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Childhood Obesity And Adult Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factors: A Systematic Review With Meta-Analysis, Amna Umer, George A. Kelley, Lesley E. Cottrell, Peter R. Giacobbi Jr., Kim Innes, Christa L. Lilly

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Background

Overweight and obesity is a major public health concern that includes associations with the development of cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors during childhood and adolescence as well as premature mortality in adults. Despite the high prevalence of childhood and adolescent obesity as well as adult CVD, individual studies as well as previous systematic reviews examining the relationship between childhood obesity and adult CVD have yielded conflicting results. The purpose of this study was to use the aggregate data meta-analytic approach to address this gap.

Methods

Studies were included if they met the following criteria: (1) longitudinal and cohort studies …

Serotonergic Modulation Of Inhibitory Input To Lateral Horn Affects Odor-Mediated Attraction In D. Melanogaster, Ayad Auda

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

To survive, animals must eat, mate, and avoid danger by sensing external stimuli, processing sensory information into perception, and eliciting the appropriate behavioral responses in accordance with their physiological states. Unlike learned responses, innate responses are genetically inherited and do not require the animal to have a previous encounter with the stimulus to elicit an action. However, innate responses can be flexible based on the physiological state of the animal. This flexibility is achieved through constant alterations in network dynamics which ensures that the animal's responses are most effective. This alteration occurs to some extent by modulatory neurons/nuclei at multiple …

Associations Between Sleep, Infant Feeding Methods, Brain Development And Behavior: A Multimodal Approach To Assess Plasticity In The Brain, Christopher Edward Bauer

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Purpose: Sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) is a spectrum disorder that is estimated to effect a significant proportion of the pediatric population (1-3% in USA). SDB is able to disrupt and fragment sleep through frequent arousals and intermittent hypoxia. In addition, the long term effects of SDB in pediatrics have been well-documented; decreases in intelligence quotient (IQ), executive function, school performance, and alertness have all been observed. Although surgical treatments can be quite effective, there are no widely accepted prophylactic measures to prevent SDB development. Recently, breastfeeding duration in infancy has been demonstrated to be correlated with reduced SDB (lower AHI, RAI, …

Genetic Analysis Of The Biosynthesis Of Pharmaceutically Important Dihydroergot Alkaloids By Heterologous Expression Of Claviceps Gigantea Genes In The Fungus Neosartorya Fumigata, Paige E. Bragg

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Ergot alkaloids are a family of secondary metabolites produced by several species of fungi. The structural similarities of ergot alkaloids to neurotransmitters give them the ability to help treat several neurological and cognitive diseases, such as dementia, Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease. These pharmaceuticals are currently being synthesized from more complex ergot alkaloids, however they would be more efficiently synthesized from dihydroergot alkaloids. Understanding the genes involved in the synthesis of dihydroergot alkaloids, such as dihydrolysergol and dihydrolysergic acid, and elucidating their pathways will be beneficial. The Mexican maize ergot pathogen Claviceps gigantea has been reported to produce dihydrolysergol, which is …

Efficacy Of Antimicrobials Against Unstressed Or Cold-Stress Adapted Salmonella Cells And Surrogate Enterococcus Faecium On Both Broiler Carcasses And Wings, Lacey Lemonakis

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The aim of this study was to evaluate the microbial quality of broiler carcasses and efficacy of antimicrobials on unstressed or cold-stress adapted cells of Salmonella and Enterococcus on broiler carcasses and wings. Broiler carcasses and wings were processed at a small USDA-inspected slaughter facility, located in West Virginia. The first part of the study included 42 broiler carcasses that had been pre-enriched in Buffered Peptone Water then secondarily-enriched into Rappaport Vassiliadis following incubation. Secondary enrichment broth was then streaked on to Xylose Lysine Tergitol 4 (XLT-4) and HardyCHROM(TM) agar for Salmonella detection; and further confirmation was performed using an …

Nucleus Pulposus And Mesenchymal Stem Cell Preconditioning: A Focus On Redifferentiation, Wnt Signaling, And Immunity, Tyler Thomas Pizzute

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Low back pain is one of the most common reasons for doctor visits each year in the United States and consistently represents one of the leading areas of US health care spending in recent decades. Located at the inner space of the intervertebral discs (IVDs) of the spinal column, a soft, shocking absorbing tissue known as nucleus pulposus (NP) is a frequently implicated target of patient symptoms and comorbidities related to back pain. IVDs are quite susceptible to both acute injury, such as disc herniation, and chronic age-related degeneration known as intervertebral disc degeneration (IVDD). These conditions ultimately lead to …

Improving Seeding And Mulching Specifications In West Virginia And Creating A Materials Estimate Tool, Forrest N. Pritt

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Vegetation is established following construction through various seeding and mulching practices. Environmental permits in West Virginia require a minimum of 70% of ground cover by area for release of a construction site. The West Virginia Division of Highways (WVDOH), like many other states, has specifications for temporary and permanent seeding and mulching practices. This research critically evaluated the best management practices (BMPs) utilized in the WVDOH specifications, developed recommended revisions to the specifications, and created supplemental materials for future application.;Recommended revisions to the WVDOH include: topsoil, improved soil tests, rolled erosion control products (RECPs), biological growth stimulants (BGSs), hydraulic growth …

Iconologia, Heather Ruth Rios

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The ideas and images presented in this paper, and the accompanying exhibition represent a portion of my research in the subjects of the Female Nude in Art History, as well as my exploration of related subjects including female self portraits, the male gaze in art, and the psychological impact of self-made, self-representations by women both in art history, and in contemporary American social media (i.e."selfies").

Multi-Sensor Data Fusion For Robust Environment Reconstruction In Autonomous Vehicle Applications, Abu Hasnat Mohammad Rubaiyat

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

In autonomous vehicle systems, understanding the surrounding environment is mandatory for an intelligent vehicle to make every decision of movement on the road. Knowledge about the neighboring environment enables the vehicle to detect moving objects, especially irregular events such as jaywalking, sudden lane change of the vehicle etc. to avoid collision. This local situation awareness mostly depends on the advanced sensors (e.g. camera, LIDAR, RADAR) added to the vehicle. The main focus of this work is to formulate a problem of reconstructing the vehicle environment using point cloud data from the LIDAR and RGB color images from the camera. Based …

Differential Response Policy And Child Maltreatment Re-Report, Amy A. Hunter

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Child maltreatment is a serious public health issue. The decisions made by Child Protective Services (CPS) in response to reports of maltreatment may influence a child's risk of subsequent maltreatment. Studies have found a direct relationship between adverse childhood events (ACEs), (e.g., experiencing maltreatment, exposure to violence) and negative health outcomes across the lifespan (e.g., disease, developmental delays, suicidality, injury and death). Traditional CPS investigations focus on determining details of abuse events, and use that information to assess child safety and risk of future harm. The introduction of differential response policy provides supportive and preventive services to mitigate the risk …

Movement Ecology Of Philippine Birds Of Prey, Camille B. Concepcion

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Movement ecology is an emerging paradigm important to conservation biology and to the protection of global biodiversity. I used two common, but poorly known Philippine birds of prey as study tools in understanding movement ecology. One species is the migratory grey-faced buzzard (Butastur indicus), a raptor that which visits the islands in large numbers in winter. The other is the resident Philippine serpent eagle (Spilornis holospilus) which lives there at relatively high population density year-round. I used migration data at two terrestrial hawkwatch sites to assess how weather correlates influenced the movement behaviors of grey-faced buzzards. The grey-faced buzzard was …

Effect Of Substrate Size On Sympatric Sand Darter Benthic Habitat Preferences, P A. Thompson, S A. Welsh, A A. Rizzo, D M. Smith

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

The western sand darter, Ammocrypta clara, and the eastern sand darter, A. pellucida, are sand-dwelling fishes that have undergone range-wide population declines, presumably owing to habitat loss. Habitat use studies have been conducted for the eastern sand darter, but literature on the western sand darter remains sparse. To evaluate substrate selection and preference, western and eastern sand darters were collected from the Elk River, West Virginia, one of the few remaining rivers where both species occur sympatrically. In the laboratory, individuals were given the choice to bury into five equally available and randomly positioned substrates ranging from fine …

Winter Waterbird Community Composition And Use At Created Wetlands In West Virginia, Usa, Hannah L. Clipp, Michael L. Peters, James T. Anderson

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Information on nonbreeding waterbirds using created wetlands in the Central Appalachian region of the United States is limited. We compared waterbird communities of two managed wetlands, created in 2013 and 2001, in West Virginia. We observed 27 species of waterbirds. Species richness and diversity were generally similar between the wetlands, but species composition and use differed. Branta canadensis(Canada Geese), Anas strepera (Gadwall), Bucephala albeola (Buffleheads), Aythya affinis (Lesser Scaup), and Aythya collaris (Ring-Necked Ducks) used the older wetland most frequently. Disparities in species use were the highest in March. The older wetland differed from the younger in supporting species such …

Distribution Patterns Of Plant Communities And Their Associations With Environmental Soil Factors On The Eastern Shore Of Lake Taihu, China, Wei Li, Lijuan Cui, Baodi Sun, Xinsheng Zhao, Changjun Gao, Yan Zhang, Manyin Zhang, Xu Pan, Yinru Lei, Wu Ma

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Introduction: Plant communities and soil factors might interact with each other in different temporal and spatial scales, which can influence the patterns and processes of the wetland ecosystem. To get a better understanding of the distribution of plants in wetlands and analyze their associations with environmental soil factors, the structure and types of plant communities in the eastern shore area of Lake Taihu were analyzed by two-way indicator species analysis and canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) ordination. The spatial distribution patterns of vegetation and the main factors affecting the distributions were investigated.Outcomes: Sixty-six sampling sites were selected to obtain vegetation …

Analysis Of Multi-Resolution Data Aggregation Using Push-Assisted Random Walks In Mobile Ad-Hoc Network (Manet), Sowmya Srinivasapura Devaraja

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

ABSTRACT Analysis of Multi-Resolution Data Aggregation using Push-assisted Random Walks in Mobile Ad-hoc Networks (MANETs) Sowmya Srinivasapura Devaraja Data Aggregation in Mobile Ad-hoc Network (MANET) has proven challenging because of changing topology. Structure-based models like tree-based, cluster-based and chain-based have high maintenance cost. In earlier works, different forms of biased random walks have been verified to be effective without need for structure maintenance. The key idea in the protocol was to use one or more tokens that are circulated using biased random walks to effectively compute the data aggregation. One such protocol is EZ-AG that uses "Push-assisted Self-Repelling Random Walks". …

The Quest For A Key Gene Controlling Acquisition Of Cell Competence During In Vitro Organogenesis In Tomato, Chanaka Roshan Abeyratne

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Plants show a remarkable capacity for vegetative propagation through de novo organogenesis. Unlike their wild relatives, most commercially important crop species lack this ability, which is largely attributed to their inability to acquire regeneration competence by dedifferentiation of somatic cells. In vitro micropropagation relies heavily on overcoming such regeneration recalcitrance for its success in biotechnology and clonal propagation in agriculture. Here, we investigate a key locus (Regeneration1) responsible for acquisition of competence that confers high rates of de novo shoot and root organogenesis in tomato. In vitro shoot regeneration assay was performed in several Solanum pennellii introgression lines into S. …

Developing Statistical Models To Assess Productivity In The Automotive Manufacturing Sector, Amir Abolhassani

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The purpose of this study is to identify the most important activity in a value chain, effective factors, their impact, and to find estimation models of the most well-known productivity measurement, Hours per Vehicle (HPV), in the automotive industry in North American manufacturing plants. HPV is a widely recognized production performance indicator that is used by a significant percentage of worldwide automakers. During a comprehensive literature review, 13 important factors that affect HPV were defined as launching a new vehicle, ownership, car segment, model types, year, annual available working days, vehicle variety, flexibility, annual production volume, car assembly and capacity …

An In Vivo Evaluation Of Pulmonary Immune Response And Toxicity Following Combined Respiratory Exposure To Crystalline Silica And Diesel Particulate Matter, Breanne Yingling Farris

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Crystalline silica (SIL) and diesel particulate matter (DPM) are each well-recognized for their potential to cause pulmonary toxicity following inhalation. However, these particulates have also been identified as coexisting in mixtures of respirable aerosols at a variety of industrial settings: mining, oil and gas extraction, construction, road construction, tunneling, excavation, foundry, and sandblasting. In order to characterize the potential for increased pulmonary health effects when these particulates are inhaled in a mixture, a battery of acute and subacute in vivo exposure studies were conducted. The current studies examined co-exposure to SIL and DPM at doses that were derived from field …

Black-Legged Tick Distributions, Small Mammal Abundances, Mast Production, And Vegetative Influences On Lyme Disease Apparent Prevalence On Fort Drum Military Installation, New York, Samantha R. Fino

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Lyme disease is the most common infectious disease spread by black-legged ticks in the Northern Hemisphere. Lyme disease is a vector-borne zoonotic disease typically caused by bacterial spirochetes of the species Borrelia burgdorferi. The primary vector of Lyme disease in the Midwestern and eastern United States is Ixodes scapularis, the deer or black-legged tick. Although there are several preventative measures against ticks that carry Lyme disease, such as public education regarding personal protection (e.g., wearing light colored clothing, tucking pants into socks, wearing repellent, promptly inspecting oneself to remove ticks, getting pets vaccinated) and recommended control measures, it is important …

Micro-Ct Evaluation Of A Novel Technique Used For The Removal Of Single Cone Obturated Mesial Roots Of Mandibular First Molars Filled With Bioceramic Sealer And Bioceramic Coated Gutta Percha Vs Traditional Gutta Percha, Ernest Stephen Fragale Ii

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Introduction: The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of two new to the market 3-dimensional serpentine shaped nickel titanium rotary files, XP Shaper and TRUShape, as primary retreatment files for the removal of filling of material from mesial roots of mandibular first molars filled with bioceramic sealer and two different types of gutta percha, bioceramic coated and traditional non-coated cones.;Materials and methods: 40 mesial roots of mandibular first molars were prepared and divided into four groups (n = 10). 20 specimens were obturated with single cones of traditional non-coated gutta percha (TGP), EndoSequence Gutta Percha, and 20 …

Spread Of False News Stories On Facebook: An Assessment Of Credibility Cues And Personality, Lacie Geary

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This study used a 2 x 2 method to examine the effectiveness of credibility cues on Facebook and how the personality traits neuroticism and openness impact sharing behaviors across cues of different shapes and colors. Findings suggested the color red increased cue noticeability, however, overall a low number of participants noticed any of the four varying cues across conditions, indicating that the fast-paced scrolling nature of online mediums prevents users from noticing credibility cues. Future research should examine the differences in pace of scrolling and information intake across different generations. This information might be useful to media outlets to help …

Bobcat Population Ecology In West Virginia, Stephanie Michelle Landry

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Bobcats (Lynx rufus) are a popular furbearer and game species throughout their range in North America, where they serve as a top predator in many of their ecosystems. However, bobcat populations across their range declined during the 1800s and early 1900s due to overharvest. Overharvest and habitat loss in Europe also affected the Iberian lynx ( L. pardinus), resulting in the listing of all Lynx spp. under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species in 1977. Bobcats were listed under Appendix II, which required that state management agencies monitor their bobcat populations for stability. Since their listing, bobcat populations …

Philosophical Approaches To Compositional Technique In Isang Yun's Works For Solo Flute, Mirim Lee

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

As modern composers draw on an ever-widening source of inspiration from musical traditions and practices around the world, the music of twentieth-century Korean composers deserves greater recognition and increased performance within Western culture. This is especially true of the works of Korean-German composer Isang Yun (1917-1995), a prolific composer whose output is largely unknown in Korea. This research paper will examines selected works for solo flute by Yun with particular attention to Sori (1988).;Isang Yun studied composition under Tony Aubin (1907-1981) and Pierre Revel (1901-1984) at the Paris Conservatory from 1956-1957. He also studied in West Berlin at the Musikhochschule …

Microbial Quality And Pathogen Decontamination Strategies For Locally-Grown, Fresh Produce From West Virginia And Kentucky, Ka Wang Li

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This study aimed to evaluate the microbiological quality/safety of fresh produce from farmers' markets (FM) and assess the post-harvest washing practice with antimicrobials to inactivate Salmonella and Listeria monocytogenes on fresh produce. In study I, 212 produce samples were tested for the presence of Salmonella and Listeria spp. using modified FDA-BAM methods. Aerobic plate counts (APCs), total coliforms (TCCs), and yeast/molds were analyzed on petri-films. Among the 212 samples, the APCs, TCCs, and yeast/molds were 3.72-5.63, 3.67-5.47, and 3.07-4.13 log CFU/g, respectively, with spinach containing the highest (P<0.05) populations. Among all tested samples, Salmonella enterica spp. enterica was detected on 18.6% of spinach, 10.9% of tomatoes, 18.5% of peppers, and 56.3% of cantaloupes, which is much higher than previous reported. Only 3.78% of the samples were confirmed for Listeria spp., and 50% of them were identified as L. monocytogenes, based on multiplex PCR results. Due to the high percentage of pathogens detected on the farmers' marker produce, an evaluation of post-harvest produce washing with various antimicrobials was conducted in study II. Specifically, spinach, tomatoes, green peppers and cucumbers were inoculated with S. Typhimurium and Tennessee or L. monocytogenes and washed in tap water, vinegar water (10%), lactic acid (5%), a lactic and citric acid blend (2.5%), and sodium hypochlorite (200 ppm) for 30 sec or unwashed. Vinegar water (10%) showed better (P<0.05) reduction of S. Typhimurium and Tennessee on tomatoes and cucumbers, and L. monocytogenes on tomatoes and peppers than tap water. The three antimicrobials reached an additional reduction level of 0.9 to 2.7 (S. Typhimurium and Tennessee) and 0.2 to 1.4 log CFU/g ( L. monocytogenes) compared to tap water. Lactic acid caused the greatest (P<0.05) reduction of S. Typhimurium and Tennessee on spinach and green peppers, and sodium hypochlorite showed the great (P<0.05) reduction of L. monocytogenes on cucumbers. The results supplied important information for FM vendors to develop post-harvest protocols to control foodborne pathogens.

Investigation Of A Neural Network Approach In Modeling And Diagnostics Of An Engine-Out Nox Sensor, Zackery S. Layhew

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The objective of this study was to develop a method for fault detection of an engine-out oxides of nitrogen (NOx) sensor. The aim of the developed method was not only to isolate a fault with the NOx sensor, but to also diagnose faults in other engine subsystems that may result in higher engine-out NOx production. The developed fault diagnostics are aimed at providing reliable, accurate determinations of sensor output, in-lieu of physical sensors.;The data for the development of numerical models in this study was derived from in-use emissions data of a 2014 Freightliner equipped with a 2013 Cummins ISX15 engine. …

Historical Phenology Of West Virginia: 130 Years Of Spring Avian Migration And Wildflower Blooming, Lori M. Petrauski

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Phenology, or the study of biological cycles in relation to the seasons, is a useful approach to study climate change and its effects on species. Analyzing historical records of phenology can give clues to understanding the future of ecosystems in relation to climate change. Specifically, using untapped sources of historical phenological data such as museum specimens, journals written by nature-minded citizens, and dated photographs can expand our temporal range of phenology data and provide a baseline with which to compare current phenology observations.;There is no central database for historical phenology data in West Virginia and there has been little research …

Long-Term Evaluation Of Permanent Seeding And Mulching Practices, Marissa A. Poultney

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Vegetation cover is required on disturbed land resulting from construction activities. The West Virginia Division of Highways (WVDOH) specifications for seeding and mulching currently includes seed mixtures that contain species that are considered highly invasive by the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources (WVDNR). This work evaluated the use of experimental seed mixtures at roadside locations by considering two major objectives: i) evaluating long-term performance of experimental mixtures over multiple growing seasons, and ii) investigating sediment yield from vegetation cover practice.;First, vegetation growth and persistence from four small-scale field plots were monitored through the second and third growing seasons. The …

The Use Of Concentration Of Anti-Mullerian Hormone (Amh) As An Indicator Of Reproductive Performance In Livestock Species, Adam Karl Russell Redhead

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Reproductive success is essential for high levels of animal productivity. Low fertility has been identified as one of the main constraints hindering the productivity of livestock systems. To address this problem, several tools such as genomic selection and assisted reproductive techniques (ART) have been implemented. Two of the more common ART used to improve reproductive performance are artificial insemination (AI) and embryo transfer (ET). The success of these methods is highly dependent on individual animal characteristics; therefore the ability to select animals that provide high levels of reproductive success is essential. The size of the ovarian antral follicular population (AFP) …

Development Of Techniques For Assessment Of Population Characteristics Of The Federally Endangered Diamond Darter, Austin A. Rizzo

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Population monitoring is an essential component of endangered species recovery programs. One species for which monitoring is needed is the federally endangered Diamond Darter Crystallaria cincotta. This species was placed on the Endangered Species List in 2013 because of its small range and population size, and because of continued anthropogenic threats to the species' habitat. The Diamond Darter is believed to occur only within the lower 50 rkm of the Elk River in West Virginia. Museum specimens indicate the Diamond Darter was once distributed throughout the Ohio River Basin, but it is now likely extirpated from the Muskingum River, the …

Growing Community Gardens In The Mountain State, Mary Ryan

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Community gardening is being used to address food inequality as an alternative food network. Most literature looks at community gardening in urban contexts. Less is known about community gardening in rural areas. My research was able to address how community gardening contributes to food sovereignty in WV and how garden leaders help contribute to this access to food sovereignty. Through a survey of 19 community gardens across West Virginia I show the organization and use of these gardens. Through interviews with 11 of those gardens, I was able to learn about how garden leaders' frame their gardens' goals and importance …