Digital Commons Network^™

Confronting The Youth Sports Concussion Crisis: A Central Role For Responsible Local Enforcement Of Playing Rules, Douglas E. Abrams

Faculty Publications

This article concerns the effect of playing rules on efforts to prevent concussions in youth sports. We can significantly reduce rates of sports-related concussions by periodically reviewing safety-based playing rules in light of medical learning, and then by assuring their enforcement by coaches, officials and parents who remain committed to sportsmanship and mutual respect in local games.

Impact Of Obesity On Il-12 Family Gene Expression In Insulin Responsive Tissues, Heesun Nam, Bradley S. Ferguson, Jacqueline M. Stephens, Ron F. Morrison

Faculty Publications

Mounting evidence has established a role for chronic inflammation in the development of obesity-induced insulin resistance, as genetic ablation of pro-inflammatory cytokines and chemokines elevated in obesity improves insulin signaling in vitro and in vivo. Recent evidence further highlights interleukin (IL)-12 family cytokines as prospective inflammatory mediators linking obesity to insulin resistance. In this study, we present empirical evidence demonstrating that IL-12 family related genes are expressed and regulated in insulin-responsive tissues under conditions of obesity. First, we report that respective mRNAs for each of the known members of this cytokine family are expressed within detectable ranges in WAT, skeletal …

Infection Structure-Specific Expression Of Β-1,3-Glucan Synthase Is Essential For Pathogenicity Of Colletotrichum Graminicola And Evasion Of Β-Glucan-Triggered Immunity In Maize, Ely Oliveira-Garcia, Holger B. Deising

Faculty Publications

β -1,3-Glucan and chitin are the most prominent polysaccharides of the fungal cell wall. Covalently linked, these polymers form a scaffold that determines the form and properties of vegetative and pathogenic hyphae. While the role of chitin in plant infection is well understood, the role of β-1,3-glucan is unknown. We functionally characterized the β -1,3-glucan synthase gene GLS1 of the maize (Zea mays) pathogen Colletotrichum graminicola, employing RNA interference (RNAi), GLS1 overexpression, live-cell imaging, and aniline blue fluorochrome staining. This hemibiotroph sequentially differentiates a melanized appressorium on the cuticle and biotrophic and necrotrophic hyphae in its host. Massive β-1,3-glucan contents …

Chitin-Glucan Fiber Effects On Oxidized Low-Density Lipoprotein: A Randomized Controlled Trial, H. E. Bays, J. L. Evans, K. C. Maki, M. Evans, V. Maquet, R. Cooper, J. W. Anderson

Faculty Publications

Background/objectives: Elevated oxidized low-density lipoprotein (OxLDL) may promote inflammation, and is associated with increased risk of atherosclerotic coronary heart disease and worsening complications of diabetes mellitus. The primary objective of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of chitin-glucan (CG), alone and in combination with a potentially anti-inflammatory olive oil (OO) extract, for reducing OxLDL in subjects with borderline to high LDL cholesterol (LDL-C) levels. Subjects/methods: This 6-week, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study of a novel, insoluble fiber derived from the Aspergillus niger mycelium, CG, evaluated 130 subjects free of diabetes mellitus with fasting LDL-C 3.37-4.92 mmol/l and glucose ≤6.94 mmol/l. …

Categorical Analysis Of The Impact Of Aerobic And Resistance Exercise Training, Alone And In Combination, On Cardiorespiratory Fitness Levels In Patients With Type 2 Diabetes, Neil M. Johannsen, Damon L. Swift, Carl J. Lavie, Conrad P. Earnest, Steven N. Blair, Timothy S. Church

Faculty Publications

Objective-Low cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) is an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD), especially in individuals with type 2 diabetes. Age-predicted, sex-stratified, and maximal MET cut points have been developed to determine the risk of CVD events and mortality in low CRF categories. We examined the proportion of Health Benefits of Aerobic and Resistance Training in IndividualsWith Type 2 Diabetes (HART-D) participants above these cut points before and after 9 months of aerobic training (AT), resistance training (RT), or a combination of both (ATRT). RESEARCH DESIGNANDMETHODSdParticipants from the HART-D study (n = 196) who were randomly assigned to exercise training …

Genetic Control Of Traits Associated With Phosphorus Use Efficiency In Maize By Reml/Blup, Júlio César Dovale, Roberto Fritsche-Neto

Faculty Publications

The improvement phosphorus use efficiency (PUE) allows to reach satisfactory yields with lower costs. A breeding strategy for PUE is to increase its components, the phosphorus acquisiton efficiency (PAE) and phosphorus utilization efficiency (PUtE). Thus, this study aimed to identify: i) the relative importance of the components of PUE, in high and low phosphorus; ii)the relationship of root system length and shoot dry mass (SDM) with PUE and its components and; iii) the genetic control of traits associated with the PUE. Forty-one hybrid combinations were evaluated in two experimental environments representing contrasting conditions of availability of phosphorus: low (LP) and …

Relationship Between Heterosis And Genetic Divergence For Phosphorus Use Efficiency And Its Components In Tropical Maize, Débora Santos Caixeta, Roberto Fritsche-Neto, Lorena Guimarães Batista, Humberto Fanelli Carvalho, Júlio César Dovale, Éder Cristian Malta De Lanes, Glauco Vieira Miranda

Faculty Publications

The objective of this study was to determine the relationship between heterosis and genetic divergence for phosphorus use efficiency (PUE) in tropical maize. It was used two groups of genitors, each consisting of seven lines, contrasting with each other in the nitrogen and phosphorus use efficiency. It was obtained 41 hybrid combinations between these groups, which were evaluated in low phosphorus. Randomized complete block design with two replications was used. For obtaining the components of variance and the breeding values were used REML/BLUP method. In the genotyping of the parental lines were used 80 microsatellite markers. Through the correlation between …

Nitrogen Uptake And Utilization Efficiency And Enzymatic Activity In Maize Genotypes, Lucimar Rodrigues De Oliveira, Glauco Vieira Miranda, Rodrigo Oliveira Delima, Roberto Fritsche-Neto, João Carlos Cardoso Galvão

Faculty Publications

The aim of this study was to investigate the employment of components of the nitrogen efficiency use (NUE), and of the activities of the nitrate reductase and glutamine synthetase enzymes in the selection of nitrogen use efficient maize genotypes of maize. Ten maize genotypes at V4 stage were evaluated under high and low N. The experiment consisted of a 2 × 10 factorial (two levels of N and ten maize genotypes), in a randomized complete block design with three replicates. The following traits were evaluated: N uptake efficiency (NUpE), N utilizationefficiency (NUtE) and N use efficiency (NUE), and activities of …

Genetic Responses Of Traits Relationship To Components Of Nitrogen And Phosphorus Use Efficiency In Maize, Júlio César Dovale, Ciro Maia, Roberto Fritsche-Neto, Glauco Vieira Miranda, Paulo Cezar Cavatte

Faculty Publications

This study had three objectives: i) to observe maize inbred lines response to nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) acquisition as well as their utilization efficiencies and traits of root morphology in contrasting levels of these nutrients, ii) to study the relationship between root morphology and nutrient use efficiencies for both nutrients, and iii) to identify contrasting parents with components N and P use efficiency for an inheritance study. We evaluated 15 inbred lines in two experiments conducted in contrasting conditions of N and P. We evaluated the shoot, root traits and nutritional efficiencies and observed the genetic variability for most …

Insulin Receptor-Independent Upregulation Of Cellular Glucose Uptake, R. Krishnapuram, H. Kirk-Ballard, E. J. Dhurandhar, O. Dubuisson, V. Messier, R. Rabasa-Lhoret, V. Hegde, S. Aggarwal, N. V. Dhurandhar

Faculty Publications

Background:Cellular glucose uptake can be enhanced by upregulating Ras signaling in either insulin-dependent or -independent manner. In presence of insulin and intact insulin signaling, Ras has a negligible role in glucose uptake. Conversely, when insulin signaling is impaired in obesity or diabetes, the insulin-independent Ras pathway may be valuable for enhancing glucose disposal. We previously reported that Ad36, a human adenovirus, enhances cellular glucose uptake by upregulating the Ras/Glut4 pathway. Here, we investigated if Ad36-upregulated Ras via the insulin-independent pathway, to enhance glucose uptake. Furthermore, uncontrolled upregulation of Ras is linked with oncogenic cell transformation, if the tumor-suppressor gene p53 …

Ethanol Production Potential Of Sweet Sorghum Assessed Using Forage Fiber Analysis Procedures, Kun Jun Han, William D. Pitman, Misook Kim, Donal F. Day, Montgomery W. Alison, Michael E. Mccormick, Giovanna Aita

Faculty Publications

Sweet sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench) is widely recognized as a highly promising biomass energy crop with particular potential to complement sugarcane production in diversified cropping systems. Agronomic assessments have led to identification of four cultivars well suited for such sugarcane-based production systems in southern Louisiana. Sweet sorghum biofuel production systems are currently being developed, and research producing large sample numbers requiring ethanol yield assessment is anticipated. Fiber analysis approaches developed for forage evaluation appear to be useful for screening such large numbers of samples for relative ethanol yield. Chemical composition, forage fiber characteristics, digestibility, and ethanol production of sweet …

Good Genes From Asia-Contributions And Opportunities Of Asian Origin Crops To U.S. Horticulture: An Introduction To The Workshop, Yan Chen, Jayesh B. Samtani

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

School-Based Legal Services As A Tool In Dismantling The School-To-Prison Pipeline And Achieving Educational Equity, Barbara A. Fedders, Jason Langberg

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Does Altitude Moderate The Impact Of Lithium On Suicide? A Spatial Analysis Of Austria, Marco Helbich, Victor Blüml, Michael Leitner, Nestor D. Kapusta

Faculty Publications

Suicide, the tenth leading cause of death worldwide, is a complex phenomenon. Models aiming to explain the interaction of ambient variables such as socioeconomic factors, lithium content of drinking water and altitude are poorly developed. While controlling for several risk factors, this research bridges two different, but complementary research lines by investigating statistically the relationship on suicide mortality between lithium levels in drinking water in response to altitude above sea level. Besides regression models with main effects, a multiplicative interaction model between lithium and altitude has been developed providing estimates at the district-level for Austria where spatial autocorrelation was accounted …

Consumers’ Misunderstanding Of Health Insurance, George Loewenstein, Joelle Y. Friedman, Barbara Mcgill, Sarah Ahmad, Suzanne Linck, Stacey Sinkula, John Beshears, James J. Choi, Jonathan Kolstad, David Laibson, Brigitte C. Madrian, John A. List, Kevin G. Volpp

Faculty Publications

We report results from two surveys of representative samples of Americans with private health insur-ance. The first examines how well Americans understand, and believe they understand, traditional healthinsurance coverage. The second examines whether those insured under a simplified all-copay insuranceplan will be more likely to engage in cost-reducing behaviors relative to those insured under a traditionalplan with deductibles and coinsurance, and measures consumer preferences between the two plans. Thesurveys provide strong evidence that consumers do not understand traditional plans and would betterunderstand a simplified plan, but weaker evidence that a simplified plan would have strong appeal toconsumers or change their …

Cannabis Use And Its Socio-Demographic Correlates Among In-School Adolescents In Zambia, Seter Siziya, Adamson S. Muula, Chola Besa, Olesegun Babaniyi, Peter Songolo, Njinga Kankiza, Emmanuel Rudatsikira

Faculty Publications

Background

Cannabis dependence in adolescents predicts increased risks of using other illicit drugs, poor academic performance and reporting psychotic symptoms. The prevalence of cannabis use was estimated two decades ago in Zambia among secondary school students. There are no recent estimates of the extent of the problem; further, correlates for its use have not been documented in Zambia. The objective of study was to estimate the current prevalence of cannabis use and its socio-demographic correlates among in-school adolescents.

Methods

We conducted secondary analysis of data that was obtained from the 2004 Zambia Global School-Based Health Survey. Logistic regression analysis was …

Alcohol Consumption And Its Correlates Among Residents Of Mining Town, Kitwe, Zambia: 2011 Population Based Survey, Cosmas Zyaambo, Olesegun Babaniyi, Peter Songolo, Adamson S. Muula, Emmanuel Rudatsikira, Seter Siziya

Faculty Publications

Alcohol consumption is a risk factor for non-communicable diseases such as cardiovascular diseases, liver cirrhosis and cancers. It has also been associated with risky sexual behaviors, hence, attributed as a factor in the increase of HIV incidence and prevalence. A cross sectional study was conducted using a modified World Health Organizations Global Non Communicable Diseases (NCD) Surveillance Initiative NCD-STEPs 1and 2. Multivariate logistic regression was used to examine the determinants of alcohol consumption. A total of 1627 individuals participated in the survey, of which 42.3% were males. Some 22.3% (36.2% of male and 12.1% of female; p<0.001) participants reported to have consumed alcohol during the 30 days preceding the survey. The factors considered to be associated with alcohol consumption were age, sex and smoking. Compared to respondents age 25-34 years, respondents of age 35-44 years were 38% (AOR = 1.38, 95%CI [1.11, 1.70]) more likely to report having consumed alcohol and those aged 45 years or older were 26% (AOR = 0.74, 95%CI [0.60, 0.93]) less likely to report having consumed alcohol. Female respondents were 47% (AOR = 0.53, 95%CI [0.46, 0.60]) less likely to report consuming alcohol compared to male respondents. Compared to respondents who reported smoking cigarettes, those who did not smoke cigarettes were 51% (AOR = 0.49, 95%CI [0.40, 0.59]) less likely to consume alcohol. The rate of alcohol consumption is high in this mining town. Factors identified in this study as associated with alcohol consumption, i.e., male sex, age, cigarette smoking, should be considered in designing interventions to curtail the level of alcohol consumption.

Food Safety Attitudes In College Students: A Structural Equation Modeling Analysis Of A Conceptual Model, Rachelle Booth, Maggie Hernandez, Erica L. Baker, Tevni Grajales, Peter Pribis

Faculty Publications

College students are one of the most at-risk population groups for food poisoning, due to risky food safety behaviors. Using the Likert Scale, undergraduate students were asked to participate in a Food Safety Survey which was completed by 499 students ages 18–25. Data was analyzed using SPSS and AMOS statistical software. Four conceptual definitions regarding food safety were defined as: general food safety, bacterial food safety, produce food safety, and politics associated with food safety. Knowledge seems to be an important factor in shaping students attitudes regarding general and bacterial safety. Ethnicity plays a role in how people view the …

Disclosure As Distribution, Jeremy N. Sheff

Faculty Publications

This brief response to the work of Professors Omri Ben-Shahr and Carl Schneider on mandated disclosure regimes investigates the normative criteria underlying their claim that those regimes are failures. Specifically, it unpacks the pieces of those authors' implicit cost-benefit analysis, revealing inherently normative judgments about desert and responsibility at the core of their (or any) critique of disclosure regimes. Disclosure regimes may aim to improve human decisionmaking behaviors, but those behaviors are influenced in non-deterministic ways by cognitive capacities that are heterogeneously distributed among subjects of the regimes. Accordingly, any claim regarding the normative desirability of disclosure regimes (or any …

Family-Focused Physical Activity, Diet, And Obesity Interventions In African-American Girls: A Systematic Review, Daheia J. Barr-Anderson, Alexis W. Adams-Wynn, Katherine I. Disantis, Shiriki Kumanyika

Faculty Publications

Obesity interventions that involve family members may be effective with racial/ethnic minority youth. This review assessed the nature and effectiveness of family involvement in obesity interventions among African-American girls aged 5-18 years, a population group with high rates of obesity. Twenty-six databases were searched between January 2011 and March 2012, yielding 27 obesity pilot or full-length prevention or treatment studies with some degree of family involvement and data specific to African-American girls. Interventions varied in type and level of family involvement, cultural adaptation, delivery format, and behavior change intervention strategies; most targeted parent-child dyads. Some similarities in approach based on …

“Francisco Del Río Cuenca.”, Jo Farb Hernandez

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Las Políticas De Salud Del Banco Mundial, Shiri Noy

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Malleable Law: The (Mis)Use Of Legal Tools In The Pursuit Of A Political Agenda, Manuel A. Gomez

Faculty Publications

This paper explores the manipulative use of the law for political gain. It describes instances in which law is distorted and camouflaged under an apparent goal of pursuing justice, social change or development, but its real function is to facilitate the attainment of self-interested political gains or other ends. The malleability of law is illustrated in this article with a description of the social programs known as “Misiones Bolivarianas” implemented in Venezuela since 2004. The Misiones were ostensibly portrayed as effective government measures launched to reduce poverty and fight inequality in areas where traditional state institutions had failed.

Patient And Provider Attitudes Toward Genomic Testing For Prostate Cancer Susceptibility: A Mixed Method Study, Wendy C. Birmingham, Neeraj Agarwal, Wendy Kohlmann, Lisa G. Aspinwall, Mary Wang, Jay Bishoff, Christopher Decket, Anita Y. Kinney

Faculty Publications

Background: The strong association between family history and prostate cancer (PCa) suggests a significant genetic contribution, yet specific highly penetrant PCa susceptibility genes have not been identified. Certain single-nucleotide-polymorphisms have been found to correlate with PCa risk; however uncertainty remains regarding their clinical utility and how to best incorporate this information into clinical decision-making. Genetic testing is available directly to consumers and both patients and healthcare providers are becoming more aware of this technology. Purchasing online allows patients to bypass their healthcare provider yet patients may have difficulty interpreting test results and providers may be called upon to interpret results. …

Perceived Food And Labor Equity And School Attendance Among Ugandan Children Living In Kin Care, Jini Roby, Stacey Shaw, Laurel George

Faculty Publications

Emerging research suggests that biological relatedness contributes to differential treatment between children being raised by kin and the biological children in the caregiver’s household. This potential concern may be elevated especially when household resources are stretched thin. In this study, 518 Ugandan youth and their caregivers were interviewed individually, examining the association between relatedness and perceived food and work equity, and school attendance. Household income, but not relatedness, was negatively associated with food inequity. However, relatedness was positively associated with perceived disparity in the distribution of work among children living in the household, and with children’s school attendance. These findings …

Self - Inflicted Serious Injuries Among Adolescents In Zambia, Adamson S. Muula, Seter Siziya, Emmanuel Rudatsikira

Faculty Publications

Injuries are a growing cause of morbidity and mortality in the world. Data from Southern Africa are limited, possibly because of limited research prioritization of the issue and pre-occupation with communicable diseases. This study was conducted to estimate the prevalence of, and assess factors associated with, self-inflicted serious injuries among in-school adolescents in Zambia. We used data collected from the 2004 Zambia Global School-Based Health Survey to estimate prevalence of self-inflicted serious injury within the past 12 months. Logistic regression analysis was conducted to assess the association between selected predictor variables and reported history of having seriously injured oneself. Out …

Economics And/Of Science: The Meaning(S) Of Financial Bias And The Ideal Of Interest-Free Science In Law, David S. Caudill

Faculty Publications

Images of scientific research and funding conventions are important in legal contexts when, for example, a trial judge or agency administrator evaluates the integrity of a scientific expert or risk assessment report — is industry affiliation or sponsorship of research a marker of bias, and should the results of “independent” research be given greater weight? In the discourse concerning the commercialization of science, there is a geography of positions reflecting different images of how science is affected by, or alternatively rises above, financial or economic pressures or entanglements. Of course, science costs and has always cost a lot of money, …

Early Invitation To Food And/Or Multiple Micronutrient Supplementation In Pregnancy Does Not Affect Body Composition In Offspring At 54 Months: Follow-Up Of The Minimat Randomized Trial, Bangladesh, Ashraful Islam Khan, Iqbal Kabir, Sophie Hawkesworth, Eva‐Charlotte Ekström, Shams Arifeen, Edward A. Frongillo Jr., Lars Åke Persson

Faculty Publications

Growth patterns in early life are associated with later health.The effect of nutrition duringin uterodevelopmenton later body composition is unclear. We evaluated whether prenatal early invitation to food and/or multiplemicronutrient supplementation (MMS) in pregnancy has an effect on offspring body composition at 54 monthsof age. In Maternal and Infant Nutrition Interventions in Matlab trial (ISRCTN16581394) in Bangladesh, 4436pregnant women were randomised into six equally sized groups: double-masked supplementation with capsulesof either 30 mg Fe and 400mg folic acid, or 60 mg Fe and 400mg folic acid, or MMS (15 micronutrients), wascombined with a randomised early invitation (around 9 weeks) or …

Improved Chemical Control For The Mexican Rice Borer (Lepidoptera: Crambidae) In Sugarcane: Larval Exposure, A Novel Scouting Method, And Efficacy Of A Single Aerial Insecticide Application, B. E. Wilson, A. T. Showler, T. E. Reagan, J. M. Beuzelin

Faculty Publications

A three-treatment aerial application insecticide experiment was conducted in five commercial sugarcane, Saccharum spp., fields in south Texas to evaluate the use of pheromone traps for improving chemical control of the Mexican rice borer, Eoreuma loftini (Dyar), in 2009 and 2010. A threshold of 20 moths/trap/wk was used to initiate monitoring for larval infestations. The percentage of stalks with larvae on plant surfaces was directly related to the number of moths trapped. Reductions in borer injury and adult emergence were detected when a threshold of >5% of stalks with larvae present on plant surfaces was used to trigger insecticide applications. …

Influence Of Certain Pulsed Electric Field Conditions On The Growth Of Lactobacillus Acidophilus La-K, O. Cueva, K. J. Aryana

Faculty Publications

Pulsed Electric Field (PEF) processing involves the application of pulses of electricity, for less than one second to fluid products placed between two electrodes. Lactobacillus acidophilus is an important probiotic bacterium used for the production of fermented dairy foods. The objective was to study the influence of electric pulse period, electric field strength, and electric pulse width on the growth of Lactobacillus acidophilus LA-K. Lactobacillus acidophilus LA-K, suspended in sterile peptone water was treated using an OSU-4 PEF processor. The treatments were pulse periods of 10,000, 20,000 and 30,000 μs electric field strength of 5, 15 and 25 kV/cm, and …