Digital Commons Network^™

Perimenopausal Obesity, Colleen Keller, Linda Larkey, Johanna K. Distefano, Edna Boehm-Smith, Kathie Records, Alyssa G. Robillard, Sharry Veres, Manal Al-Zadjali, Anne-Marie O'Brian

Faculty Publications

Obesity is recognized as one of the most important underlying risk factors for a wide variety of diseases, including heart disease and diabetes. Women are particularly prone to obesity, and approaches that address life transitions across the life span suggest that a number of factors may converge at passage points, such as menopause, that contribute to weight accumulation in the aging woman. The menopausal phase of a woman's life brings a number of changes that may trigger and maintain weight gain. Although the prevalence of overweight and obesity is attributable to each of these factors, it is most likely the …

Latin America And The Caribbean: Assessment Of The Advances In Public Health For The Achievement Of The Millennium Development Goals, Amal K. Mitra, Gisela Rodriguez-Fernandez

Faculty Publications

To improve health and economy of the world population, the United Nations has set up eight international goals, known as Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), that 192 United Nations member states and at least 23 international organizations have agreed to achieve by the year 2015. The goals include: (1) eradicating extreme poverty and hunger; (2) achieving universal primary education; (3) promoting gender equality; (4) reducing child mortality; (5) improving maternal health; (6) combating HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases; (7) ensuring environmental sustainability; and (8) developing a global partnership for development. Having been in the midway from the 2015 deadline, the UN …

Parental Report Versus Child Perception Of Familial Support: Which Is More Associated With Child Physical Activity And Television Use?, Daheia J. Barr-Anderson, Ramona Robinson-O'Brien, Jess Haines, Peter J. Hannan, Dianne R. Neumark-Sztainer

Faculty Publications

Background: Parent-report and child perception of familial support for weight-related behaviors may not be congruent. This research explores whether parent-report or child perception is more strongly associated with child-reported physical activity and television (TV) use. Methods: Elementary school children (n = 73) participating in Ready. Set. ACTION!, a theater-based obesity prevention pilot program in Saint Paul, MN, and their parents completed surveys assessing familial support for physical activity and limitations on TV use in fall 2006. Paired t tests examined congruency between parent-report and child perception. Linear regression models adjusted for sociodemographics explored the associations between familial …

The Influence Of Cardiorespiratory Fitness On Lung Cancer Mortality, Xuemei Sui, Duck-Chul Lee, Charles E. Matthews, Swann Arp Adams, James R. Hébert, Timothy S. Church, Chong-Do Lee, Steven N. Blair

Faculty Publications

Purpose—Previous studies have suggested that higher levels of physical activity may lower lung cancer risk; however, few prospective studies have evaluated lung cancer mortality in relation to cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF), an objective marker of recent physical activity habits. Methods—Thirty-eight thousand men, aged 20 to 84 years without history of cancer, received a preventive medical examination at the Cooper Clinic in Dallas, TX, between 1974 and 2002. CRF was quantified as maximal treadmill exercise test duration and was grouped for analysis as low (lowest 20% of exercise duration), moderate (middle 40%), and high (upper 40%). Results—A total of 232 lung cancer …

The Study Of Teachers’ Task Values And Self-Efficacy On Their Commitment And Effectiveness For Technology-Instruction Integration, Chia-Jung Lin, Mei-Yan Lu

Faculty Publications

The city of Taipei has been considered as a leading role of information technology education in Taiwan. However, many questions have been waited to be answered. The purpose of this study was to investigate the current situations and problems of primary school teachers’ technology-instruction integration. By implementing the approach of cognitive motivators and the human performance technology (HPT) theory, this study also investigated the relationships among teachers’ cognitive motivators (self-efficacy and task values) and their commitment and effort on technology-instruction integration. The researchers delivered 2,952 questionnaires via Internet, e-mail and airmail in January 2008. Finally, 1,549 questionnaires replied back and …

Impact Of After-School Nutrition Workshops In A Public Library Setting, Marjorie Freedman, Audrey Nickell

Faculty Publications

Objective: To determine if after-school nutrition workshops conducted in public libraries were related to lasting changes in food choice.Methods: “Snack Smart” workshops, based on Social Cognitive Theory, were conducted in 8 branch libraries (49 ethnically diverse children, ages 9 to 14) to assess changes in consumption of targeted food items by pretest, posttest, and follow-up food frequency questionnaires. Results were analyzed using the Friedman test for repeated measures and Wilcoxon signed rank test.Results: Intake of milk, vegetables, and water significantly increased at 3-week posttest (P < .05), but only water intake showed a significant change from pretest to follow-up 3 months later.Conclusions and Implications: This low-intensity program did not produce lasting behavior change, as measured by changes in food frequency at 3 months post- intervention. The study supports the need to critically evaluate out-of-school nutrition programs for lasting impact.

Transnational Integration Regimes As Development Programs, Laszlo Bruszt, Gerald A. Mcdermott

Faculty Publications

In drawing on recent advances in international and comparative political economy, this paper argues that diverging paths of institutional development among emerging market democracies are driven by the Transnational Integration Regimes (TIRs), in which a country is embedded.

As development programs, TIRs differ in their effectiveness not simply in terms of their incentives and largess and more in terms of their emphasis on building institutional capacities, empowering a variety of domestic state and non-state actors via multiplex methods of assistance and monitoring, and their ability to merge monitoring and learning at both the national and supra-national levels. We develop a …

Steroid Receptor Expression In The Fish Inner Earvaries With Sex, Social Status, And Reproductive State, Karen P. Maruska, Russell D. Fernald

Faculty Publications

Background: Gonadal and stress-related steroid hormones are known to influence auditory function across vertebrates but the cellular and molecular mechanisms responsible for steroid-mediated auditory plasticity at the level of the inner ear remain unknown. The presence of steroid receptors in the ear suggests a direct pathway for hormones to act on the peripheral auditory system, but little is known about which receptors are expressed in the ear or whether their expression levels change with internal physiological state or external social cues. We used qRT-PCR to measure mRNA expression levels of multiple steroid receptor subtypes (estrogen receptors: ERα, ERβa, ERβb; androgen …

Evaluation Study Of C.A.R.E., The National Education Association's Culture, Abilities, Resilience, And Effort Professional Development Training, Noni Reis, Denise Alston, Linda Bacon, Brooke Whiting, Sheila Simmons

Faculty Publications

This was an evaluation study of C.A.R.E., National Education Association's Culture, Abilities, Resilience and Effort (C.A.R.E.): Strategies for Closing Achievement Gaps. The training is based on culturally relevant pedagogy and on the Center for Research on Educational Diversity and Excellence standards. The research questions for the study were: 1.Did the training lead to changes in instructional practices? 2.Were the tools and materials provided by the C.A.R.E. guide used? 3.Did the strategies lead to changes in student behavior and school practices Participants (n-275) completed an on-line survey and/or a telephone interview. Two-thirds (66%) of the participants noticed improvements in student achievement, …

Fine Mapping Of The Association With Obesity At The Fto Locus In African-Derived Populations, Mohamed T. Hassanein, Helen N. Lyon, Thutrang T. Nguyen, Ermeg L. Akylbekova, Kevin Waters, Guillaume Lettre, Bamidele Tayo, Terrence Forrester, Daniel F. Sarpong, Dan O. Stram, Johannah L. Butler, Rainford Wilks, Jiankang Liu, Loic Le Marchand, Laurence N. Kolonel, Xiaofeng Zhu, Brian Henderson, Richard Cooper, Colin Mckenzie, Herman A. Taylor, Christopher A. Haiman, Joel N. Hirschhorn

Faculty Publications

Genome-wide association studies have identified many common genetic variants that are associated with polygenic traits, and have typically been performed with individuals of recent European ancestry. In these populations, many common variants are tightly correlated, with the perfect or near-perfect proxies for the functional or true variant showing equivalent evidence of association, considerably limiting the resolution of fine mapping. Populations with recent African ancestry often have less extensive and/or different patterns of linkage disequilibrium (LD), and have been proposed to be useful in fine-mapping studies. Here, we strongly replicate and fine map in populations of predominantly African ancestry the association …

Food Insecurity As A Barrier To Sustained Antiretroviral Therapy Adherence In Uganda, Sheri D. Weiser, David M. Tuller, Edward A. Frongillo Jr., Jude Senkungu, Nozmu Mukiibi, David R. Bangsberg

Faculty Publications

Background: Food insecurity is emerging as an important barrier to antiretroviral (ARV) adherence in sub-Saharan Africa and elsewhere, but little is known about the mechanisms through which food insecurity leads to ARV non-adherence and treatment interruptions.

Methodology: We conducted in-depth, open-ended interviews with 47 individuals (30 women, 17 men) living with HIV/ AIDS recruited from AIDS treatment programs in Mbarara and Kampala, Uganda to understand how food insecurity interferes with ARV therapy regimens. Interviews were transcribed, coded for key themes, and analyzed using grounded theory.

Findings: Food insecurity was common and an important barrier to accessing medical care and ARV …

The Synergistic Evolution Of Liberty And Equality In The Marriage Cases Brought By Same-Sex Couples In State Courts, Jean C. Love

Faculty Publications

Legal scholars have expressed varying views about the roles of liberty and equality in the area of lesbian and gay rights. Some have encouraged gay rights litigators to stress one form of argument over the other. At least one commentator, Pamela Karlan, has suggested that looking at the issue through the lenses of both the due process clause and the equal protection clause simultaneously can have synergistic effects, producing results that neither clause might reach by itself. This article examines selected marriage cases brought by same-sex couples in state courts in order to understand the role played by liberty and …

Hedgehog/Gli Supports Androgen Signaling In Androgen Deprived And Androgen Independent Prostate Cancer Cells, Mengqian Chen, Michael A. Feuerstein, Elina Levina, Prateek S. Baghel, Richard D. Carkner, Matthew J. Tanner, Michael Shtutman, Francis Vacherot, Stéphane Terry, Alexandre De La Taille, Ralph Buttyan

Faculty Publications

Background: Castration resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) develops as a consequence of hormone therapies used to deplete androgens in advanced prostate cancer patients. CRPC cells are able to grow in a low androgen environment and this is associated with anomalous activity of their endogenous androgen receptor (AR) despite the low systemic androgen levels in the patients. Therefore, the reactivated tumor cell androgen signaling pathway is thought to provide a target for control of CRPC. Previously, we reported that Hedgehog (Hh) signaling was conditionally activated by androgen deprivation in androgen sensitive prostate cancer cells and here we studied the potential for cross-talk …

Development Of A ‘Universal’ Rubric For Assessing Undergraduates’ Scientific Reasoning Skills Using Scientific Writing, Briana Eileen Timmerman, Denise Strickland, Robert L. Johnson, John R. Payne

Faculty Publications

We developed a rubric for measuring students’ ability to reason and write scientifically. The Rubric for Science Writing (Rubric) was tested in a variety of undergraduate biology laboratory courses (total n = 142 laboratory reports) using science graduate students (teaching assistants) as raters. Generalisability analysis indicates that the Rubric provides a reliable measure of students’ abilities (g = 0.85) in these conditions. Comparison of student performance in various biology classes indicated that some scientific skills are more challenging for students to develop than others and identified a number of previously unappreciated gaps in the curriculum. Our findings suggest that use …

Research Associations Between Sport And Screen-Entertainment With Mental Health Problems In 5-Year-Old Children, Lucy J. Griffiths, Marsha Dowda, Carol Dezateux, Russell R. Pate

Faculty Publications

Background: Few studies have examined the benefits of regular physical activity, and risks of sedentary behaviour, in young children. This study investigated associations between participation in sports and screen-entertainment (as components of physical activity and sedentary behaviour), and emotional and behavioural problems in this population.

Methods: Cross-sectional analysis of data from 13470 children (50.9% boys) participating in the nationally representative UK Millennium Cohort Study. Time spent participating in sports clubs outside of school, and using screen-entertainment, was reported by the child's mother at child age 5 years, when mental health was also measured using the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire.

Results: …

Associations Between Sport And Screen-Entertainment With Mental Health Problems In 5-Year-Old Children, Lucy J. Griffiths, Marsha Dowda, Carol Dezateux, Russell R. Pate

Faculty Publications

Background: Few studies have examined the benefits of regular physical activity, and risks of sedentary behavior, in young children. This study investigated associations between participation in sports and screen-entertainment (as components of physical activity and sedentary behavior), and emotional and behavioral problems in this population.

Methods: Cross-sectional analysis of data from 13470 children (50.9% boys) participating in the nationally representative UK Millennium Cohort Study. Time spent participating in sports clubs outside of school, and using screen-entertainment, was reported by the child's mother at child age 5 years, when mental health was also measured using the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire.

Results …

Genome-Wide Association Of Anthropometric Traits In African- And African-Derived Populations, Sun J. Kang, Charleston W.K. Chiang, Cameron D. Palmer, Bamidele O. Tayo, Guillaume Lettre, Johannah L. Butler, Rachel Hackett, Adebowale A. Adeyemo, Candace Guiducci, Ilze Berzins, Thutrang T. Nguyen, Tao Feng, Amy Luke, Daniel Shriner, Kristin Ardlie, Charles Rotimi, Rainford Wilks, Terrence Forrester, Colin A. Mckenzie, Helen N. Lyon, Richard S. Cooper, Xiaofeng Zhu, Joel N. Hirschhorn

Faculty Publications

Genome-wide association (GWA) studies have identified common variants that are associated with a variety of traits and diseases, but most studies have been performed in European-derived populations. Here, we describe the first genome-wide analyses of imputed genotype and copy number variants (CNVs) for anthropometric measures in African-derived populations: 1188 Nigerians from Igbo-Ora and Ibadan, Nigeria, and 743 African-Americans from Maywood, IL. To improve the reach of our study, we used imputation to estimate genotypes at ~2.1 million single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and also tested CNVs for association. No SNPs or common CNVs reached a genome-wide significance level for association with height …

Q-DockLhm: Low-Resolution Refinement For Ligand Comparative Modeling, Michal Brylinski, Jeffrey Skolnick

Faculty Publications

The success of ligand docking calculations typically depends on the quality of the receptor structure. Given improvements in protein structure prediction approaches, approximate protein models now can be routinely obtained for the majority of gene products in a given proteome. Structure-based virtual screening of large combinatorial libraries of lead candidates against theoretically modeled receptor structures requires fast and reliable docking techniques capable of dealing with structural inaccuracies in protein models. Here, we present Q-DockLHM, a method for low-resolution refinement of binding poses provided by FINDSITELHM, a ligand homology modeling approach. We compare its performance to that of classical ligand docking …

Tackling Sleeplessness: Psychological Treatment Options For Insomnia In Older Adults, Joseph C. Dzierzewski, Erin M. O’Brien, Daniel Kay, Christina S. Mccrae

Faculty Publications

This paper provides a broad review of the extant literature involving the treatment of sleeplessness in older adults with insomnia. First, background information (including information regarding key issues in late-life insomnia and epidemiology of late-life insomnia) pertinent to achieving a general understanding of insomnia in the elderly is presented. Next, theories of insomnia in older adults are examined and discussed in relation to treatment of insomnia in late-life. With a general knowledge base provided, empirical evidence for both pharmacological (briefly) and psychological treatment options for insomnia in late-life are summarized. Recent advances in the psychological treatment of insomnia are provided …

How To Help Your Community Recover From Disaster: A Manual For Planning And Action, Judah J. Viola,, Society For Community Research & Action Task Force For Disaster, Community Readiness, And Recovery

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

A Butterfly Effect: The Impact Of Marriage And Family Therapy Training On Students' Spouses, Carla M. Dahl, Mary L. Jensen, Jane L. Mccampbell

Faculty Publications

This qualitative study examines the impact of mar- riage and family therapy (MFT) training on the

marriages of trainees. Analysis of data from 18 spouses of alumni from a training program in an evangelical Protestant seminary found participants reporting mostly negative impacts related to time and finances, both negative and positive impacts related to role changes and adjustments, and mostly positive impacts related to marital communication. The additional contribution of this study has to do with the report of an overwhelmingly positive impact of systemic, integrative MFT training on the student’s faith as observed by their spouse and on the …

Book Review. Diamond, Heather A. American Aloha: Cultural Tourism And The Negotiation Of Tradition, Jo Farb Hernandez

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

The New Rules Of For Measuring Teacher Quality: Lessons Learned From The Assessment Experts, Brent M. Duckor

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

The Genome Of A Songbird, Wesley C. Warren, David F. Clayton, Hans Ellegren, Arthur P. Arnold, Ladeana W. Hillier, Axel Künstner, Steve Searle, Simon White, Albert J. Vilella, Susan Fairley, Andreas Heger, Lesheng Kong, Chris P. Ponting, Erich D. Jarvis, Claudio V. Mello, Pat Minx, Peter Lovell, Tarciso A.F. Velho, Margaret Ferris, Christopher N. Balakrishnan, Saurabh Sinha, Charles Blatti, Sarah E. London, Yun Li, Ya Chi Lin, Julia George, Jonathan Sweedler, Bruce Southey, Preethi Gunaratne, Michael Watson, Kiwoong Nam, Niclas Backström, Linnea Smeds, Benoit Nabholz

Faculty Publications

The zebra finch is an important model organism in several fields with unique relevance to human neuroscience. Like other songbirds, the zebra finch communicates through learned vocalizations, an ability otherwise documented only in humans and a few other animals and lacking in the chickenthe only bird with a sequenced genome until now. Here we present a structural, functional and comparative analysis of the genome sequence of the zebra finch (Taeniopygia guttata), which is a songbird belonging to the large avian order Passeriformes. We find that the overall structures of the genomes are similar in zebra finch and chicken, but they …

Sports In The Courts: How Sports References Strengthen Written Advocacy And Judicial Opinions (Part I), Douglas E. Abrams

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Discovery And Characterization Of Proteins Associated With Aflatoxin-Resistance: Evaluating Their Potential As Breeding Markers, Robert L. Brown, Zhi Yuan Chen, Marilyn Warburton, Meng Luo, Abebe Menkir, Ahmad Fakhoury, Deepak Bhatnagar

Faculty Publications

Host resistance has become a viable approach to eliminating aflatoxin contamination of maize since the discovery of several maize lines with natural resistance. However, to derive commercial benefit from this resistance and develop lines that can aid growers, markers need to be identified to facilitate the transfer of resistance into commercially useful genetic backgrounds without transfer of unwanted traits. To accomplish this, research efforts have focused on the identification of kernel resistanceassociated proteins (RAPs) including the employment of comparative proteomics to investigate closely-related maize lines that vary in aflatoxin accumulation. RAPs have been identified and several further characterized through physiological …

Policies That Restrict Sweetened Beverage Availability May Reduce Consumption In Elementary-School Children, Sonya J. Jones, Wendy Gonzalez, Edward A. Frongillo Jr.

Faculty Publications

Objective:We investigated whether having a policy regarding the availability of sweetened beverages in school was associated with children's purchase of total weekly and daily consumption of sweetened beverages.

Design: Data were obtained in the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Kindergarten cohort. Multilevel logistic regression was used to determine the magnitude and significance of relationships between the availability of different beverages and purchase of sweetened beverages at school and overall consumption of beverages.

Results: The purchase of sweetened beverages by children in school was strongly associated with the administrative policy of sweetened beverage availability. Compared with children in schools without an administrative …

Learning, Changing, And Doing: A Model For Transformational Leadership Development In Religious And Non-Profit Organizations, Skip Bell

Faculty Publications

Religious and non-profit organizations seek people who continually experience learning and growth within their work. Such persons will not stop at doing their jobs well; they develop as leaders who in turn create positive transformation within their group. The purpose of this article is to define a transformational leadership development process integrating learning, changing, and doing as the preferred model in the life of a religious or non-profit organization. The outcome will be persons who grow as leaders, experience meaning in their service, and contribute significant organizational change.

‘I Don’T Lend Money; It Causes Amnesia!’ Money, Culture And Ethics., Annetta M. Gibson

Faculty Publications

Christian leaders seek to be ethical people and make ethical decisions, but often the ethical dilemmas a leader must face do not have clear-cut answers. Ethical dilemmas can be even more troubling when they occur in a culturally diverse situation that is coupled with decisions involving financial transactions. Views of money and how to handle money are culturally influenced and may not be the same as the views of the leader, who may come from a different culture. This leads the Christian leader to ponder: When working in a culturally diverse environment, how can one tell the difference between a …

Birth Order Modifies The Effect Of Il13 Gene Polymorphisms On Serum Ige At Age 10 And Skin Prick Test At Ages 4, 10 And 18: A Prospective Birth Cohort Study, Ikechukwu U. Ogbuanu, Wilfried J. Karmaus, Hongmei Zhang, Tara Sabo-Attwood, Susan L. Ewart, Graham Roberts, Syed Hasan Arshad

Faculty Publications

Background: Susceptibility to atopy originates from effects of the environment on genes. Birth order has been identified as a risk factor for atopy and evidence for some candidate genes has been accumulated; however no study has yet assessed a birth order-gene interaction.

Objective: To investigate the interaction of IL13 polymorphisms with birth order on allergic sensitization at ages 4, 10 and 18 years.

Methods: Mother-infant dyads were recruited antenatally and followed prospectively to age 18 years. Questionnaire data (at birth, age 4, 10, 18); skin prick test (SPT) at ages 4, 10, 18; total serum IgE and specific inhalant screen …