Life Sciences Commons^™

Exercise, Learning And Emotional Health: Interdisciplinary Approaches To Translational Action, Tessa L. Koschel

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Exercise positively effects physical, psychological and neurological wellbeing. Though the population at large is becoming increasingly aware of the multi-faceted benefits of exercise, the majority of people fail to meet daily exercise recommendations. Largely, demands of everyday life such as work, school and family take priority over fitness. The issue therefore becomes a matter of time. In a world of media multi-tasking and immediate gratification, the challenge to health professionals becomes incorporation and manipulation of these consistencies to improve exercise uptake and adherence. Focus must shift from the idea of making additional time for exercise, to adding exercise to time …

Dietary Intake And Energy Expenditure Of Pararescuemen During Routine Training, Andrea Woita

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Pararescuemen are one group of Air Force Special Operations Forces (SOF) who engage in vigorous physical training to achieve mission readiness. This type of training requires high energy expenditures and matching dietary intake to support basic physiological needs and to meet performance demands. However, few studies have investigated the energy expenditure and dietary intake of SOF and none have specifically examined these behaviors in Pararescuemen. The goal of this investigation was to determine the energy expenditure and dietary intake of Pararescuemen during routine training - a period when these operators receive supervision and guidance for performance improvements, recovery, and career …

A Comparison Of Outdoor Bioaerosol And Particulate Measurements In Las Vegas, Tanviben Yogeshkumar Patel

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The urbanization of the Las Vegas Valley has turned the desert into a green oasis by introducing many non-native plant species, some of which are allergenic. Outdoor bioaerosols consist of microorganisms, pollen, spores, and other agents that could cause infections or affect the health of humans. Studies have suggested that exposure to bioaerosols through inhalation can lead to various human health risks. Typically, one monitoring station is established per city to obtain pollen and mold counts for an entire metropolitan area, and the site may not be representative of community exposures. The objective of this study was to measure and …

Investigation Of The Cultural Context Of Sugars Consumption Behavior In Low-Income Mexican-American Women, Tanya J. Benitez, Colleen Keller, Kathryn Coe, Natasha Tasevska

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Despite the recent federal dietary recommendations to limit consumption of added sugars to less than ten percent of daily caloric intake, there is a gap in published literature examining the influence of food preparation behaviors on sugars consumption among low-income Mexican-American women. The purpose of the study was to describe the cultural context of Mexican-American women in procuring, preparing and presenting added sugars in their families’ diets.

Five focus groups were conducted to examine sugars consumption behavior in thirteen overweight/obese low-income Mexican-American women ages 27-40 years. Themes that emerged during the sessions included: changes in food procurement to include high-sugar …

An Evaluation Of Gabab Receptors On Modulating Neuroinflammation In A Non-Transgenic Animal Model Of Alzheimer's Disease, Monica Bolton

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by progressive memory loss and distinct neuropathological hallmarks, including amyloid beta plaques and neurofibrillary tau tangles (NFT). Although the etiology remains to be discovered, several risk factors exist that significantly contribute to developing AD. Diabetes is one of the major risk factors associated with AD and is characterized by disrupted insulin signaling that may contribute to or exacerbate AD pathologies. Furthermore, both disorders result in increased neuroinflammation. Considerable evidence has demonstrated that a chronic inflammatory response, in particular chronic microglia activation, promotes A production as well as the hyperphosphorylation of tau through …

Evaluation Of A Fluorescence Method For Quantifying Bioaerosol Concentrations On Air Quality Filter Samples, Rachel Kolberg

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Airborne particulate matter (PM) in outdoor environments contains many components that cause adverse human health effects. The size of the particulates determine in what manner the particles would bypass the body’s defense mechanisms to enter the respiratory system and is directly related to their health impacts. Currently the United States Environmental Protection Agency is enforcing the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) to regulate the annual and 24-hour average concentrations of PM2.5 and PM10 in the air. PM2.5 are fine particles with aerodynamic diameter <2.5μm, small enough to reach the deepest parts of the bronchi and lungs. PM10 include PM2.5 and larger particles with aerodynamic diameter of 2.5-10μm. Both PM2.5 and PM10 contain multiple components from multiple sources. Bioaerosols are an important component of PM, but there is limited knowledge about how bioaerosols contribute to PM2.5 and PM10 concentrations. There is also a lack of research about the incidence and prevalence of disease caused by bioaerosols and about the limits of exposure to bioaerosol particulates. The main barrier to assess bioaerosol concentrations and health-related effects is the absence of quick and inexpensive methodology for quantifying bioaerosols. This study explored the feasibility of using fluorescence microscopy to quickly quantify bioaerosols in PM2.5 and PM10 collected on polycarbonate filters. Bioaerosols were stained with a DNA marker directly on a filter, followed by fixation, microscopic imaging, and automatic counting. The method was first validated using reference samples prepared by depositing different known concentrations of E. coli onto blank polycarbonate filters. The results indicated a linear response over two orders of magnitude (R2 = 0.9) and an accuracy within ±25%. E. coli were also deposited onto selected ambient PM10 and PM2.5 filter samples to determine if pre-loaded particles would interfere with bioaerosol imaging and counting. It was found that despite an increase in uncertainty (variability), the calibration slope remained within ±10% of unity for both PM2.5 and PM10 samples. Bioaerosol concentrations in ambient samples, as quantified by this method, were on average 14% higher for PM10 than for PM2.5 acquired concurrently in a desert environment of Las Vegas, Nevada. The application of this method to other types of compliance filters, such as Teflon filters and tapes of a Beta Attenuation Monitor (BAM) were also explored in this study. By means of a high-yield approach this method is expected to facilitate bioaerosol research, support exposure and health assessments, and help refine NAAQS for PM2.5 and PM10.

The Psychophysiological Correlates Of Personality, Trauma, Posttraumatic Stress Disorder And Social Support, Meghan E. Pierce

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Theories considering the etiology of psychopathy suggest that trauma exposure, specifically childhood maltreatment and sexual abuse, is related to the development of callous-unemotional traits in children and adolescents, which are precursors to psychopathic traits in adulthood. Furthermore, posttraumatic stress disorder has an opposite relationship with many of the emotional and behavioral components of the two-factor model of psychopathy. Specifically, PTSD is positively associated to IA and traits associated with it and negatively associated with FD. Thus, this study sought to expand upon the current theories of a trauma-based etiology of psychopathy by investigating the relationship between trauma, PTSD, and psychopathic …

Are Vending Machine Selections Healthier? Trends In Dietary Quality Of Vending Machine Food And Beverage Selections Among Nhanes Participants Age 6-19 Years Between 2003-2012, Aurora Maria Buffington

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Dietary intake is related to 4 major causes of death and may be influenced by the food environment, which includes the $64.3 billion revenue-producing vending machine industry. Most machines contain low nutrient energy dense foods and beverages associated with poor dietary choices, while healthier vending initiatives are seen as a strategy to increase access to healthy foods. Elementary and secondary schools have increasingly adopted healthier vending standards in response to federal child nutrition regulation and student wellness policy implementation, however an association between vending and diet has not been made using a large sample of nationally representative data. The purpose …

Determining The Effects Of Social Media Monitoring To Identify Potential Foodborne Illness In Southern Nevada, Lauren Diprete

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Foodborne illness, commonly referred to as food poisoning, affects an estimated 1 in 6 Americans every year, despite the fact that it is entirely preventable. Many cases of foodborne illness go unreported; however, better reporting leads to faster health department response and containment. Social media monitoring, using software to identify trends in social media posts, is a novel new tool that has been tested in a variety of public health fields with promising preliminary results. The Southern Nevada Health District (SNHD) has employed social media monitoring software to identify potential foodborne illness within Southern Nevada. The purpose of this study …

Thermal And Developmental Ecology Of Pupfish, Cyprinodon, Alexander Jones

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Pupfish from the genus Cyprinodon are among the most endangered groups of fishes on the planet, with nearly 40% of species being threatened with extinction. These pupfishes are often assumed to be the most temperature tolerant of all fish, coping with temperatures as low as 0 °C and as high as 44 °C. However, conflicting data exist and certain measures of thermal tolerance are not markedly higher in pupfish compared to common game fish. Pupfish egg production and growth has been known to be hampered at temperatures well below what they apparently experience in nature. I addressed why eggs fail …

A Rural And Urban Study Of The Food Environment In Select Nevada Geographies, Joseph Nickelson

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

National and county level examination of urban and rural food environments has taken place, but primary validation of venue existence and in-venue data are lacking. The literature show disparities in access to healthy foods through low density of large grocers/supermarkets, low variety and quality of produce and higher prices for a healthy diet in rural versus urban geographies. Rural areas are of unique concern due to poor health indicators such as higher obesity rates, higher diabetes rates, lower incomes and lower educations than urban residents. The goal of this study was to explore differences in the community and consumer level …

The Effects Of An Acute Bout Of Exercise On Hunger Hormones In Individuals At Risk For Type 2 Diabetes, Sydney Spoon

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Background: Hunger hormone levels are typically dysregulated in obese and diabetic

populations, however; postprandial exercise has been shown to influence hunger hormone levels. Purpose: To determine if hunger hormones including acylated ghrelin and GLP-1 levels are altered in response to an acute bout (15 minutes) of walking in individuals at risk for type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM).

Methods: Ten subjects at risk for prediabetes (fasting blood glucose 100–125mg/dL) participated in this randomized crossover design trial. Subjects arrived at the laboratory following an overnight fast and underwent one of two conditions: 1) Test meal with no walking (CON) or 2) Test …

Neural Processes Underlying Auditory Context Effects, Breanne Yerkes

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Auditory information within our natural environments is disorganized and often ambiguous, leaving our auditory systems with a complex task: organizing sound into coherent objects. The auditory system uses both current and prior information to assist in completing this task. The influences of previous context on current perception have been referred to as context effects. A contrastive context effect results in a current perception that is opposite of what is expected based on the physical stimulus properties presented during an immediate context. A facilitative context effect results in a current perception that is the same as the perception during the immediate …

Factors Influencing Induction Of Desiccation Tolerance In Bryophytes: Redefining Fundamental Aspects Of The Organism’S Relationship With The Environment In Xeric Habitats, Joshua Lee Greenwood

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

If one wishes to understand the ecological role, range, habitat preferences, selective pressures, reproduction, response to climate change, and the potential for survival under climactic change, range expansion and range contraction for species and populations of bryophytes, an understanding of their survival of the desiccated state, is essential. In order to further our understanding of desiccation tolerance in mosses, three projects were undertaken. The first of these investigated the nature of desiccation tolerance in mosses, specifically if desiccation tolerance can be induced; thereby providing a desiccation tolerant phenotype in a moss species generally considered desiccation sensitive (Physcomitrella patens, the model …

Unlv Title Iii Aanapisi & Mcnair Scholars Institute Research Journal, Nir Herscovici, Joyce Hsu, Matthew Khumnark, Joy Lamug, Jeong Lim Lee, Kendall Lyons, Andrea Mandril, Niroshini Moodley, Eric Ng, Timothy Ogburn, Andrew A. Ortiz, Emily Khanh Pham, Nha Trang Vivian Sam, Devlynn Scarpati, Olivia Tsang, Termaine Antonio Turner Ii, Pang Kou Vang, Kanisha Wilson, Shannon Zayas, Claudia Chiang-Lopez, Victoria Copeland, Andrea Darby, Bridgett Giordmaina, Briceida Hernandez-Toledo, Mark Larubio, Ana Lesquives, Yessenia Madrigal, Summer Millwood, Angel Mims, Blaine Pennock, Katie Randolph, Amber K. Stephens, Sarah Werman, Eben-Ezer Arias-Garcia, Ernesto H. Bedoy, Royale Cannon, Irma De Santiago, Lorraine Louise K. Francisco, Imani A. Gayden, Jeffrey Gonzalez, Isaiah Shornell Henry, Ashley C. Lee, Marielle Leo, Elizabeth Ochoa, Bernajane Palisoc, Sean Tanzey, Howard Yanxon

McNair Journal

Journal articles based on research conducted by undergraduate students in the AANAPISI and McNair Scholars Programs

Table of Contents

About AANAPISI

Biography of Dr. Ronald E. McNair

Statements

Dr. Len Jessup, UNLV President

Dr. Juanita P. Fain, Vice President for Student Affairs

Dr. William W. Sullivan, Associate Vice President for Retention and Outreach

Mr. Keith Rogers, Deputy Executive Director of the Center for Academic Enrichment and Outreach

Title III AANAPISI and McNair Scholars Institute Staff

Ms. Terri Bernstein, Director for College Programs

Dr. Matthew Della Sala, Assistant Director for Undergraduate Research

The Effect Of Intrinsic And Extrinsic Motivations On Health Behavior In College Students: A Systematic Review, Kristen Melendez, Sharon Jalene

AANAPISI Poster Presentations

When measuring the weight of individuals to create healthy lifestyle plans with proper diet and exercise it is alarming how many people follow even the MINIMUM requirement to live a long healthy life. Research has proven that even people who are aware that they are overweight will likely only have a short-lived maintenance of healthy behaviors. Therefore, both intrinsic and extrinsic motivations were examined in order to better understand the difference between the population who maintains healthy lifestyles and those whose healthy habits are not sustained. Methods: A systematic review process was used to filter and screen for applicable studies …

Secondary Data Analysis: A Non-Pharmacology Treatment For Individuals Living With Hiv/Aids, Joseph Jean, Carolee Dodge-Francis Ed.D

McNair Poster Presentations

At the end of 2015, 36.7 million people were living with HIV/AIDS world wide (WHO, 2017). Living with this disease puts individuals at increased risk for mental and physical health complications. Opportunistic infections and increased serious mental health conductions are common (NIH, 2016). Advances in antiretroviral therapies have been made to increase life expectancy but often times can adversely affect the individuals quality of life. Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is one way to help improve quality of life. One form of CAM, massage therapy may offer benefits to PLWHA in terms of ability to cope with stress.