Digital Commons Network^™

Utilization Of Public Health And General Supervision Permits By Dental Hygienists In West Virginia, Lyndsey N. Gray

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The issue of oral health in individuals has emerged as an immediate concern for many states to address, especially West Virginia. Current statistics show dental caries to be the most common chronic disease of children which has led to the development of such programs as The West Virginia Oral health Plan for 2010--2015. Plans such as this aim to develop techniques to provide improved oral care for all populations.;The purpose of the study is to examine if dental hygienists in West Virginia are utilizing their general supervision permits and dental hygiene public health permits to provide treatment to patients in …

Effect Of Service Sire On Late Embryonic And Fetal Loss In Sheep, Tammy L. Holler

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Very few authors have studied the effect of the sire on the outcome of pregnancy in sheep beyond differentiation, development, spermatogenesis, fertilization and early embryo survival. A major limitation in direct selection for increased sire competence is that males need to be selected mainly on the performance of their female relatives and females do not express lambing traits until at least one or two years of age. This selection process can be accelerated by studying prenatal survival ability of individual ram's progeny.;The objective of the present study was to identify occurrence of late embryonic and fetal mortality in relation to …

Evaluation Of Retention Using Different Numbers And Position Of Attachments With Mini Dental Implant Overdentures, Amanda Mcpherson Canizales

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Objectives. To collect data for the retentive capabilities of mini dental implants in several numbers and positions when used with the mandibular overdenture; and compare that information to previous studies on the dislodging forces of locator attachments.;Methods. Acrylic blocks representing the mandibular arch and a mandibular denture were laboratory fabricated in high impact denture acrylic resin (Lucitone 199). Five mini implants were placed in the mandibular block and associated housings were picked up into the mandibular denture block using fast set acrylic (Super T). The denture block was then attached, via the same fast set acrylic, to an aluminium plate …

Is A Poor Quality Nutrition Environment A Contributor To Obesity Prevalence In School-Age-Children In West Virginia?, Anna M. Chetrick

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

In recent years there has been considerable interest in describing and explaining increases in the prevalence of overweight and obesity. The quality of the nutrition environment, including the availability and price of healthy foods options, has been suggested as a likely contributor. This project was developed to investigate the relationship between weight status and the nutrition environment in school children in two West Virginia counties. The Nutrition Environment Measures Survey (NEMS) was conducted in Monongalia and Marshall Counties, WV. From NEMS survey data nutrition environment quality scores were calculated for 79 retail food outlets, including grocery, convenience, general, and department …

Association Between Serum Uric Acid Levels And Diabetes Mellitus, Pavani Bandaru, Anoop Shankar

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Serum uric acid has been shown to be associated with cardiovascular disease, hypertension, and chronic kidney disease in previous studies. However, few studies have examined the association between serum uric acid and diabetes mellitus and their findings are not consistent. Therefore, we examined the association between serum uric acid levels and diabetes mellitus in participants from the third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (, 52.5% women). Serum uric acid levels were categorized into quartiles. Diabetes mellitus was defined as fasting glucose ≥126 mg/dL, nonfasting glucose ≥200 mg/dL, or use of oral hypoglycemic medication or insulin (). In multivariable logistic …

Different Sources Of Omega-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids Affects Apparent Digestibility, Tissue Deposition, And Tissue Oxidative Stability In Growing Female Rats, Janet C. Tou, Stephanie N. Altman, Joseph C. Gigliotti, Vagner A. Benedito, Elizabeth L. Cordonier

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Background

Numerous health benefits associated with increased omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid (n-3 PUFA) consumption has lead to an increasing variety of available n-3 PUFA sources. However, sources differ in the type, amount, and structural form of the n-3 PUFAs. Therefore, the objective of this study was to determine the effect of different sources of ω-3 PUFAs on digestibility, tissue deposition, eicosanoid metabolism, and oxidative stability.

Methods

Female Sprague-Dawley rats (age 28 d) were randomly assigned (n = 10/group) to be fed a high fat 12% (wt) diet consisting of either corn oil (CO) or n-3 PUFA rich flaxseed (FO), krill …

Efficacy Of Aerobic Exercise And A Prudent Diet For Improving Selected Lipids And Lipoproteins In Adults: A Meta-Analysis Of Randomized Controlled Trials, George A. Kelley, Kristi S. Kelley, Susan Roberts, William Haskell

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Background

Studies addressing the effects of aerobic exercise and a prudent diet on lipid and lipoprotein concentrations in adults have reached conflicting conclusions. The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of aerobic exercise combined with a prudent diet on lipid and lipoprotein concentrations in adults.

Methods

Studies were located by searching nine electronic databases, cross-referencing, and expert review. Two independent reviewers selected studies that met the following criteria: (1) randomized controlled trials, (2) aerobic exercise combined with diet recommendations (saturated/trans fat intake less than 10% of total calories and cholesterol less than 300 mg/day and/or fiber intake …

Molecular Cloning And Expression Of Bovine Nucleoplasmin 2 (Npm2): A Maternal Effect Gene Regulated By Mir-181a, Brandon M. Lingenfelter, Swamy K. Tripurani, Jyothsna Tejomurtula, George W. Smith, Jianbo Yao

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Background

Nucleoplasmin 2 (NPM2) is an oocyte-specific nuclear protein essential for nuclear and nucleolar organization and early embryonic development. The aims of this study were to clone the bovine NPM2 gene, determine its temporal expression during oocyte development and early embryogenesis, and evaluate the potential role of miRNA-181a in regulation of its expression.

Methods

A 329 bp cDNA fragment was amplified from bovine fetal ovary using primers designed based on the conserved regions of the human and mouse NPM2 cDNA sequences. RACE experiments were performed to obtain the 5' and 3' ends of the bovine NPM2 cDNA. Real time PCR …

A Statistical Design For Testing Transgenerational Genomic Imprinting In Natural Human Populations, Yao Li, Yunqian Guo, Jianxin Wang, Wei Hou, Myron N. Chang, Duanping Liao, Rongling Wu

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Genomic imprinting is a phenomenon in which the same allele is expressed differently, depending on its parental origin. Such a phenomenon, also called the parent-of-origin effect, has been recognized to play a pivotal role in embryological development and pathogenesis in many species. Here we propose a statistical design for detecting imprinted loci that control quantitative traits based on a random set of three-generation families from a natural population in humans. This design provides a pathway for characterizing the effects of imprinted genes on a complex trait or disease at different generations and testing transgenerational changes of imprinted effects. The design …

Generation Of A Reference Transcriptome For Evaluating Rainbow Trout Responses To Various Stressors, Cecilia C. Sanchez, Gregory M. Weber, Guangtu Gao, Beth M. Cleveland, Jianbo Yao, Caird E. Rexroad

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Background

Fish under intensive culture conditions are exposed to a variety of acute and chronic stressors, including high rearing densities, sub-optimal water quality, and severe thermal fluctuations. Such stressors are inherent in aquaculture production and can induce physiological responses with adverse effects on traits important to producers and consumers, including those associated with growth, nutrition, reproduction, immune response, and fillet quality. Understanding and monitoring the biological mechanisms underlying stress responses will facilitate alleviating their negative effects through selective breeding and changes in management practices, resulting in improved animal welfare and production efficiency.

Results

Physiological responses to five treatments associated with …

Metabolic Changes In Skin Caused By Scd1 Deficiency: A Focus On Retinol Metabolism, Matthew T. Flowers, Chad M. Paton, Sheila O'Byrne, Kevin Schiesser, John A. Dawson, William S. Blaner, Christina Kendziorski, James M. Ntambi

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

We previously reported that mice with skin-specific deletion of stearoyl-CoA desaturase-1 (Scd1) recapitulated the skin phenotype and hypermetabolism observed in mice with a whole-body deletion of Scd1. In this study, we first performed a diet-induced obesity experiment at thermoneutral temperature (33°C) and found that skin-specific Scd1 knockout (SKO) mice still remain resistant to obesity. To elucidate the metabolic changes in the skin that contribute to the obesity resistance and skin phenotype, we performed microarray analysis of skin gene expression in male SKO and control mice fed a standard rodent diet. We identified an extraordinary number of differentially expressed genes that …

Convergence Of Developmental Mutants Into A Single Tomato Model System: 'Micro-Tom' As An Effective Toolkit For Plant Development Research, Rogerio F. Carvalho, Marcelo L. Campos, Lilian E. Pino, Simone L. Crestana, Agustin Zsogon, Joni E. Lima, Vagner A. Benedito, Lazaro E P Peres

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Background

The tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) plant is both an economically important food crop and an ideal dicot model to investigate various physiological phenomena not possible in Arabidopsis thaliana. Due to the great diversity of tomato cultivars used by the research community, it is often difficult to reliably compare phenotypes. The lack of tomato developmental mutants in a single genetic background prevents the stacking of mutations to facilitate analysis of double and multiple mutants, often required for elucidating developmental pathways.

Results

We took advantage of the small size and rapid life cycle of the tomato cultivar Micro-Tom (MT) …

Association Of Arsenic Exposure With Lung Cancer Incidence Rates In The United States, Joseph J. Putila, Nancy L. Guo

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Background

Although strong exposure to arsenic has been shown to be carcinogenic, its contribution to lung cancer incidence in the United States is not well characterized. We sought to determine if the low-level exposures to arsenic seen in the U.S. are associated with lung cancer incidence after controlling for possible confounders, and to assess the interaction with smoking behavior.

Methodology

Measurements of arsenic stream sediment and soil concentration obtained from the USGS National Geochemical Survey were combined, respectively, with 2008 BRFSS estimates on smoking prevalence and 2000 U.S. Census county level income to determine the effects of these factors on …

Socioeconomic Status, Self-Rated Health, And Mortality In A Multiethnic Sample Of Us Adults, Sivaranjani Suuresh, Charumathi Sabanayagam, Anoop Shankar

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Objective: To examine the association between socioeconomic status (SES), self-rated health (SRH), and mortality separately by race-ethnicity in a nationally representative sample of US adults. Methods: We analyzed data from 16 716 adult women and men who were followed up for mortality for up to 12 years as part of the third National Health and Nutrition Examination survey (NHANES III). Poverty-income ratio (PIR) and education were assessed as measures of SES. All-cause mortality (n = 2850) was recorded from the NHANES III linked mortality file.

Results: Lower PIR was associated with mortality after adjustment for lifestyle, clinical risk factors, and …

Modified Expression Of Alternative Oxidase In Transgenic Tomato And Petunia Affects The Level Of Tomato Spotted Wilt Virus Resistance, Hao Ma, Congfeng Song, Wayne Borth, Diane Sether, Michael Melzer, John Hu

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Background

Tomato spotted wilt virus (TSWV) has a very wide host range, and is transmitted in a persistent manner by several species of thrips. These characteristics make this virus difficult to control. We show here that the over-expression of the mitochondrial alternative oxidase (AOX) in tomato and petunia is related to TSWV resistance.

Results

The open reading frame and full-length sequence of the tomato AOX gene LeAox1au were cloned and introduced into tomato 'Healani' and petunia 'Sheer Madness' using Agrobacterium-mediated transformation. Highly expressed AOX transgenic tomato and petunia plants were selfed and transgenic R1 seedlings from 10 tomato lines …

Microrna-196a Regulates Bovine Newborn Ovary Homeobox Gene (Nobox) Expression During Early Embryogenesis, Swamy K. Tripurani, Kyung-Bon Lee, Gabbine Wee, George W. Smith, Jianbo Yao

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Background

Oocyte-derived maternal RNAs drive early embryogenesis when the newly formed embryo is transcriptionally inactive. Recent studies in zebrafish have identified the role of microRNAs during the maternal-to-embryonic transition (MET). MicroRNAs are short RNAs that bind to the 3' UTR of target mRNAs to repress their translation and accelerate their decay. Newborn ovary homeobox gene (NOBOX) is a transcription factor that is preferentially expressed in oocytes and essential for folliculogenesis in mice. NOBOX knockout mice are infertile and lack of NOBOX disrupts expression of many germ-cell specific genes and microRNAs. We recently reported the cloning and expression of bovine NOBOX …

Antibiotic Resistance Of Enterococcus Species Isolated From Raw Foods Of Animal Origin In South West Part Of Slovakia, M Krocko, M Canigova, V Duckova, A Artimova, J Bezekova, J Poston

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

We determined the prevalence and antibiotic resistance of enterococci isolated from raw foods of animal origin. All samples were positive for enterococci. The lowest count of enterococci was found in pork (2.00 log CFU/cm2), while bryndza cheese contained the highest count (4.99 log CFU/g). Among the 349 Enterococcus isolates, 49% were E. faecalis, 29% E. faecium, and 13% Enterococcus spp. Tetracycline and gentamicin resistance was the most common. We found the highest tetracycline resistance levels (91%) in isolates from poultry samples. The isolates from the poultry samples also displayed multidrug resistance to all antibiotics tested. The most common …

A First Generation Integrated Map Of The Rainbow Trout Genome, Yniv Palti, Carine Genet, Ming-Cheng Luo, Guangtu Gao, Aurelie Charlet, Yuqin Hu, Cecilia Castano-Sanchez, Kamila Tabet-Canale, Francine Krieg, Jianbo Yao, Roger L. Vallejo, Caird E. Rexroad Iii

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Background

Rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) are the most-widely cultivated cold freshwater fish in the world and an important model species for many research areas. Coupling great interest in this species as a research model with the need for genetic improvement of aquaculture production efficiency traits justifies the continued development of genomics research resources. Many quantitative trait loci (QTL) have been identified for production and life-history traits in rainbow trout. An integrated physical and genetic map is needed to facilitate fine mapping of QTL and the selection of positional candidate genes for incorporation in marker-assisted selection (MAS) programs for …

Use Of 16s Ribosomal Rna Gene Analyses To Characterize The Bacterial Signature Associated With Poor Oral Health In West Virginia, Joan C. Olson, Christopher F. Cuff, Slawomir Lukomski, Ewa Lukomska, Yeremi Canizales, Bei Wu, Richard J. Crout, John G. Thomas, Daniel W. Mcneil, Robert J. Weyant, Mary L. Marazita, Bruce J. Paster, Thomas Elliott

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Background

West Virginia has the worst oral health in the United States, but the reasons for this are unclear. This pilot study explored the etiology of this disparity using culture-independent analyses to identify bacterial species associated with oral disease.

Methods

Bacteria in subgingival plaque samples from twelve participants in two independent West Virginia dental-related studies were characterized using 16S rRNA gene sequencing and Human Oral Microbe Identification Microarray (HOMIM) analysis. Unifrac analysis was used to characterize phylogenetic differences between bacterial communities obtained from plaque of participants with low or high oral disease, which was further evaluated using clustering and Principal …

Fuzzy Irrigation Greenhouse Control System Based On A Field Programmable Gate Array, Domingo Gomez-Melendez, Alvaro Lopez-Lambrantilde, Gilberto Herrera- Ruiz, Carlos Fuentes, Enrique Rico-Garcia, Carlos Olvera-Olvera, Daniel Alaniz-Lumbrerasc, Teobaldis Mercado Fernandez, Sven Verlinden

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Fuzzy logic provides a methodology to represent, manipulate, and implement heuristic knowledge to control a system. In this work, the development of a fuzzy irrigation control system based on a field programmable gate array (FPGA) to control greenhouse fertigation was presented. Factors involved in crop nutrition were discussed first. Further, the description of the fuzzy control system was presented, followed by the analysis and design of the fuzzy controller, and its implementation, a FPGA-integrated circuit. The FPGA system is not only flexible (it can be easily reconfigured and reused for different designs), but it also provides rapid prototyping and offers …

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Programs

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Variances In Diurnal Fatigue Patterns And Mood Among Postpartum Women, Amanda L. Mcbean

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Postpartum women have highly disrupted sleep and many experience a disruption in their circadian rhythm during this time. They are also susceptible to mood disruptions during the postpartum period. While mood disruption may be a result of sleep disruption, there are not many data to support a link between circadian rhythm disruption and mood among healthy postpartum women. This study sought to fill that gap. Participants were a convenience sample of 71 women from a larger study. The total sample was 26.4 (SD = 4.0) years old, had a mean annual income of {dollar}51,000 (SD = {dollar}35,000), and had 15.7 …

The Dynamics Of Collaboration In Universal Pre-K Counties Of West Virginia, Kimberly S. Miller

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

West Virginia Senate Bill 247 mandated that local school systems develop and implement universal preschool programs for all four-year-old children and three-year-old children as mandated by federal law. This mandate was the impetus for West Virginia Policy 2525: West Virginia's Access to a Quality Early Education System. Within policy, local school systems are mandated to collaborate with licensed childcare providers and Head Start to make up at least 50% of the preschool classrooms. This descriptive qualitative case study investigated how the experience of compulsory collaboration required by WV policy 2525 is described by early education providers. The description of the …

Measurements Of Resistance And Reactance In Fish With The Use Of Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis: Sources Of Error, M. Cox, Ron Heintz, Kyle Hartman

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

New technologies can be riddled with unforeseen sources of error, jeopardizing the validity and application of their advancement. Bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) is a new technology in fisheries research that is capable of estimating proximate composition, condition, and energy content in fish quickly, cheaply, and (after calibration) without the need to sacrifice fish. Before BIA can be widely accepted in fisheries science, it is necessary to identify sources of error and determine a means to minimize potential errors with this analysis. We conducted controlled laboratory experiments to identify sources of errors within BIA measurements. We concluded that electrode needle location, …

Evaluation On The Use Of The Frax Tool To Improve Recognition And Treatment Of Low Bone Mass In Primary Care Practice, Natalie J. Eddy

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Background. Research has revealed that there is a consistent underutilization of treatment of osteoporosis especially after fragility fractures. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the application of the FRAXâ„¢ tool as a strategy to improve the assessment and treatment of osteoporosis in primary care. Objectives. The primary outcome was to improve primary care provider recognition and treatment of osteoporosis through the use of the FRAXâ„¢ tool. Secondary outcomes were to increase provider adherence to clinical practice guidelines on osteoporosis. Design. Primary care providers attended one educational session. Pre- and post-test assessed knowledge. Charts were audited for provider adherence …

An Epidemiological Assessment Of Lung Function Decline As A Predictor Of Morbidity And Mortality, Penelope J. Baughman

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Excessive lung function decline is associated with increased risks of respiratory morbidity and mortality outcomes including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). COPD is a disease afflicting approximately 80 million people worldwide and as of 2002, the fifth leading cause of death. COPD is an increasing problem, with substantial increases projected in COPD deaths if there is no reduction of the causal risk factors. By 2030, COPD is projected to be the third leading cause of death worldwide, an increase mainly due to extended life expectancies and that COPD deaths occur at older ages. COPD is also largely underdiagnosed, partially due …

Metabolic Syndrome And Its Associations With Psychological Distress And Subclinical Cardiovascular Disease Among Police Officers, Tara Autumn Hartley

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Police officers are a vital part of every community in the U.S. Officers are routinely exposed to numerous types of stressors, including traumatic events, shift work and organizational issues. The impact of this exposure can lead to chronic physical and psychological health problems. Police officers have been reported to have higher rates of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Previous studies have found associations between work stress and CVD, and this association may be mediated by the metabolic syndrome (MetSyn). MetSyn is a clustering of metabolic abnormalities, including abdominal obesity, hypertension, glucose intolerance and dyslipidemia, that has been associated with CVD and Type …

Vegetative Compatibility In Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi, Sonia Purin

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The process of anastomosis promotes interconnectivity between hyphal branches during formation of a mycelial network and between fungal colonies. Self anastomosis involves fusion within a mycelium from a germinating spore, and this process is common in all species of fungi. Non-self anastomosis involves fusion between hyphae from different spores or colonies and allows lateral gene transfer, but this process is much rarer. Anastomosis in Ascomycota is well studied, but little is known for asexual arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) in Glomeromycota. Because AMF are obligate symbionts in plant roots, studies have focused on anastomosis in asymbiotic hyphae of germinating spores. To …

Concurrent Uptake Of Lead, Zinc, Cadmium And Copper And Health Risk Assessments In A Smelter Contaminated Soil., Mimi Roy

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The study area for this research was a smelter contaminated site in Harrison County, West Virginia. Soils in this site had elevated levels of lead, zinc, cadmium and copper. A multi-step chemical extraction study showed that zinc and cadmium were the most plant available elements while for Pb more than 75% was associated with the residual phase. Standard addition experiments showed readsorption rates less than 25 % for Pb and Cd, and less than 50% for Zn and Cu. Some common garden and residential plants were grown initially to study metal uptake in tissues. Radish, carrot, and chicory showed the …

Does Hydration Status Have An Effect On Wrestling Performance In High School Wrestlers?, Joseph M. Brausch

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Context. Hydration is important for all athletes not only for overall health, but for optimal performance during competition. Many studies have shown a relationship between a decrease in physiological function and performance as related to dehydration typically by measuring peak power output and aerobic capacity. But few studies have shown the relationship between hydration or dehydration and the performance of wrestlers throughout a competitive season. Objective. The purposes of this study were to determine: (1) if there is a difference between hydration levels over three time points between a high specific gravity group and a low specific gravity group; (2) …