Journal Site Editor
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Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a global healthcare issue that threatens lives by enabling pathogens to evade currently available treatment options, making the discovery or development of new therapies critical. An alternative to traditional antimicrobial drug development is surveying environmental microorganisms that produce novel antimicrobial agents. In this study, an unknown… Read more →
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Self-confidence and belief in one’s abilities play a vital role in academic success. These factors may be particularly important for community college students, who often face higher barriers than their peers at 4-year institutions. Mentorship is thought to strongly influence self-confidence, but little is known about the relationship between mentorship… Read more →
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With the rapid increase in microplastic (MP) documentation worldwide, techniques for detection have increased but are often costly. The focuses of this study were (1) to develop an accessible and cost-effective method to detect MP using Nile Red (NR) stain and a low-tech fluorescence microscope (FM) assembly, and (2) to… Read more →
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Iron flocculant (floc) is a reddish-brown sediment found in some streambeds consisting of particulate iron that cannot dissolve in streamwater. Anecdotally, floc is more often present in restored stream ecosystems that have had their degraded streams raised to reconnect the water to former wetlands. These anecdotal observations raise several questions… Read more →
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For students in introductory physics labs, the modified Atwood Machine is a widely used setup for investigating Newtonian mechanics. However, several aspects of this machine can lead to significant deviations from expected results. This paper examines both optimal and suboptimal experimental techniques and identifies which components of the setup (such… Read more →
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This project examines how traditional and Indigenous arts and crafts navigate the pressures of globalization and the legacies of colonialism through a cultural anthropological lens. It centers on questions of cultural exchange, identity, agency, and ownership, while expanding the idea of cultural safeguarding to include not only tangible objects but… Read more →
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Enterococcus species are widely used indicators of fecal contamination in recreational waters. For nearly two decades, the Anne Arundel Community College Environmental Center has measured Enterococcus concentrations at dozens of sites along local rivers, providing critical information for assessing swimming safety and overall water quality. This study presents a 17-year… Read more →
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Because of their potential health benefits, the probiotic supplement market has grown exponentially into a global multi-billion-dollar industry. Consumers use probiotics to support gastrointestinal (GI) and immune health. However, their efficacy depends on their ability to survive the harsh conditions of the GI tract, colonize the intestines, and outcompete other… Read more →
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This project investigates how effectively an Excel-based mathematical model can reproduce and predict the outcome of the high road versus low road marble track race, a common physics demonstration. Two identical balls are released from rest at the same starting height and descend to the same ending height: one along… Read more →
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Urban heat islands (UHIs) occur when developed areas exhibit significantly higher temperatures than surrounding rural or vegetated areas due to human-made surfaces that retain heat (Environmental Protection Agency, 2024). While most studies focus on large cities, our project investigates UHIs at Anne Arundel Community College (AACC), on its suburban campus,… Read more →
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The purpose of this research was to investigate, analyze, and determine how methods of storing coffee affect the pH of the coffee once it is brewed. Three different methods of storing whole bean (WB) and pre-ground (PG) coffee were tested: Ziploc bag, mason jar, and vacuum-sealed; three different temperatures were… Read more →
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Rain gardens are designed to filter stormwater and are typically planted with native species. However, invasive plants often establish and may disrupt the ecological balance. This study examines four rain gardens within the Anne Arundel Community College (AACC) campus, comparing native and invasive species in seed viability and germination rate.… Read more →
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Extreme weather results from interactions between atmospheric instability, moisture, and dynamic forcing across vertical levels of the atmosphere. This study analyzes weather events affecting Maryland to assess how combining observational and thermodynamic data classify storm intensity. Available radar data and satellite imagery supported evaluation of storm organization, while Stüve Diagrams… Read more →
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This literature review examines the scientific foundations, investigative value, and ethical and legal risks of using “trashed” or abandoned DNA, biological material left on discarded items such as tissues, cigarette butts, and food waste in criminal investigations. Drawing on forensic science research, case examples, and legal scholarship, the review explains… Read more →
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Commercial aquaponic systems produce food through a symbiotic relationship between plants and aquatic animals. We constructed a small aquaponic system to determine if commercial aquaponics could be replicated on a smaller, educational scale. This system used the waste from Nile tilapia to grow a combination of lettuce and tomatoes by… Read more →
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Substance use disorder is defined as the perpetual craving and re- peated use of a drug despite its negative impact on the user and their overall well-being. One drug that is very common in substance use disorders is alcohol. Alcohol serves as a stimulant drug in small doses, but when… Read more →
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The traditional standards-based or competency-based grading systems, preferred by American schools and colleges, do not incor- porate non-academic student achievement factors, such as effort, attendance, or attitude when evaluating student performance. This paper reviews current literature on the effectiveness of an alternative grading system, called effort-based grading, that includes criteria… Read more →
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Enterococci are the preferred fecal indicator bacteria (FIB) for monitoring the safety of recreational beaches. A reliable and cost-effective method to identify the species of origin for entero cocci-contaminated rivers is essential for decreasing the risk to human health. In this study human and canine fecal samples were analyzed in… Read more →
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For most of human history, security of data communication has been essential. The relevance of encryption in times of war and (more recently) in the information age is difficult to overestimate. During the 20th century, advances in mathematics and technology prompted the proliferation of many new methods of encryption. Among… Read more →