Digital Commons Network^™

Effects Of Pellet Die Heat And Pressure On Pellet Quality And Broiler Lysine Utilization, Kevin Joseph Shipe

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The objective of this study was to identify feed manufacture techniques that alter lysine availability as indicated by broiler performance in the finishing phase, diet furfural content, and true amino acid digestibility. Production rate, pellet die specification, and level of mixer-added fat (MAF) influence feed exposure to pellet die frictional heat and pressure that may alter chemical structure of ingredients. Lysine has been indicated as a nutrient with potential to be structurally altered, especially in the presence of heat and reducing sugars, as in Maillard reactions; decreasing nutrient availability. A practical diet containing 7.5% bakery by-product meal and 0.13% lysine …

Genetic Basis For Thermal Tolerance In Two Different Strains Of Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus Mykiss): Case Western And Kamloops, Paola Reale

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This thesis examines the thermal tolerance based on how expression of Heat Shock Protein (HSP) 70 and HSP90 differ between two different strains of rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss), the Case Western strain and the Kamloops strain, and determines if cortisol levels affect HSP expression in red blood cells. The Case Western strain is considered the only warm water trout, only recently was any aspect of its thermal tolerance quantified. Porto (2012) determined critical thermal maxima (CTM) for the Case Western strain and found it to be about 0.15 °C higher than the Kamloops strain. This thesis is comprised of three …

Physiological And Genetic Changes In Poplar During Mycorrhizal Colonization Under Phosphorus Limitation, Shalaka Desai

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Poplar species and hybrids are intensively cultivated as renewable sources of biomass because of their rapid growth, extensive genetic variation and ease of propagation. However, the physiological mechanisms underlying soil stress resistance within these poplar species and hybrids are not yet understood. With the recent sequencing of the poplar genome, the use of this species in physiological stress resistance studies may help elucidate the underlying basis of stress resistance in a woody species. Further, although symbiotic mycorrhizal associations have farreaching ecological significance in forest ecosystems, our understanding of the influences of the association on the genetic basis of environmental stress …

Tinkering At The Edges Of Public Education Teacher And Parent Perceptions Of West Virginia Universal Pre-Kindergarten, Bethanie Morris Stiles

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

West Virginia commenced the state universal pre-kindergarten program in 2002, being one of the first states to implement a universal early childhood education program for all fouryear- olds. Ten years later the program is approaching the goal year of full implementation. Research in the field was examined to identify past and current conditions of UPK in WV and throughout the nation. In this study, key informants---teachers and parents---were interviewed and asked to share their perceptions on elements of the program that they encountered to be challenging and successful. Participants in this qualitative study allowed the researcher to gain rich insights …

Development Of Value-Added Food Products From Isoelectrically Recovered Proteins, Reza Tahergorabi

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The amount of fish by-products is huge and there is a large potential for making more value-added products from this raw material. On the other hand, dark chicken meat has been considered as a major underutilized commodity due to the increasing demand for further processed breast meat products. If proper meat recovery technology is successfully applied, the recovered meat can result in added revenue for a processor as well as reduce environmental pollution associated with disposal of the processing by-products. The overall objective of this study was to recover functional proteins from whole gutted fish and dark chicken meat by …

Characterization Of Terrelysin, A Potential Biomarker For Aspergillus Terreus, Ajay Padmaj Nayak

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Exposure to fungi can lead to diverse conditions from allergy to colonization to invasive and disseminated infection, depending on the status of the host immune system. Recent data suggests that fungal infections and especially Aspergillus species has been on the rise. Though mostly affecting immunocompromised individuals, more recent reports have identified infections in immunocompetent populations as well. Aspergillus terreus is of particular interest, since it causes rapid disseminating infections with high mortality rates, owing to its natural resistance to antifungal drugs and production of vegetative aleurioconidia during infection. These attributes coupled with poor current diagnostics and increasing costs involved with …

Bisphenol A Alters The Function And Expression Of Bk Channels In Vascular Smooth Muscle Through Membrane And Nuclear Signals, Shinichi Asano

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Bisphenol A (BPA) exposure has recently become a public health concern, and the safety of the utilization of BPA has attracted the attention of the scientific community, politicians, and the general population. Although BPA is banned from baby products in a few countries because infants and young children are particularly susceptible to endocrine disruption, recent studies have consistently indicated the association between urinary BPA concentration and cardiovascular diseases in adults. Therefore, adult exposure to this xenoestrogen is becoming a healthcare issue that cannot be ignored. We selected large conductance Ca2+/voltage sensitive potassium (BK) channels as one of the target proteins …

Using Concept Mapping To Identify Action Steps For Physical Activity Promotion In Cancer Treatment, Sean J. Fitzpatrick

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The benefits of exercise during and after cancer treatment represent research areas that have received increased attention throughout the past two decades. Numerous benefits have been observed for cancer survivors who are physically active (Speck, Courneya, Masse, Duval & Schmitz, 2010). Yet oncologists have been slow to incorporate exercise counseling into practice (Daley et al., 2007). The objective of this study was to gather input from both researchers and oncologists as to what needs to happen for exercise to become part of standard care once treatment ends. The concept mapping process developed by Trochim and Kane (2007) was utilized to …

Feeding Female Growing Rats Different Sources Of Omega-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids Affects Lung Fatty Acid Composition And Gene Expression, Maria L. Dalzot

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Justification: The lungs are constantly exposed to oxidative stress and inflammation which increase the risk of lung damage. Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFAs), found in different dietary sources, regulate the expression of various genes involved in eicosanoid production and oxidative stability.;Objective: to determine whether providing different sources of n-3 PUFAs will affect the fatty acid composition, inflammation and oxidation in the lungs of growing rats.;Methods: Growing (age 28 d) Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly assigned (n=10/group) to diets consisting of either corn oil (CO) or n-3 PUFA rich flaxseed (FO), krill (KO), salmon (SO) or tuna (TO) oil for 8 …

Differences In Quality Environmental Rating Subscales Between Family Child Care Homes And Facilities In West Virginia, Kaitlin J. Buchanan

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Quality of family child care homes and facilities in the state of West Virginia was investigated for differences in quality and provider education and training. Data was collected through the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources grant titled, "Quality Rating and Improvement for West Virginia Child Care." Quality was measured using the Family Child Care Environmental Rating Scale (FCCERS), which has 38 items across 7 subscales including aspects specific to the family child care setting. Twenty-nine family child care facilities and 55 family child care homes participated in the study. Family child care homes scored lower than facilities …

Maintaining Physical Activity Levels Of Teachers In A Summer Intervention, Meghan A. Phillips

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Schools are in a premier position to promote physical activity programs with students, faculty and staff, and the surrounding community. Since individuals of working age spend a significant portion of their lives in their work environment the workplace potentially represents a convenient, efficient, and effective access point to the individual (McGillivray, 2005). One recent suggestion in the literature discusses the need for physical education teacher education programs to help make physical educators Sport, Physical Activity, and Fitness Education Specialists (Bulger & Housner, 2009). This new role would place physical educators as potential leaders in schools for the promotion of a …

Coyote Diets In West Virginia, Geriann Albers

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Coyotes were not present in the mid-Atlantic region until the 1950s and little is known regarding their ecology in this region. My objective was to examine the diets of coyotes in West Virginia and to compare diets among regions and seasons as well as between age and sex. I also analyzed the occurrence of livestock in coyote diets and used logistic regression and Akaike's Information Criterion to analyze potential factors influencing livestock consumption by coyotes. In cooperation with the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources, USDA APHIS Wildlife Services, and hunters and trappers, I collected coyote scat and stomachs throughout …

Identifying Potential Sources Of Variation In Residual Feed Intake In Beef Cattle, Kevin S. Shaffer

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Residual feed intake (RFI) class differences in gut function and grazing intake were evaluated using 14 crossbred steer progeny of first parity dams with known RFI phenotypes and a commercially available Angus sire. Steers were housed in a drylot facility and fed a forage based complete feed ad libitum, a forage diet at maintenance (1.5% BW as fed), and a concentrate diet at maintenance in Exp. 1, 4, and 5 respectively. Voluntary DMI and solid and liquid passage rate were evaluated while grazing (Exp. 2 and 3, respectively). Plasma concentrations of albumin (ALB), urea nitrogen (UN), cholesterol (CHOL), glucose (GLU), …

Symptoms, Causes, And Coping Strategies For Performance Anxiety In Singers: A Synthesis Of Research, Kristina Driskill

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

A multitude of studies exists concerning performance anxiety, yet the number specifically focused upon singers is lacking in the literature. This study, intended as a reference guide for singers and singing instructors, discusses the symptoms, possible causes, and currently accepted coping strategies for music performance anxiety (MPA). An analysis of the published scholarship and correspondence from singers and professionals are included, as well as an appendix listing self-help sources and an extensive bibliography for further research. The study serves as an aid to singers and singing instructors seeking concise information on the topic. Specific steps within each coping method are …

Modifications Of Pre And Postnatal Development Due To Placental Efficiency And Maternal Exercise During Gestation In Swine, Tiffany Ann Wilmoth

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

In pigs, litter size and developmental competence are crucial for successful production of the meat product. However, the ability of the placenta to produce a developmentally competent pig is vital in the production of meat animals. Placental efficiency (fetal weight divided by placental weight) has been studied as a measure of placental function and litter size. Selection for increased placental efficiency has been shown to increase placental efficiency as well as litter size. Furthermore, formative muscle development occurs entirely during gestation, so that the number of muscle fibers the pig is born with is reflective of the number of fibers …

Growth Of Chlorella Vulgaris And Chlamydomonas Reinhardtii For Biodiesel Production And Carbon Dioxide Capture, Mariana T. Farcas

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The growth of two strains of green microalgae, Chlorella vulgaris (UTEX 2714) and Chlamydomonas reinhardtii (UTEX 90) was tested in three types of media; Tris Acetate Phosphate (TAP), Bushnell Haas Broth (BHB), and Wright's Cryptophytes (WC buffered with either glycylglycine or Tris-base). Also, initial medium pH is ranging from 4 to 10, light intensity ranging from 100 to 600 micromol photons/m 2s, and CO2 concentrations ranging from 0.038% (ambient) to 12%, were tested. WC medium at pH 8 buffered with glycylglycine sustained the highest yield and best buffering capacity for growth of both C. vulgaris and C. reinhardtii. A light …

White Clover Mgmt Univ Ga B 1251_3, John Andrae

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Markers Of Sleep-Disordered Breathing And Prediabetes In Us Adults, Omayma Alshaarawy, Srinivas Teppala, Anoop Shankar

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Background. Prediabetes is a preclinical stage in the hyperglycemia continuum where subjects are at increased risk of developing diabetes. Several studies reported a positive association between markers of sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) and diabetes. However, few studies investigated the relationship between SDB markers and prediabetes. Methods. We examined 5,685 participants ≥20 years from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2005–2008. The exposure of interest was SDB markers including sleep duration, snoring, snorting, and daytime sleepiness. The outcome was prediabetes (), among subjects free of diabetes. Results. SDB markers were associated with prediabetes. Compared to those without any sleep disturbance, …

Hyperglycemia Increases Muscle Blood Flow And Alters Endothelial Function In Adolescents With Type 1 Diabetes, Amanda S. Dye, Hong Huang, John A. Bauer, Robert P. Hoffman

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Alterations of blood flow and endothelial function precede development of complications in type 1 diabetes. The effects of hyperglycemia on vascular function in early type 1 diabetes are poorly understood. To investigate the effect of hyperglycemia on forearm vascular resistance (FVR) and endothelial function in adolescents with type 1 diabetes, FVR was measured before and after 5 minutes of upper arm arterial occlusion using venous occlusion plethysmography in (1) fasted state, (2) euglycemic state (~90 mg/dL; using 40 mU/m2/min insulin infusion), and (3) hyperglycemic state (~200 mg/dL) in 11 adolescents with type 1 diabetes. Endothelial function was assessed by the …

Assessment Of The Dining Environment On And Near The Campuses Of Fifteen Post-Secondary Institutions, Tanya M. Horacek, Maria B. Edman, Carol Byrd-Bredbenner, Gale Carey, Sarah M. Colby, Geoffrey W. Greene, Wen Guo, Kendra K. Kattelmann, Melissa D. Olfert, Jennifer Walsh, Adrienne B. White

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Objective: The present study evaluated the restaurant and dining venues on and near post-secondary campuses varying in institution size. Design: The Nutrition Environment Measures Survey for Restaurants (NEMS-R) was modified to evaluate restaurants as fast food, sit down and fast casual; and campus dining venues as dining halls, student unions and snack bar/cafe ́s. ANOVA with post hoc Tukey’s B and T tests were used to distinguish differences between dining venues and associated institutions by size.

Setting: The study was conducted at fifteen US post-secondary institutions, 2009–2011. Subjects: Data presented are from a sample of 175 restaurants and sixty-eight on-campus …

Markers Of Sleep Disordered Breathing And Diabetes Mellitus In A Multiethnic Sample Of Us Adults: Results From The National Health And Nutrition Examination Survey (2005–2008), Charumathi Sabanayagam, Srinivas Teppala, Anoop Shankar

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

We examined gender and ethnic differences in the association between sleep disordered breathing (SDB) and diabetes among 6,522 participants aged ≥20 years from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2005–08. SDB severity was defined based on an additive summary score including sleep duration, snoring, snorting, and daytime sleepiness. We found that the summary SDB score was significantly associated with diabetes after adjusting for potential confounders in the whole population. Compared to those without any sleep disturbance, the multivariable odds ratio (OR) (95% confidence interval (CI)) of diabetes among those with ≥3 sleep disturbances was 2.04 (1.46–2.87). In sex-specific analyses, …

Heritable Patterns Of Tooth Decay In The Permanent Dentition: Principal Components And Factor Analyses, John R. Shaffer, Eleanor Feingold, Xiaojing Wang, Karen Tcuenco, Daniel E. Weeks, Rebecca S. Desensi, Deborah E. Polk, Steve Wendell, Robert J. Weyant, Richard Crout, Daniel W. Mcneil, Mary L. Marazita

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Background

Dental caries is the result of a complex interplay among environmental, behavioral, and genetic factors, with distinct patterns of decay likely due to specific etiologies. Therefore, global measures of decay, such as the DMFS index, may not be optimal for identifying risk factors that manifest as specific decay patterns, especially if the risk factors such as genetic susceptibility loci have small individual effects. We used two methods to extract patterns of decay from surface-level caries data in order to generate novel phenotypes with which to explore the genetic regulation of caries.

Methods

The 128 tooth surfaces of the permanent …

The Effects Of A Gentle Yoga Program On Sleep, Mood, And Blood Pressure In Older Women With Restless Legs Syndrome (Rls): A Preliminary Randomized Controlled Trial, Kim E. Innes, Terry K. Selfe

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Objective. To examine the effects of yoga versus an educational film program on sleep, mood, perceived stress, and sympathetic activation in older women with RLS. Methods. Participants were drawn from a larger trial regarding the effects of yoga on cardiovascular disease risk profiles in overweight, sedentary postmenopausal women. Seventy-five women were randomized to receive either an 8-week yoga () or educational film () program. All 75 participants completed an RLS screening questionnaire. The 20 women who met all four diagnostic criteria for RLS ( yoga, 10 film group) comprised the population for this nested study. Main outcomes assessed pre- and …

A Tailored Wellness Intervention For College Students Using Internet-Based Technology: A Pilot Study, Alessandro Quartiroli, Sam Zizzi

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

The purpose of this study was to develop and pilot a theory-based, computer-tailored feedback system for healthy behaviors for college students at a large, public university, aiming to enhance student wellness. A total of 1300 college students were contacted. Sixty–two students completed the eight week intervention. The participants were randomly assigned into two groups and received the survey three times, consistently receiving normative or personalized feedback. The participating sample was generally healthy and mainly comprised of freshman, Caucasian, and normal weight individuals. Repeated-measure ANOVAs were run and small significant interactions were found between the type of feedback received and some …

Bisphenol A And Metabolic Syndrome: Results From Nhanes, Srinivas Teppala, Suresh Madhavan, Anoop Shankar

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Background. Bisphenol A (BPA) is detected in the urine of 95% of US adults. Recent evidence from population-based studies suggests that BPA is associated with individual components for metabolic syndrome (MetS). However, no previous study has examined the direct association between BPA and MetS. Methods. We examined 2,104 participants from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2003–2008. The main outcome was the presence of MetS (). Results. Increasing levels of urinary BPA were positively associated with MetS, independent of confounders such as age, gender, race/ethnicity, smoking, alcohol intake, physical activity, and urinary creatinine. Compared to tertile 1 (referent), the …

Modeling Chemical Interaction Profiles: I. Spectral Data-Activity Relationship And Structure-Activity Relationship Models For Inhibitors And Non-Inhibitors Of Cytochrome P450 Cyp3a4 And Cyp2d6 Isozymes, Brooks Mcphail, Yunfeng Tie, Huixiao Hong, Bruce A. Pearce, Laura K. Schnackenberg, Weigong Ge, Luis G. Valerio, James C. Fuscoe, Weida Tong, Dan A. Buzatu, Jon G. Wilkes, Bruce A. Fowler, Eugene Demchuk, Richard D. Berger

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

An interagency collaboration was established to model chemical interactions that may cause adverse health effects when an exposure to a mixture of chemicals occurs. Many of these chemicals—drugs, pesticides, and environmental pollutants—interact at the level of metabolic biotransformations mediated by cytochrome P450 (CYP) enzymes. In the present work, spectral data-activity relationship (SDAR) and structure-activity relationship (SAR) approaches were used to develop machine-learning classifiers of inhibitors and non-inhibitors of the CYP3A4 and CYP2D6 isozymes. The models were built upon 602 reference pharmaceutical compounds whose interactions have been deduced from clinical data, and 100 additional chemicals that were used to evaluate model …

Modeling Chemical Interaction Profiles: Ii. Molecular Docking, Spectral Data-Activity Relationship, And Structure-Activity Relationship Models For Potent And Weak Inhibitors Of Cytochrome P450 Cyp3a4 Isozyme, Yunfeng Tie, Brooks Mcphail, Huixiao Hong, Bruce A. Pearce, Laura K. Schnackenberg, Weigong Ge, Dan A. Buzatu, Jon G. Wilkes, James C. Fuscoe, Weida Tong, Bruce A. Fowler, Richard D. Beger, Eugene Demchuk

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Polypharmacy increasingly has become a topic of public health concern, particularly as the U.S. population ages. Drug labels often contain insufficient information to enable the clinician to safely use multiple drugs. Because many of the drugs are bio-transformed by cytochrome P450 (CYP) enzymes, inhibition of CYP activity has long been associated with potentially adverse health effects. In an attempt to reduce the uncertainty pertaining to CYP-mediated drug-drug/chemical interactions, an interagency collaborative group developed a consensus approach to prioritizing information concerning CYP inhibition. The consensus involved computational molecular docking, spectral data-activity relationship (SDAR), and structure-activity relationship (SAR) models that addressed the …

Insight Into The Transmission Biology And Species-Specific Functional Capabilities Of Tsetse (Diptera: Glossinidae) Obligate Symbiont Wigglesworthia, Rita V M Rio, Rebecca E. Symula, Jinhwen Wang, Claudia Lohs, Yi-Neng Wu, Anna K. Snyder, Robert D. Bjornson, Kenshiro Oshima, Bryan S. Biehl, Nicole T. Perna, Masahira Hattori, Serap Aksoy

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Ancient endosymbionts have been associated with extreme genome structural stability with little differentiation in gene inventory between sister species. Tsetse flies (Diptera: Glossinidae) harbor an obligate endosymbiont, Wigglesworthia, which has coevolved with the Glossina radiation. We report on the ~720-kb Wigglesworthia genome and its associated plasmid from Glossina morsitans morsitans and compare them to those of the symbiont from Glossina brevipalpis. While there was overall high synteny between the two genomes, a large inversion was noted. Furthermore, symbiont transcriptional analyses demonstrated host tissue and development-specific gene expression supporting robust transcriptional regulation in Wigglesworthia, an unprecedented observation in other obligate mutualist …

Elevated Serum C-Reactive Protein And Markers Of Sleep Disordered Breathing, R Constance Wiener

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Background. Previous studies indicated sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) is associated with cardiovascular disease (CVD). Systemic inflammation is recognized as a risk factor for CVD. Studies examining SDB and inflammation are limited. Methods. We studied sleep duration, snoring, snorting, and daytime sleepiness, and an additive SDB score. The main outcome was a C-reactive protein (CRP) of >1 mg/dL. Results. Snoring, snorting, daytime sleepiness, and sleeping >7 or <7 hours, and the additive score were significantly associated with high CRP. The additive score was not associated in men but moderately associated in women in a multivariable model adjusting for age, gender, race/ethnicity, education, smoking, hypertension, alcohol intake, physical activity, body mass index, depression, diabetes, hypertension, and total cholesterol (P-interaction ). For race/ethnicity, the association was strongest in Mexican Americans/others, modest in Non-Hispanic whites, and absent in Non-Hispanic blacks (P-interaction ). Conclusions. The association between SDB and high CRP was present mainly in women and Mexican Americans, implying SDB has a residual, independent association with inflammation after controlling for lifestyle and metabolic risk factors like BMI, physical activity, depression, diabetes, and cholesterol.

Association Between Serum Uric Acid Levels And Sleep Variables: Results From The National Health And Nutrition Survey 2005–2008, R Constance Wiener

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Sleep disordered breathing as well as high serum uric acid levels are independent risk factors for cardiovascular disease. However, studies evaluating the relationship between sleep-disordered breathing and hyperuricemia are limited. We examined the 2005–2008 National Health and Nutrition Examination survey's sleep variables and high serum uric acid among 6491 participants aged ≥ 2 0 years. The sleep variables included sleep duration, snoring, snorting, and daytime sleepiness. The main outcome was high serum uric acid level, defined as levels of serum uric acid > 6 . 8 mg/dL in males and > 6 . 0 mg/dL in females. We found that snoring more …