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Baseline Data On The Wellness Of University Students, Stefanie M. Meyer Jan 2007

Baseline Data On The Wellness Of University Students, Stefanie M. Meyer

Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.


Adaptations Of Five Pale-Type Grain Amaranth Accessions (Amaranthus Caudatus) And Five Ataco Or Sangorache Accessions (Amaranthus Hybridus) In The Cities Of Otavalo And Antonio Ante, Sixto Stalin Tuston Torres Jan 2007

Adaptations Of Five Pale-Type Grain Amaranth Accessions (Amaranthus Caudatus) And Five Ataco Or Sangorache Accessions (Amaranthus Hybridus) In The Cities Of Otavalo And Antonio Ante, Sixto Stalin Tuston Torres

Theses and Dissertations

This study was conducted in two locations: Pucará (2,413m above sea level) and Mojandita (2,922m above sea level), both of which are found in the province of Imbabura, Ecuador. The objectives of this study were to: characterize the morphological and agronomic traits as well as the overall quality of the ten amaranth accessions in this study; identify the accessions with the highest yield and biomass; determine the nutritional characteristics of the experimental accessions; and determine the cost of production of amaranth per hectare. The following null hypothesis was assumed: the agronomic and nutritional characteristics of the ten accessions in this …


Effect Of The Consumption Of Farm Animals On The Diet And Hemoglobin Levels Of School Age Children In The Rural Communities Of Topo, Imbabura, Gualabi, Calpaqui, And Compania Of The Imbabura Province, Alexandra Echeverría Jan 2007

Effect Of The Consumption Of Farm Animals On The Diet And Hemoglobin Levels Of School Age Children In The Rural Communities Of Topo, Imbabura, Gualabi, Calpaqui, And Compania Of The Imbabura Province, Alexandra Echeverría

Theses and Dissertations

This research addressed malnutrition in the villages of Topo, Imbabura, Gualabí, Calpaquí and Compañía in the city Otavalo, which is in the Province of Imbaura, Ecuador. The research determined the effects of consumption of small-animals on the diet and hemoglobin levels in school aged boys and girls. This study involved 311 indigenous children between 6 and 12 years of age. Following parental authorization, blood tests and fecal samples were taken from each child to analyze hemoglobin and parasites. Additional information gathered from this study group included a socio-economic survey, frequency of food consumption, 24 hour inventory, animal production, and basic …


Evaluation Of The Nutritional Quality Of Twelve Species Of Grass Tolerant To Salt And Drought In Function To Their Dry Matter Accumulation Curve In The Tamborada Region, Julio César Bustamante Alavi Jan 2007

Evaluation Of The Nutritional Quality Of Twelve Species Of Grass Tolerant To Salt And Drought In Function To Their Dry Matter Accumulation Curve In The Tamborada Region, Julio César Bustamante Alavi

Theses and Dissertations

Currently, livestock production in the Andean highlands of Bolivia is done with low food efficiency due to the free range grazing system. This in turn leads to nutritional deficiencies. Therefore, it is necessary to substitute these grass species for others that fulfill nutritional requirements. Our main objective was to determine the species of grass with the best nutritional quality. Of the 12 species, only 11 were analyzed because the species Didtichlis stricta did not germinate. Five monthly samples were taken after the cut (ddc) at the following intervals: 50, 81, 112, 141, and 176 days. These samples were analyzed in …


Modulation Of Thioredoxin Reductase By Selenium And Sulforphane, Peter D. Leary Jan 2007

Modulation Of Thioredoxin Reductase By Selenium And Sulforphane, Peter D. Leary

Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.


Reading Don't Sew No Hems : Examining Smith And Wilhelm's Theory Of Engaging Readers On Girls, Bridget F. Ryberg Jan 2007

Reading Don't Sew No Hems : Examining Smith And Wilhelm's Theory Of Engaging Readers On Girls, Bridget F. Ryberg

Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.


Giant Pandas Balance Energy Budgets With Metabolic Depression: Insights From Radar Detection Of Heart Rates, Tommy Gene Finley Jan 2007

Giant Pandas Balance Energy Budgets With Metabolic Depression: Insights From Radar Detection Of Heart Rates, Tommy Gene Finley

Theses and Dissertations

Giant pandas ( Ailuropoda melanoleuca ) are flagship species for conservation because of their endangered status and charismatic nature. Giant pandas are placed in the bear family (Urisidae) within the order Carnivora. They specialize on a diet of bamboo, yet retain a typical carnivore gastrointestinal tract. Low energy digestive efficiency (9.5–34%) was calculated from bamboo-only digestibility trials conducted on captive giant pandas. Huge amounts of bamboo are consumed to overcome inefficient extraction and thus obtain sufficient energy and nutrients. I designed this study to gain insights into giant panda energy balance by measuring heart rates during sleep, their primary means …


The Abc's Of Early Intervention: Assessing The Arkansas Better Chance For School Success Pre -School Program, Lisa Walker Todd Jan 2007

The Abc's Of Early Intervention: Assessing The Arkansas Better Chance For School Success Pre -School Program, Lisa Walker Todd

Theses and Dissertations

Early intervention programs have long been associated with increased cognitive benefits for disadvantaged poverty children. The Arkansas Better Chance for School Success Pre-school Program (ABCSS) was implemented in select counties in Arkansas as an early intervention strategy for Arkansas' poverty children. The core rationale behind the implementation of the Arkansas Better Chance for School Success Pre-school Program was the belief that it is much easier not to be left behind if you do not start behind. The study assessed the Arkansas Better Chance for School Success Pre-school Program on the impact of sustained benefits on third grade children who previously …


Impact Of Combat Stress On Mental Health Outcomes: Brfss Survey Data 2006, Emily Pedneau Jan 2007

Impact Of Combat Stress On Mental Health Outcomes: Brfss Survey Data 2006, Emily Pedneau

Theses and Dissertations

Objectives: This study sought to determine the relationship between combat experience and mental health outcomes. The study sought to determine whether age was a significant factor in poor mental health outcomes. Methods: Multiple logistic regression (n = 195,048) and multiple linear regression (n = 264,154) were performed on the 2006 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) survey. Veteran status and a host of demographic and health status questions were analyzed in relation to diagnosis of anxiety or depressive disorder (multiple logistic regression) and to number of days poor mental health (multiple linear regression). Results: Diagnosis of anxiety or depression was …


Induction Of Heme Oxygenase By A Carbon Monoxide-Releasing Molecule, Robert Andrew Kulina Jan 2007

Induction Of Heme Oxygenase By A Carbon Monoxide-Releasing Molecule, Robert Andrew Kulina

Theses and Dissertations

We have recently demonstrated that heme oxygenase is expressed in both healing wounds and in pressure ulcers. Heme oxygenase has been shown to have important cytoprotective functions in myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury and organ allograft survival. The cytoprotective effects of heme oxygenase are multifactorial. Besides reducing levels of pro-oxidant heme, heme oxygenase products (bilirubin, carbon monoxide, and iron) have been demonstrated to possess anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-apoptotic, and anti-proliferative properties. These properties make heme oxygenase an attractive therapeutic target for the prevention and treatment of chronic wounds. The purpose of this study was two-fold: evaluate the effects of carbon monoxide (CO) on …


Children With Special Needs Oral Health Quality Of Life Survey, Kristin Elizabeth Nelson Jan 2007

Children With Special Needs Oral Health Quality Of Life Survey, Kristin Elizabeth Nelson

Theses and Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to asses the oral health quality of life of children with special health care needs. This study examined the effects of oral health conditions on general well-being and family life of these children. A secondary aim of the study was to investigate correlations between specific health care conditions, gender, and age of these children and their global ratings of oral health and well-being.Methods: This study was a cross-sectional design with subjects who are members of the Virginia Care Connection for Children program, based at Virginia Commonwealth University. The oral health quality of life …


Portable Space And Interior Design For Dentists, Yu-Ping Liu Jan 2007

Portable Space And Interior Design For Dentists, Yu-Ping Liu

Theses and Dissertations

In the United State today, many people do not have access to adequate dental treatment, while tooth decay is the single most common chronic childhood disease-five times more common than asthma and seven times more common than hay fever. At the same time, studies show that 80% of dental illness takes place in 25% of the population, which is comprised mostly of lower socioeconomic groups. A study undertaken by the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey in 2000, concludes that poor children suffer five times as much tooth decay as their more affluent peers. Furthermore, in poor children with tooth …


Design Of An Electrospun Type Ii Collagen Scaffold For Articular Cartilage Tissue Engineering, Catherine Pemble Barnes Jan 2007

Design Of An Electrospun Type Ii Collagen Scaffold For Articular Cartilage Tissue Engineering, Catherine Pemble Barnes

Theses and Dissertations

Traumatic defects in articular cartilage can lead to joint disease and disability including osteoarthritis. Because cartilage is unable to regenerate when injured, the field of tissue engineering holds promise in restoring functional tissue. In this research, type II collagen was electrospun, cross-linked, and tested as scaffolds for supporting chondrocyte growth. The mechanical, biochemical, and histological characteristics of the engineered tissue were assessed as a function of the electrospinning solution concentration (i.e. scaffold fiber diameter and pore properties) and as a function of the time in culture (evaluated at 2, 4, and 6 weeks). Fiber diameter had a linear relationship with …


Constraints On Breastfeeding Choices For Low Income Mothers, Carol Grace Hurst Jan 2007

Constraints On Breastfeeding Choices For Low Income Mothers, Carol Grace Hurst

Theses and Dissertations

The choice to breastfeed a baby is a woman's concern with impact reaching beyond each individual mother and child to longer term health and mental health outcomes for society. The U.S. government has made increasing breastfeeding rates one of its major public health goals for 2010. Breastfeeding is a health disparity issue with mothers who are poor, young, less educated or Black less likely to breastfeed. This project examined impacts of sexual perceptions of breastfeeding, social support, and work on breastfeeding choices made by a sample of low income mothers. A cross-sectional survey design was employed to examine potential barriers …


Invisible Green, Amanda Sauer Jan 2007

Invisible Green, Amanda Sauer

Theses and Dissertations

How is nature conceived today, a generation into the environmental movement? Many contemporary artists grapple with how to reconcile our inheritance of both a precarious natural world and the culture that created it. My work investigates the subtle intricacies of our relationship with nature. I use photography to develop a way of seeing that points to the often-unnoticed nature in front of us. In particular, my work recognizes and re-imagines nature's deep connections in the context of our ecologically changed world.


Cradle To Cage: Confronting The Premature Institutionalization Of The Children Of The Incarcerated, Jen Fell Jan 2007

Cradle To Cage: Confronting The Premature Institutionalization Of The Children Of The Incarcerated, Jen Fell

Theses and Dissertations

American prisons are swollen and distended. Over 2 million Americans sit in jail or prison today. About 2/3 of the incarcerated are parents. They parent approximately 2 million children in America today who are separated from mom or dad because of incarceration. Their children suffer from poverty, inconsistency in caregivers, separation from siblings, reduced opportunity to health and education and increased risk for substance abuse, alcoholism and incarceration themselves. Children of the incarcerated are seven times more likely than their peers to become incarcerated as adults.Many of these children are unable to visit their parents. Over half the mothers in …


Multiresolution Wavelet Analysis Of Event-Related Eeg Potentials Using Ensemble Of Classifier Data Fusion Techniques For Early Diagnosis Of Alzheimer's Disease, Apostolos Topalis Dec 2006

Multiresolution Wavelet Analysis Of Event-Related Eeg Potentials Using Ensemble Of Classifier Data Fusion Techniques For Early Diagnosis Of Alzheimer's Disease, Apostolos Topalis

Theses and Dissertations

The recent advances and knowledge in medicine and nutrition have greatly improved our average life expectancy. An unfortunate consequence of this longer life span, however, is a dramatic increase in the number of individuals suffering from dementia, and more specifically, from Alzheimer's disease (AD). Furthermore, AD remains under-diagnosed and under-treated until its more severe stages due to lack of standard diagnostic tools available to community clinics. A search for biomarkers that will allow early diagnosis of the disease is therefore necessary to develop effective medical treatments. Such a biomarker should be non-invasive, simple to obtain, safe, inexpensive, accurate, and most …


Effectiveness Of Postharvest Sanitation Treatments On Microbial Load Of Blueberries, Wei-Chun Chen Dec 2006

Effectiveness Of Postharvest Sanitation Treatments On Microbial Load Of Blueberries, Wei-Chun Chen

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine the quality and microbial load of blueberries at different maturity stages, to develop the effective microbial recovery method and to compare sanitation postharvest treatments on microbial counts of blueberries. The soluble solids and the sugar to acid ratio increased, while pH and TA decreased with maturity. Ripe berries had lower yeast and mold counts (YMC) at other maturity stages, but there were no differences on aerobic plate counts (APC). The medium pH was lower for stomaching and blending than hand massaged samples. This leads to higher recovery of microorganisms by massaging. Sodium …


Establishment Of Blackberries And Detection And Management Of Raspberry Crown Borer, Edward Heard Dec 2006

Establishment Of Blackberries And Detection And Management Of Raspberry Crown Borer, Edward Heard

Theses and Dissertations

Evaluations of tactics for detection and management of raspberry crown borer, RCB, Pennisettia marginata (Harris) on blackberries were performed in Mississippi from January 2005 - July 2006. Randomized split plots with infested blackberries and certified nursery stock of two recommended cultivars, thorny ?Chickasaw? and thornless ?Apache? were planted. Pest management tactics targeting RCB included drenches: chemical insecticide bifenthrin, recently registered for RCB management; experimental pesticide E2Y45; and entomopathogenic nematodes Steinernema feltiae. Insect pheromones (E,Z)3-13-octadecadien-1-ol and (E,Z)3-13-octadecadien-1-yl-acetate were evaluated as RCB lures. Effects of fungicides captan, pyraclostrobin + boscalid, lime-sulfur and insecticide acetamiprid on viability and infectivity of entomopathogenic nematode species, …


Body Mass Index And Percent Body Fat As Determined By Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis In Children, 7-9 Years Of Age, Patrick Alan Grady Dec 2006

Body Mass Index And Percent Body Fat As Determined By Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis In Children, 7-9 Years Of Age, Patrick Alan Grady

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the prevalence of overweight and report mean Body Mass Index (BMI) and percent body fat (%BF) in Black and non-Black children, 7-9 years of age. The study involved 172 students divided as follows: 56 (32.6%) Black females, 45 (26.2%) Black males, 34 (19.7%) non-Black females, and 37 (21.5%) non-Black males. Percent body fat (%BF) was determined by bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA). Body mass index was calculated as weight (kg)/height (m)². Black females had a statistically greater BMI (19.3 ± 4.8) and %BF (25.7 ± 10.6) than all other groups. Prevalence of at-riskor-overweight …


Functional Role Of Recombinant Cysteine Protease On Spodoptera Frugiperda Peritrophic Matrix, Srinidi Mohan Dec 2006

Functional Role Of Recombinant Cysteine Protease On Spodoptera Frugiperda Peritrophic Matrix, Srinidi Mohan

Theses and Dissertations

Fall armyworm larvae (FAW), which are serious pests in the southern United States, show retarded growth when they feed on insect-resistant maize inbreds Mp704 and Mp708. These maize genotypes are not only resistant to FAW, but to a number of other lepidopteran pests. In these genotypes, a unique, extracellular, 33-KDa cysteine protease (Mir1-CP) rapidly accumulates in the whorl in response to insect feeding. Initial morphological studies on larvae feeding on resistant maize plants over-expressing the cysteine protease showed severe damage in insect?s first line of defense, the peritrophic matrix (PM). But it is not known whether the cysteine protease has …


Sds-Page And Western Blotting Analyses Of Internalin A In Listeria Monocytogenes And Listeria Spp, Bang-Yuan Chen Dec 2006

Sds-Page And Western Blotting Analyses Of Internalin A In Listeria Monocytogenes And Listeria Spp, Bang-Yuan Chen

Theses and Dissertations

Attachment strength of Listeria spp. and their InlA expression was assessed. Listeria monocytogenes 19111 exhibited the strongest attachment strength with L. monocytogenes 19115, L. grayi, L. innocua, and L. monocytogenes 7644 being the weakest. InlA expression was not detected in silver stained SDS gels but was detected in Western blotting images. Internalin A was only detected in protein extracts of L. monocytogenes 19111 and 7644 with band intensities of 50.1 and 2.5 pixels, respectively. Greater InlA expression was correlated with higher attachment strength in L. monocytogenes 19111. Listeria monocytogenes 19115 did not express InlA but it had a stronger attachment …


Influence Of Food-Grade Ingredients On Offlavor Compounds In Catfish Fillets, Sovann Kin Dec 2006

Influence Of Food-Grade Ingredients On Offlavor Compounds In Catfish Fillets, Sovann Kin

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to screen the effect of some food-grade ingredients on the off-odors caused by geosmin and 2-methylisoborneol (MIB) compounds in catfish fillets by sensory evaluation. The study revealed that geosmin and MIB odor intensity were reduced to different degrees when fillets were dipped in lime flavor (94% and 67%, respectively), 0.5% acetic acid (AA) (70% and 16%, respectively), hardwood liquid smoke (98% and 86%, respectively), or hickory liquid smoke (98% and 100% respectively) in cooked products. A 0.5% AA proved to be effective in decreasing odor intensity of geosmin (70%) in cooked products, whereas lime …


Molecular-Genetic And Structural Analyses Of The Nifhdkx Proteins Of The Nitrogenase System, Surobhi Lahiri Dec 2006

Molecular-Genetic And Structural Analyses Of The Nifhdkx Proteins Of The Nitrogenase System, Surobhi Lahiri

Theses and Dissertations

The nitrogenase enzyme is the biochemical machiner responsible for the conversion of the largely unavailable nitrogen to the easily assimilable ammonia for living organisms by the process termed as biological nitrogen fixation (BNF). This study was focused on understanding the various structural and functional aspects of the nitrogenase enzyme related to maturation and assembly of the FeMo-cofactor (FeMoco) metallocluster of the MoFe protein (the site for final substrate reduction), development of a dimeric MoFe protein and the structural homology of nitrogenase with other metalloenzymes. This research was specifically directed towards the NifHDKX proteins in which the nifHDK genes are the …


The Use Of Dietary Fat Supplementation On Growth, Reproduction And Performance Characteristics Of Replacement Beef Heifers, Alecsandro Rufino Dos Santos Dec 2006

The Use Of Dietary Fat Supplementation On Growth, Reproduction And Performance Characteristics Of Replacement Beef Heifers, Alecsandro Rufino Dos Santos

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of these studies was to evaluate the effects of a dietary fat supplementation on growth, reproduction and performance characteristics of replacement beef heifers reared in different management systems (pasture and dry lot conditions). The objectives were (1) to quantify changes in body composition traits and growth performance of replacement beef heifers fed different levels of fat in the supplemented diet,(2) to determine the reproductive performance of heifers supplemented with dietary fat in either a ryegrass pasture system or a dry lot system, and (3) to determine the value of real-time ultrasound technology (RTU) as an alternative technology to …


Measures Of Oxidation Of Soybean And Catfish Oils, John Michael Mcgillivray Dec 2006

Measures Of Oxidation Of Soybean And Catfish Oils, John Michael Mcgillivray

Theses and Dissertations

Oils from soybeans and catfish by-products were extracted using hexane, propane, and supercritical carbon dioxide (SCCO2). Free fatty acids (FFA), peroxide values (PV), anisidine values (AnV), total oxidation (TOTOX), induction point (IP), iodine values (IV), and 2-thiobarbituric acid reactive substance (TBARS) were all measured to analyze oxidation of these oils. The extraction yield of propane, hexane, and SCCO2 oils was 80.4, 94.5, and 90%, in respect to total lipid content. Oils extracted with SCCO2 were more oxidized than those extracted with propane and hexane; probably due to the higher temperature and longer extraction time. The IP correlated with AnV, IV, …


Disaster Communication Networks: A Case Study Of The Thai Red Cross And Their Disaster Communication Response To The Asian Tsunami, Tami J. Matthews Dec 2006

Disaster Communication Networks: A Case Study Of The Thai Red Cross And Their Disaster Communication Response To The Asian Tsunami, Tami J. Matthews

Theses and Dissertations

Disaster victims and vulnerable populations are audiences that communications professionals and scholars have ignored. Public relation practices dominate current disaster communication policy. This study examines the disaster communication network, including policy and practice, of the Thai Red Cross, before, during, and after the Asian tsunami. Disaster communication(s) is defined as the sharing and exchange of information with the victims immediately affected by a disaster. This definition focuses specifically on the vulnerable audience and allows response efforts to emerge from multiple disciplines. Focusing response efforts on victims' assessed needs and abilities allows for a multi-disciplinary approach to mitigate further suffering. The …


Shape Matching, Relevance Feedback, And Indexing With Application To Spine X-Ray Image Retrieval, Xiaoqian Xu Dec 2006

Shape Matching, Relevance Feedback, And Indexing With Application To Spine X-Ray Image Retrieval, Xiaoqian Xu

Theses and Dissertations

The National Library of Medicine (NLM), an institute in the National Institutes of Health (NIH), maintains a collection of 17,000 digitized spine X-ray images obtained from the second National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES II). Research effort has been devoted to develop a web-accessible retrieval system that allows retrieval of images from the NHANES II database on relevant and frequently found pathologies. A comprehensive and successful image retrieval system requires effective image representation and matching methods, relevance feedback algorithms to incorporate user opinions, and efficient indexing schemes for fast access to image databases. This dissertation studies and develops approaches …


Forage Adaptability Trials For Forage And Seed Production In Bolivia; Effect Of 5 Herbicides On 7 Native Utah Forbs, Joshua C. Voss Dec 2006

Forage Adaptability Trials For Forage And Seed Production In Bolivia; Effect Of 5 Herbicides On 7 Native Utah Forbs, Joshua C. Voss

Theses and Dissertations

The harsh environmental and poor economic conditions of the Bolivian Altiplano require intervention to assist many of those that live there to become economically self-sufficient. We attempted to find introduced dry season reserve forage grasses that could produce enough biomass to be useful as feed for livestock, and that could also produce enough seed to distribute to farmers. While some of the grasses produced reasonable amounts of biomass, none produced seed in quantities that would be even close to being economically viable. The most likely cause of this is that the timing of resources that the grasses need to flower …


Effects Of Telephone Weight Loss Coaching On Body Composition In Adults: A Randomized Controlled Study, Amy Jensen Cook Dec 2006

Effects Of Telephone Weight Loss Coaching On Body Composition In Adults: A Randomized Controlled Study, Amy Jensen Cook

Theses and Dissertations

Objective: To determine the extent to which coaching over the telephone is an effective method in promoting the loss of body weight and body fat percentage. Research Methods and Procedures: Over a period of four months, in a randomized, double blind, placebo-controlled study, 120 overweight and obese (BMI 25-35 kg/m²) adults either received telephone coaching or no coaching. In addition, each participant was randomly assigned to take a supplement or placebo daily. Body weight and body fat percentage were measured at baseline, two months, and four months. Body weight was measured on an electronic scale and body fat percentage was …