Bergen Community College

DNA barcodes can provide accurate identification of plants. We used previously reported DNA primers targeting the internal transcribed spacer (ITS1) region of the nuclear ribosomal cistron, internal transcribed spacer (ITS2), and chloroplast trnL (UAA) intron to identify four trees at Bergen Community College. Two of the four trees were identified as Acer rubrum and Fagus sylvatica. However, Quercus was only identified at the genus level, and the fourth tree did not show similar identification between barcodes. Next-generation sequencing of 16S rRNA genes showed that the predominant bacterial communities in the rhizosphere mainly consisted of the Pseudomonadota, Actinomycetota, Bacteroidota, and Acidobacteriota. A. rubrum showed the most diverse bacterial community while F. sylvatica was less diverse. The genus Rhodoplanes showed the highest relative bacterial abundance in all trees. Fungal ITS sequence analysis demonstrated that the communities predominantly consisted of the Ascomycota and Basidiomycota. Quercus showed the highest fungi diversity while F. sylvatica showed the lowest. Russula showed the highest abundance of fungi genera. Average similarity values in the rhizosphere for fungi communities at the phylum level were higher than for bacteria. However, at the genus level, bacterial communities showed higher similarities than fungi. Similarity values decreased at lower taxonomical levels for both bacteria and fungi, indicating each tree has selected for specific bacterial and fungal communities. This study confirmed the distinctiveness of the microbial communities in the rhizosphere of each tree and their importance in sustaining and supporting viability and growth but also demonstrating the limitations of DNA barcoding with the primers used in this study to identify genus and species for some of the trees. The optimization of DNA barcoding will require additional DNA sequences to enhance the resolution and identification of trees at the study site.

Exotic behavior of linearly dispersed electronic bands near the Fermi level implies advanced physical properties in a material. In this paper, we present an ab initio study of the electronic properties of IrGa and RhGa, with and without spin-orbit interaction, using first-principles calculations. Linearly dispersed band crossings, reminiscent of topological semimetallic band structures, were identified near the Fermi energy. These include type-I and type-II Dirac points and nodal lines. By applying compressive and tensile stress to the lattice along x, y, and z, the response to the band structure near the Fermi level has been studied.

In this essay, I argue that depictions of violence in media are not necessarily thoughtless or unproductive. There is an understanding of "war" typically interpreted from Heraclitus's fragment to mean literal human warfare. However, some analysis shows this doesn't imply such a strict definition. Claudia Baracchi suggests we take "war" in Heraclitus's fragment to mean something closer to conflict. I then analyze this understanding along with Nietzsche's theories in The Birth of Tragedy to posit a way to aestheticize conflict. Given a comparison of Heraclitus's principle of ordering along and ambivalent conflict along Nietzsche's definition of Apollonian and Dionysian forces, I render a few characteristics of violent media that can be used to assess what I understand to be their relative levels of responsibility.

The privacy of users and information are becoming increasingly important with the growth and pervasive use of mobile devices such as wearables, mobile phones, drones, and Internet of Things (IoT) devices. Today many of these mobile devices are equipped with cameras which enable users to take pictures and record videos anytime they need to do so. In many such cases, bystanders’ privacy is not a concern, and as a result, audio and video of bystanders are often captured without their consent. We present results from a user study in which 21 participants were asked to use a wearable system called FacePET developed to enhance bystanders’ facial privacy by providing a way for bystanders to protect their own privacy rather than relying on external systems for protection. While past works in the literature focused on privacy perceptions of bystanders when photographed in public/shared spaces, there has not been research with a focus on user perceptions of bystander-based wearable devices to enhance privacy. Thus, in this work, we focus on user perceptions of the FacePET device and/or similar wearables to enhance bystanders’ facial privacy. In our study, we found that 16 participants would use FacePET or similar devices to enhance their facial privacy, and 17 participants agreed that if smart glasses had features to conceal users’ identities, it would allow them to become more popular.

The effects of climate temperature and water stress on growth and several stress markers were investigated in sweet basil plants. Some growth parameters (shoot length and number of leaves) and photosynthetic chlorophyll contents were determined every two days during plant growth, and foliage leaf material was collected after 15 and 21 days of treatment. Both climate temperature and water stress inhibited sweet basil plant growth; especially, total chlorophyll levels were decreased significantly in response to high-temperature treatments. Under strong stresses, basil plants induced the synthesis and accumulation of glycine betaine (GB) as a secondary osmolyte, although at less content when compared with the proline content under the same stress conditions. Proline concentrations particularly increased in leaves of both basil stressed plants, accomplishing levels high enough to play a crucial role in cellular osmoregulation adjustment. Stress-induced accumulation of these antioxidant compounds was detected in sweet basil. Therefore, it appears that sweet basil-treated plants are able to synthesize antioxidant compounds under strong stress conditions. On the other hand, total sugar concentrations decreased in stress-treated basil plants. Both temperature and water stress treatments caused oxidative stress in the treated plants, as indicated by a significant increment in malondialdehyde (MDA) concentrations. An increase in total phenolic and flavonoid concentrations in response to water stress and a highly significant decrease in carotenoid concentrations in basil leaves were observed; flavonoids also increased under high climate temperature conditions.

Stochastic events can have catastrophic effects on island populations through a series of genetic stressors from reduced population size. We investigated five populations of red mangrove (Rhizophora mangle) from St. John, USVI, an UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, which were impacted by Hurricane Hugo in 1989. Our goal was to determine diversity and to ascertain potential population bottlenecks two decades after the event. With the lowest observed heterozygosity, highest inbreeding coefficient, and evidence of a major bottleneck, our results demonstrated that the Great Lameshur mangroves, devastated by Hurricane Hugo, were the least diverse stand of trees. The other four populations from St. John manifested diversity reflecting the vegetation patterns of “fringing” mangrove or “developed forest” characteristics. The two fringing mangrove populations (Hurricane Hole and New Found Bay) evinced low observed heterozygosity and high inbreeding coefficients, while the fully forested sites showed higher heterozygosity and lower inbreeding frequencies. As such, fringing mangroves may be at greater risk to disturbance events and especially susceptible to sea level rise since they do not have room landward to expand. Our pair-wise population analysis indicated genetic similarity between the hurricane-damaged Great Lameshur and Coral Bay population, whose propagules were used in previous restoration attempts and is the geographically closest population. While the effective population size for Great Lameshur Bay places it in risk of genetic dysfunction, future rehabilitation of the site may be possible by the introduction of propagules from other regions of the island. However, recovery will ultimately be contingent upon hydrological connectivity and environmental improvements.

This study examines the literature regarding the origin and the history of developmental education. It also inspects the developmental students, their characteristics, and components of the current community college developmental programs that help or hinder their success specifically for mathematics courses. The literature review also provides strategies to enhance the effectiveness of classroom teaching and the developmental program as a whole. The data in this is paper emerged from a bigger study that exclusively studied the developmental mathematics students, their attitude towards the course material, study habits, and utilization of resources available, at a small rural community college in Florida.

Online and Hybrid Education are now a reality in most Colleges and Universities. And they span all levels, from undergraduate to graduate education. In this paper, we present our preliminary data and thoughts on the effectiveness of these alternative methods for teaching Computer Literacy courses in a 2 year and 4 year institutions.

The work done in this project aims to simulate an intelligent traffic system using agent technology. To accomplish this a Multi-Agent System has been created. Following official standards defined by the Foundation for Intelligent Physical Agents (FIPA) the agents work together to create a simulation of traffic in an intersection. The agents are autonomous and represent cars and traffic lights working in the traffic system. A new way of giving vehicles permission to enter an intersection has been developed. The new solution removes traffic lights from the intersection. Instead of traffic lights, vehicles that are allowed to enter are selected based on a selection algorithm. A solution using traffic lights has also been developed. To see which solution works best, their efficiency is measured and compared.