Digital Commons Network^™

Global Warming Is Changing The Dynamics Of Arctic Host-Parasite Systems, S. J. Kutz, Eric P. Hoberg, L. Polley, E. J. Jenkins

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty Publications

Global climate change is altering the ecology of infectious agents and driving the emergence of disease in people, domestic animals, and wildlife. We present a novel, empirically based, predictive model for the impact of climate warming on development rates and availability of an important parasitic nematode of muskoxen in the Canadian Arctic, a region that is particularly vulnerable to climate change. Using this model, we show that warming in the Arctic may have already radically altered the transmission dynamics of this parasite, escalating infection pressure for muskoxen, and that this trend is expected to continue. This work establishes a foundation …

Microclimate And Nest-Site Selection In Micronesian Kingfishers, Dylan C. Kesler, Susan M. Haig

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

We studied the relationship between microclimate and nest-site selection in the Pohnpei Micronesian Kingfisher (Todiramphus cinnamominus reichenbachii ) which excavates nest cavities from the mudlike nest structures of arboreal termites (Nasutitermes sp.) or termitaria. Mean daily high temperatures at termitaria were cooler and daily low temperatures were warmer than at random sites in the forest. Results also indicate that termitaria provided insulation from temperature extremes, and that temperatures inside termitaria were within the thermoneutral zone of Micronesian Kingfishers more often than those outside. No differences were identified in temperatures at sites where nest termitaria and nonnest termitaria occurred …

Omega-3 Fatty Acid Consumption And Food Sources Differ Among Elderly Men Living In Coastal And Internal Regions Of Saudi Arabia, Khalid Al-Numair, Nancy M. Lewis, Sharon Evans

Department of Nutrition and Health Sciences: Faculty Publications

Research suggests that omega-3 fatty acids (n-3 FAs) play an important role in reducing the risk of heart diseases. The objectives of the current study were to investigate the consumption and the food sources of n-3 FAs in two samples of elderly men living in different geographic locations (coastal and internal regions) of Saudi Arabia. Sixty men from each of the coastal and the internal regions provided a 24-hour recall and 2-day food record and a food frequency questionnaire. Food Processor Plus computer program software (ESHA Version 0.7; Salem, Oregon, 2002) was used to analyze the dietary intake. The intake …

Arkansas Symposium: Opportunities And Challenges Of Colleges Of Agriculture At Land-Grant Universities, John Owens

John Owens: Speeches and Appearances

Friends, we've got trouble.
Yes, "... we got trouble,
Right here in River City!
With a capital ‘T’
That rhymes with ‘P’
And that stands for –"

Well, in the musical "The Music Man," where these lines originate, the "P" stood for "Pool."

"Pool" as in "Pool Hall," and all the less than edifying experiences the word conjured up for worried River City parents.

The Pervasive Triad Of Food Security, Gender Inequity And Women's Health: Exploratory Research From Sub-Saharan Africa, A.A. Hyder, S. Maman, J.E. Nyoni, S.A. Khasiani, N. Teoh, Zul Premji, S. Sohani

Pathology, East Africa

Objectives: This study was designed to explore the interactions between food securing activities, health and gender equity from the perspective of rural east African women. The specific objectives were to document the critical interaction among these three issues - food security, gender inequity, women's health within the context of sub-Saharan Africa; to describe the nature of this triad from the perspective of women farmers in Africa; and to propose a framework for linking available interventions to the vicious nature of this triad.

Setting: In-depth interviews and focus group discussions were conducted with rural women farmers in Kwale District, Kenya and …

Weight-Loss Advertising Too Good To Be True: Are Manufacturers Or The Media To Blame?, Jodie Sopher

Cardozo Arts & Entertainment Law Journal

No abstract provided.

In Vitro Gas Production As A Surrogate Measure Of The Fermentability Of Cellulosic Biomass To Ethanol, P. J. Weimer, B. S. Dien, T. L. Springer, Kenneth P. Vogel

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

Current methods for measuring ethanol yields from lignocellulosic biomass are relatively slow and are not well geared for analyzing large numbers of samples generated by feedstock management and breeding research. The objective of this study was to determine if an in vitro ruminal fermentation assay used in forage quality research was predictive of results obtained using a conventional biomass-to-ethanol conversion assay. In the conventional assay, herbaceous biomass samples were converted to ethanol by Saccharomyces cerevisiae cultures in the presence of cellulase enzymes. Cultures were grown in sealed serum bottles and gas production monitored by measuring increasing head space pressure. Gas …

Make Room For Dying: End Of Life Care In Nursing Homes, Sandra H. Johnson

All Faculty Scholarship

The cornerstone of contemporary nursing home care is a commitment to patient rehabilitation. Improved care is an important and worthwhile goal, but it is a goal that has yet to make room for the dying. A significant proportion of older people will spend their final days in a nursing home. This article calls for a culture shift in nursing home care to promote improved care for not only those who can be rehabilitated but also those who are dying.

This article begins by addressing challenges to achieving this culture that are particular to the nursing home context. It then explains …

Stable Isotopes In Obesity Research, Gregory G. Dolnikowski, Julian B. Marsh, Sai Krupa Das, Francine K. Welty

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

Obesity is recognized as a major public health problem. Obesity is a multifactorial disease and is often associated with a wide range of comorbidities including hypertension, non-insulin dependent (Type II) diabetes mellitus, and cardiovascular disease, all of which contribute to morbidity and mortality. This review deals with stable isotope mass spectrometric methods and the application of stable isotopes to metabolic studies of obesity. Body composition and total energy expenditure (TEE) can be measured by mass spectrometry using stable isotope labeled water, and the metabolism of protein, lipid, and carbohydrate can be measured using appropriate labeled tracer molecules.

Colonization Of Wounded Peanut Seeds By Soil Fungi: Selectivity For Species From Aspergillus Section Flavi, Bruce W. Horn

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

Soil is a source of primary inoculum for Aspergillus flavus and A. parasiticus, fungi that produce highly carcinogenic aflatoxins in peanuts. Aflatoxigenic fungi commonly invade peanut seeds during maturation, and the highest concentrations of aflatoxins are found in damaged seeds. A laboratory procedure was developed in which viable peanut seeds were wounded and inoculated with field soil containing natural populations of fungi, then incubated under different conditions of seed water activity and temperature. Densities of Aspergillus section Flavi in soil used for inoculating seeds were low relative to the total numbers of filamentous fungi (,1%). Aspergillus species from section Flavi …

Personality And Individual Differences In Health-Promoting Behaviors, Benjamin J. Bristow

Honors Program Theses

University students (N = 100) completed a self-administered questionnaire with scales assessing health attributions, dispositional optimism, and health behaviors. Health-promoting behaviors were calculated using a questionnaire measuring six components: health responsibility, physical _ activity, nutrition, spiritual growth, interpersonal relations, and stress management. Optimism was correlated with higher self-reported physical and emotional health, internal locus of health control, reliance on God through passive and active spirituality, and health-promoting behaviors. Internal locus of health control was correlated with emotional health promotion. Spirituality was correlated with both physical and emotional health promotion. Health promotion was correlated with higher scores of self-reported physical and …

African American Breast Cancer Health Disparities, Theresa Lynn Gaul

Honors Program Theses

Health disparities are "the differences in the incidence, prevalence, mortality, and burden of cancer and related adverse health conditions that exist among specific population groups in the United States" (National Cancer Institute [NCI], 2002). Racial and ethnic minorities experience serious disparities in health access and outcomes. Disparities in the burden of death and illness experienced by African Americans in particular, as compared with our nation's population as a whole, are particularly striking. There are a variety of factors contributing to these inequalities. The purpose of this report is to examine these factors and the consequential effects on the African American's …

Automated Extraction Of Disease-Gene Relationships From Medline, Jennifer R. Paine

Theses

The increasing amount of scientific information available to researchers in the form of biomedical literature is beginning to bring about a need for the development of tools to extract information automatically from these sources. One segment of information of particular interest to researchers is the linkage information between genes and diseases. These linkages can help researchers interpret large-scale genomics studies as well as make logical connections between gene expression levels and certain phenotypes. To make the finding and collecting of this information practical, automated methods of information extraction are required. In this paper, I propose a method for the automated …

Identification Of Shiga Toxin-Producing Escherichia Coli In The Uae, Khawla Hamad Mohd Al-Areef Al-Dhaheri

Theses

Identification of Shiga Toxin-Producing Escherichia coli in the UAE

By

Khawla Hamad Mohd Al-Areef Al-Dhaheri

Abstract

Various patho-groups of Escherichia coli strains are important causes of diarrheal diseases worldwide. Among these strains Shiga toxin producing isolates are particularly important. They are carried by various animals and upon infection, in humans, they may cause serious bloody diarrhea, and in some cases even life threatening sequels as hemolytic uremic syndrome. However, these infections are often under-diagnosed due to the fact that pathogenic strains do not differ from their nonpathogenic counterparts in characters investigated by standard microbiological techniques. Consequently, they can only be …

Effect Of Some Medicinal Plants In U.A.E. On Glucose Homeostasis In Rats, Fatma Khadem Al-Ghaithi

Theses

Diabetes mellitus is one of the most common endocrine diseases in the world that affects almost 6% of the world population. The treatment of diabetes mellitus takes three main forms. First, diet and exercise. Secondly, insulin therapy, and thirdly, using hypoglycaemic agents (suiphonylureas and biguanides). Many of these agents are not very effective in lowering glucose level in diabetic patients and are either too expensive or have undesirable side effects and contraindications. As a result of this, the search for effective drugs for the treatment of diabetes mellitus continues.

Before the introduction of insulin in 1922, the treatment of diabetes …

2005 Navajo Middle And High School Youth Risk Behavior Survey Report, Primary Navajo Yrsb Team

Native Health Database Full Text

From 1997 to 2005, the Navajo Youth Risk Behavior Surveilance System (YRBS) was implemented to be used to monitor health-risk behaviors among youth in middle and high schools. Unhealthy risk behaviors can lead to unhealthy health conditions or injuries, and could enventually lead to health or social problems as chronic diseases, disability and drug or alcohol addictions.

Lucerne - Is It For Me? - Workshop Development Guide For Facilitators, Richard O'Donnell

Agriculture reports

This workshop has been developed as part of the GRDC/NDSP-funded ?A Million Hectares for the Future? Project with support and input from key personnel from the Department of Agriculture, Western Australian (DAWA). Thank you also, to the farmers who participated in the pilot workshops, providing valuable feedback on structure and content.

Guide To Growing Summer Grain & Forages In The South Coast Region, Western Australia, Andrea Hills, Sally-Anne Penny

Agriculture reports

Growing summer grain and forages in the south coast region of Western Australia. Information is included for sorghum, millet family, sunflowers, and safflower.

Development Of Software To Process Aerial Images For Agricultural Purposes, Sirisha Polsapalli

LSU Master's Theses

Remote sensing has been used in precision agriculture for monitoring crop health, weed management, detecting nutrient stress, and yield forecasting. One method of implementing remote sensing is through aerial imagery. Aerial imagery is being used in precision agriculture for a variety causes such as to detect crop stress, fertilizer skips and overlaps, nitrogen excesses and deficiencies and detect irregular or reduced crop stand. These crop features are noted by extracting spectral information from the images. The spectral data is obtained from the images by using software programs. The software programs process the images one at a time or assemble them …

Reflections On Educating Latino And Latina Undocumented Children: Beyond Plyler V. Doe, Maria Pabon Lopez

Seton Hall Law Review

No abstract provided.

Saving Lives: Assessing Knowledge And Awareness Of Cervical Cancer Among Women In Low Income Families In Clark County, Nevada, Salome Kidele Kapella

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

Studies have reported low participation in cervical cancer screening of low-income women, but few of them have addressed lack of knowledge on cervical cancer. The goal of this study is to assess knowledge and awareness of cervical cancer among women in low-income families in Clark County, NV. Fifty women in low-income families who were English-speaking and were enrolled in the WIC program were interviewed. Questions addressed were: knowledge on cervical cancer, Pap smears practices, insurance coverage, and knowledge about free/low-cost Pap tests in the state. The Majority of women were minorities (74%) and the mean age was 25.3 (SD=6.44). Seventy-six …

Tissue Cooling During Cryotherapy With Varied Types Of Compression, David Tomchuk

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

This study was performed to examine the effects of varied types of external compression on surface and intramuscular temperature. Fourteen university students volunteered for this study; each subject received all 3 treatment conditions: ice compressed with an elastic wrap, ice compressed with Flex-i-Wrap(TM), and ice with no compression. Subjects were asked to lie prone on a standard treatment table during the 30-minute ice application and the 60-minute post-application durations. Surface and intramuscular temperatures were recorded every 30 seconds throughout the experiment. The results revealed a significant difference in surface temperature between compression and no compression, but no difference between forms …

An Analysis Of Ground Stone Artifacts From Ghwair I, A Pre-Pottery Neolithic B Site In Southern Jordan, Claudia C Woodman

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

Ground stone artifacts indicating food preparation and other activities are well-represented among the assemblage resulting from three seasons of excavation at Ghwair I, a Pre-Pottery Neolithic B site in southern Jordan Placement of Ghwair I in context of roughly contemporaneous Levantine sites indicates that its ground stone assemblage is typical of the period and that Ghwair I was a self-reliant community. The ground stone assemblage indicates that mobility of the site's occupants was relatively low. Spatial analysis of distribution of ground stone across the site suggests specialized activity loci and, possibly, early social stratification.

Short-Term Compensatory And Long-Term Plastic Cardiorespiratory Responses To Hypoxic Exposure, Jutta A Guadagnoli

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

Aquatic organisms may encounter multiple perturbations in their environment including but certainly not limited to fluctuations in temperature, salinity, conductivity, pH, carbon dioxide and oxygen content. A large body of work has elucidated the complexity of the cardiovascular system of crustaceans but the intricacies associated with alterations in cardiovascular function with changing environments are elusive. The current body of work focuses on the cardiovascular adjustments that allow crustaceans to survive decreases in oxygen tension; The complexity of control of the open circulatory system of crustaceans has long been underestimated and the marine crustacean, the grass shrimp, P. pugio, which often …

Brief Therapy For Traumatized Children, Lisa Marie Linning

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

Traumatic child maltreatment can negatively impact every developmental domain of a child, when left untreated. Thus, child psychologists have recognized a critical need for treatment and prevention strategies to circumvent the negative trajectories that can develop after traumatic events. Brief Therapy for Traumatized Children (BTTC) was developed to treat traumatized youth in shelter care. Treatment components included psychoeducation, building effective coping strategies, boundary setting, anxiety management skills, challenging cognitive distortions, development of trauma narrative and journaling. One hundred-forty-seven participants from a children's shelter in Las Vegas, NV, aged 12--17 years, were voluntarily recruited and assessed for trauma symptoms. Data from …

The Role And Relevancy Of The Black Church In Today's Society, Anthony Fitzgerald Harris

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to gather information about the role and the relevancy of the black church in regards to social issues in today's society. The significance of the study reflects many attitudes of the African-American community. It gives greater insight on the questions surrounding the differing roles of the black church. This study also gives some insight to churches on what the participants say makes the church relevant to them. With this information, churches can become more aware and capable of meeting the needs of the people in the community; The methods used were an in-depth qualitative …

Identifying Low-Carb Dieter's Characteristics And Their Diet Practices During Business Travels, So Jung Lee

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

The low carbohydrate diet phenomenon has recently evolved to such an extent that there is now extensive consumer demand for carbohydrate conscious dining options. The power of the recent movement is impacting all facets of the hospitality industry including restaurants, hotels, airlines and conventions. The purpose of this study is to identify business travelers' low carbohydrate diet practices and to understand their experiences with low-carbohydrate menus during business trips; This research identified low-carb dieters' characteristics and their diet practices during business trips. Results indicated that, compared to other dieters, low-carb dieters are older, more likely to be overweight or obese, …

Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid Inhibits Interleukin-1beta Stimulated Release Of Interleukin-6 From Rat C6 Glioma Cells: In Vitro Evidence For A Role Of P38 Map Kinase, Raghuram Royyuru

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

We investigated the pathway of IL-1beta stimulated IL-6 release and the involvement of different MAPK's effectors. We used three different MAPK inhibitors SB203580 for p38, SP600125 for JNK, and PD98059 for ERK kinases. We described the role of gamma-Aminobutyric acid (GABA) and GABAB receptor in the inhibition of IL-1beta signal transduction; Bioassay results suggest that SB203580 inhibited IL-6 release while the other two MAPK inhibitors had no effect. It also suggested GABA inhibits the IL-1beta stimulated release of IL-6. By Western analysis we found that IL-1beta activated p38 MAPK time dependent fashion and we saw a maximum stimulation occurred at …

Effect Of A High Protein Diet On Glucose Tolerance In Rats, Roxanne Mary Sanchez

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of a high protein diet on glucose tolerance in the rat model. Nine Sprague Dawley rats received a high protein diet (65% protein, 35% fat) and eight rats consumed a standard chow diet over the course of eight weeks. An oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) was performed at the end of the third and the seventh week to measure blood glucose and plasma insulin concentrations. The diet did not effect glucose tolerance in the first OGTT (t = 1.2095, p = .1226) or the second OGTT (t = -.9855, p …

Development Of An Instrument Designed To Measure Student Perception Of School Connectedness, Nicole Jennifer Smith

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to design and validate an instrument to measure student perception of school connectedness. The intended use for this instrument was to evaluate school-based health interventions such as "Planned Approach to Healthier Schools" (PATHS; Lounsbery, Gast, & Smith, 2005), and to potentially examine other important correlates of student perception of school connectedness, such as attendance in school, referral rates, as well as school drop out and graduation. The development of the instrument included a series of steps which comprised (a) identification of a purpose, (b) specification of an underlying theory, (c) item development, (d) content …