COVID-19_Maine Campus_The Lasting Effects of COVID-19: College Students Stuggle with Returning to In-Person Education

Maine Campus opinion piece regarding the effects of COVID-19 on college students

Comparing Two Non-Invasive Methods for Assessing Marine Mammal Genetic Diversity: Environmental DNA vs. Fecal DNA

As technology and science progresses, the methodology behind observing, monitoring, and sampling marine mammals advances as well. One such technique is environmental DNA or eDNA, which entails extracting organismal DNA from water samples without ever handling or disturbing the organism. It is a cost-efficient and non-invasive method that can be utilized in the sampling of seal haulout sites as is its purpose for this research. Another method, using the DNA analysis of seal fecal samples, is a less invasive method that can also be utilized to monitor and assess marine mammals. Through collecting both fecal and water samples from gray seal haulout sites in Cape Cod, Massachusetts, these two differing, but equally progressive methods can be compared to one another. The water samples collected from the seal haulout sites were paired for DNA analysis with the fecal samples collected from the beaches where gray seals are hauled out in Cape Cod. DNA was then extracted from both the water samples and fecal samples, followed by sequencing a portion of the gray seal mitochondrial control region in all the samples. This allowed for the comparison of the haplotypes detected in fecal samples to those detected in water samples as a comparison of these two non-invasive approaches for assessing marine mammal genetic diversity. We obtained sequences from 25 fecal samples. Sequences from all but 2 of the 25 samples were found to match with one of the sequences in the reference dataset. Our study identified 2 new haplotypes that had not been previously identified in the population. When compared to the water sample sequences, we found 19 matches out of the 25 fecal sample sequences. In all of these cases, the fecal haplotype was detected in water samples collected during the same survey (at the same haulout on the same day), though in many cases a given fecal haplotype was also detected in water samples from multiple surveys. Although future studies are needed to further confirm the efficiency and non-invasiveness of the eDNA approach, our study suggests that it can provide similar information to a fecal sample sequence analysis, but in a less invasive way

OCD is not an adjective

This past week, from Oct.10–16, was International OCD Awareness Week—a week I never thought would have any significance for me. However, after beginning college, my struggle with mental health and anxiety heightened, and I sought out resources to help me cope with all the things I was feeling. Through therapy and a lot of support I realized what I had been struggling with my whole life, but that I was never able to understand, was obsessive-compulsive disorder or OCD

Brothel vs brotherhood: The housing divide between men and women in Greek life

Driving down College Avenue, alongside the University of Maine, you’ll pass numerous, extravagant fraternity houses with large Greek letters proudly displayed above their doorways一a representation of an age old tradition on many college campuses across the country. You’ll see members of UMaine’s 16 fraternities sun tanning on their porches or playing frisbee in their front yards. However, you don’t see the women that make up the eight sororities on UMaine’s campus. You won’t see any Greek letters of these organizations above any doorways. There is no indication that these sororities even exist on College Avenue. Instead, you’ll find these women in the basements of the residence halls on campus. Each sorority is assigned an underground oasis to perform all the duties that are required of them as a chapter, while up above, the fraternities of this campus are provided their very own homes to do so

Utilizing the Product Development Process to Bring an Idea from Concept to Production

The purpose of this thesis is to document and discuss the five-stage product development process starting with defining a problem and resulting in manufacturing a final product for sale as it was implemented in the Portable Fire Pit Center for Manufacturing Excellence Senior Capstone Project. This project was carried out over the course of the Fall 2019 and Spring 2020 semesters by a team consisting of three Undergraduate Mechanical Engineering majors and two Undergraduate Accountancy majors. The ultimate goal of the project was to carry out a full production run of the Portable Fire Pit outputting fifteen units meeting retail quality standards. At the onset of the project, a project management plan and product development schedule were created to sequence tasks and proportionally distribute labor and resources over the course of the project. The first step of the project plan was to begin the prototyping phase of the product development cycle. This involved creating an initial product design that included the features required to solve the initial problem and also implement principles of Design for Manufacturing and Assembly (DFMA). The second state of the development process was to create a final product design by carrying out market research, making iterative prototypes, and improving the original design. The third stage of development involved making preliminary plans for a full production run, estimating production cost and budget based off of this plan, and developing a mock business plan for our product. The fourth stage of the process involved setting up the process layout and testing a full production run, applying Lean manufacturing principles to increase optimization. The fifth and final stage consisted of ramping up to full production and doing an hour-long production run. The author of this thesis will carry out an analysis of the product development process and discuss the effectiveness of DFMA and Lean manufacturing principles as they were carried out in this project

DTB 036 Sydney G. Raine 6-22-2022

In this interview, Sydney Raine is interviewed by Kern Jackson in Mobile, Alabama. Mr. Raine describes growing up in Crosstown, but his mother having a home Down the Bay; later, in the 1970s, he and his wife Ursell bought property Down the Bay and built a house there. He describes some of his family history relating to Down the Bay, and then shares his experiences in higher education and then the US Air Force. He shares thoughts on the boundaries of Down the Bay, and moves into talking about employment opportunities and student programs becoming available through Airbus. Mr. Raine also discusses some of the wider history of Mobile, especially around Davis Avenue, including integration and civil rights

Evaluation of the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program in Shawnee, Oklahoma

The Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program (FFVP) was established by the U.S. Department of Agriculture as a nutrition assistance program for students in low-income elementary schools because studies showed that children do not eat enough fruits and vegetables. The purpose of the study was to test the effectiveness of the FFVP on fruit and vegetable selection in school age children in Shawnee, Oklahoma. The research study design was post-test only with a comparison group. Participants in the study included 183 sixth grade students in the Shawnee Public School system who attended their entire fifth grade year at one of the four Shawnee elementary schools. The intervention, the FFVP, was conducted in two schools during the students' fifth grade year, and data collection of fruit and vegetable selection occurred during the first semester of the students' sixth grade year. During the FFVP students received a fresh fruit or vegetable one to three times a week during their school day as a separate meal from the School Breakfast Program, National School Lunch Program, and any after school program. The primary outcome measures included fruit, vegetable, total fruit and vegetable, and fried vegetable selection during school lunch. Statistical analyses performed included chi-square, two-sided independent samples t tests, and analysis of variance (ANOVA). FFVP participants selected significantly more fruits in school lunches than nonparticipants (p = 0.008). When using ANOVA, there were significant main effects of FFVP participation (p < 0.001) and time of semester (p = 0.005) on fruit selection, but there was no significant interaction between time and FFVP participation. A non-significant trend (p = 0.054) was seen between FFVP participants and nonparticipants for total fruit and vegetable selection for the full semester. When using ANOVA, there was a significant main effect of time of semester (p = 0.003) on total fruit and vegetable selection, but there was no significant interaction between time and FFVP participation. There was a significant interaction between time and FFVP participation for fried vegetables (p = 0.024); participants decreased their intake of fried vegetables between the first two weeks and last two weeks of the semester more than nonparticipants. Females selected significantly more fruits (p = 0.007) and total fruits and vegetables (p = 0.037) than males in each group (participants, nonparticipants, all students). In conclusion, findings of this study showed that FFVP participation was associated with increased fruit selection and changed selection of fried vegetables in children the semester following participation in the FFVP. Recommendations for the FFVP are to require an equal ratio of fruits and vegetables served to children throughout the school year, stricter regulations for program implementation, and a more in-depth nutrition education component for program delivery.Department of Nutritional Science

Exploring the Feasibility of Assessing Cultural Competence in Police Officers

Pathology, personality, and integrity-related construct assessments have been widely used in the selection of police officers. However, the incidence of police brutality and misconduct is still concerning. The present study explored the feasibility of the assessment of cultural competence in police officers. We explored the extent to which the change to the agency’s first ever Black CEO would affect cultural competence of the officers as well as incidence of misconduct. Results showed that scores on a cultural competence factor of an in-basket simulation used for promotional assessments at a state highway patrol agency were not predictive of either supervisor-rated performance or incidence of misconduct. Whereas results showed that misconduct was not predicted by the agency’s first Black CEO, cultural competence of the officers did increase after the change in command. Practical implications for law enforcement agencies and suggestions for future research are discussed

Retesting in a promotional process: Amount of time between tests accounting for magnitude of score increases

There are many reasons why an applicant may retake a selection test, whether it’s due to reasons outside of their control or perhaps their first test administration was unsuccessful. Research has shown that scores generally increase when applicants retake a test. However, research on situational judgment tests and in-basket simulations have been overshadowed by research on admissions tests, cognitive ability tests, and personality tests. Further, much research has focused on retesting effects during the initial selection process, but the current research aims to shed light on retesting effects during the promotional process. The literature shows conflicting findings regarding time between tests. While some literature says that more time between tests results in larger score increases, other research says that less time between tests results in larger score increases. The current study aims to clarify this conflicting history of research while closing the gap on types of assessments examined in the retesting literature. Results showed that more time between tests resulted in larger score gains for both the SJT and in the in-basket simulation. This is probably due to the nature of the test. SJTs and In-Baskets require a lot of job knowledge. Having more time on the job between tests would allow candidates to learn more and apply that on their second attempt at promotion. The literature on time between supports this notion. Studies that showed less time between tests resulted in larger score increases were assessing some aspect of cognitive ability. Perhaps for other tests less time between tests allows for greater score increases, but for job knowledge tests, more time between tests allows for these greater score increases. Practical implications and areas for future research are discussed. Keywords: retesting, promotion, in-basket, situational judgment tes

Finding the early talent: Factors predicting early advanced math enrollment

Early exposure to advanced math classes have shown higher levels of college readiness for students. However, there is evidence of a discriminatory gap among students of marginalized backgrounds in placement of these advanced courses. To examine this, three years of data from approximately 10,500 student will be used to develop and validate predictive models that examines both enrollment and performance in advanced math courses in the eighth grade. Data will come from a longitudinal study taking place in rural North Carolina. This research will use the predictive models to determine which students will be selected for eighth grade advanced math and if there is a selection bias for which eighth grade students are chosen to begin advanced math classes