Digital Commons Network^™

The Auricular Surface Of Chimpanzees (Pan Troglodytes) As An Indicator Of Age, Kalila Garrison

All Master's Theses

Great ape skeletal remains are scarce and their use in biological profile estimations has been limited. Skeletal remains analysis provides key demographic information and ecological context to the individual. Chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) share skeletal morphological characteristics with humans, and this study seeks to understand if two noninvasive methods using the auricular surface of the ilium to age human skeletal remains could be applied to chimpanzees. The sample consisted of n = 8 individual left auricular surfaces from known age groups of both sexes. Firstly, the Buckberry and Chamberlain Method assigns numerical values to five different traits on the auricular …

Historical Narratives Of The Eight Akan Clan Systems Using Museum Theater : The Case Of Prempeh Ii Jubilee Museum, Ghana, Emmanuel Jewel Peprah Mensah, Dickson Adom, Steve Kquofi

Journal of Urban Culture Research

There have been several calls from diverse stakeholders in the museum sector in Ghana for creative programs that enliven the cultural objects in a museum’s holding. This study aimed at exploring the use of museum theatre as an intervention to enhance the museum experience of visitors at the Prempeh II Jubilee Museum, a popular museum in the Ashanti Region of Ghana. We produced The Linguist Staff, an interactive drama to present the historical narratives of the eight Akan clan systems. The study was carried out using arts-based research under the qualitative approach with observer-as-participant and semi-structured interviews as data collection …

Assessing The Niger Delta Residents’ Awareness On Socio-Culture Effect Of Wetland Loss, Faith Danjuma, Özge Özden Fuller, Salih Gucel, Patience Francis Nathan

Journal of Urban Culture Research

The degradation of Niger Delta ecosystem is due to activities such as crude oil exploitation, agricultural activities, urbanization among others that affects the socio-culture impact of its dwellers. The study's aim was to assess the Niger Delta residents’ awareness on socio-culture effect of wetlands loss. This paper engaged the exploration of literature reviews, the randomly selection of communities in three Niger Delta states which includes Rivers, Bayelsa and Delta state and a questionnaire was utilized with 150 participants. The findings demonstrated that less awareness on the effect of wetland loss has impacted the residents. Also industrial activities have affected the …

Highlighting Opportunities For Anaerobic Co-Digestion Of Food Waste From Universities With Pulp And Paper Mill Sludge, Md Nizam Uddin

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

The disposal of food waste (FW) in landfills presents significant environmental and economic challenges, including greenhouse gas emissions and loss of potential resources. Concurrently, the pulp and paper industry, a major sector in the United States, generates substantial quantities of recalcitrant organic waste that is high in lignocellulosic content. Anaerobic co-digestion of FW with pulp and paper mill sludge (PPMS) emerges as a potential strategy to address both waste streams simultaneously, potentially enhancing organic matter degradation and biogas yield. However, the efficacy of this co-digestion approach and its broader sustainability implications remain insufficiently characterized. This study employs laboratory-scale experiments to …

Unconscionability And Poverty, Mark G. Kelman

SMU Law Review Forum

Matthew Desmond made the claim in Evicted, his powerful work on housing insecurity, that those concerned with alleviating poverty should focus not merely on ensuring that poor people have higher disposable incomes, but on countering the exploitative price gouging that depresses the value of whatever income they have. This suggests the possibility that it might be a worthwhile anti-poverty strategy for courts to use the unconscionability doctrine to regulate exploitative contracts.

Three main issues follow from considering this possibility: (1) Do the poor actually pay more for goods of the same quality? (2) If they indeed pay more, do …

Nuanced Impacts And Social Perceptions Of Alpine Newts Ichthyosaura Alpestris In The Uk, Alexandra North

School of Biological and Marine Sciences Theses

Invasive species are major drivers of environmental change and their incidence appear to be growing worldwide. An understanding of the subtleties and complexities of invasion is important for conservation decision-making as not all introduced species become invasive, and the impacts of those that do can be highly context dependent. The alpine newt Ichthyosaura alpestris is a non-native species that is now widely distributed across the UK. An understanding of the drivers of introduction and spread of this species are in its infancy, and whilst anecdotal reports are indicative of negative ecological impacts, empirical evidence is lacking. This interdisciplinary thesis aims …

An Assessment Of The Environmental Impact And Economic Viability Of A Uk Based Scallop Farm, David Cox

School of Biological and Marine Sciences Theses

The UK scallop capture fishery’s use of dredging is, at times, both environmentally damaging and economically unsustainable. With demand for seafood continuing to rise, scallop farming may be able to offer an alternative source of supply that addresses increasing consumer concerns over sustainable food production and traceability. This study is based the research conducted on the UK’s first fully integrated scallop farm and hatchery in Torbay Devon. The research focuses on two separate aspects of the scallop farm: its ecological impact on the epibenthic and pelagic organisms at the site and surrounding areas and an assessment of the economic viability …

Population Genetics Of Green (Chelonia Mydas) And Hawksbill Turtles (Eretmochelys Imbricata) In Grenada, West Indies, Naomi Westlake

School of Biological and Marine Sciences Theses

Sea turtle populations within Grenada are believed to be in decline, consistent with worldwide trends. Conservation strategies for green and hawksbill turtles in Grenada are currently limited by a lack of detailed knowledge of the genetic make-up, life history and migration patterns of the local aggregates of these species. Genetic characterisation provides a means for inferring population diversity and origins for these aggregates and to assess potential impacts from regional and worldwide management strategies. Additionally, chelonid alphaherpesvirus-5 (ChHV5) and ChHV5-associated fibropapillomatosis (FP) have recently been reported within Grenada’s green turtle population, but the epidemiology of the disease in Grenada remains …

Computer Vision Enabled Approaches To Predicting Responses To Fluctuating Temperatures In Aquatic Embryos, Ziad Ibbini

School of Biological and Marine Sciences Theses

Fluctuations in temperature are prevalent within environments inhabited by many ectotherms, and climate change continues to rapidly alter the thermal regimes of these environments. Early developmental stages are often the most thermally sensitive life stage, and thus can drive a species’ vulnerability to climate change. Our current understanding of the effects of fluctuating temperatures (FTs) is predominately based upon comparisons of responses to constant temperatures (CTs). Relating CT responses to those of FTs is typically achieved through the use of thermal performance curves, which are integrated over time to estimate cumulative performance and thus a developmental endpoint; an approach often …

Investigating The Movement And Foraging Ecology Of Reef Manta Rays (Mobula Alfredi) In The Chagos Archipelago, Joanna Harris

School of Biological and Marine Sciences Theses

Reef manta rays (Mobula alfredi) are large zooplanktivorous elasmobranchs of the family Mobulidae. The species is dispersed throughout the Indian and West Pacific Oceans in small, isolated populations that tend to have a limited home range. Individuals within a population regularly visit specific locations to routinely engage in activities such as feeding, where they often exhibit aggregation behaviour. The species face a multitude of anthropogenic threats throughout their range, the most significant of which are target and bycatch fisheries from which they can be most at risk at aggregation sites. Due to their unsustainable depletion, particularly in the Indian Ocean, …

The Impacts Of Crassula Helmsii On Northwest European Freshwater Macroinvertebrates, Samuel Tasker

School of Biological and Marine Sciences Theses

Crassula helmsii (New Zealand pygmyweed) is an Australasian aquatic plant which has invaded European freshwaters since the 1950s, provoking widespread concern amongst conservationists. The ecological impacts of C. helmsii invasion remain unclear, however, particularly with respect to macroinvertebrates. The main aim of this thesis is therefore to determine how Crassula helmsii impacts recipient macroinvertebrate assemblages in small lentic waterbodies across its invasive range. To this end, I surveyed small lentic waterbodies across the UK, Belgium and the Netherlands, including invaded and ecologically similar uninvaded sites in each region, assessing the impacts of C. helmsii invasion on macroinvertebrates using a suite …

Pharmacology Of Boldine: Summary Of The Field And Update On Recent Advances, Juan C. Sáez, Justin C. Burrell, Catherine M. Cahill, D. Kacy Cullen, Lakshmi A. Devi, Ryan J. Gilbert, Zachary A. Graham, Vadim J. Gurvich, Leif A. Havton, Ravi Iyengar, Rajesh Khanna, Edmund F. Palermo, Mustafa Siddiq, Carlos A. Toro, Walter Vasquez, Wei Zhao, Christopher P. Cardozo

Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Over the past decade, boldine, a naturally occurring alkaloid found in several plant species including the Chilean Boldo tree, has garnered attention for its efficacy in rodent models of human disease. Some of the properties that have been attributed to boldine include antioxidant activities, neuroprotective and analgesic actions, hepatoprotective effects, anti-inflammatory actions, cardioprotective effects and anticancer potential. Compelling data now indicates that boldine blocks connexin (Cx) hemichannels (HCs) and that many if not all of its effects in rodent models of injury and disease are due to CxHC blockade. Here we provide an overview of boldine's pharmacological properties, including its …

Dutchtown South Waste Services Equity, Erika Adjei, Samantha Campisi, Serena Earp, Erin Hill, Hannah Hummel, Lourdes Letelier, Joe Mantych, Sydney Rottinghaus

Sustainability Exchange Projects

No abstract provided.

Objective Assessment Of Shared Plate Eating Using A Wearable Camera In Urban And Rural Households In Ghana, Christabel A Domfe, Megan A Mccrory, Edward Sazonov, Tonmoy Ghosh, Viprav Raju, Gary Frost, Matilda Steiner-Asiedu, Mingui Sun, Wenyan Jia, Tom Baranowski, Benny Lo, Alex K Anderson

Children’s Nutrition Research Center Staff Publications

Background: Shared plate eating (SPE), defined as two or more individuals eating directly from the same plate or bowl, is a common household food consumption practice in many Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs). Examination of household engagement in SPE remains largely unexplored, highlighting a gap in research when interpreting dietary information obtained from these settings. The dearth of research into SPE can be attributed to the inherent limitations of traditional dietary assessment methods which constrain their usability in settings where SPE is common.

Objective: In this expository narrative, we describe what SPE is when it is practiced in an LMIC …

Combinatorial Atoh1, Gfi1, Pou4f3, And Six1 Gene Transfer Induces Hair Cell Regeneration In The Flat Epithelium Of Mature Guinea Pigs, Yujie Liu, Lin Yang, Sunita Singh, Lisa A Beyer, Diane M Prieskorn, Donald L Swiderski, Andrew K Groves, Yehoash Raphael

Children’s Nutrition Research Center Staff Publications

Flat epithelium (FE) is a condition characterized by the loss of both hair cells (HCs) and supporting cells and the transformation of the organ of Corti into a simple flat or cuboidal epithelium, which can occur after severe cochlear insults. The transcription factors Gfi1, Atoh1, Pou4f3, and Six1 (GAPS) play key roles in HC differentiation and survival in normal ears. Previous work using a single transcription factor, Atoh1, to induce HC regeneration in mature ears in vivo usually produced very few cells and failed to produce HCs in severely damaged organs of Corti, especially those with FE. Studies in vitro …

A Comprehensive Review Of Advances In Hepatocyte Microencapsulation: Selecting Materials And Preserving Cell Viability, Hailian Wang, Lebin Wen, Fengdi Jiang, Pengyu Ren, Yixin Yang, Siyuan Song, Zhengteng Yang, Yi Wang

Children’s Nutrition Research Center Staff Publications

Liver failure represents a critical medical condition with a traditionally grim prognosis, where treatment options have been notably limited. Historically, liver transplantation has stood as the sole definitive cure, yet the stark disparity between the limited availability of liver donations and the high demand for such organs has significantly hampered its feasibility. This discrepancy has necessitated the exploration of hepatocyte transplantation as a temporary, supportive intervention. In light of this, our review delves into the burgeoning field of hepatocyte transplantation, with a focus on the latest advancements in maintaining hepatocyte function, co-microencapsulation techniques, xenogeneic hepatocyte transplantation, and the selection of …

Advancing Kidney Xenotransplantation With Anesthesia And Surgery – Bridging Preclinical And Clinical Frontiers Challenges And Prospects, Xiaojian Zhang, Hailian Wang, Qin Xie, Yang Zhang, Yixin Yang, Man Yuan, Yuqi Cui, Si-Yuan Song, Jianzhen Lv, Yi Wang

Children’s Nutrition Research Center Staff Publications

Xenotransplantation is emerging as a vital solution to the critical shortage of organs available for transplantation, significantly propelled by advancements in genetic engineering and the development of sophisticated immunosuppressive treatments. Specifically, the transplantation of kidneys from genetically engineered pigs into human patients has made significant progress, offering a potential clinical solution to the shortage of human kidney supply. Recent trials involving the transplantation of these modified porcine kidneys into deceased human bodies have underscored the practicality of this approach, advancing the field towards potential clinical applications. However, numerous challenges remain, especially in the domains of identifying suitable donor-recipient matches and …

Big Data Visualization For Black Sigatoka Disease Of Bananas And Pathogen–Host Interactions (Phi) Of Other Plants, Soichiro Takashashi, Prasanna Rajbhandari, Richard S. Segall

Arkansas Biosciences Institute

Black sigatoka is a leaf spot disease affecting banana plants that has caused significant yield reductions of up to 50% (Arman et al., 2023). This research presents data visualizations of 8,761 data points related to black sigatoka in banana plants, encompassing attributes such as time, canopy temperature, and relative humidity. The paper also reviews related work, including the application of data mining to plant studies, the use of deep learning neural networks for plant disease data, and the use of machine learning for predicting crop yields and detecting disease. Additionally, it presents big data visualizations for 20,952 values obtained from …

Native Forbs Provide Pollinator Resources And Improve Forage Nutrient Composition, Animal Performance, And Pasture Productivity, Jessica L. Prigge, Eric Bisangwa, Jonathan D. Richwine, Virginia R. Sykes, Jennie Lz Ivey, Patrick D. Keyser

Faculty Publications

Pollinator declines and expectations for more sustainable agriculture, including pasture-based enterprises, bring attention to strategies to enhance the habitat value of grazing lands. We evaluated native warm-season grass (NWSG) pastures with (FORB) and without (CONT) interseeded native forbs in 2021–2023. An analysis was conducted using R with the significance set at p ≤ 0.05. The grass appeared to be weakened predominantly by grazing management practices. Forb density and mass had an inverse relationship in seasons two and three. Total forage mass declined in response to increased grazing days and weakened stands. The forage nutritive compositions differed, with more stable, season-long …

An Occupational Therapy Program For First Responders Facing Trauma Fatigue And Work-Related Stressors Using Equine Facilitated Approaches, Kady Locke

Occupational Therapy Capstones

The proposed program is a mental health program, targeting meaningful daily occupations for the population of first responders facing trauma fatigue and antecedents of posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms related to stress from work. For individuals who serve as first responders, there is significant prevalence for trauma exposure, leading to trauma fatigue due to events encountered on the job. Mazur and Collins (2023) found that 80% of police and first responders experience traumatic events on the job and that 25% have experienced suicidal ideation due to impacts of trauma exposure. There is a lack of professional mental health services supporting this …

Addressing Health Care Needs Of Farmers In Rural Areas Through The Lens Of Occupational Therapy, Josie Lynn Huot

Occupational Therapy Capstones

Title: Addressing Health Care Needs of Farmers in Rural Areas through the Lens of Occupational Therapy

Background: Over three million farmers and farm laborers across the United States (U.S.) perform one of the most essential careers to support human life (Hildebrand et al., 2019; USDA, 2020). Farming is considered a highly dangerous job, putting farmers at risk for numerous health concerns, with a high prevalence of musculoskeletal injuries (Fethke et al., 2015; Hildebrand et al., 2019). Low back pain is a leading source of musculoskeletal pain, closely followed by neck pain, both of which are associated with the spine (Davis …

Expecting Better When You’Re Expecting: Empowering Mothers Through Occupational Therapy, Ann K. Landreville

Occupational Therapy Capstones

The maternal health crisis of the United States presents an opportunity to improve the level of care provided to the maternal population. A new standard of care must be established, going beyond decreasing maternal mortality and morbidity rates, but instead working to promote the health and well-being of mothers. While many well-recognized health professionals currently play a role on the interdisciplinary care team for postpartum mothers, occupational therapists are emerging in this field, proving they have a vital role in providing services that addresses the current gap in care. Many professions largely address physical health; occupational therapists have a holistic …

Stitching Satellites To The Edge: Pervasive And Efficient Federated Leo Satellite Learning, Mohamed Elmahallawy, Tony Tie Luo

Computer Science Faculty Research & Creative Works

In the Ambitious Realm of Space AI, the Integration of Federated Learning (FL) with Low Earth Orbit (LEO) Satellite Constellations Holds Immense Promise. However, Many Challenges Persist in Terms of Feasibility, Learning Efficiency, and Convergence. These Hurdles Stem from the Bottleneck in Communication, Characterized by Sporadic and Irregular Connectivity between LEO Satellites and Ground Stations, Coupled with the Limited Computation Capability of Satellite Edge Computing (SEC). This Paper Proposes a Novel FL-SEC Framework that Empowers LEO Satellites to Execute Large-Scale Machine Learning (ML) Tasks Onboard Efficiently. its Key Components Include I) Personalized Learning Via Divide-And-Conquer, Which Identifies and Eliminates Redundant …

(2024) Justus Buchler And The Community Of Query., Maughn Rollins Gregory

Collected Papers of Maughn Rollins Gregory

Before he originated the field of philosophy for children, Matthew Lipman spent nearly twenty years teaching at Columbia University and its affiliated colleges under the tutelage of the American philosopher Justus Buchler. In those years Lipman’s scholarship focused on Buchler’s naturalist metaphysics, which was informed by Buchler’s scholarship on the philosophy of Charles Peirce. In this essay I relate Lipman’s relationship with Buchler, summarise Buchler’s theory of human judgement, and indicate key parts of that theory that influenced Lipman’s own theory of judgement and multidimensional thinking. I then discuss the pedagogical turn Buchler made with his theory, including his conception …

Mandatory Sentences As Strict Liability, William W. Berry Iii

Washington and Lee Law Review

Strict liability crimes—crimes that do not require a criminal intent—are outliers in the world of criminal law. Disregarding criminal intent risks treating the blameworthy the same as the blameless.

In a different galaxy far, far away, mandatory sentences—sentences automatically imposed upon a criminal conviction—are unconstitutional in certain contexts for the exact same reason. Mandatory death sentences risk treating those who do not deserve death the same as those that might.

Two completely separate contexts, two parallel rules of law. Yet courts and commentators have failed to see the similarities between these two worlds, leaving an analytical black hole. Indeed, equity …

The Right To Cheesecake: Prisoners’ Rights Jurisprudence Through A Jewish Lens, Arielle L. Yacker

Student Works

No abstract provided.

Disharmony In Patent Law: A Comparative Study Of Patent Eligibility Of Biological Subject Matters Between China And The United States, Xiongying Tu

Cybaris®

Disharmonies in intellectual property rights have led countries, like China and the U.S., to implement patent laws tailored to their unique culture, values, and goals while complying with international treaties. China's exclusion of treatment and diagnosis methods from patent protection prioritizes healthcare accessibility, whereas the U.S.'s allowance of patentability fosters medical innovation. Similarly, China's exclusion of animal and plant patentability aligns with cultural and agricultural values, emphasizing resource accessibility and food security. Protecting genetic resources poses challenges, with China aligning its patent law proactively with the CBD principles and the U.S. prioritizing unrestricted access. China's approach to human stem cell …

Dorian Gray Meets The Digital Age, Marianne Cicirelli

Masters Essays

No abstract provided.

Does Heightened Perceptual Encoding In Blind Individuals Extend To Word Learning?, Lindsay N. Harris, Marissa Renee Bamberger

CISLL Publications

Past research reported blind participants tend to encode sensory details of encounters with stimuli they will later recall or recollect, whereas sighted individuals tend to abstract meaning from sensory information when encoding memories. Here we ask whether blind individuals’ use of perceptual in addition to semantic encoding extends to a task—word learning—whose purpose amounts to semantically encoding the word and definition. After studying the definitions of spoken or written words, blind braille readers (n = 23) and sighted print readers (n = 20) re-encountered each word and indicated whether it was previously presented in the same modality. Analyses …

The Truth Should Never Be Illegal: The Evils & Unconstitutionality Of Ag-Gag Laws And The Need For Reform, Melanie Egas

Student Works

No abstract provided.