Life Sciences Commons^™

Associations Of Adiposity And Diet Quality With Serum Ceramides In Middle-Aged Adults With Cardiovascular Risk Factors, Margaret A. Drazba, Ida Holaskova, Nadine R. Sahyoun, Melissa Ventura Marra

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Rates of adverse cardiovascular events have increased among middle-aged adults. Elevated ceramides have been proposed as a risk factor for cardiovascular events. Diet quality and weight status are inversely associated with several traditional risk factors; however, the relationship to ceramides is less clear. This study aimed to determine associations of adiposity and diet quality with circulating ceramides in middle-aged adults (n = 96). Diet quality was estimated using the Healthy Eating Index 2015 (HEI-2015). Serum ceramide concentrations were determined by liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry. A ceramide risk score was determined based on ceramides C16:0, C18:0, and C24:1 and their ratios to …

Dna Methylation And Mirna-1296 Act In Concert To Mediate Spatiotemporal Expression Of Kpna7 During Bovine Oocyte And Early Embryonic Development, Lei Wang, Jacqelyn M. Hand, Liyuan Fu, George W. Smith, Jianbo Yao

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Abstract

Background: Epigenetic regulation of oocyte-specific maternal factors is essential for oocyte and early embryonic development. KPNA7 is an oocyte-specific maternal factor, which controls transportation of nuclear proteins important for early embryonic development. To elucidate the epigenetic mechanisms involved in the controlled expression of KPNA7, both DNA methylation associated transcriptional silencing and microRNA (miRNA)-mediated mRNA degradation of KPNA7 were examined.

Results: Comparison of DNA methylation profiles at the proximal promoter of KPNA7 gene between oocyte and 6 different somatic tissues identified 3 oocyte-specific differentially methylated CpG sites. Expression of KPNA7 mRNA was reintroduced in bovine kidney-derived CCL2 cells after treatment …

Feasibility Of A Mhealth Approach To Nutrition Counseling In An Appalachian State, Melissa D. Olfert, Makenzie L. Barr, Rebecca L. Hagedorn, Dustin M. Long, Treah S. Haggerty, Mathew Weimer, Joseph Golden, Mary Ann Maurer, Jill D. Cochran, Tracy Hendershot, Stacey L. Whanger, Jay D. Mason, Sally L. Hodder

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Abstract: West Virginia is a rural state with an aging population that may experience barriers to accessing nutritional and lifestyle counseling. This study examined feasibility of an online personalized nutrition tracking application, Good Measures (GM), with patients at seven health care clinics throughout the state. Fourteen healthcare providers and 64 patients 18 years or older with a Body Mass Index (BMI) greater than or equal to 30 and access to the Internet were recruited for this 12-week feasibility study. Patient participants logged meals and exercise into the GM application via smart phone, tablet, or computer and virtually engaged with a …

The “Motor Of The Day”: Parent And School-Age Children’S Cognitions, Barriers, And Supports For Breakfast, Kaitlyn M. Eck, Colleen L. Delaney, Rashel L. Clark, Miriam P. Leary, Karla Pagan Shelnutt, Melissa D. Olfert, Carol Byrd-Bredbenner

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Despite the many benefits of regular breakfast consumption few parents and children consume this meal every day and research examining the determinants of breakfast consumption is limited. Thus, the purpose of this study was to examine breakfast-related cognitions (i.e., beliefs, attitudes, facilitators, barriers) of parents and school-age children (ages 6–11 years) using the constructs of Social Cognitive Theory as a guide. Parents (n = 37) and children (n = 41) participated in focus group discussions held in community settings in 3 states (FL, NJ, WV). Data were qualitatively content analyzed to detect trends. Parents felt breakfast was important for numerous …

Time-Activity Budgets Of Stiff-Tailed Ducks In Puerto Rico, Nickolas S. Goodman, Jack C. Eitniear, James T. Anderson

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Habitat loss and degradation have contributed to declining populations of stiff-tailed ducks including the migratory northern ruddy duck (Oxyura jamaicensis rubida), and non-migratory masked duck (Nomonyx dominicus) and West Indian ruddy duck (Oxyura j. jamaicensis). Studies collecting time-activity budgets on waterfowl can provide important insight into habitat use, behavior, and niche partitioning. Even though the northern ruddy duck and West Indian ruddy duck are recognized as the same species, we treated them separately to appraise possible ecological differences. We recorded 24-h time-activity budgets for masked ducks (n = 142), northern ruddy ducks ( …

Nutritional Condition And Physiological Stress Levels Of Elk In The Black Hills, South Dakota, Chadwick P. Lehman, Christopher T. Rota, Joshua J. Millspaugh

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Percent of body fat and physiological stress are important correlates to wildlife demographics. We studied winter percent of body fat and physiological stress levels for a declining elk (Cervus canadensis nelsoni) population in South Dakota, 2011–2013. We obtained percent of winter body fat, pregnancy status, lactation status, and physiological stress data from 58 adult females (2+ years old). We compared physiological stress level data from 2011 with data collected from this same herd when elk densities were much higher (1995–1997). Our objectives were to determine percent of body fat during winter, examine if winter body fat was correlated with pregnancy …

The Effect Of Maternal Diet With Fish Oil On Oxidative Stress And Inflammatory Response In Sow And New-Born Piglets, W. L. Luo, Z. Luo, X. Xu, S. Zhao, S. H. Li, T. Sho, J. Yao, J. Zhang, W. N. Xu, J. X. Xu

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Pregnancy is an oxidative stress and immune challenge for the mother. Fish oil is rich in EPA and DHA, which can partly inhibit aspects of inflammation and restore antioxidant capacity. In the present study, we investigated the effect of maternal diet with fish oil during the late gestation period on oxidative stress and inflammatory response in sows and their progenies. Twelve second-parity sows were allocated equally into two groups. Sows were fed either the soybean oil diet (SD) or soybean oil+fish oil diet (FD) during the gestation period. The plasma of sows, cord blood, and new-born piglets were collected. Full-term …

Trade-Offs Relating To Grassland And Forest Mine Reclamation Approaches In The Central Appalachian Region And Implications For The Songbird Community, Eric L. Margenau, Petra B. Wood, Cathy A. Weakland, Donald J. Brown

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Surface mining in the Appalachian region (USA) converts large areas of mature forest to early successional habitat. This shift in landscape structure has the potential to reduce habitat availability and suitability for forest-dwelling songbirds by reducing and fragmenting mature forest, but also to increase habitat availability for grassland- and shrubland-associated songbirds. We examined the influence of mountaintop mining/valley fill (MTMVF) reclamation habitats (grassland, shrubland, and remnant forest) on songbird community composition and abundance at three former MTMVF mines in southwestern West Virginia, relative to intact forest. We quantified the songbird community in 1999 and 2000 using point counts arranged throughout …

Genome-Wide Association Study Identifies Genomic Loci Affecting Filet Firmness And Protein Content In Rainbow Trout, Ali Ali, Rafet Al-Tobasei, Daniela Lourenco, Tim Leeds, Brett Kenney, Mohamed Saleem

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Filet quality traits determine consumer satisfaction and affect profitability of the aquaculture industry. Soft flesh is a criterion for fish filet downgrades, resulting in loss of value. Filet firmness is influenced by many factors, including rate of protein turnover. A 50K transcribed gene SNP chip was used to genotype 789 rainbow trout, from two consecutive generations, produced in the USDA/NCCCWA selective breeding program. Weighted single-step GBLUP (WssGBLUP) was used to perform genome-wide association (GWA) analyses to identify quantitative trait loci affecting filet firmness and protein content. Applying genomic sliding windows of 50 adjacent SNPs, 212 and 225 SNPs were associated …

The Identification Of Differentially Expressed Genes Between Extremes Of Placental Efficiency In Maternal Line Gilts On Day 95 Of Gestation, Shanice K. Krombeen, Vijay Shankar, Rooksana E. Noorai, Christopher A. Saski, Julia L. Sharp, Matthew E. Wilson, Tiffany A. Wilmoth

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Background: Placental efficiency (PE) describes the relationship between placental and fetal weights (fetal wt/placental wt). Within litters, PE can vary drastically, resulting in similarly sized pigs associated with differently sized placentas, up to a 25% weight difference. However, the mechanisms enabling the smaller placenta to grow a comparable littermate are unknown. To elucidate potential mechanisms, morphological measurements and gene expression profiles in placental and associated endometrial tissues of high PE and low PE feto-placental units were compared. Tissue samples were obtained from eight maternal line gilts during gestational day 95 ovario-hysterectomies. RNA was extracted from tissues of feto-placental units with …

Characterization And Localization Of Cyclin B3 Transcript In Both Oocyte And Spermatocyte Of The Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus Mykiss), Wenzhi Guan, Liangjie Qiu, Bo Zhang, Jianbo Yao, Qing Xiao, Gaofeng Qiu

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

B-type cyclins are regulatory subunits with distinct roles in the cell cycle. To date, at least three subtypes of B-type cyclins (B1, B2, and B3) have been identified in vertebrates. Previously, we reported the characterization and expression profiles of cyclin B1 and B2 during gametogenesis in the rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss). In this paper, we isolated another subtype of cyclin B, cyclin B3 (CB3), from a cDNA library of the rainbow trout oocyte. The full-length CB3 cDNA (2,093 bp) has an open reading frame (1,248 bp) that encodes a protein of 416 amino acid residues. The CB3 transcript …

Cerulean Warbler (Setophaga Cerulea) And Associated Species Response To Operational Silviculture In The Central Appalachian Region, Gretchen Emily Nareff

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

In this study, I assessed the response of Cerulean Warblers (Setophaga cerulea) and 5 additional songbird species to timber harvests prescribed through operational silviculture. The research took place in relatively contiguous mature deciduous forests in 4 states in the central Appalachian region—Kentucky, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia, USA.

For the first part of the study, I collected Cerulean Warbler abundance and territory data through point counts and territory mapping, respectively. I used the point count data to model Cerulean Warbler abundance pre- and post-harvest at 5 study areas (Kentucky [n=1], Virginia [n=2], West Virginia [n=2]) and post-harvest at …

Thermal Performance Of Growth At Consumption Maximum (C-Max) And Routine Metabolic Rate (Rmr) In Brook Trout Salvelinus Fontinalis From Four Populations In Central Appalachia, Cory Michael Hartman

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

Growth of an individual is the end result of many physiological processes stemming from the consumption of food items. These processes can be influenced by many variables including temperature. Current bioenergetics models for Brook Trout Salvelinus fontinalis suggest growth increases with temperature until an inflection point of 20.2°C. With a warming climate, and water temperatures expected to rise, the ability of a population to adapt to the warming environment is crucial to the survival of the species. For this study we sought to see how spatial variation would influence the specific consumption, conversion efficiency, and specific growth at consumption maximum …

Characterization And Quantification Of Major Flavonol Glycosides In Ramps (Allium Tricoccum), Wijdan M. Dabeek, Nik Kovinich, Callee Walsh, Melissa Ventura Marra

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

The ramp (Allium tricoccum) is a traditional plant in the eastern Appalachian Mountains. Ramps have been used in traditional medicine for their health-promoting roles in lowering blood pressure and cholesterol. Information on the chemical composition of the potentially bioactive components in ramps is limited. Therefore, the aim of this work was to characterize and quantify major flavonols in ramps. Flavonoids were extracted in 50% methanol and 3% acetic acid. Characterization was conducted using UHPLC-PDA-MS and MS/MS, and quantification was performed using UHPLC-PDA detection. The major flavonol glycosides were kaempferol sophoroside glucuronide, quercetin sophoroside glucuronide, kaempferol rutinoside glucuronide, quercetin hexoside glucuronide, …

Demographic, Spatial, And Epigenetic Response Of The Louisiana Waterthrush (Parkesia Motacilla) To Shale Gas Development, Mack W. Frantz

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

My study centered on a bioindicator songbird, the Louisiana Waterthrush (Parkesia motacilla), hereafter waterthrush, an organism that co-occurs in both forested and aquatic habitat across the aquatic-terrestrial interface. This enabled the opportunity to quantify demographic, spatial, and epigenetic (i.e., DNA methylation) responses in a highly forested watershed of the Central Appalachians, the areas that have undergone the most rapid transformations over the last decade from unconventional shale gas development and activities. I organized my dissertation into 4 parts (Part 1: Introduction, Part 2: Louisiana Waterthrush Demography, Part 3: Spatial Assessment of Louisiana Waterthrush Foraging, Part 4: Louisiana Waterthrush …

The Effect Of Bovine Galectin-1, A Conceptus Secretory Protein, On The Endometrial Transcriptome, Lindsay Faye Grose

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

Early embryonic loss in cattle is detrimental to reproduction thus, the profitability of both the beef and dairy industries. Therefore, an important aspect of study is to find techniques that beef or dairy producers could use to decrease early embryonic loss Galectin-1, the protein that was investigated in this research is important in modulating the maternal immune system in rodent and human early pregnancies by promoting fetomaternal immune tolerance. The role of galectin-1 within the reproductive tissues has not been thoroughly investigated in cattle. Galectin-1 is located in the caruncular and intercaruncular regions of the bovine endometrium, specifically the maternal …

Prevalence And Correlates Of Food Insecurity Among U.S. College Students: A Multi-Institutional Study, Aseel El Zein, Karla P. Shelnutt, Sarah Colby, Melissa J. Vilaro, Wenjun Zhou, Geoffrey Greene, Melissa D. Olfert, Kristin Riggsbee, Jesse Stabile Morrell, Anne E. Mathews

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Background: College students may be vulnerable to food insecurity due to limited financial resources, decreased buying power of federal aid, and rising costs of tuition, housing, and food. This study assessed the prevalence of food insecurity and its sociodemographic, health, academic, and food pantry correlates among first-year college students in the United States. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among first-year students (n = 855) across eight U.S. universities. Food security status was assessed using the U.S. Department of Agriculture Adult Food Security Survey Module. Cohen’s Perceived Stress Scale, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, and Eating Attitudes Test-26 were used to …

Population Health Of Spotted Salamanders (Ambystoma Maculatum) In Created Vernal Pools: An Integrative Approach, Alice R. Millikin

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

Habitat creation is an important tool for conservation to counteract habitat loss and degradation. Vernal pools are susceptible to destruction due to limited detection, protection, and regulation. These wetlands provide fishless breeding habitat for many amphibian species including spotted salamanders (Ambystoma maculatum) in eastern North America. Determining whether created vernal pool habitat is successful is often determined by demographic data of colonizing populations. I suggest that hormone levels, population genetics, and disease prevalence can improve our understanding of population health in created habitat. The goal of this dissertation was to assess the health of spotted salamander larvae in …

Analysis Of Unconventional Oil And Gas Impacts On Downstream Fish Assemblages And Physiological Stress, Joshua Noah Ankeny

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

Unconventional Oil and Gas (UOG) production has been steadily expanding throughout the mid-Atlantic since 2008. Increased sedimentation, degraded water chemistry and an overall decrease in habitat quality due to UOG is anticipated to negatively impact aquatic inhabitants, a common observation in other stressed landscapes (i.e., mining, agriculture, development). We assessed stream health through both community analysis and physiological parameters (i.e., growth and hematocrit). A before-after-control-impact study uncovered three fish metrics that were significantly different following UOG disturbances. The invertivore-piscivore metric decreased following UOG disturbance (p = 0.045) whereas two benthic metrics saw a surprising increase (p = 0.003 and p …

Evaluating The Effects Of Exogenous Enzyme Supplementation On Broiler Growth, Victoria E. Ayres

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

Experiments were conducted to investigate the effects of exogenous enzymes in poultry diets. In Chapter 4, a study was conducted to determine the effects of a corn-expressed recombinant carbohydrase (AC1) on broiler performance and digesta viscosity in high non-starch polysaccharide (NSP) diets through 21 days of age. One day-old Hubbard × Cobb 500 chicks were assigned to 6 dietary treatments. Each treatment consisted of 12 replicate pens of 10 birds. The positive control diet (PC) was a corn and soybean meal formulation. The negative control diet (NC) included 10% wheat and 10% corn distiller’s dried grains with solubles (DDGS). The …

Improving Broiler Performance Utilizing Modern Feed Additives, Niles Rourke Ridgeway

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

Modern broiler production strives to make modest improvements regarding broiler performance. This remains a goal as global population increases thusly increasing the quantity of an affordable, high quality source of protein. In recent years, an added stressor to achieving prior goals is mostly related to consciousness of environmental and consumer health. For decades, integrators have utilized minimal amounts of antibiotics as a barrier to most pathogens affecting the microbiome of a broiler’s gastrointestinal tract. Regulatory efforts have now prohibited most of previous sub-therapeutic medicine and started an in-depth scope of broiler gut health and interaction with antibiotic alternatives. In an …

The Effect Of Feed Manufacture Techniques On Pathogen Reduction And Feed Nutrient Value, Timothy Paul Boltz

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

Experiments were conducted to evaluate how differing feed manufacture techniques, such as varying conditioning times and new equipment, can affect pathogen mitigation, feed manufacture metrics, amino acid digestibility, and enzyme recovery in feed. Feed hygienics are of increasing importance in providing safe feed to animals, and ultimately safe food for consumers. Salmonella has been identified as a major microbial hazard in animal feed that has been linked to animal and human illness. In chapter 2, the effects of standard pelleting and more thermally aggressive techniques were utilized to determine pathogen mitigation potential. Use of antibiotics has decreased in recent years …

Comparing The Effects Of Swimming Exercise And Dissolved Oxygen On Important Performance Parameters Of Early-Rearing Atlantic Salmon Salmo Salar And Rainbow Trout Oncorhynchus Mykiss., Thomas B. Waldrop

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

Swimming exercise (bodylenghts/sec), and dissolved oxygen (DO), are important environmental variables in aquaculture. While there is an obvious physiological association between these two parameters, their interaction has not been adequately studied in Atlantic salmon, Salmo salar and Rainbow trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss. Since both variables can be easily manipulated in modern aquaculture systems, we sought to assess the impact of these parameters, alone and in combination, on the performance, health, and welfare parameters of the two species. Atlantic salmon and Rainbow trout were stocked into twelve circular 0.5 m³ tanks and exposed to either high (1.5-2 BL/s) or low …

Service Dogs For Veterans With Ptsd: Taxonomy, Work Stress Reduction, And Matching, Lindsay Parenti

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

Research suggests that many veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) struggle with reintegration (Sayer et al., 2010), but are unlikely to seek help or complete treatment (Schottenbauer et al., 2008). To make matters worse, available treatment options are often time consuming, challenging, and/or associated with negative side effects (Carafano & Hutchinson, 2017). Using animals as a treatment modality for veterans with PTSD is an emerging topic of interest and has shown promise (Owen, et al., 2016; Richie et al., 2016). However, several factors have hindered the advancement of this field. Obstacles include a lack of standard terminology and classification system, …

Lead Exposure Of North American Raptors, Vincent A. Slabe

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

Lead is an anthropogenic threat to terrestrial wildlife, has no physiological benefits, and is considered a neurotoxin. Legislation adopted in many developed countries restricts the uses of lead in consumer and industrial products such as pipe fittings, petrol, paint, and shot for use in waterfowl hunting. However, lead is currently categorized by the United States (US) government as a critical metal and common uses of lead still persist in North America. These include the use of rifle ammunition, shot in upland gamebird hunting, and fishing sinkers. Lead is also a by-product of multiple industrial operations including smelters, coal power plants, …

Avian Occupancy Dynamics And Canada Warbler (Cardellina Canadensis) Environmental Correlates On A Central Appalachian Elevation Gradient In West Virginia, Gordon W. Dimmig

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

Mountains are important areas for avian diversity and conservation since they have steep elevational and environmental gradients. In the central Appalachian Mountains, several songbird species have trailing edge populations that are restricted to high elevations. Climate change and other factors can cause species distributions to change, which is of particular concern for birds in restricted trailing edge populations. Additionally, the Canada Warbler (Cardellina canadensis) breeds throughout the Appalachian Mountains and is species of conservation concern due to range-wide population declines. For this project, I used avian point count data from the central Appalachian Mountains to: (1) evaluate the …

Characterization Of Ovine Monocytes In Response To Haemonchus Contortus Larvae In Vitro And A Novel Role Of Interleukin-13 Inducing Larval Paralysis, Elizabeth Shepherd

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

Haemonchus contortus is a hematophagous, gastrointestinal parasite affecting small ruminants. Parasitism by H. contortus is the greatest concern of sheep producers in the United States and accounts for billions of dollars in economic loss worldwide. However, different breeds of sheep display differences n natural resistance to H. contortus. St. Croix hair sheep have a remarkable ability to clear H. contortus without the aid of anthelmintics and develop a robust T helper type 2 (Th2) immune response, preventing establishment of infective stage 3 larvae (L3), when compared to susceptible Suffolk sheep. However, the mechanism of development of immune response and …

Distribution And Habitat Use Of Benthic Fishes In The Lower Kanawha River, West Virginia, Nathaniel V. Owens

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

The Kanawha River in West Virginia is a historically diverse system in terms of ichthyofauna although, like many other large rivers, it has been subjected to a suite of anthropomorphic perturbations. These include this system being modified to allow the passage of commercial vessels for industry thus altering flow regimes, increased sedimentation, water depth, and channelization, and decreased interactions with its floodplain. Additionally, the fishes of this system have suffered from deleterious historical water quality issues caused by intensive timber operations, mining, and industrial waste. Post Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, and Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act water …

Investigation Of Bovine Conceptus Galectins And The Effect Of Bovine Conceptus Secretory Proteins On The Endometrial Epithelial Transcriptome, Heather Lynn Baldwin

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

Pregnancy loss in cattle is greatest in the first 30 days of gestation. Near d15 of gestation, bovine conceptuses elongate and express LGALS1, an immunosuppressive glycan-binding protein believed to be essential for implantation. However, other members of the bovine galectin family, including LGALS3, LGALS4, LGALS7, LGALS8, LGALS9 and a galectin-13-like gene (LGALS13L), also may be expressed by the elongating conceptus. Therefore, galectin expression in elongating, d16 bovine conceptuses and intercaruncular endometrium as well as elongating, d14 ovine conceptuses and intercaruncular endometrium was assessed by RT-qPCR. Angus heifer and Texel ewes underwent estrous cycle synchronization and either inseminated or not bred. …

Ground Ingredients: Analysis Of Lead Exposure In The California Condor’S (Gymnogyps Californianus) Ground Foraging Habitat, Evan Michael Mcwreath

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

The California Condor (Gymnogyps californianus) is a critically endangered species that reached its nadir in 1987 with a population of 27 birds in the wild. Intensive management efforts have been implemented to aid the condors’ recovery, however, anthropogenic factors, like use of lead ammunition, continue to cause fatalities in this vulnerable population. Lead toxicosis, which is responsible for approximately 40% of all condor deaths since 1992, is one of the most significant threats to condors. In birds lead poisoning leads to neurological dysfunction, reproductive impairment, immune suppression, gastrointestinal disturbance, anemia, and ultimately increased vulnerability to predation, starvation, and infection. For …