Life Sciences Commons^™

The Impact Of Soil On Climate Change And Human Health, Alec S. Patterson

Ideas: Exhibit Catalog for the Honors College Visiting Scholars Series

As we continue to see the effects of climate change on our world, we are forced to question everything about our lives. One of the most heavily impacted industries due to climate change is the food industry, which is tasked with finding sustainable ways to produce food in any circumstances. This paper establishes what makes a healthy soil, how soil health affects the crops it grows, and the effects these crops have on human health when consumed. Finally, farming techniques, which may help improve the health of our soil are explored.

A Review Of Mobile Apps For Chronic Kidney Disease Patients, Clarisse Zigan, Carl Russell Iii, Kirsten Wozniak, Kshaunish Soni

The Journal of Purdue Undergraduate Research

No abstract provided.

A Review Of The Effects Of Dietary Restriction, Dehydration, And Caffeine Withdrawal On Cognition: Implications For A Disabled Submarine Scenario, Sarah Chabal

Journal of Human Performance in Extreme Environments

In the event that submariners become trapped aboard a disabled submarine (DISSUB), they must perform a multitude of cognitively demanding tasks in order to maximize their likelihood of survival. During this time, submariners will also be forced to endure poor living conditions, including drastic changes to their nutrition. These nutritional changes have the potential to impair submariners’ cognitive functioning and affect operational performance, which could jeopardize survival; however, the effects of DISSUB nutrition on cognitive performance are not well understood. This review first describes the unique nutritional conditions that submariners will experience in a DISSUB scenario, including the change to …

A Note From The Editor, Kristina Bross

Ideas: Exhibit Catalog for the Honors College Visiting Scholars Series

This letter introduces issue five of volume one, Ideas magazine, featuring the work of Dr. Lindsay Bottoms, fencer and sports physiologist.

My Experience In Swaziland With Give Hope, Fight Poverty, Megan Kaser

Purdue Journal of Service-Learning and International Engagement

Megan Kaser, a recent 2017 alum in the College of Health and Human Sciences at Purdue University, describes her experience with Give Hope, Fight Poverty (GHFP)—a nonprofit organization in Indianapolis, Indiana. She is currently pursuing a master’s degree in physician assistant studies. GHFP’s mission is “to foster philanthropy domestically by designing service-learning programs that engage U.S. college students with rural communities in Swaziland, Africa, and work together to educate, empower, and lift orphaned and vulnerable children—particularly those living in child-headed households— out of poverty” (Give Hope, Fight Poverty, n.d.). By incorporating college students in the implementation of GHFP orphan education …

Sip And Spit Or Sip And Swallow: Choice Of Methods Differentially Alters Taste Intensity Estimates Across Stimuli, Cordelia Running, John E. Hayes

Department of Nutrition Science Faculty Publications

While the myth of the tongue map has been consistently and repeatedly debunked in controlled studies, evidence for regional differences in suprathreshold intensity has been noted by multiple research groups. Given differences in physiology between the anterior and posterior tongue (fungiform versus foliate and circumvallate papillae) and differences in total area stimulated (anterior only versus whole tongue, pharynx, and epiglottis), small methodological changes (sip and spit versus sip and swallow) have the potential to substantially influence data. We hypothesized instructing participants to swallow solutions would result in greater intensity ratings for taste versus expectorating the solutions, particularly for umami and …

Energy Balance During A Self-Sufficient, Multistage Ultramarathon, Paul A. Hough, James Earle

Journal of Human Performance in Extreme Environments

Endurance athletes are recommended to maintain energy balance and ensure adequate energy availability (EA) so that endurance performance is not compromised. Purpose: Describe and evaluate the energy balance of an athlete competing in a self-sufficient, multistage ultramarathon (MSU). Methods: A male endurance athlete (age 35 years; height 183.0 cm; body mass 78.4 kg; VO_2max 66 ml/kg/min) volunteered to take part in this observational case study prior to competing in the Marathon des Sables (MdS) 2016. The subject self-reported energy intake (EI) by reviewing his dietary plan following each stage. Basal metabolic rate (BMR) was estimated prior to the MdS …

Degree Of Free Fatty Acid Saturation Influences Chocolate Rejection In Human Assessors, Cordelia Running, John E. Hayes, Gregory R. Ziegler

Department of Nutrition Science Faculty Publications

In foods, free fatty acids (FFA) traditionally have been viewed as contributing an odor, yet evidence has accumulated that FFA also contribute a unique taste (“oleogustus”). However, minimal work has been conducted using actual foods to test the contribution of FFA to taste preferences. We chose to investigate flavor, taste, and aroma contributions of added FFA in chocolate, as some commercial manufacturers already use lipolysis of triglycerides to generate unique profiles. We hypothesized small added concentrations of FFA would increase preferences for chocolate while higher added concentrations would decrease preferences. We also hypothesized a saturated fatty acid (stearic C18) would …

The Relationship Between Protein And Phosphorus Digestion And Retention In Growing Pigs And Broiler Chickens, Pengcheng Xue

Open Access Dissertations

Xue, Pengcheng. Ph.D., Purdue University, December 2016. The Relationship between Protein and Phosphorus Digestion and Retention in Growing Pigs and Broiler Chickens. Major Professor: Dr. Layi Adeola. The objective of this study was to investigate the relationship between protein and P digestion and retention in growing pigs and broiler chickens. The methodology of determining the digestibility of AA and P and the effect of dietary N and P on the digestion and retention of these two nutrients were investigated.

An experiment was conducted in growing pigs to investigate the additivity of AID or SID of CP and AA in mixed …

Intestinal Cytoplasmic Lipid Droplets, Associated Proteins, And The Regulation Of Dietary Fat Absorption, Theresa M. D'Aquila

Open Access Dissertations

Dietary fat provides essential nutrients, contributes to energy balance, and regulates blood lipid concentrations. These functions are important to health, but can also become dysregulated and contribute to diseases such as obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. The small intestine absorbs dietary fat through an efficient multi step process of digestion, uptake, metabolism, and secretion or storage. When dietary fat is taken up by the absorptive cells of the small intestine, enterocytes, it can be secreted into circulation where it contributes to blood lipid levels or temporarily stored in cytoplasmic lipid droplets (CLDs). The objective of this dissertation is to investigate …

The Effects Of Including Almonds In An Energy-Restricted Diet On Weight, Body Composition, Visceral Adipose Tissue, Blood Pressure And Cognitive Function, Jaapna Dhillon

Open Access Dissertations

Inclusion of almonds in an energy restricted diet has been reported to enhance or have no effect on weight loss. Their effects specifically on visceral fat stores during energy restriction have not been widely examined. Additionally, almond consumption has been associated with reduced blood pressure, but whether this is linked to or is independent of changes of body composition has not been examined. Moreover, almond consumption during energy restriction may be an effective strategy for reversing the negative effects of dieting on cognitive performance. The unique nutrient profile of almonds also has the potential to influence cognitive function post-prandially. The …

Biochemical Changes In Animal Models Of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder, Christine E. M. Keller

Open Access Dissertations

Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) is a completely preventable disease, that has profound effects on life-long health and function of the affected individual. Prevalence estimates of FASD in the United States indicate 33.5 per 1,000 live births are affected with this disorder (Roozen, 2016). FASD is caused by maternal ethanol intake during pregnancy. However, recommendations of the amounts of alcohol safe to drink during pregnancy are not established. Further, we lack a comprehensive understanding of the biochemical pathways modified in prenatal ethanol exposure. Biomarkers are also lacking. Our results demonstrate the vast array of biochemical pathways modified in the chronic …

Influence Of Dietary Polyphenols On Carbohydrate Intestinal Digestion And Absorption, Sydney E. Moser

Open Access Dissertations

Both epidemiological and clinical evidence support the notion that polyphenol rich foods and beverages may modify glycemic response, glucose homeostasis and subsequent risk of Type-2 diabetes. In vitro evidence typically derived from experiments with pure phenolics and phenolic rich extracts have pointed to this benefit being associated with two potential mechanisms: (1) the ability of specific polyphenolics to inhibit carbohydrate digestion (amylase and glucosidase) and (2) polyphenolic inhibition of intestinal glucose transport. While the high potential of these activities is evident, little is actually known regarding the extent to which these benefits are extendable to the actual food matrix these …

Intestinal Adaptation To Repeated Exposure Of Flavonoid-Rich Foods: In Vitro And Clinical Data, Bejamin W. Redan

Open Access Dissertations

Interest in application of flavonoids for chronic disease prevention has grown significantly, but the low oral bioavailability of these compounds from acute doses is commonly highlighted as a limitation when considering their biological significance. Still, the impact of broad dietary patterns such as repeated exposure on flavonoid’s absorption, metabolism, and eventual efficacy is critical to consider since evidence suggests that their bioavailability may be enhanced with repeated exposure. To fill this gap in knowledge, this dissertation will focus on three major areas including characterization of flavonoid metabolites, in addition to use of in vitro models and clinical work to test …

Pilot Study Of The Effect Of High-Protein, Renal-Appropriate Meals During Hemodialysis On Intradialytic Hypotension In Maintenance Hemodialysis Patients, Mun Sun Choi

Open Access Theses

Background: In the United Sates (US), more than 400,000 people have end stage renal disease (ESRD) or chronic kidney disease (CKD) stage 5D requiring in-center hemodialysis (HD), and approximately $35 billion is spent annually in healthcare costs. Maintenance HD patients with ESRD have increased protein (1.2 g/kg/d) and energy (30-35 kcal/kg/d) requirements, but the average protein and energy intake in these patients is only 0.8-1.0 g/kg/d and 20-25 kcal/kg/d, respectively. Subsequently, protein-energy wasting (PEW) is common, affecting up to an estimated 75% of maintenance HD patients, and low protein and energy intake are one of the main contributors of …

Influence Of Dietary Component Manipulation And Feed Management Strategies On Growth And Rumen Development Of Weaned Dairy Heifers, Tana Shea Dennis

Open Access Dissertations

Well-developed replacement heifers provide a central foundation for the continued success of the dairy industry. Emphasis on improving pre-weaned calf nutrition has predominated in the industry, but opportunities exist to improve post-weaning heifer nutrition and management. We aimed to evaluate common feed management strategies seen in the industry and their effects on growth, feed efficiency (G:F), and rumen development of calves from birth to 8 mo of age using pen- and individually-fed animal trials. Little information exists regarding post-weaning performance and rumen development of calves fed conventional or high planes of nutrition pre-weaning; therefore, we evaluated two milk replacer feeding …

Hunger Doesn't Take A Spring Break, Jessica Isaacs

Engagement & Service-Learning Summit

The rates of food insecurity amongst Hoosier children is slightly above the national average. For many of these children, school lunches are their primary source of nutrition. During school breaks, these children are at risk of going hungry. While Purdue Nutrition Society wishes that we could help all Hoosier children stay fed with nutritious meals, for now we are focusing on helping 20 local elementary students most at risk of going hungry over spring break. Working with Glen Acres Elementary in Lafayette, Indiana, a school where in 2014, over 71% of the students qualified for free or reduced lunches, we …

Automatic Food Expiration Notification System, Nikolas-Viktor P. Doukas, Ozan Celebi, Lindsey E. Colgrove, Michael D. Werner, Tre Commings, Christopher M. Zatek, Daniel E. Odihi

Engagement & Service-Learning Summit

No abstract provided.

Human Oral Sensory Systems And Swallowing, Cordelia Running

Department of Nutrition Science Faculty Publications

Numerous oral sensations contribute to the flavor experienced from foods. Texture is sensed throughout the mouth by nerve endings in the oral epithelium. Chemesthetic sensations, including irritation, spiciness, and chemical burn or cooling, are sensed by these same nerves. Tastes are sensed by taste buds, primarily on the tongue, which transduce information through the gustatory nerves. Even after placing food in the mouth, odor is still experienced through retronasal olfaction, the air that passes through the rear of the oral cavity into the nasal passages. All of these sensations combine to give an overall experience of flavor. In individuals with …

Expectation, Expectoration And Disgust: Information Manipulation Alters Spitting Efficiency, A Proxy For Salivary Flow, Cordelia Running, John E. Hayes

Department of Nutrition Science Faculty Publications

Saliva is becoming an increasingly useful research material across multiple fields of inquiry, including biomedical, dental, psychological, nutritional, and food choice research. However, both the flow rate and protein composition of stimulated saliva differ as a function of the collection method. We hypothesized that the context in which a salivary stimulus is presented to participants may alter salivation via behavioral (i.e., spitting efficiency) or top down cognitive effects. We presented participants with a constant stimulus (commercially available green tea) in two distinct contexts, once where the tea was described as a food item (“tea”) and once where it was described …

Regulation Of Brown And White Adipocyte Transcriptome By The Transcriptional Coactivator Nt-Pgc-1Α, Jihyun Kim, Vivian E. Fernand, Tara M. Henagan, Jeho Shin, Peter Huypens, Susan Newman, Thomas W. Gettys, Ji Suk Chang

Department of Nutrition Science Faculty Publications

The β3-adrenergic receptor (AR) signaling pathway is a major component of adaptive thermogenesis in brown and white adipose tissue during cold acclimation. The β3-AR signaling highly induces the expression of transcriptional coactivator PGC-1α and its splice variant N-terminal (NT)-PGC-1α, which in turn activate the transcription program of adaptive thermogenesis by co-activating a number of transcription factors. We previously reported that NT-PGC-1α is able to increase mitochondrial number and activity in cultured brown adipocytes by promoting the expression of mitochondrial and thermogenic genes. In the present study, we performed genome-wide profiling of NT-PGC-1α-responsive genes in brown adipocytes to identify genes potentially …

Oleogustus: The Unique Taste Of Fat, Cordelia A. Running, Bruce A. Craig, Richard D. Mattes

Department of Nutrition Science Faculty Publications

Considerable mechanistic data indicate there may be a sixth basic taste: fat. However, evidence demonstrating that the sensation of non-esterified fatty acids (the proposed stimuli for “fat taste”) differs qualitatively from other tastes is lacking. Using perceptual mapping, we demonstrate that medium and long-chain non-esterified fatty acids have a taste sensation that is distinct from other basic tastes (sweet, sour, salty, and bitter). While some overlap was observed between these NEFA and umami taste, this overlap is likely due to unfamiliarity with umami sensations rather than true similarity. Shorter chain fatty acids stimulate a sensation similar to sour, but as …

The Pathological Role Of Acrolein In Experimental Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis And Multiple Sclerosis, Melissa A. Tully

Open Access Dissertations

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune demyelinating neuropathy that affects nearly 2.5 million people worldwide. Despite substantial efforts, few treatments are currently available largely due to limited knowledge of pathogenic mechanisms underlying the disease. The immune-inflammatory nature of the pathology has prompted investigation of the role of oxidative stress in disease development and progression; however targeting reactive oxygen species for neutralization has had marginal success therapeutically, suggesting that an alternate oxidative stress-related target would prove beneficial. Recently, our lab has implicated acrolein, a highly reactive aldehyde that is both a byproduct and catalyst of lipid peroxidation, as a potential therapeutic …

The Bone-Protective Effect And Mechanism Of Soluble Corn Fiber, Steven A. Jakeman

Open Access Theses

Postmenopausal women are at greatest risk among healthy individuals of developing osteoporosis and associated fractures. Nondigestible, fermentable dietary carbohydrates have been shown to improve calcium absorption in adolescents and bone-strength parameters in the rat model. Of particular interest is soluble corn fiber (SCF), which improved rat bone strength the most in a survey of novel fibers, and improved calcium absorption by up to 13% in teen girls. Hypotheses about the mechanism behind this effect revolve around the production of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) in the large intestine during fermentation. The purpose of this work was to determine if SCF would …

Fuel Choice, Acute Respiratory Infection And Child Growth In Uganda, Onyekachi U. Aghasili

Open Access Theses

This thesis seeks to explain the relationship between a household's choice of fuel and the health and nutrition outcomes of children below the age of 5 in Uganda. The first objective is to examine the association between the choice of fuel and the incidence of acute respiratory infection (ARI). The second objective is to measure the relationship between choice of fuel, ARI and nutrition outcomes of children. ^ I use data from the 2006 and 2011 Uganda Demographic and Health Surveys (UDHS). The total number of observations is 4,463. Data indicate that 94% of rural households in the DHS sample …

Consumer Inferences Of Corporate Social Responsibility (Csr) Claims On Packaged Foods, Gaeul Kim

Open Access Theses

With the growing public demands in Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) of the food industry, CSR claims have begun to appear on food packages, as companies started communicating their CSR initiatives to consumers. Although food packages emerged as an important CSR communication tool, consumers' processing of CSR claims and the effects of these claims on product evaluations still remain unknown. In this regard, the present study carries two important research questions. First, do non-health/nutrition-related CSR claims influence consumers' product evaluations, such as perceived health benefits or tastes? If so, how does the effect of CSR claims differ by type of CSR …

The Role Of Adiponectin And The Adipocyte In Energy Metabolism And Inflammation, Sheila Kay Jacobi

Open Access Dissertations

A series of experiments were conducted to characterize the autocrine role of adiponectin in modulating fatty acid metabolism and inflammation in the pig. In the first study, we cloned and sequenced the porcine adiponectin open reading frame and evaluated the regulation of adiponectin, in vitro and in vivo. The porcine sequence shares approximately 88, 86, 85 and 83% homology with the dog, human, cow and mouse adiponectin, respectively, and 79–83% similarity with dog, human, cow and mouse proteins at the amino acid level, based on the translated porcine sequence and GenBank submissions for the other species. Analysis of serum from …

The Impact Of An Omega-3 Enriched Diet On Hyperactivity And Biochemistry In An Animal Model For Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, Nadine M. Hammoud

Open Access Theses

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is the most diagnosed behavioral disorder in children. It affects around 5% of children worldwide and 11% of children in the United States, with rates increasing. Pharmaceutical treatments, such as amphetamines and methylphenidates, are not effective for everyone and are known to have unwanted side effects. While the etiology of the disorder is not yet fully understood, there are clear genetic and environmental components. Nutritional insufficiencies have recently become a popular environmental risk factor under investigation. Essential fatty acids (EFA), omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) in particular, are needed for proper brain development and function. Our lab …

Analysis Of Vitamin E Metabolites By Liquid Chromatography-Tandem Mass Spectrometry, Tianlin Xu

Open Access Theses

Naturally occurring forms of Vitamin E are metabolized to various carboxychromanols and conjugated carboxychromanols. Recent studies showed that vitamin E metabolites, especially the long-chain carboxychromanols are more bioactive than unmetabolized vitamin E forms. It is necessary to quantify vitamin E metabolites in biological environment. Here a simple and effective extraction method was developed to achieve extraction efficacy of more than 90% of various forms of vitamin E and metabolites with less than 10% inter- or intra-day variation. An LC-MS/MS assay was developed and optimized to acquire best sensitivity for the detection of vitamin E and metabolites. This method allows simultaneous …

Adipogenic And Myogenic Stem Cells In Brown Fat: A Study Of Progenitors And Regenerative Capacity, Xin Yang

Open Access Theses

Brown adipose tissue (BAT) utilizes stored lipids to generate heat, therefore reducing body fat content and favoring a leaner body composition. Recent identification of metabolically active BAT in adult humans has sparked broad interests in understanding the developmental origin and postnatal homeostasis of BAT. However, the stem cell population that gives rise to BAT during development and maintains BAT mass at postnatal stage has not been characterized. In addition, whether adult BAT has the capacity to regenerate after injury or to proliferate in response to cold is flargely unknown. Furthermore, although BAT and skeletal muscle are known to share a …