Life Sciences Commons^™

Early Oral Feeding After Bowel Resection, Jennifer Strang

Theses & Dissertations

Research Focus: The primary purpose of this project was to determine if there was an association of factors with time to first solid meal in gastrointestinal (GI) surgery patients and the impact solid diet has on length of stay (LOS) in the hospital, GI symptoms, and incidence of post-operative ileus (POI). A secondary purpose was to observe and describe when an oral diet was started and the progression of diet after GI surgery.

Research Methods: This study was a cross-sectional, retrospective chart review of a convenience sample in a multi-centered hospital system conducted in 84 GI resection patients …

Patterns Of Threatened Vertebrates Based On Trophic Level, Diet, And Biogeography, Shaley A. Valentine

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Humans have indirectly and directly contributed to the extinction of over 500 species within the past 500 years, a rate far higher than we have seen in the past. The high extinction rate and the fact that 18% of vertebrates may become extinct within the next century have pushed Earth into a biodiversity crisis. Understanding what makes species more at risk of extinction is needed to protect Earth’s biodiversity.

Generally, it is expected that predators have greater extinction risk than omnivores and herbivores because predators are larger in body size, depend on other animal species for food, need large home …

Mechanisms For The Potassium Sparing Effects Of Furosemide In Mice On High Potassium Diets, Bangchen Wang

Theses & Dissertations

Because of its cardio-protective benefits, diets that are low in Na⁺ and high in K⁺ are often warranted in conjunction with use of diuretics such as furosemide for treating hypertension. It is critical to understand how such diets influence the diuretic actions on renal K⁺ handling in order to choose the best drug for patients.

Furosemide is a commonly used K-wasting diuretic. It increases urinary K⁺ excretion by increasing distal Na⁺ delivery that stimulates K⁺ secretion. However, in wild-type mice (WT) adapted to an alkaline low Na⁺ high K⁺ diet (LNaHK), both …

Competition And Predation: Interactions Between American Eels (Anguilla Rostrata) And Brook Trout (Salvelinus Fontinalis) In Virginia Mountain Streams, Jonathan Studio

Masters Theses, 2010-2019

Competition has played a large role in structuring natural communities, especially with regards to vulnerable organisms. Brook trout and American eel populations have declined in the Mid-Atlantic Region of the United States as a result of anthropogenic development around freshwater ecosystems, and thus, subsequent conservation efforts of both species have included habitat restoration. Conservation efforts have increased the co-occurrence of these predatory fish species that are known to require similar resources. The main objective of this research was to elucidate the potential for competition between brook trout and American eels through analysis of their preferred prey, diet overlap, and supplementary …

Using Social Cues To Influence Fruit And Vegetable Intake In College Students, Elizabeth A. Nix

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

People often base their behaviors on social norms—what they think others do or approve of. This is likely true of fruit and vegetable (FV) intake as well. College students typically don’t get enough FV. We attempted to encourage FV eating by providing students with messages or demonstrations that eating FV is normal. First, we tried to encourage FV intake by providing students with messages regarding the average skin carotenoid concentration and where they fit within their peers (Chapter II). Carotenoids are compounds found in FV that cannot be made by the body, making them an estimate of FV intake. We …

Food Insecurity And Age Of Menarche: Using A Biocultural Approach And Life History Theory To Assess Risks Of Food Insecurity Among Girls In Tampa Bay, Fl, Mecca Burris

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Using life-history theory within a biocultural perspective, this research explores whether household food insecurity correlates with early or delayed menarche among adolescent females in Tampa Bay, Florida. Early onset of puberty and menstruation is connected with numerous health consequences including growth stunting, obesity, type-2 diabetes, adult-onset asthma, reproductive cancers, increased risk for depression, behavioral problems, and early sexual activity which increases the risk for STIs and ovarian cancer. Early menarche also seems to disproportionally impact disadvantaged and minority groups. While there are many known factors that influence age at menarche (e.g.: genetics, diet), little is understood regarding the effect of …

Diet Composition Explains Reductions In Stream Salamander Occupancy And Abundance Along A Conductivity Gradient, Jacob Matthew Hutton

Theses and Dissertations--Forestry and Natural Resources

Changes in land use such as mountaintop removal mining with valley fills (MTR/VF) affect chemical, physical, and hydrological properties of headwater streams. Although numerous stream taxa have experienced significant declines from MTR/VF, stream salamanders appear to be particularly sensitive. Yet, the specific mechanism(s) responsible for the population declines has eluded researchers. We sampled salamander assemblages across a continuous specific conductivity (SC) gradient in southeastern Kentucky and estimated occupancy rates and abundance estimates along this gradient. We also examined the diet of larval and adult salamanders to determine if autochthony (A/T prey), total prey volume, and body condition is influenced by …

Trophic Interactions And Niche Partitioning Within A Post-White-Nose Syndrome Temperate Bat Community, Macy Kailing

Murray State Theses and Dissertations

The decline of cave-dwelling bats since the introduction of white-nose syndrome (WNS) to North America changed the way communities interact. Disease-mediated competition at the community level can influence the ability of imperiled species to recover because of competitive exclusion. In western Kentucky, tri-colored bats, Perimyotis subflavus, which are susceptible to WNS severely declined following WNS occurrence. During that same period, evening bats, Nycticeius humeralis, which are not susceptible to WNS increased markedly. To investigate the influence of WNS on community structure, the diets of sympatric tri-colored and evening bats were assessed. Guano was collected from evening (n=37) and …

Changes In Demography, Distribution, And Diet In Garter Snakes Following Eradication Of A Non-Native Prey Subsidy, Justin A. Demianew Mr.

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Interactions between non-native and native consumers are often complex and cryptic. I shed light on relationships between non-native brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis), native amphibians, their shared predator (aquatic garter snake; Thamnophis atratus) and a sympatric amphibian specialist (common garter snake; T. sirtalis) using a treatment-control removal experiment in a sub-alpine system of northern California. Eradication of non-native S. fontinalis resulted in an immediate decrease in T. atratus abundance and survival, whereas their abundance increased in concert with T. sirtalis in an adjacent control basin. Additionally, T. atratus body condition decreased substantially during this time, despite their …

Total Antioxidant Levels Of Individual Foods Versus Combinations Of Food And The Effect On Apoptotic Induction In Hela Cells, Natalie Van Ochten

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection

Cancer affects over 14.5 million U.S. citizens of all ages, socioeconomic statuses, and races. Some countries have much lower cancer incident rates than the U.S. One major contributing factor to the lower incident rates is diet. Diets in countries with low rates of cancer include antioxidant-rich foods like raw fruits, raw vegetables, and spices. Studies have shown that antioxidants in black tea and berries induce apoptosis in cancerous cells. Because studies have shown that diet and cancer rates are related, it is important to analyze what we eat and how it impacts us. In this study, I quantified antioxidant levels …

Nutrition Transition, Trace Elements In Nails, And Blood Pressure Along The Interoceanic Highway, Madre De Dios, Peru, Stacy M. Pettigrew

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

The paving of the Interoceanic Highway (IOH) brought rapid development to the Madre de Dios (MDD) region in the Peruvian Amazon. Development brings concerns of toxic trace element exposures, and road development has been a major driver of the transition from traditional to calorie-dense processed ‘Western’ diets in lower and middle-income countries. Investigacion de Migracion, Ambiente, y Salud (IMAS) (Investigation of Migration, the Environment, and Health) is the first analysis of health, diet, and integrated toxic trace elements in nails in the region. In 2014 we collected household surveys from 310 households in 46 communities along the IOH and nails …

Implementing A Healthy Diet In The Intellectual Disability Residential Community, Stephanie Michelle Shelton

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The problem addressed in this study was how staff working in a residential agency for individuals with an intellectual disability (IID) make decisions about how to implement a healthy diet. The purpose of this study was to identify the influences on decisions made by staff on the meals they provided to their clients with an IID. The theory of planned was used to study the influences of attitude, subjective norms, and perceived behavior control on the meals provided for IID. The key research question explored how staff members make decisions. A qualitative case study design was used. The 12 participants …

Finding Companionship On The Road Less Travelled: A Netnography Of The Whole Food Plant-Based Aussies Facebook Group, Robyn Chuter

Theses : Honours

Chronic conditions are now the leading contributors to the burden of disease and associated healthcare expenditure in Australia. Wholefood plant-based diets are an evidence-based approach to the prevention, management and even reversal of many types of chronic disease. However, numerous practical, cognitive, social and intrapersonal barriers inhibit the ‘mainstreaming’ of plant-based diets (PBDs). Online communities may provide the informational, emotional and social support to help members overcome these barriers. However, there is a paucity of research on both the support needs of people attempting to follow PBDs in Australia, and the role that online community membership plays in providing this …

Diet And Space Use Of The Martial Eagle (Polemaetus Bellicosus) In The Maasai Mara Region Of Kenya, Richard Stratton Hatfield

Theses and Dissertations--Forestry and Natural Resources

The martial eagle (Polemaetus bellicosus) is a vulnerable species that is declining throughout large portions of its range. There is an urgent need to improve understanding of this species’ ecology to inform its conservation. I equipped 20 adult martial eagles with global positioning system backpack transmitters to characterize diet and space use of the species in the Maasai Mara region of Kenya. The resulting high-resolution transmitter data sets allowed for the rapid location of kills and provided a means to estimate home range size. From November 2016 to April 2018, 191 kills were identified from 206 kill location …