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A Kid's Guide To Infectious Disease, Abby Carroll Dec 2024

A Kid's Guide To Infectious Disease, Abby Carroll

Honors Theses

A Kid’s Guide to Infectious Disease is an educational illustrated book intended for young pediatric patients, ages three to five. This project was inspired by my personal interests, involvement at the University of Mississippi, and experience as a medical assistant. Over the past couple of years, I have had the opportunity to work as a medical assistant, interacting with many pediatric patients and their families at HealthPointe Primary Care. As a pre-physician assistant student studying biology, I was inspired to create a resource for these kids by both my classes at the University of Mississippi and my passion for pediatric …

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A Kinetic Model For Compound Heterozygous Pathogenic Variants In Tyrosyl-Trna Synthetase Gene Yars2-Associated Neonatal Phenotype, Thomas W Christian, Sunita Maharjan, Sitao Yin, Yuka Yamaki, Isao Masuda, Fenglin Li, Colleen Muraresku, Sheila Clever, Rebecca Ganetzky, Ya-Ming Hou Dec 2024

A Kinetic Model For Compound Heterozygous Pathogenic Variants In Tyrosyl-Trna Synthetase Gene Yars2-Associated Neonatal Phenotype, Thomas W Christian, Sunita Maharjan, Sitao Yin, Yuka Yamaki, Isao Masuda, Fenglin Li, Colleen Muraresku, Sheila Clever, Rebecca Ganetzky, Ya-Ming Hou

Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Faculty Papers

Human genetic disorders are often caused by mutations of compound heterozygosity, where each allele of the mutant gene harbors a different genetic lesion. However, studies of such mutations are hampered due to the lack of an appropriate model. Here we describe a kinetic model of compound heterozygous variants in an obligate enzyme dimer that contains one mutation in one monomer and the other mutation in the second monomer. This enzyme is encoded by human YARS2 for mitochondrial tyrosyl-tRNA synthetase (mt-TyrRS), which aminoacylates tyrosine to mt-tRNATyr. YARS2 is a member of the genes for mt-aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases, where pathogenic mutations …

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Cardiac Effects And Comorbidities Of Neurological Diseases, Bi̇lgi̇n Öztürk Dec 2024

Cardiac Effects And Comorbidities Of Neurological Diseases, Bi̇lgi̇n Öztürk

Turkish Journal of Medical Sciences

Neurological disorders encompass a complex and heterogeneous spectrum of diseases affecting the brain, spinal cord, and peripheral nervous system, each presenting unique challenges that extend well beyond primary neurological symptoms. These disorders profoundly impact cardiovascular health, prompting an intensified exploration into the intricate interconnections between the neurological and cardiovascular systems. This review synthesizes current insights and research on cardiovascular comorbidities associated with major neurological conditions, including stroke, epilepsy, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis (MS), and Alzheimer’s disease.The cardiovascular sequelae of these neurological disorders are multifactorial. For instance, strokes not only predispose individuals to arrhythmia and heart failure but also exacerbate pre-existing …

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Brief Of Law Scholars As Amicus Curiae In Support Of Appellees And Affirmance, Charles Duan Dec 2024

Brief Of Law Scholars As Amicus Curiae In Support Of Appellees And Affirmance, Charles Duan

Amicus Briefs & Court Filings

Amici are law professors and scholars who focus their scholarship and teaching on intellectual property law, property law, regulatory law, and health law.2 They write to address the plaintiff’s, Novo Nordisk Inc., et al. (Novo), overarching contention that the Medicare drug price negotiation program constitutes an unconstitutional price control. Amici submit this brief to provide the Court with the historical and legal background regarding the constitutionality of government price negotiations and price regulations. The amici explain how Courts have historically ruled on these questions, as well as the far-reaching consequences that a ruling in Novo’s favor would have on the …

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Elementary Teachers’ Knowledge And Application Of Formative Assessment To Improve Instruction, Judy Charles Dec 2024

Elementary Teachers’ Knowledge And Application Of Formative Assessment To Improve Instruction, Judy Charles

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Many students at the Valley View Primary School (pseudonym) in the Caribbean are not performing according to numeracy and literacy standards on national tests. Administration and teachers wanted to know why changes to formative assessment practices are not increasing students’ achievement levels. The purpose of this qualitative exploratory case study was to examine teachers’ perspectives regarding the importance of formative assessments relating to their instructional practices and knowledge of formative assessments in this primary school. The study was guided by Xu and Brown’s teacher assessment literacy in practice (TALiP). Nine participants were purposefully sampled. Research questions helped guide exploration regarding …

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Retrieving The Information Stored In The Donated Organ May Cause The Patient’S Personality To Change After The Transplant Operation, Jamal Al-Karaki, Muhammad Al-Zafar Khan, Phoka Rathebe, Raul Valverde, Alireza Sepehri, Massimo Fioranelli Dec 2024

Retrieving The Information Stored In The Donated Organ May Cause The Patient’S Personality To Change After The Transplant Operation, Jamal Al-Karaki, Muhammad Al-Zafar Khan, Phoka Rathebe, Raul Valverde, Alireza Sepehri, Massimo Fioranelli

All Works

The results of some scientific research show that organ transplantation, especially heart transplantation, causes changes in the patient’s personality and even memory. These changes can be due to the recovery of information stored in the donor’s molecules and cells. In fact, as in the orchestrated objective reduction model, information in the form of polarization or spin of molecules, electrons, and photons is stored in microtubules due to the connection between the brain and the heart through blood vessels and nerves, and waves. A copy of the information is stored in molecules and heart cells and possibly through the induction of …

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Intramolecular Styryl Diels-Alder (Isda) Reaction For Synthesizing Derivatives Of Anticancer Lignans, Kriti Shrestha Dec 2024

Intramolecular Styryl Diels-Alder (Isda) Reaction For Synthesizing Derivatives Of Anticancer Lignans, Kriti Shrestha

Theses and Dissertations

Intramolecular Styryl Diels-Alder (ISDA) cycloaddition reactions are used widely in synthesizing complex natural products. They help synthesize polycyclic cores and form new chiral centers in the molecule. Among such natural products, lignans are considered important biomedical molecules due to their numerous pharmacological properties, such as antitumor, hepatoprotective, insecticidal, antifungal, antihypertensive, sedative, antioxidant, and antiparasitic. Numerous researchers have published their work in trying to synthesize different lignans for medicinal purposes. However, the lignans are challenging to synthesize because of their complex tetralin cores. This project focuses on synthesizing the polycyclic core for the analogs of anti-cancer compounds with ISDA reaction. The …

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Are There Neurological Impacts Of Exposure To A Burned Wildfire Site As It Recovers?, Rubye Strickland Dec 2024

Are There Neurological Impacts Of Exposure To A Burned Wildfire Site As It Recovers?, Rubye Strickland

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Wildfires are increasing with climate change, making the human health implications of exposure to burned soils an essential area of research. Metals associated with fire-impacted soils can be inhaled or accidentally ingested by surrounding communities, causing health risks. Several studies have evaluated the health impact of wildfires, but few have done so from a neurological perspective. This study explores metal changes in burned soils over time as a site naturally recovers from wildfire and how these changes may impact human neurological health. Soil samples were collected from the burned area 0, 3, 6, 9, and 12 months after the fire. …

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The Impact Of Adverse Childhood Experiences And Allostatic Load On Premature Birth Rates: A Literature Review, Roxane J. Scherek Dec 2024

The Impact Of Adverse Childhood Experiences And Allostatic Load On Premature Birth Rates: A Literature Review, Roxane J. Scherek

Master's Projects and Capstones

This paper examines the relationship between Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), allostatic load, and the likelihood of women giving birth prematurely in the United States and Canada. I searched multiple databases exploring this association, identifying nineteen articles published between 2004 and 2024. The literature highlights that racism and discrimination are a cause of chronic stress, and that this stress, and implicit bias, are both implicated in preterm birth. While ACEs scores have been found to be associated with preterm birth, the results for allostatic load are mixed. The results suggest that more attention should be paid to mitigating the stress associated …

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Utilizing Pupper, A Social Robot Dog, To Increase Happiness And Improve Mood In Pediatric Patients Of A Cardiac Step-Down Unit, Angela Feng Wu Dec 2024

Utilizing Pupper, A Social Robot Dog, To Increase Happiness And Improve Mood In Pediatric Patients Of A Cardiac Step-Down Unit, Angela Feng Wu

Master's Projects and Capstones

Objective The usage of social robots in pediatrics is an emerging field of study. Preliminary research shows that they are effective at improving the psychosocial well-being of pediatric patients. This quality improvement project focuses on Pupper, a newly developed quadruped social robot dog, and its ability in improving mood and happiness in pediatric patients of a cardiac step-down unit. Aim The aim of this project is to increase average mood scores of pediatric cardiac patients aged 3-25 years by 50% from their baseline of 3.75 to 5.63 on a six-point scale within a one-month time frame. Methods Before intervention and …

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Climate- And Land-Use Change Impacts On Ecosystem Services Provided By Prairie Pothole Wetlands, Alina Mullins Dec 2024

Climate- And Land-Use Change Impacts On Ecosystem Services Provided By Prairie Pothole Wetlands, Alina Mullins

Master's Projects and Capstones

Prairie pothole wetlands are a type of depressional, isolated wetland that can be found in the glaciated landscape of the mid-central United States and portions of southern Canada, also referred to as the Prairie Pothole Region (PPR). The region is consistently recognized for its historic production and support of migratory waterfowl populations among other types of mammals and invertebrates largely due to the variability in pothole wetlands water levels and vegetative structure. Isolated from other waterbodies and lacking surface water connections, the hydrology of prairie pothole wetlands is influenced by the region’s continental climate. Historically, the region receives much of …

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Biothermodynamics Of Metal And Dna Coordination To The Pneumococcal Transcription Factors Adcr, Scza, And Copr, Alexander James Cutright Dec 2024

Biothermodynamics Of Metal And Dna Coordination To The Pneumococcal Transcription Factors Adcr, Scza, And Copr, Alexander James Cutright

Theses and Dissertations

ransition metals are micronutrients that play critical roles in all forms of life, acting as stabilizing ions, catalytic centers, and as signaling ions. Due to their importance, classes of biomolecules have been designed with the sole purpose of regulating their intracellular concentrations. One group of which are transcription factors, which regulate intracellular metal concentration by activating or repressing transcription, dependent on metal availability. The activation of transcription factors by metal availability can be attested to conformational changes that are governed by both dynamics and thermodynamics. Due to the influential nature of transcription factors, their activity and activation mode have become …

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The Impact Of Diversity, Equity, And Inclusion Trainings And Study/Work Abroad Experiences On The Ability Of Staff And Faculty To Build Systems Of Support For International Students, Alina Fasirovna Nigmatullina Dec 2024

The Impact Of Diversity, Equity, And Inclusion Trainings And Study/Work Abroad Experiences On The Ability Of Staff And Faculty To Build Systems Of Support For International Students, Alina Fasirovna Nigmatullina

Theses and Dissertations

The issue of effective communication with the international students and their comfortable adaptation play an important role in developing the U.S. higher educational system in the field of competition of educational services. The international student population benefits from higher education just as much as higher education benefits from them. If universities are willing to recruit and retain more international students, they must be sensitive to the perceptions, needs, and concerns of prospective and enrolled international students. In order to sustain this, staff and faculty have to be exposed to certain trainings and experiences that will allow them to gain basic …

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Multi-Temporal Uav Remote Sensing Combined With Machine Learning For Estimating Cotton Yield, Amrit Shrestha Dec 2024

Multi-Temporal Uav Remote Sensing Combined With Machine Learning For Estimating Cotton Yield, Amrit Shrestha

Theses and Dissertations

Accurate crop yield estimation early in season can help in identifying specific areas within a field that may require different management practices, thus enhancing overall efficiency and productivity. However, early estimation has been a challenging task mainly due to integrated complex association between genetic × environment × management factors. Over the decades, machine learning techniques, especially artificial neural network, has been widely adopted in conjunction with uncrewed aerial system (UAS) for high-throughput plant phenotyping and crop yield estimation. This study introduces the plus neural network (pNN) to incorporate temporal dynamics across different crop growth stages. Cotton field data from 2020-2023 …

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Synergistic Adsorption Of Pb (Ii) From Aqueous Solution Using Calcined Biochar-Bentonite Clay Hybrid, Azeezat Faderera Abdul-Raheem Dec 2024

Synergistic Adsorption Of Pb (Ii) From Aqueous Solution Using Calcined Biochar-Bentonite Clay Hybrid, Azeezat Faderera Abdul-Raheem

Theses and Dissertations

The biochar-bentonite clay hybrid was prepared by coprecipitation with the goal of producing a material that can remove Pb (II) from aqueous solutions effectively. Incorporating bentonite clay onto the Douglas fir biochar (DFB-BTC) surface significantly improved the adsorption capacity by introducing more active sites, strengthening the structural properties, and promoting strong adsorbate interactions. The point of zero charge of the adsorbent was slightly higher than that of the pristine DFBC. All sorption experiments were performed at pH 5, and the system obeyed the Langmuir adsorption isotherm. The highest Langmuir adsorption capacities observed at 298, 308, and 318 K were 48, …

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A Correlation Study Between Soil Selenium Levels And Diabetes Prevalence Across U.S. Regions: An Archival Data Analysis (2012-2018), Baoshan Wu Dec 2024

A Correlation Study Between Soil Selenium Levels And Diabetes Prevalence Across U.S. Regions: An Archival Data Analysis (2012-2018), Baoshan Wu

Theses and Dissertations

This study investigates the correlation between soil selenium levels and Type 2 diabetes (T2D) prevalence across U.S. regions between 2012 to 2018. Selenium, an essential trace element, plays an important role in antioxidant defense and metabolism. While appropriate selenium intake may protect against diabetes by improving insulin sensitivity and reducing oxidative stress, excessive intake can have adverse effects. This research analyzed the most recent data, from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), for over 3,000 counties in the U.S. A correlation analysis model was used to determine the relationship between soil selenium …

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Assembly And Analysis Of A Mobile Reactor System For The Continuous Conversion Of Landfill Gas To Sustainable Aviation Fuels, Benjamin Eston Gibens Dec 2024

Assembly And Analysis Of A Mobile Reactor System For The Continuous Conversion Of Landfill Gas To Sustainable Aviation Fuels, Benjamin Eston Gibens

Theses and Dissertations

Recent policy changes have shifted research and development to pursue technology that promotes a circular economy and net zero emissions by 2050. Current research is actively developing “drop-in” sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) that reduce emissions and are compatible with modern-day jet engines, mimicking conventional jet fuel's physical and chemical properties. While ensuring sustainable engine performance and operability using drop-in SAF is critical, several challenges remain in the economic outlook of SAF production. Biogas reforming and Fischer-Tropsch synthesis (FTS) can be used in series to convert landfill gas to SAF; however, novel design approaches must be considered to alleviate capital and …

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Engineering Functionalized Nanomaterials For Targeting And Ablating Biofilms On Surfaces, Dhanush Lakmal Yapa Amarasekara Dec 2024

Engineering Functionalized Nanomaterials For Targeting And Ablating Biofilms On Surfaces, Dhanush Lakmal Yapa Amarasekara

Theses and Dissertations

Biofilms on both the surface and interior of medical devices pose major challenges, including hindering device performance and serving as infection sources. These biofilms form a protective layer around bacteria, shielding them from the body’s immune system and antibiotics. This makes infections difficult to treat, as the bacteria within the biofilm are resistant to both antibiotics and immune defenses. Additionally, biofilms can induce inflammation and irritation in nearby tissues, leading to further health complications. Antibiotic resistance raises concerns about the emergence of multi-drug resistant (MDR) pathogens. MDR infections are difficult to treat, leading to prolonged hospital stays and the need …

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Effects Of A Snap-Ed Social Marketing Campaign On Behavior Change, Andrew Beall Cole Dec 2024

Effects Of A Snap-Ed Social Marketing Campaign On Behavior Change, Andrew Beall Cole

Theses and Dissertations

Introduction: This research studied the use of a social marketing campaign to address chronic diseases in the U.S., such as obesity, diabetes, hypertension and other cardiovascular diseases by assessing audience self-reported actions and evaluating message framing effects on participant intentions to change nutrition behavior and daily physical activity. Approach: Evaluate a social marketing campaign for effects on SNAP-Ed eligible clients and research message framing effects on audience’s intention to change health behaviors. Discussion: The HappyHealthy social marketing campaign launched in 2018 by Mississippi State University Extension. Outcome evaluation data (collected 2023) reported multiple correlations between core messages recalled and increased …

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Algal Community Investigations: Present Day To Year-2100 For Mississippi Lakes And The Western Mississippi Sound, Emma Madison Tucker Dec 2024

Algal Community Investigations: Present Day To Year-2100 For Mississippi Lakes And The Western Mississippi Sound, Emma Madison Tucker

Theses and Dissertations

Algae play a key role in the aquatic environment as primary producers; however, they can form harmful algal blooms that are detrimental to the aquatic environment, people, and even the economy. It is generally believed that climate change will influence future algal blooms. The first study estimated algae community in three freshwater locations in Mississippi, Desoto Lake, White’s Creek Lake, and Columbus Lake, and one saline location, Western Mississippi Sound, using modern and new tools of the autonomous surface vessel, FlowCam, and EcoTaxa. From those results and leading into the second study was the application of four climate scenarios on …

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Identification And Characterization Of The Antimicrobial Activities Of Pseudomonas Sp. Strain Wp18, Emma Suzanne Willis Dec 2024

Identification And Characterization Of The Antimicrobial Activities Of Pseudomonas Sp. Strain Wp18, Emma Suzanne Willis

Theses and Dissertations

Strain WP18 was isolated from disease suppressive soil of a soybean rhizosphere in the Mississippi Delta. Phylogenetic analysis supported that strain WP18 could represent a novel species within the genus Pseudomonas. This conclusion is supported by genome-wide bioinformatic analyses such as average nucleotide identity and genome to genome distance calculations. Further studies are needed to claim a novel bacterial species, which include cell fatty profiles, fingerprinting analysis, and polar lipid analysis based on the International Code for Nomenclature of Prokaryotes. Strain WP18 showed a broad-spectrum of antimicrobial activity against plant pathogenic bacteria and fungi that are economically important in agriculture, …

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Projecting Land Cover Changes And Impacts On Bird Conservation Using Geographic Information System, Remote Sensing And A Cellular Automata – Artificial Neural Network Model In Nairobi National Park, Kenya., Frank Juma Ong'ondo Dec 2024

Projecting Land Cover Changes And Impacts On Bird Conservation Using Geographic Information System, Remote Sensing And A Cellular Automata – Artificial Neural Network Model In Nairobi National Park, Kenya., Frank Juma Ong'ondo

Theses and Dissertations

This study examines land cover changes and their projected future impacts on bird species conservation in and around Nairobi National Park, Kenya. 2016 and 2023 Satellite imagery, analyzed through Google Earth Engine and the MOLUSCE plugin were used to assess changes in five land cover types: grassland, shrubland, forest, urban, and water. Bird population data from the Kenya Bird Map were used to evaluate birds' responses to land cover changes. Birds were categorized into five habitat guilds—grassland-dependent, shrubland-dependent, forest-dependent, water-dependent, and urban-dependent bird species. Between 2016 and 2023, grassland and shrubland decreased by 14.21% and 5.54%, respectively, and urban increased …

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Exploring Single Particles Through Optical Trapping And Advanced Laser Spectroscopy Techniques, Haifa Hassan Alali Dec 2024

Exploring Single Particles Through Optical Trapping And Advanced Laser Spectroscopy Techniques, Haifa Hassan Alali

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation explores the innovative integration of optical trapping (OT) with advanced laser spectroscopy techniques to investigate the physicochemical properties of single particles from a variety of atmospheric aerosols, such as bioaerosols, terrestrial dust, and extraterrestrial dust. Each technique offers unique insights, significantly enhancing our understanding of these critical atmospheric components. The first work focuses on employing OT in conjunction with cavity ringdown spectroscopy (OT-CRDS) to measure the single-particle extinction of interplanetary dust particles at ultraviolet wavelengths (~308 nm). This method allows for the stable trapping of individual dust particles in air, facilitating precise characterization with minimal external interference. Our …

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Fisheries Management In Mississippi State-Operated Fishing Lakes: A Review And Look To The Future, Hayden Gregory Funk Dec 2024

Fisheries Management In Mississippi State-Operated Fishing Lakes: A Review And Look To The Future, Hayden Gregory Funk

Theses and Dissertations

The Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks currently manages 18 State Lakes and 17 State Park Lakes to provide public fishing opportunities. My goal was to conduct a comprehensive analysis of monitoring and management activities in State Lakes to enhance understanding of lake dynamics, further develop existing management initiatives, and identify alternative avenues for effective management. To achieve this objective, I have undertaken a comprehensive examination and synthesis of the historical background pertaining to State Lakes and conducted an analysis of pertinent data regarding lake characteristics such as the physical and chemical attributes of the lakes, the features of …

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Evaluation Of Current Management Strategies For The Tarnished Plant Bug And Tobacco Thrips In Midsouthern Cotton, Hunter Lane Lipsey Dec 2024

Evaluation Of Current Management Strategies For The Tarnished Plant Bug And Tobacco Thrips In Midsouthern Cotton, Hunter Lane Lipsey

Theses and Dissertations

The tarnished plant bug, Lygus lineolaris (Palisot de Beauvois), is an important economic pest of cotton, Gossypium hirsutum (L.), in the Midsouth region of the United States. An experiment was conducted to determine the impact of insecticide class loss on yield and Lygus populations in the recently commercialized ThryvOn cotton technology. Data indicated no significant yield loss when excluding any currently utilized insecticide class for tarnished plant bug management. An additional objective was to reevaluate the sampling interval necessary to scout ThryvOn cotton for Lygus. No significant differences were observed between a 3 or 7-day sample interval compared to plots …

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Evaluating The Emergent Wetland Plant Juncus Effusus As A Tool In Phytoremediation Of Nitrogen And Copper, Jacob Aaron Hockensmith Dec 2024

Evaluating The Emergent Wetland Plant Juncus Effusus As A Tool In Phytoremediation Of Nitrogen And Copper, Jacob Aaron Hockensmith

Theses and Dissertations

Eutrophication is an increasing issue around the globe, including the Lower Mississippi Alluvial Valley where excess nitrogen runs into the Mississippi River and subsequently the Gulf of Mexico. The restoration of wetlands is one method that has been developed to help reduce nitrogen runoff, however, species selection should be done carefully as species selected must not only remove nitrogen but be able to compete with established species. Chapter II of this thesis investigates whether J. effusus is a viable candidate for use in this role. Additionally, copper contamination around the globe is increasing due to a variety of anthropogenic sources. …

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Changing Attitudes And Increasing Fruit And Vegetable Intake Of Elementary-Aged Children Through School Gardens, Hayley Rae Meriwether Dec 2024

Changing Attitudes And Increasing Fruit And Vegetable Intake Of Elementary-Aged Children Through School Gardens, Hayley Rae Meriwether

Theses and Dissertations

Fruit and vegetable consumption is critical for children’s health, yet many fail to meet recommended intake levels. School gardens have the potential to increase consumption and improve attitudes toward fruits and vegetables. This study examined the impact of a school gardening program on children’s attitudes and consumption of fruits and vegetables using a pre- and post-test design. While most children reported enjoying gardening and trying new produce, no significant changes were observed in overall attitudes or consumption patterns after the intervention. However, increased consumption of apples and green beans was noted. The findings suggest that while school gardens can spark …

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The Plastics Crisis: Responsible Recycling In Civil Engineering And Infrastructure, Jason Howell Stewart Dec 2024

The Plastics Crisis: Responsible Recycling In Civil Engineering And Infrastructure, Jason Howell Stewart

Theses and Dissertations

A global plastics crisis exists with around 400 million metric tons (MMT) of plastics production and 350 MMT of plastics waste generated annually around the globe. Plastics are durable and essentially non-biodegradable, so they accumulate in both terrestrial and marine environments as pollution and within landfills without breaking down over time. Plastics are ubiquitous in 21st-century society and culture, comprising essential elements in most industries including packaging, transportation, electrical/electronics, and building/construction. The role of civil engineering and infrastructure in addressing the plastics crisis was specifically explored. Responsible plastics recycling yields products with improved engineering properties, performance characteristics, marketability, and/or manufacturing …

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Factors Influencing Quality Of Citizen Science-Collected Litter Data And The Retention Of Recruited Citizen Scientists, Jessi Alexandria James-Barry Dec 2024

Factors Influencing Quality Of Citizen Science-Collected Litter Data And The Retention Of Recruited Citizen Scientists, Jessi Alexandria James-Barry

Theses and Dissertations

There are many benefits to using citizen science in scientific research, however, there are several perceived limitations. One being that citizen science data are often viewed as inferior or unusable by the broader science community. A primary concern to the usability and accuracy of this data depends on the level of training a participant receives. Another limitation is the recruitment and retention of volunteers participating in the data collection process. To further understand how training level affects the accuracy of citizen science and how demographics may influence participation, this study evaluated 73 volunteers trained in two different marine debris data …

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Plastic Contaminants Detection And Classification In Seed Cotton Using Customed Design Feeder Separator Unit And Convolutional Neural Network, Jonathan Harjono Dec 2024

Plastic Contaminants Detection And Classification In Seed Cotton Using Customed Design Feeder Separator Unit And Convolutional Neural Network, Jonathan Harjono

Theses and Dissertations

The thesis presents an application of a convolutional neural network (CNN) to detect and classify plastic contaminants in seed cotton in real-time, in a ginning environment. A multi-layered CNN was developed and used to detect plastic contaminants from images captured by a universal serial bus (USB) camera, in a flowing cotton stream, with an artificial lighting system. The CNN was trained using a collection of images captured in the dynamic setting that simulated real-time cotton flow using a custom design feeder system. The CNN was trained in Google Colaboratory (Colab) environment. After the training was completed, it was then converted …

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