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The ScholarShip is a digital archive for the scholarly output of the ECU community. Its mission is to capture, preserve, and make available the intellectual output of East Carolina University's faculty, staff, and students.

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Now showing 1 - 8 of 8

Recent Submissions

Access status: Open Access ,
An Analysis of the National Environmental Action Plan and the National Environmental Policy for Malawi
(2000-04) Jolly, Melanie C.
The purpose of this thesis is to determine the nature and extent of discrepancies between stated environmental policies and actual conservation practices with respect to deforestation and soil erosion in Malawi. The analysis was conducted by means of a four-month period of field work in Malawi. The environmental information was collected by visiting three districts, each in a geologically different region within the country, Nkhata Bay District in the north, Mangochi District in the west and Thyolo District in the south. The analysis is limited to soil erosion and deforestation. It is important to discuss deforestation and soil erosion together because soil erosion is a direct result of deforestation. The limitations of the data collected prevented the inclusion of other environmental issues. It was discovered that Malawi has sound environmental policies for agroforestry, high-yield seed varieties, mixed and inter-cropping, public education campaigns, prevention of bushfires, multipurpose tree-planting, alternative stoves, community woodlots and environmental education in schools, but the implementation of the policies is hampered because of break downs in communication and coordination between Malawi's environmental divisions and a lack of support and resources (i.e., funding, information, transportation) for the Environmental District Officers at the village level.
Access status: Metadata only ,
Test title
(2026-09-24) No one
Access status: Open Access ,
Healthy eating in a food desert is hard, but not impossible
(2026-09-02) Mourning, Kyajia; Kolasa, Kathryn M.
This is a weekly Q and A newspaper column under the byline of Dr. Kathy Kolasa. Today's column is about overcoming barriers to having a healthy diet while living in a food desert.
Access status: Embargo ,
Quantum Harmonic Neural Networks: Application and Determination within the Context of Physics-Informed Neural Networks and Comparative Anomaly Detection
(2026-07) Baroupe-Qualls, Renaldo
At the juncture of quantum-defined systems and classical digital structures, cybersecurity and computing are at an inflection point where both domains converge. This thesis examined the intersection of quantum information science and artificial intelligence, focusing on quantum harmonic analysis and physics-informed neural networks (PINNs). The research approach evaluated data and system behavior from a scientific, experimental perspective. Comparative studies were conducted to assess the proposed hypothesis. Specifically, the research question explored machine learning architecture and artificial intelligence design components in which PINN integration was engineered to support high mathematical precision and anomaly detection within a cybersecurity setting. The study involved coded experimentation using designated AI structures enhanced with simulated quantum processing, producing quantitative output for analysis and scientific interpretation. Methodologies were employed to formalize experimentation with a Geometrically Coherent Quantum Harmonic Neural Network (GCQHNN) and an enhanced physics-informed neural network. The experiment evaluated statistical variability and compared the proposed networks with classical machine learning models and related algorithms when challenged by known and unknown cyberattack vectors.
Access status: Embargo ,
Salinity Gradient Influence on the Tar-Pamlico River Fish Community Structure
(2026-07) Strickland, Jordan Elizabeth
Saltwater intrusion is increasing in estuarine systems worldwide as a result of sea-level rise, altered freshwater inflows, and climate change impacts on the water cycle. Changes in salinity have the potential to alter fish community composition as some species experience physiological stress, barriers to reproduction and larval dispersal, alterations to migration patterns of adult fishes, and reductions in suitable habitat. However, estuarine species are known to be resilient to environmental changes. The saltwater-freshwater interface of the Tar-Pamlico River is understudied, since sampling efforts generally target only freshwater areas or downstream, saltier portions of the estuary. The purpose of this study is to investigate how salinity structures fish communities in the Tar-Pamlico River at this interface to better understand how fish communities may respond to future saltwater intrusion brought about by climate change. The results indicated that biodiversity generally increased as bottom salinity increased. This pattern was correlated with salinity variations more than other variables examined, such as dissolved oxygen, temperature, or spatial factors. Furthermore, salinity was found to be the most influential factor causing variance in fish community composition. In a Redundancy Analysis (RDA), we identified three key species contributing to differences in community composition: spot (Leiostomus xanthurus), Atlantic menhaden (Brevoortia tyrannus), and gizzard shad (Dorosoma cepedianum). Using quotient curves and a Regional Oceanographic Modeling System (ROMS), we were able to identify the preferred salinity range of these species and determine how the spatial extent of this range varied under future climate and sea-level rise scenarios. The results indicated that suitable habitat for all three species is projected to move upstream.