult to meet the use needs. In recent years, new composite hydrogels loaded with active substances prepared from natural and synthetic polymers or modified natural polymers have been increasingly used in the food field..Starting from the preparation method of composite hydrogels, this paper introduces its application status in food packaging materials, fat and starch substitution, bioactive molecule delivery, rapid detection of microorganisms, and prospects the development trend of composite hydrogels …

Research Progress On Active Ingredients And Pharmacological Functions Of Lotus Leaf, Li Yi-Long, Shang Bo-Hao, Wang Jian-Hui, Liu Zhong-Hua, Zhu Ming-Zhi

Food and Machinery

The main active ingredients in lotus leaves were introduced in this review, including flavonoids, alkaloids, volatile oils, terpenoids, polysaccharides, and organic acids. The pharmacological functions of lotus leaves, such as lipid-lowering and anti-obesity activities, anti-oxidant, anti-bacterial, and blood-lowering activities, protective effects of the cardiovascular system, nervous system, and liver, and anti-tumor activity were also summarized. The relative research and application were prospected in order to provide references for the comprehensive utilization of lotus leaf resources.

Research Progress On Utilization Status And Deep Processing Of Functional Components Of Ougan Citrus, Liu Xun, Wang Yang-Guang, Xia Qi-Le, Jin Yi-Feng, Lu Sheng-Min

Food and Machinery

Ougan(Citrus Suavissima Hort.ex Tanaka) as a long history of edible and medicinal fruit, has a unique taste, and can clear heat, detoxify, eliminate phlegm and relieve cough. However, because of its slight bitterness, it has a strong regional consumption and is not widely accepted. This review focuses on the preparation technology and content analysis of nutritional and functional components in Ou orange, summarizes the research and development status of the processing products of ou orange, such as traditional "Gan er wen" and tangerine peel, as well as new Ougan enzyme, fruit vinegar and fruit wine, and points out the future …

Carbon-Al Interface Effect On The Performance Of Ionic Liquid-Based Supercapacitor At 3 V And 65 OC, Zhen-Zhen Ye, Shu-Ting Zhang, Xin-Qi Chen, Jin Wang, Ying Jin, Chao-Jie Cui, Lei Zhang, Lu-Ming Qian, Gang Zhang, Wei-Zhong Qian

Journal of Electrochemistry

Ionic liquid (IL) electrolyte-based supercapacitors (SCs) have advantages of high operating voltage window, high energy density and nonflammability, as compared to conventional acetonitrile-based organic electrolyte SCs, and are typically suitable for the large-scale energy storage in the era of carbon neutrality full of renewable, but unstable electricity. However, current efforts were concentrated on the study with coin-cell type of IL-SCs, and less has been reported on the pouch type of IL-SCs for a long cycling time yet. To fabricate a reliable SC for the life time test or for the accelerated aging test under high temperature, one should concern the …

Evaluating Growth Rates Of The Eastern Oyster (Crassostrea Virginica) And Water Quality For Oyster Restoration Sites At City Island, Bronx, Ny, Cody L. Jernigan

Theses and Dissertations

Oyster growth and water quality were monitored at four sites at City Island, Bronx, NY, to determine suitability for oyster reef restoration. Significant growth occurred at two sites and water quality was not indicated as a contributing factor. Oyster growth at all sites indicate appropriate conditions for oyster reef restoration.

Methods For Drone Trajectory Analysis Of Bottlenose Dolphins (Tursiops Truncatus), Jillian D. Bliss

Theses and Dissertations

With the increase in the use of UAS (Unmanned Aerial Systems) for marine mammal research, there is a need for the development of methods of analysis to transform UAS high resolution video into quantitative data. This study sought to develop a preliminary method of analysis that would quantify and present a way to visualize the dynamics and relative spatial distribution and changes in distribution of bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) in the waters of Turneffe Atoll, Belize. This approach employs a previously developed video tracking program ‘Keypoint Tracking’ that enables manual tracking of individual dolphins and the creation of …

Risk Factors For Emergency Medical Care Or Hospitalization Due To Heat-Related Illness Or Injury: A Systematic Review, Blair Litwiller, Amber N. Barnes

Florida Public Health Review

Background: Temperatures globally have been predicted to increase due to changes in the climate. As the earth gets warmer, it is expected that heat-related illness will also increase worldwide. An effective and appropriate public health response will be critical. Purpose: The aim of this review was to identify risk factors associated with heat-related illness and injury to provide target areas for future interventions. Methods: A review of existing literature was analyzed for risk factors that may increase the likelihood of being admitted to an emergency department for a heat related illness or injury. Results: Of the …

A Lagrangian Particle Model With Nesting Capability And Its Application To The Modeling Of Plastics In The Gulf Of Mexico, Weiyuan Dong

LSU Master's Theses

In our study, we refined an offline three-dimensional (3D) Lagrangian model named the Larval TRANSport Lagrangian (LTRANS) model and applied it to the Gulf of Mexico (GOM). Previous research that applied the model within the Texas-Louisiana (TXLA) shelf domain, which released plastics to simulate their trajectories and fate, showed that more than 40% of simulated particles did not reach the land boundaries. Some of those particles were assumed to move out of the TXLA domain. In reality, these particles could also re-enter the TXLA domain due to processes such as tidal excursion, mesoscale eddies and inertial oscillation. However, the model …

Correlation Of Road Network Structure And Urban Mobility Intensity: An Exploratory Study Using Geo-Tagged Tweets, Li Geng, Ke Zhang

Publications and Research

Urban planners have been long interested in understanding how urban structure and activities are mutually influenced. Human mobility and economic activities naturally drive the formation of road network structure and the accessibility of the latter shapes the patterns of movement flow across urban space. In this paper, we perform an exploratory study on the relationship between the street network structure and the intensity of human movement in urban areas. We focus on two cities and we utilize a dataset of geo-tagged tweets that can form a proxy to urban mobility and the corresponding street networks as obtained from OpenStreetMap. We …

Genetic Population Dynamics Of The Critically Endangered Scalloped Hammerhead Shark (Sphyrna Lewini) In The Eastern Tropical Pacific, Sydney P. Harned, Andrea Bernard, Pelayo Salinas-De-Leon, Marissa Mehlrose, Jenifer Suarez, Yolani Robles, Sandra Bessudo Lion, Felipe Ladino, Andrés López Garo, Ilena Zanella, Kevin A. Feldheim, Mahmood Shivji

Biology Faculty Articles

The scalloped hammerhead shark, Sphyrna lewini, is a Critically Endangered, migratory species known for its tendency to form iconic and visually spectacular large aggregations. Herein, we investigated the population genetic dynamics of the scalloped hammerhead across much of its distribution in the Eastern Tropical Pacific (ETP), ranging from Costa Rica to Ecuador, focusing on young-of-year animals from putative coastal nursery areas and adult females from seasonal aggregations that form in the northern Galápagos Islands. Nuclear microsatellites and partial mitochondrial control region sequences showed little evidence of population structure suggesting that scalloped hammerheads in this ETP region comprise a single …

Cardiac Neural Crest And Cardiac Regeneration, Shannon Erhardt, Jun Wang

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Neural crest cells (NCCs) are a vertebrate-specific, multipotent stem cell population that have the ability to migrate and differentiate into various cell populations throughout the embryo during embryogenesis. The heart is a muscular and complex organ whose primary function is to pump blood and nutrients throughout the body. Mammalian hearts, such as those of humans, lose their regenerative ability shortly after birth. However, a few vertebrate species, such as zebrafish, have the ability to self-repair/regenerate after cardiac damage. Recent research has discovered the potential functional ability and contribution of cardiac NCCs to cardiac regeneration through the use of various vertebrate …

Preparation Of Phytosterol Α-Linolenic Acid Ester And Its Application In Astaxanthin-Loaded Liposomes, Liu Yan-Jun, Pan Li, Chang Zhen-Gang, Meng Hao-Jie, Zhang Guo-Zhi

Food and Machinery

Objective: This study focuses on improving the stability and water solubility of astaxanthin. Methods: Phytosterol α-linolenic acid ester was synthesized by chemical method with phytosterol andα-linolenic acid as raw materials. Liposomes co-encapsulating astaxanthin and phytosterol α-linolenic acid ester were prepared by employing a thin-film ultrasound technique with the utilization of soybean phospholipid. Results: Based on the structure analysis by infrared spectroscopy and nuclear magnetic resonance, it has been demonstrated that the product was phytosterolα-linolenic acid ester. The purity of phytosterolα-linolenic acid ester was (90.72±2.09)% by gas chromatography. The encapsulation efficiency of liposomes co-encapsulating astaxanthin and phytosterolα-linolenic acid …

Transformation And Gene Editing In The Bioenergy Grass Miscanthus, Anthony Trieu, Mohammad B. Belaff, Pradeepa Hirannaiah, Shilpa Manjunatha, Rebekah Wood, Yokshitha Bathula, Rebecca L. Billingsley, Anjali Arpan, Erik J. Sacks, Thomas E. Clemente, Stephen P. Moose, Nancy A. Reichert, Kankshita Swaminathan

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Background: Miscanthus, a C4 member of Poaceae, is a promising perennial crop for bioenergy, renewable bioproducts, and carbon sequestration. Species of interest include nothospecies M. x giganteus and its parental species M. sacchariforus and M. sinensis. Use of biotechnology-based procedures to genetically improve Miscanthus, to date, have only included plant transformation procedures for introduction of exogenous genes into the host genome at random, non-targeted sites.

Results: We developed gene editing procedures for Miscanthus using CRISPR/Cas9 that enabled the mutation of a specific (targeted) endogenous gene to knock out its function. Classified as paleo-allopolyploids (duplicated ancient …

Geological Soil Formation For Ecological Restoration Of Mining Areas And Its Case Study, Hu Zhenqi, Zhang Zixuan, Sun Huang

Coal Geology & Exploration

Soil is an important substrate of plant growth, as well as the key for successful ecological restoration of mine. In view of the status of insufficient soil for most of ecological restoration of mine and the reality of a very long process of geological soil formation, the concept and method of geological soil formation for ecological restoration of mine (Mine-GSF for short) were discussed on the basis of description on the principle of natural geological soil formation. Natural geologic soil formation is the process of turning “rock” into “soil” through a long period of macro-geological cycle and biological cycle, including …

Construction Of Tudang Sipulung As A Group Counseling Strategy For Bugis Adolescents In The Perspective Of Kipas Counseling Model, Aswar Aswar, Edil Wijaya Nur, M. Amirullah, Fitriana Fitriana

Jurnal Kajian Bimbingan dan Konseling

The purpose of this article is to describe the existence of Tudang Sipulung for group guidance that used KIPAS Counseling for the Bugis Youth at Senior High School at Sidrap. This research used a qualitative approach with Triple Hermeneutic Analysis method. The data collection technique are Interview and literature studies as well as data validation which is achieved through data triangulation. The subjects of this study were four people, two people from public figure (culturalists) and two people from students (Bugis youth). The results showed that Tudang Sipulung is the ancestral heritage of the Sidrap’s Bugis Society which contains positive …

Real-Life Problems To Increase The Critical Analysis Thinking Among Novice Counselors In Humanistic Counseling Courses: Is It Effective?, Luthfita Cahya Irani, Suwarjo Suwarjo, Le Ngoc Ai Nhung

Jurnal Kajian Bimbingan dan Konseling

This study aims to determine the effectiveness of using real-life problems to improve novice counsellors' critical analytical thinking in humanistic counselling courses. The research method uses an experiment with a pretest-posttest control group design. The instrument used is a critical-analytical thinking scale. The research sample used a purposive sampling technique, which consisted of 84 students of the 2018 Guidance and Counseling UNY Study Program who took the Humanistic Counseling course. The samples were separated into experimental and control groups of 42 students. The pre-test and post-test data were analyzed using an independent sample t-test using SPSS Amos 25 software. The …

Human Character Based On Ki Ageng Suryomentaram Teachings And Its Implementation In Guidance And Counseling Services, Bakhrudin All Habsy, Nanda Alfan Kurniawan

Jurnal Kajian Bimbingan dan Konseling

The Indonesian nation as a large nation consisting of various religions, ethnicities, and cultures, of course, deserves to have the aspiration to have a basic human philosophy paradigm based on Indonesian culture based on dialogue between the soul sciences that live in Indonesian human cognition. This study aims to present the concept of basic human philosophy in the teachings of Ki Ageng Suryomentaram. The research method uses Gadamerian hermeneutics in a qualitative approach. The collected data is then analyzed using Parts and Whole analysis and then checked the validity of the data through the stages of credibility, transferability, dependability, and …

Establishment Of An In Vivo Streptozotocin-Induced Type 1 Diabetes Model Recapitulating Early Brain And Retinal Fibrosis, Kia Bourdot, Lucy Dawson, Igor Kuzin, Arturo Bravo Nuevo, Zeus Antonello

Cooper Rowan Medical Journal

INTRODUCTION: Diabetes has risen to one of the top American public health concerns. The hyperglycemic state of chronic diabetes leads to microvascular and macrovascular changes that predispose patients to delayed wound healing and organ fibrosis. The validation of models to specifically detect early, quantifiable fibrotic changes seen in the diabetic state is of fundamental importance for understanding the diabetic pathophysiology and exploring earlier management options. Here, we investigated if we could detect early signs of internal fibrosis in a streptozotocin (STZ) diabetic mouse model by quantifying α-SMA expression in various organs using flow cytometry.

METHODS: We used a low-dose STZ-induced …

Cerebellar High-Grade Glioma: A Translationally Oriented Review Of The Literature, Ashley L B Raghu, Jason A Chen, Pablo A Valdes, Walid Ibn Essayed, Elizabeth Claus, Omar Arnaout, Timothy R Smith, E Antonio Chiocca, Pier Paolo Peruzzi, Joshua D Bernstock

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

World Health Organization (WHO) grade 4 gliomas of the cerebellum are rare entities whose understanding trails that of their supratentorial counterparts. Like supratentorial high-grade gliomas (sHGG), cerebellar high-grade gliomas (cHGG) preferentially affect males and prognosis is bleak; however, they are more common in a younger population. While current therapy for cerebellar and supratentorial HGG is the same, recent molecular analyses have identified features and subclasses of cerebellar tumors that may merit individualized targeting. One recent series of cHGG included the subclasses of (1) high-grade astrocytoma with piloid features (HGAP, ~31% of tumors); (2) H3K27M diffuse midline glioma (~8%); and (3) …

Safety And Microbiological Activity Of Phage Therapy In Persons With Cystic Fibrosis Colonized With Pseudomonas Aeruginosa: Study Protocol For A Phase 1b/2, Multicenter, Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial, Pranita D Tamma, Maria Souli, Michael Billard, Joseph Campbell, Douglas Conrad, Damon W Ellison, Beth Evans, Scott R Evans, Kerryl E Greenwood-Quaintance, Andrey A Filippov, Holly S Geres, Toshimitsu Hamasaki, Lauren Komarow, Mikeljon P Nikolich, Thomas P Lodise, Seema U Nayak, Carmelle Norice-Tra, Robin Patel, David Pride, Janie Russell, Daria Van Tyne, Henry F Chambers, Vance G Fowlerjr, Robert T Schooley, Antibacterial Resistance Leadership Group

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: Bacteriophages (phages) are a promising anti-infective option for human disease. Major gaps remain in understanding their potential utility.

METHODS: This is a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind study of a single dose of intravenous phage in approximately 72 clinically stable adult cystic fibrosis volunteers recruited from up to 20 US sites with Pseudomonas aeruginosa airway colonization. The single dose of phage consists of a mixture of four anti-pseudomonal phages. Six sentinel participants will be sequentially enrolled with dose escalation of the phage mixture by one log

DISCUSSION: This trial will investigate the activity of phages in reducing P. aeruginosa colony counts …

Clinical Significance Of Glycolytic Metabolic Activity In Hepatocellular Carcinoma, Joann Jung, Sowon Park, Yeonwoo Jang, Sung-Hwan Lee, Yun Seong Jeong, Sun Young Yim, Ju-Seog Lee

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

High metabolic activity is a hallmark of cancers, including hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, the molecular features of HCC with high metabolic activity contributing to clinical outcomes and the therapeutic implications of these characteristics are poorly understood. We aimed to define the features of HCC with high metabolic activity and uncover its association with response to current therapies. By integrating gene expression data from mouse liver tissues and tumor tissues from HCC patients (n = 1038), we uncovered three metabolically distinct HCC subtypes that differ in clinical outcomes and underlying molecular biology. The high metabolic subtype is characterized by poor …

Decadal Time-Series Depletion Of Dissolved Oxygen At Abyssal Depths In The Northeast Pacific, K. L. Smith, M. Messié, T. P. Connolly, C. L. Huffard

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

Dissolved oxygen depletion in the global ocean is well documented over several decades from the surface ocean to abyssal depths. This decline is especially prevalent in the Northeast Pacific. A significant decline in dissolved oxygen has been measured over 30 years at 4,000–4,100 m depth (Station M) beneath the California Current off central California. Three principal hypotheses examined the relationship of declining oxygen with biological and physical factors over the 30-year time series. Annual resolution revealed Ekman pumping, coastal upwelling, particulate matter flux, and sediment community oxygen consumption having significant correlations with bottom water dissolved oxygen concentration. Coastal upwelling accounted …

Optimal Design Of Microfluidic Devices To Generate Core-Shell Structures, Shaochen Wu

Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science Independent Study

Core-shell structures offer a wide range of uses in biology, chemistry, medicine, pharmaceutics, cosmetics, and industrial applications, such as the food processing industry, thanks to their effective encapsulation qualities. [1] We now have unparalleled control and flexibility over the creation of emulsion droplets by microfluidic devices. Due to the expertise needed to create and manage these technologies, this is still restricted to specialized laboratories. [1] This report will briefly introduce the application of core-shell structures, advantages, and challenges of microfluidic devices before, and talk about the improved device design which helps create and solidify successful core-shell structures with different sizes …

Correction: Evidence For The Effects Of Decommissioning Man-Made Structures On Marine Ecosystems Globally: A Systematic Map (Environmental Evidence, (2022), 11, 1, (35), 10.1186/S13750-022-00285-9), Anaëlle J. Lemasson, Paul J. Somerfield, Michaela Schratzberger, Caroline Louise Mcneill, Joana Nunes, Christine Pascoe, Stephen C.L. Watson, Murray S.A. Thompson, Elena Couce, Antony M. Knights

School of Biological and Marine Sciences

In the original publication of the article [1], the authors identified that the caption of the Additional files 3 and 4 has been swapped. Correct captions are: Additional file 3. Lists of articles included, unobtainable or excluded at full text screening with reasons for exclusion. Additional file 4. DREAMS systematic map database. The Original article has been corrected.