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Droughtscape, Winter 2012, National Drought Mitigation Center

DroughtScape: Quarterly Newsletter of the National Drought Mitigation Center (2007–2023)

Drought Planning for Kansas Ranchers Jan. 21

South Hoping La Niña Dryness Stays Away

2011 Brought Record-Breaking Extent of D4

Reported Impacts Ease as Growing Season Ends

Disaster Planning in Nanjing at Hohai U

Ag, Fire and Water Supply Topped 2011 Impacts

College Of Agricultural Sciences And Natural Resources: 19th Annual Report August 1, 2011-July 31, 2012

College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources (CASNR): Annual Reports

Introduction excerpt

Nineteenth Annual Report for the College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources (CASNR). Reflects on the accomplishments of our faculty, staff and students and offers a review the year, and serves as an archive of accomplishments for the College. Primarily covers the period August 1, 2011 to July 31, 2012.

 IANR 2025 action plans initiated and many goals and objectives already accomplished;

 Summer Sessions is assigned to each College;

 Online Worldwide maturing as a multi-campus consortium;

 120 credit hour degree requirement (reduced from 125) approved by College degree programs;

 Entomology celebrates its 100th …

Beef Quality Of Calf-Fed Steers Finished On Varying Levels Of Corn-Based Wet Distillers Grains Plus Solubles, A. S. Mello Jr., C.R. Calkins, B. E. Jenschke, Timothy . P. Carr, M.E.R. Dugan, G. E. Erickson

Department of Animal Science: Faculty Publications

Ninety-four, calf-fed crossbred steers were randomly allocated to three different dietary treatments (0%, 15% or 30% wet distillers grains plus solubles - WDGS – DM basis) and fed for 167 d to test the influence of different levels of WDGS on quality attributes of beef. At 48 h postmortem, marbling score, marbling texture, and marbling distribution were assessed by a USDA grader. After grading, one ribeye slice (Longissimus thoracis) about 7 mm thick was excised from each carcass, trimmed of subcutaneous fat, and analyzed for fatty acid profile and lipid content. At 7 d postmortem, 48 top blades (Infraspinatus), strip …

Harvest Date Influence On Dry Matter Yield And Moisture Of Corn And Stover, Haibo Huang, Dan B. Faulkner, Larry L. Berger, Steven R. Eckhoff

Department of Animal Science: Faculty Publications

Harvest date greatly affects the biomass yield, moisture, and quality of corn and stover. Traditionally, corn and stover have been harvested at lower moisture levels. However, corn stover and grain can be more effectively utilized as animal feed and biomass-ethanol feedstock if they are collected before in-field dry down. This study determined dry matter yield, moisture content, and quality of corn and stover before, during, and after grain maturity in central Illinois. The two-year average kernel moisture was 37.4% (w.b.) when reaching physiological maturity. At the same time, the average stover moisture was 67.7% (w.b.). The dry matter yield of …

Proline Dehydrogenase Is Essential For Proline Protection Against Hydrogen Peroxide Induced Cell Death, Sathish Kumar Natarajan, Weidong Zhu, Xinwen Liang, Lu Zhang, Andrew Demers, Matthew C. Zimmerman, Melanie A. Simpson, Donald F. Becker

Department of Biochemistry: Faculty Publications

Proline metabolism has an underlying role in apoptotic signaling that impacts tumorigenesis. Proline is oxidized to glutamate in the mitochondria with the rate limiting step catalyzed by proline dehydrogenase (PRODH). PRODH expression is inducible by p53 leading to increased proline oxidation, reactive oxygen species (ROS) formation, and induction of apoptosis. Paradoxical to its role in apoptosis, proline also protects cells against oxidative stress. Here we explore the mechanism of proline protection against hydrogen peroxide stress in melanoma WM35 cells. Treatment of WM35 cells with proline significantly increased cell viability, diminished oxidative damage of cellular lipids and proteins, and retained ATP …

Transgenic Expression Of Lactoferrin Imparts Enhanced Resistance To Head Blight Of Wheat Caused By Fusarium Graminearum, Jigang Han, Dilip K. Lakshman, Leny C. Galvez, Sharmila Mitra, P. Stephen Baenziger, Amitava Mitra

Department of Plant Pathology: Faculty Publications

Background: The development of plant gene transfer systems has allowed for the introgression of alien genes into plant genomes for novel disease control strategies, thus providing a mechanism for broadening the genetic resources available to plant breeders. Using the tools of plant genetic engineering, a broad-spectrum antimicrobial gene was tested for resistance against head blight caused by Fusarium graminearum Schwabe, a devastating disease of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) and barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) that reduces both grain yield and quality.

Results: A construct containing a bovine lactoferrin cDNA was used to transform wheat using an Agrobacterium …

Rna-Seq Analysis Of The Sclerotinia Homoeocarpa – Creeping Bentgrass Pathosystem, Angela M. Orshinsky, Jinnan Hu, Stephen O. Opiyo, Venu Reddyvari-Channarayappa, Thomas K. Mitchell, Michael J. Boehm

Department of Plant Pathology: Faculty Publications

Sclerotinia homoeocarpa causes dollar spot disease, the predominate disease on highly-maintained turfgrass. Currently, there are major gaps in our understanding of the molecular interactions between S. homoeocarpa and creeping bentgrass. In this study, 454 sequencing technology was used in the de novo assembly of S. homoeocarpa and creeping bentgrass transcriptomes. Transcript sequence data obtained using Illumina’s first generation sequencing-by-synthesis (SBS) were mapped to the transcriptome assemblies to estimate transcript representation in different SBS libraries. SBS libraries included a S. homoeocarpa culture control, a creeping bentgrass uninoculated control, and a library for creeping bentgrass inoculated with S. homoeocarpa and incubated for …

Genome-Wide Peripheral Blood Leukocyte Dna Methylation Microarrays Identified A Single Association With Inflammatory Bowel Diseases, R. Alan Harris, Dorottya Nagy-Szakal, Natalia Pedersen, Antone Opekun, Jiri Bronsky, Pia Munkholm, Cathrine Jespersgaard, Paal Skytt Andersen, Bela Melegh, George Ferry, Tine Jess, Richard Kellermayer

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

Background: Crohn’s disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC) are common forms of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Monozygotic (MZ) twin discordance rates and epidemiologic data implicate that environmental changes and epigenetic factors may play a pathogenic role in IBD. DNA methylation (the methylation of cytosines within CpG dinucleotides) is an epigenetic modification, which can respond to environmental influences. We investigated whether DNA methylation might be connected with IBD in peripheral blood leukocyte (PBL) DNA by utilizing genome-wide microarrays.

Methods: Two different high-throughput microarray-based methods for genome-wide DNA methylation analysis were employed. First, DNA isolated from MZ twin pairs concordant …

Female Mating Failure And The Failure Of ‘Mating’ In Sterile Insect Programs, Diana Pérez-Staples, Todd E. Shelly, Boaz Yuval

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

The sterile insect technique (SIT) involves the inundative release of irradiated (sterile or partially sterile) insects to decrease population levels in a target pest species. The effectiveness of SIT programs depends on sterile males mating successfully and inducing reproductive failure in wild females, or in the F1 generation in the case of lepidopteran species. Thus, from the perspective of insect control, female mating failure involves mating with a mass-reared, sterilized male, which then results in female reproductive failure. Here, we review female mating failure in the context of SIT at two stages. First, at the pre-copulatory stage we consider factors …

Effects Of Floral And Extrafloral Resource Diversity On The Fitness Of An Omnivorous Bug, Orius Insidiosus, Lorena Pumariño, Oscar Alomar, Jonathan G. Lundgren

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

Habitat manipulation and increasing biodiversity are important approaches that enhance biological control of pests, but it is important to evaluate the relative benefits of specific plant species when designing conservation programs. Orius insidiosus Say (Hemiptera: Anthocoridae) is an important predator of thrips and aphids that also feeds on plants. It is the target of conservation biological control programs. Despite O. insidiosus’ relevance, little is known about the effects of plant subsidies on predator performance or nutritional status. Here, we examined the influence of restricting the pollen and nectar resources of five plant species (alyssum, buckwheat, phacelia, fava bean, and chamomile), …

Early Weaning In Northern Great Plains Beef Cattle Production Systems: I. Performance And Reproductive Response In Range Beef Cows, R.C. Waterman, T.W. Geary, J.A. Paterson, R.J. Lipsey

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

A study was conducted to determine if early weaning spring born calves can be an alternative management strategy during drought and if early weaning facilitates rebreeding of young cows. Our objectives were to determine effects of early weaning at the start of breeding on cow body weight, body condition score, and reproductive performance with or without estrous synchronization and AI in two herds in the Northern Great Plains, USA. In Exp.1and 2, crossbred cows were stratified within cow age by postpartum interval, and calf sex, and were assigned within strata to one of two weaning treatments at the start of …

Biofuel Production From Water Hyacinth In The Pantanal Wetland, Ivan Bergier, Suzana M. Salis, César H.B. Miranda, Enrique Ortega, Carlos A. Luengo

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

The Pantanal is a major wetland in the inner South America, with the potential for production of large quantities of biomass of aquatic floating species, especially water hyacinth (Eicchornia crassipes and E. azurea), during the aquatic phase of the flood pulse characteristic for this ecosystem. Such biomass could be wisely managed for the production of biofuels. This should be based on the concepts of renewability and ecosystem surplus, and could help in neutralizing of regional and global industrial carbon impacts and to induce socioeconomic development. The aquatic biomass exploitation would require low fossil energy and materials inputs, leaving …

Response Of Sunshine Bass (Morone Chrysops X M. Saxatilis) To Digestible Protein/ Dietary Lipid Density And Ration Size At Summer Culture Temperatures In The Southern United States, Steven D. Rawles, Barholomew W. Green, T. Gibson Gaylord, Frederic T. Barrows, Matthew W. Mcentire, Donald W. Freeman

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

Temperature andammonia levels often increase dramatically in ponds during summer production of sunshine bass and summer temperatures are projected to increase in the Southern US. Extended periods of high ammonia result in fish stress, disease, mortality and significant loss of feeding days as producers attempt to reduce ammonia to manageable levels through reduced feeding or lower protein diets. A factorial feeding trial was conducted in temperature controlled tanks to investigatemain and interactive effects of three digestible protein (DP) levels (33, 40, 47%), two lipid levels (10, 18%) and two ration levels (full fed: satiation, restricted: 80% of satiation) on growth, …

Lae1 Regulates Expression Of Multiple Secondary Metabolite Gene Clusters In Fusarium Verticillioides, Robert A.E. Butchko, Daren W. Brown, Mark Busman, Bettina Tudzynski, Philipp Wiemann

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

The filamentous fungus Fusarium verticillioides can cause disease of maize and is capable of producing fumonisins, a family of toxic secondary metabolites linked to esophageal cancer and neural tube defects in humans and lung edema in swine and leukoencephalomalacia in equines. The expression of fumonisin biosynthetic genes is influenced by broad-domain transcription factors (global regulators) and Fum21, a pathway-specific transcription factor. LaeA is a global regulator that in Aspergillus nidulans, affects the expression of multiple secondary metabolite gene clusters by modifying heterochromatin structure. Here, we employed gene deletion analysis to assess the effect of loss of a F. verticillioides …

Chronic And Degenerative Diseases Similarities And Differences Between The Effects Of Epa And Dha On Markers Of Atherosclerosis In Human Subjects*, Darshan S. Kelley, Yuriko Adkins

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

We have reviewed effects of long chain (LC) n-3 PUFA on markers of atherosclerosis in human subjects with a focus on individual effects of EPA and DHA. Initial results from epidemiological studies suggested that LC n-3 PUFA from fish oils (FO) reduced incidence of CVD; those results have been confirmed in interventional studies. Dietary intervention with n-3 PUFA decreased fasting and postprandial TAG, number of remnant-like chylomicron particles, large VLDL, and total and small dense LDL particles. It increased mean size of LDL particles by increasing number of large and decreasing those of small dense particles. With some exceptions, n-3 …

Electronic Health Records: Eliciting Behavioral Health Providers’ Beliefs [Brief Reports], Nancy C. Shank, Elizabeth Willborn, Lisa M. Pytlik Zillig, Harmonijoie Noel

Nancy Shank Publications

Interviews with 32 community behavioral health providers elicited perceived benefits and barriers of using electronic health records. Themes identified were (a) quality of care, (b) privacy and security, and (c) delivery of services. Benefits to quality of care were mentioned by 100% of the providers, and barriers by 59% of providers. Barriers involving privacy and security concerns were mentioned by 100% of providers, and benefits by 22%. Barriers to delivery of services were mentioned by 97% of providers, and benefits by 66%. Most providers (81%) expressed overall positive support for electronic behavioral health records.

Nebline, January 2012

NEBLINE Newsletter Archive from Nebraska Extension in Lancaster County

Feature: UNL Food Processing Center Provides Valuable Assistance to Food Manufacturers

Farm Views

Urban Agriculture

Food & Fitness

Home & Family Living

Horticulture

Environmental Focus

4-H & Youth

Community Focus

Extension Calendar

Nutrition Education Program

Family and Community Education (FCE) Clubs

and other extension news and events

2011 Annual Report Special Pullout Section

An Annotated Checklist Of The Horse Flies (Diptera: Tabanidae) Of Lebanon With Remarks On Ecology And Zoogeography: Pangoniinae And Chrysopsinae, Günter Müller, Theo Zeegers, Jerome Hogsette, Edita E. Revay, Vasiliy Kravchenko, Andrey Leshvanov, Yosef Schlein

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

Knowledge of the horse fly fauna (Diptera: Tabanidae) of Lebanon is fragmentary, while the local fauna of most neighboring countries has been fairly well researched. Within the framework of the 20-year project “The ecology and zoogeography of the Lepidoptera of the Near East,” we regularly collected biting flies in the whole region, including Lebanon. During this time we recorded 14 horse fly species for two subfamilies in Lebanon: four Pangoniinae and ten Chrysopsinae. Only a single species, Chrysops flavipes Meigen, 1804, was known previously in Lebanon, but the following four Pangoniinae: Pangonius haustellatus (Fabricius, 1781), Pangonius obscuratus Loew, 1859, Pangonius …

Spatial Variation In Rna:Dna Ratios Of Diporeia Spp. In The Great Lakes Region, Daniel J. Ryan, Maria S. Sepúlveda, Thomas F. Nalepa, Tomas O. Höök

United States Department of Commerce: Staff Publications

Over the past two decades, Diporeia in all of the Laurentian Great Lakes, except Superior, have declined dramatically. These declines have seemingly coincided with expansion of invasive Dreissena polymorpha and D. bugensis, however the exact mechanisms underlying decreasing Diporeia densities are obscure. We explored the use of RNA:DNA (R/D) ratios as a conditional index for Diporeia by experimentally demonstrating that Diporeia R/D responds to periods of starvation. Moreover, during 2008–2009 we collected Diporeia from throughout the Great Lakes and Cayuga Lake (New York, USA), and used R/D ratios to index condition of these in situ collected animals. We evaluated …

Linking Ciguatera Poisoning To Spatial Ecology Of Fish: A Novel Approach To Examining The Distribution Of Biotoxin Levels In The Great Barracuda By Combining Non-Lethal Blood Sampling And Biotelemetry, Amanda C. O'Toole, Marie-Yasmine Dechraoui Bottein, Andy J. Danylchuk, John S. Ramsdell, Steven J. Cooke

United States Department of Commerce: Staff Publications

Ciguatera in humans is typically caused by the consumption of reef fish that have accumulated Ciguatoxins (CTXs) in their flesh. Over a six month period, we captured 38 wild adult great barracuda (Sphyraena barracuda), a species commonly associated with ciguatera in The Bahamas. We sampled three tissues (i.e.,muscle, liver, and blood) and analysed them for the presence of ciguatoxins using a functional in vitro N2A bioassay. Detectable concentrations of ciguatoxins found in the three tissue types ranged from 2.51 to 211.74 pg C-CTX-1 equivalents/ g. Blood and liver toxin concentrations were positively correlated (ρ=0.86, P=0.003), indicating …

Metabolite Profiles In Starved Diporeia Spp. Using Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (Lc-Ms) Based Metabolomics, Suman Maity, Amber Jannasch, Jiri Adamec, Michael Gribskov, Thomas F. Nalepa, Tomas O. Höök, Maria S. Sepúlveda

United States Department of Commerce: Staff Publications

The holarctic amphipod Diporeia spp. was historically the most abundant benthic macroinvertebrate in the offshore region of the Laurentian Great Lakes basin. However, since the 1990’s, the numbers of Diporeia have declined precipitously throughout the region. Competition for food with introduced dreissenid mussels may be partly to blame for this decline. Thus, a better understanding of how Diporeia responds and adjust to starvation is needed. For this purpose, we used liquid chromatography (LC) coupled with time-of-flight mass spectrometry (TOFMS) to study the metabolite profiles of Diporeia during starvation. Diporeia were collected from Lake Michigan, brought to the laboratory and starved …

Chapter 4 Regulation Of Genetically Engineered Microorganisms Under Fifra, Ffdca And Tsca, Chris A. Wozniak, Gwendolyn Mcclung, Joel Gagliardi, Mark Segal, Keith Matthews

United States Environmental Protection Agency: Publications

Since the dawn of civilization, humans have utilized microbial organisms of various sorts for food and agricultural production. More recently, microbes have been used for pesticidal, and environmental management purposes. With the advent of the development of recombinant DNA technology to genetically alter microbes, it became necessary for Federal regulators to assess the appropriate level, format, and application of their regulatory authorities. In 1986, the Of fi ce of Science and Technology Policy issued the Coordinated Framework for Regulation of Biotechnology. The Coordinated Framework constituted a comprehensive regulatory policy for biotechnology that, in essence, concluded that no new statutory authorities …

Characterization Of Pasteurella Multocida Strains Isolated From Geese, Zsuzsanna Varga, Dmitriy V. Volokhov, Laszlo Stipkovits, Akos Thuma, Boglarka Sellyei, Tibor Magyar

United States Food and Drug Administration: Publications

Phenotypic and genotypic diversity of forty-two Pasteurella multocida isolates from geese were characterized by analysis of their capsular type, Heddleston serotype, biotype, fimbrial gene allele type, comparative outer membrane protein (OMP) electrophoresis patterns, and were analyzed using PCR for the presence of virulence-associated genes (toxA, tbpA, pfhA, hgbA, hgbB, nanH, nanB, fimA, hsf-1, and pmHAS). A sequence comparison of the thdF and rpoB housekeeping genes of twenty representative P. multocida strains from three different OMP groups demonstrated that seventeen strains were closely related phylogenetically to previously published strains of P. multocida subsp. multocida and P. multocida subsp. gallicida, and only …

Status And Harvests Of Sandhill Cranes: Mid-Continent, Rocky Mountain, Lower Colorado River Valley And Eastern Populations, Kammie L. Kruse, James A. Dubovsky, Thomas R. Cooper

United States Fish and Wildlife Service: Publications

Compared to increases recorded in the 1970s, annual indices to abundance of the Mid-Continent Population (MCP) of sandhill cranes have been relatively stable since the early 1980s. The spring 2012 index for sandhill cranes in the Central Platte River Valley, Nebraska, uncorrected for visibility bias, was 259,576 birds, which was significantly lower than the previous 5 years likely due to later timing of the survey period and an early spring migration. The photocorrected, 3-year average for 2009-11 was 579,863, which is above the established population-objective range of 349,000-472,000 cranes. All Central Flyway States, except Nebraska, allowed crane hunting in portions …

Influence Of Carbon And Lipid Sources On Variation Of Mercury And Other Trace Elements In Polar Bears (Ursus Maritimus), Heli Routti, Robert J. Letcher, Erik W. Born, Marsha Branigan, Rune Dietz, Thomas J. Evans, Melissa A. Mckinney, Elizabeth Peacock, Christian Sonne

United States Fish and Wildlife Service: Publications

In the present study, the authors investigated the influence of carbon and lipid sources on regional differences in liver trace element (As, Cd, Cu, total Hg, Mn, Pb, Rb, Se, and Zn) concentrations measured in polar bears (Ursus maritimus) (n=121) from 10 Alaskan, Canadian Arctic, and East Greenland subpopulations. Carbon and lipid sources were assessed using δ¹³C in muscle tissue and fatty acid (FA) profiles in subcutaneous adipose tissue as chemical tracers. A negative relationship between total Hg and δ¹³C suggested that polar bears feeding in areas with higher riverine inputs of …

From Protozoan Infection In Monarch Butterflies To Colony Collapse Disorder In Bees Are Emerging Infectious Diseases Proliferating In The Insect World?, Rebecca Bartel, Sonia Altizer

United States Fish and Wildlife Service: Publications

In the late 1990S, scientists first noticed mysterious declines in several wild bumble bee species (Bombus spp.) in both eastern and western North America, with one species now possibly extinct (Colla and Packer 2008). These bumble bee losses mirrored declines in the abundance of many other native pollinators (National Research Council 2007). Interestingly, the timing of bumble bee declines in the United States coincided with reports of disease outbreaks in commercial- reared bumble bees sold for use in the production of greenhouse tomatoes and peppers (Evans et al. 2008). This observation, together with reports of a higher incidence of …

Marine Biotoxins: Emergence Of Harmful Algal Blooms As Health Threats To Marine Wildlife, Spencer E. Fire, Frances M. Van Dolah

United States Department of Commerce: Staff Publications

Harmful algal blooms (HABs) affect aquatic ecosystems around the world, adversely affecting marine animal and human health, coastal ecosystem integrity, and economies that depend on coastal resources. Shellfish poisoning events involving humans who had ingested bivalves contaminated with HAB toxins primarily drove early scientific and social interest in HABs. More recently, research efforts have shown that HABs are often temporally and spatially correlated with the occurrence of acute morbidity or mortality of marine animals (Landsberg et al. 2005), and to date at least four classes of algal toxins have been associated with such events. Although fish, seabirds, and many other …

Copper Pellets Simulating Oral Exposure To Copper Ammunition: Absence Of Toxicity In American Kestrels (Falco Sparverius), J. Christian Franson, Lesanna L. Lahner, Carol U. Meteyer, Barnett A. Rattner

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

To evaluate the potential toxicity of copper

(Cu) in raptors that may consume Cu bullets, shotgun

pellets containing Cu, or Cu fragments as they feed on

wildlife carcasses, we studied the effects of metallic Cu

exposure in a surrogate, the American kestrel (Falco

sparverius). Sixteen kestrels were orally administered

5 mg Cu/g body mass in the form of Cu pellets

(1.18–2.00 mm in diameter) nine times during 38 days and

10 controls were sham gavaged on the same schedule. With

one exception, all birds retained the pellets for at least 1 h,

but most (69%) regurgitated pellets during …

The Population Structure Of Escherichia Coli Isolated From Subtropical And Temperate Soils, Muruleedhara N. Byappanahalli, Tao Yan, Matthew J. Hamilton, Satoshi Ishii, Roger S. Fujioka, Richard L. Whitman, Michael J. Sadowsky

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

While genotypically-distinct naturalized Escherichia coli strains have been shown to occur in riparian soils of Lake Michigan and Lake Superior watersheds, comparative analyses of E. coli populations in diverse soils across a range of geographic and climatic conditions have not been investigated. The main objectives of this study were to: (a) examine the population structure and genetic relatedness of E. coli isolates collected from different soil types on a tropical island (Hawaii), and (b) determine if E. coli populations from Hawaii and temperate soils (Indiana, Minnesota) shared similar genotypes that may be reflective of biome-related soil conditions. DNA fingerprint and …

Reducing Overweight And Obesity Among Elementary Students In Wuhan, China, Ling Qian, Ian Newman, Duane F. Shell, Cheng Maojin Cheng

Department of Educational Psychology: Faculty Publications

Obesity and overweight among children in China is a growing concern. The curriculum and organization of Chinese schools focuses on academic achievement leaving little time for other programs. This pilot program illustrated that it is possible to involve schools and parents in a program to reduce obesity and overweight. Teachers, school staff, parents and elementary students were involved in an all-school educational initiative based on WHO’s Health Promoting School Model. The program was evaluated with a mixed modal ANOVA using a 3-level within subjects repeated factor (baseline, 1st follow-up, 2nd follow-up) and a 2-level between subjects factor (gender: boys and …