2199 research outputs found
Sort by
Bioengineering: Design and Running of a Novel Hydroponic System
No full textHydroponic system is a method to grow plants in water-based solution instead of soil, a branch of hydroculture. Due to the growth of the human population and air/soil pollution, the hydroponic system attracted more and more attention. Interestingly, the industry, instead of academic research is the leading force in the hydroponic system. It is important to investigate some fundamental aspects of the hydroponic system to improve the design, reduce the cost and increase productivity. In this study we report a new design of a home-based hydroponic system with multiple components: algae, fish and plants. The change of water hardiness, the concentration of ions, and pH value, the amount of water evaporation, and the growth of plants, algae, and fishes were measured. Preliminary data indicated that multiple components in a hydroponic system have built an efficient ecosystem, significantly reduced the cost of water, energy, and maintenance with high productivity
MFA 2020
No full texthttps://kent-islandora.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/node/10406/10538-thumbnail.jpgThis catalog is a collaboration between MFA Studio Art candidates and MA Art History
candidates at Kent State University’s School of Art. Critical essays by the MA students
regarding the MFA students’ work are featured alongside images of MFA thesis exhibition
artwork, on view March 31 - April 10, 2020 in the galleries at the Center for the
Visual Arts.</p
Using Digital Resources to Develop Responsible Design: ART-CHERIE Project
No full texthttps://kent-islandora.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/node/10458/10629-thumbnail.jpgTextile designers have the opportunity to select and use archival collections to develop contemporary designs. The Design Library in New York is an example of a such a company offering source material that professional designers or brands might choose to pay to make use of. Student designers need to be encouraged to exercise responsibility when exploring global cultures in the appropriate appreciation and use of historical textile resources. As in many universities, designers within the BA (Hons) Fashion Textiles course are introduced to the responsibilities of social design at the beginning of their course. Through such study students consider inclusivity and diversity, social responsibility and sustainability as fundamental to developing their designer identity. This alternative poster/ installation will introduce the Art Cherie project, (Achieving and Retrieving Creativity through European Fashion Cultural Heritage Inspiration), a pilot online course aimed at professional/ student designers, that draws on digital archives as a design resource. The resource applies a mixed method research approach based on a methodology outlined by Jules Prown (1982) and Ingrid Mida and Alexandra Kim (2015) explored through demonstrations, case study examples and self-directed activities. Trend forecasting is introduced within the resource as a process of looking at wider social, cultural, political and economic factors occurring internationally at any given time and how these are applied to areas of the fashion industry. Consideration of cultural context as part of the research process seeks to avoid a Eurocentric approach. The alternative poster/ installation will include textile samples and research source data to illustrate how such a resource might be used within the curriculum to develop deeper understanding of appreciating and sharing cultural responsibility and support the development of responsible designers.</p
Wrap Me Up … Or Not …
No full texthttps://kent-islandora.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/node/10465/10636-thumbnail.jpgThe burqa is a controversial garment that evokes contradicting views from the Muslims and non-Muslims based on their socio-cultural and religious views. This installation aims to create awareness of the different perspectives on the burqa and have an amicable dialogue on this highly debatable subject.</p
Implications of Knowledge Organization Systems for Health Information Exchange and Communication during the COVID-19 Pandemic
No full texthttps://kent-islandora.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/node/10690/87807-thumbnail.jpgThis article aims to review the important roles of health knowledge organization systems (KOSs) during the COVID-19 pandemic. Different types of knowledge organization systems, including term lists, synonym rings, thesauri, subject heading systems, taxonomies, classification schemes, and ontologies are widely recognized and applied in both modern and traditional information systems. Apart from their usage in the management of data, information, and knowledge, KOSs are seen as valuable components for large information architecture, content management, findability improvement, and many other applications. After introducing the challenges of information overload and semantic conflicts, the article reviews the efforts of major health KOSs, illustrates various health coding schemes, explains their usages and implementations, and reveals their implications for health information exchange and communication during the COVID-19 pandemic. Some general examples of the applications, services, and analysis powered by KOSs are presented at the end. As revealed in this article, they have become even more critical to aid the frontline endeavors to overcome the obstacles due to information overload and semantic conflicts that can occur during devastating historic and worldwide events like the COVID-19 pandemic.</p
Loneliness in the Era of COVID-19
No full texthttps://kent-islandora.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/node/10698/11457-thumbnail.jpgCOVID-19 is proving to be a particularly cruel disease not just because
of its pathophysiology but also due to its potentially devastating
consequences for engendering loneliness. From the outset of the
pandemic, we have learned of countless individuals having to die alone
or loved ones not being able to grieve by providing burial services (Miller, 2020).
This disease holds particularly dire consequences for many
populations—most notably the elderly and those with compromised health
conditions but also minorities and the homeless; these groups have also
faced unique difficulties in contending with loneliness well before this
crisis (Rokach, 2019).
For as much attention that this disease has rightfully focused on the
elderly, individuals can experience different developmental challenges
with loneliness throughout the lifespan including adolescence and young
adulthood (Luhmann and Hawkley, 2016)—and,
indeed, there is already evidence of heightened psychological problems
amongst Chinese youth in the wake of this pandemic (Liang et al., 2020).
Accordingly, it will be important for psychologists to assess how
age-based threats to loneliness evolve in the era of COVID-19.</p
On Being a Former Student Editor in the Midst of a Pandemic
No full texthttps://kent-islandora.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/node/10700/11458-thumbnail.jpgThe unfolding of the coronavirus pandemic is a pivotal moment, one that will shape us individually and collectively for years to come. Experiencing these events as an early career public health professional has brought to mind lessons I have learned about the value of public health evidence. Having reliable information in this time is critical, particularly as we are called to do our part in curbing the spread of the virus through social distancing. As a public health professional, I support my personal network of family and friends by sharing meaningful evidence. I share information to stay connected and highlight how public health works and what we know about this novel virus, and I offer a perspective on what the mitigation efforts we are living through mean for our health. Within my state, this includes watching a daily press conference hosted by the governor of Ohio, reading updates from my colleagues in epidemiology, and searching emerging research for information about the virus.
Lessons in how to evaluate evidence were among the most important that I learned through my doctoral studies. Experience in how to do so was bolstered by my role as the first student editor of AJPH. By working with editor-in-chief Alfredo Morabia, MD, PhD, and the entire editorial team of the Journal, I learned the value of strong public health evidence and how to identify it. I developed these skills by working with associate editors as they made decisions about which articles to feature and about finding leading public health professionals to provide editorials. Through these activities, I strengthened my ability to think critically about evidence, observed firsthand how evidence is vetted, and participated directly in the important work of the Journal. I also acquired insight into how important the dissemination of research is. Sharing evidence and results with the broader community is an essential piece of the research process. Through my experience as student editor, I acquired a deep appreciation for this process that I now apply to my own work as a postdoctoral researcher. This has become particularly relevant in these times, as wide dissemination of evidence about coronavirus is informing the actions taken at all levels of the public health system.
When I view these experiences in light of the current pandemic, it is clear that the work of public health is continual and that new evidence emerges about this novel coronavirus every day. It is essential to determine what is factual and accurate and to promote information that helps others take needed and appropriate action. News reports have applauded the efforts of Ohio’s Governor DeWine and health director Amy Acton, MD, MPH, for their work in implementing evidence-based social-distancing measures early, while working to educate the public on how to “flatten the curve.”
Social-distancing measures have been in place in Ohio since early March, beginning with the closure of the 2020 Arnold Classic, a fitness expo in Columbus, Ohio, that brings together athletes from more than 80 countries and 60 000 spectators. With the closure of Ohio’s universities shortly thereafter, I found myself undertaking completely virtual work. No one has been left untouched by these widespread mitigation efforts, and while we all adjust to this “new normal,” it is important not to lose sight of the facts and evidence that inform these policies. Each day, I am reminded about the power of information and evidence, and I actively promote its importance. Public health professionals are working tirelessly across the globe to develop and share the necessary evidence that will help us, as a global society, emerge from this pandemic safely.</p
Ecotone effects on flying invertebrate communities in a temperate hardwood forest
No full textTransitional areas between ecosystems, called ecotones, are areas of biotic and abiotic change often leading to differences in plant communities and soil conditions. Invertebrate communities taking advantage of surrounding plant and soil conditions are likely to structure their own communities around favored resources. Flying invertebrates have the unique advantage of avoiding ground obstacles giving them a larger range to gather and utilize resources. As a result, flying invertebrate communities should be less strictly structured based on surrounding plant communities or abiotic factors. To test this, we conducted a survey of the flying invertebrate communities to compare to existing tree and soil surveys. We used baited traps to collect invertebrates during 4 separate collection time points, preserved samples in ethanol, and then sight-identified to lowest practical taxonomic level. This study was conducted in Jennings Woods, a temperate hardwood forest in NE Ohio comprised of unique ecosystems – riparian, upland, and bottomland forests – separated by elevational gradients, each with its own particular soil parameters. We found that, in general, the flying invertebrate community is not structured around the tree community nor the soil, as expected. However, community structure did show a relation to ecosystem type. We also found that diversity and richness were significantly different between ecosystems and dates. This suggests that there are ecosystem and time differences structuring flying invertebrate communities, but they are not limited by the surrounding soil and tree communities
An Investigative Deconstruction of a Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (SOFC)
No full textIn the US and around the globe, over 60% of our electricity is from burning fossil fuels. Fuel cells can be twice as efficient and have the potential to dramatically change the way electricity is generated. When hydrogen and oxygen meet on the electrolyte plate, a catalyst spurs a reaction that creates H2O and electricity, without greenhouse emissions. Emissions can be generated through obtaining hydrogen, but with significantly less greenhouse gases and higher fuel-energy conversion. There is a unique opportunity to study a large commercial fuel cell, a 150 Kilowatt Fuel Cell Module (FCM). This FCM was donated by a company represented by the letter B*, per a Non-Disclosure Agreement. The FCM weighs 720 pounds and works with 9 other units to create one megawatt of power. 1 unit disassembled