Digital Commons Network^™

Everyday Food Practices Among Three Low-Income Groups: Rural, Homeless, And Refugee, Amy L. Redman

Doctoral Dissertations

Lower-income groups are more susceptible to diet-related diseases like obesity, diabetes, and heart disease (CDC, 2010). They are also more likely to need food and nutritional assistance (USDA, 2011). Yet very little is known about the day-to-day food practices of these individuals and families. Many times those who are relatively adjacent in terms of income are assumed to have similarities in food consumption (Hupkens, Knibbe, & Drop, 2000); however, this has not been empirically examined. The main objectives of this research are to 1) gain an exploratory in-depth understanding of the everyday food practices of individuals in three low-income groups: …

Characterization Of The Prokaryotic Community Associated With The Giant Barrel Sponge, Xestospongia Muta Across The Caribbean, Cara L. Fiore

Doctoral Dissertations

Sponges have long been known to be ecologically important members of the benthic fauna on coral reefs. Recently, it has been shown that sponges, and their symbiotic microbes, are also important contributors to the nitrogen biogeochemistry of coral reefs. Here, I investigate the ecology and physiology of the microbial community associated the ecologically dominant sponge, Xestospongia muta. A natural experiment was conducted with X. muta form three different locations (Florida Keys, USA; Lee Stocking Island, Bahamas, and Little Cayman, Cayman Islands) to compare nitrogen cycling and prokaryotic community composition. The dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) fluxes of sponges were studied using …

Characterization Of The Expression Profile Of Polyamine Biosynthetic Genes (Spermidine Synthase) And Polyamine Metabolic Regulation In Arabidopsis, Lin Shao

Doctoral Dissertations

Polyamines are ubiquitously distributed cationic compounds, which play important roles in numerous cellular functions in plants. This study was aimed at elaborating the regulation of polyamine biosynthetic gene expression and polyamine metabolism. The organ/tissue specific expression patterns of two genes encoding the polyamine biosynthetic enzyme spermidine synthase ( AtSPDS1 and AtSPDS2) were studied in Arabidopsis at different developmental stages using promoter::reporter approach. The two homologues showed similar ubiquitous expression with subtle differences being observed in certain tissues (e.g. root, siliques, and embryos). Neither transgenic manipulation by over-expression of AtSPDSI alone nor its concomitant expression with genes encoding other biosynthetic enzymes …

The Convention On The Rights Of Persons With Disabilities: Reflection On Four Flaws That Tarnish Its Promise, Lucia A. Silecchia

Scholarly Articles

On December 13, 2006, the United Nations adopted the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (“CRPD”). Widely touted as the “first comprehensive human rights treaty of the 21st century,” and effusively praised for its open negotiation process, the CRPD was opened for signature on March 30, 2007. The CRPD quickly entered into force on May 3, 2008. As it rapidly amassed signatories, the CRPD inspired great hope that its comprehensive approach would do much to overcome the consistent failure to promote the dignity of those with disabilities in meaningfully concrete ways.

The CRPD has garnered much recent and …

Study Of Glycation And Advanced Glycation On A Humanized Monoclonal Antibody, Hong Liu

Open Access Dissertations

In the presented work, we reviewed the protein glycation effect on recombinant monoclonal antibodies (MAbs), and demonstrated an in vitro glycation model on rhuMAb A was a successful tool to evaluate site-specific glycation. We also implemented this model to study MAb glycation in three aspects: the formation of glycation, the change of glycation adducts under thermal stress, and the control of glycation adducts stability by formulation compositions.

A protein characterization study demonstrated that the in vitro forced glycation model generated seven glycated amino acid sites on rhuMAb A. The lysine residue K49 was the preferably site, while others sites were …

Illness-Related Diabetes Social Support And Glycemic Control Among Middle Aged And Older Adults, Favel Leah Mondesir

Theses and Dissertations

Objective

The objective of this study is to investigate the association between illness-related diabetes social support (IRDSS) and glycemic control (GC) among a racially diverse sample of middle aged and older adults. In gender-stratified models we examine whether the relationship between IRDSS and GC is modified by race/ethnicity. Additionally, we explore the association between eight individual types of IRDSS and GC.

Methods

We used the Health and Retirement Study (HRS) 2002 and the 2003 Diabetes Survey. The final analytic sample consisted of 914 study respondents. Gender-stratified multivariable logistic regression models were used to calculate odd ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence …

Successful Title One Schools: What Works And Why? An Exploratory Case Study Of A Distinguished Title One School In South Carolina, Dawn Hooker

Theses and Dissertations

The amount of research on successful Title One Schools is woefully inadequate. Because so much money has been allocated for this program, more in depth research is imperative. A qualitative exploratory case study of one school and eight participants, including a principal, an assistant principal, a math coach and four teachers, focuses on the journey of one Title One school to becoming a Distinguished Title One School. The theoretical framework constructed to examine the experiences of these seven participants relied on the findings of an educational reform expert, Michael Fullan (2007) and his theory of Educational Change, along with Marzano's …

Western Bean Cutworm Survival And The Development Of Economic Injury Levels And Economic Thresholds In Field Corn, Silvana L. Vieira De Paula Moraes, Thomas E. Hunt, Robert J. Wright, Gary L. Hein, Erin E. Blankenship

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

Western bean cutworm, Striacosta albicosta (Smith) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), is a native pest of dry beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) and corn (Zea mays L.). Historically, the western bean cutworm was distributed in the western United States, but since 1999 eastward expansion has been observed. In corn, economic impact is caused by larval ear feeding. Information on western bean cutworm biology, ecology, and economic impact is relatively limited, and the development of economic injury levels (EILs) and economic thresholds (ETs) is required for more effective management. Studies during 2008-2011, across three ecoregions of Nebraska, sought to characterize western bean cutworm …

Searching For Health Information On The Internet : The Experiences Of Western Australian Adolescents, Lee-Anne Martins

Theses : Honours

Adolescents readily engage in online entertainment pursuits, however, it is their online social activities and health information searches that encourage psychosocial development and influence identity formation and autonomy. Considerable research has been completed on various aspects of adolescents’ encounters with online health information (for example, see Percheski & Hargittai, 2011), yet minimal research has been conducted using Australian adolescents. This study extends existing research utilising Western Australian adolescents who have used the Internet to obtain health information. The areas explored include how Western Australian adolescents search for online health information, by means of which devices, and their experiences of using …

George Eliot, Marcel Proust, And The Logic Of Desire, Kenichi Kurata

The George Eliot Review Online, ISSN: 2831-5375

The influence of George Eliot's fiction on Marcel Proust's In Search of Lost Time has often been discussed. For instance, L. A. Bisson drew attention in 1945 to 'the possibility, even the likelihood, of[ ... ] [an] immediate and sympathetic suggestion' by Eliot, citing Proust's claim in 1910 that 'II n'y a pas de litterature qui ait sur moi un pouvoir comparable a la litterature anglaise ... deux pages du Moulin sur la Floss me font pleurer.'2 Bisson goes on to suggest that three specific passages in The Mill on the Floss have their counterparts in Proust's work, the …

Factors Influencing Honors College Recruitment, Persistence, And Satisfaction At An Upper-Midwest Land Grant University, Timothy J. Nichols, Kuo-Liang Matt Chang

Journal of the National Collegiate Honors Council Online Archive

Student success and the “completion agenda” are important issues in higher education today (Complete College America). For honors programs and colleges, understanding and advancing these issues requires data-driven approaches tailored to the unique honors student population and broader institutional contexts. Honors faculty and administrators hoping to succeed in their recruitment, retention, and graduation efforts need an accurate understanding of why students decide to enroll and persist as well as their satisfaction with honors experiences. Our research data provide particular insight into the student experience at South Dakota State University (SDSU) but may also be instructive to a broader audience of …

An Examination Of The Relationship Of Problematic Food Types To The Development Of Substance Use Disorder In Post-Bariatric Surgery Patients, Lauren Fowler

Senior Honors Theses and Projects

The present study focuses on the recent discovery of an overrepresentation of postbariatric surgery patients in substance abuse h'eatment centers (Saules et aI., 2010) and accumulating evidence of new-onset substance use disorders among post-bariatric surgery patients (Ivezaj, 2011; Saules, Reslan, & Schuh, 2012; Wiedemann, Saules, & Ivezaj, 2012), suggesting a role for both food addiction and addiction transfer (Avena & Gold, 2011; McFadden, 2010). Burgeoning research with both animal models and humans demonstrates the applicability of putative "food addiction" in the context of obesity, and justification for further examination of specific macronuh'ients as they relate to obesity and addiction transfer …

The Methodological Challenges Of Conducting Research On Elderly Chinese Immigrants In Residential Settings, Jessica Thomas

Senior Honors Theses and Projects

No abstract provided.

Buddy Up Program Evaluation: Creating An Overall Lifestyle Change, Kathryn Hansen

Senior Honors Theses and Projects

No abstract provided.

Synthesis Of 1-Pyrenyldiazomethane For Derivatization Of Short-Chain Fatty Acids, Mary E. Kalvaitis

Senior Honors Theses and Projects

Use of I-pyrenyldiazomethane (PDAM) for derivatizing short-chain fatty acids (SCFA) is a successful way to analyze complex SCF A samples quickly and with minimal sample preparation. The costs associated with ordering PDAM from a commercial source can be high, typically more than $300 not including shipping costs. This project developed a simple two-step synthesis procedure that can be used in undergraduate chemistry laboratories. We found that the PDAM produced by this procedure is pure enough to use for our derivatization needs without further purification. This synthesis can be used to further explore the use of PDAM for fast and simple …

To Play Or Not To Play: Using Drama As An Effective Pedagogical Tool To Teach Literature, Maeve Devlin

Senior Honors Theses and Projects

No abstract provided.

Eastern, Summer 2013, Eastern Michigan University

Alumni News: Eastern Magazine

No abstract provided.

Understanding The Posttranslational Regulation Of The Response Regulator Rcsb And Acetyl Phosphate As An Acetyl Group Donor In E. Coli, Linda Hu

Dissertations

The observation that Nepsilon-lysine acetylation occurs on a hundreds of proteins in bacteria is a recent discovery. To study the mechanisms that regulate acetylation and to determine if acetylation affects physiology, I studied the Escherichia coli response regulator and transcription factor RcsB, which was reported to be acetylated in vitro. To monitor RcsB activity, I measured transcription from the rprA promoter, which requires RcsB. I confirmed that RcsB is activated by phosphorylation through the Rcs phosphorelay and acetyl phosphate and showed that acetyl phosphate could phosphorylate RcsB. However, a mutant that accumulates acetyl phosphate (ackA) exhibited reduced rprA transcription instead …

High School Curriculum Tracks As Determinants Of Post-Secondary Outcomes: A Study Of Track Mobility And Its Effects, William Morrison

Dissertations

Despite scores of studies that have shown that tracking and ability grouping perpetuate the academic achievement gap that exists in the United States, the practice continues. The reason for this persistence is a confluence of educational, social, and political factors. As tracking will continue as practice for the foreseeable future, research must help to identify the best and worst of tracking practices so that its negative effects are minimized and positive effects maximized. Oakes (2005) has identified five common elements of tracking policies and practices: extent, pervasiveness, flexibility, mobility, and locus of control. Of these elements, it is my contention …

Eastern Michigan University Graduate Catalog, 2013-2014, Office Of The Registrar

Graduate Catalogs

No abstract provided.

Characterization Of The Novel Response Regulator Sype: A Dual Regulator Of Biofilm Formation And Colonization In Vibrio Fischeri, Andrew Robert Morris

Dissertations

Biofilms, or surface-associated microbial communities encased in a matrix, represent a common mode of growth for many bacterial species. Importantly, biofilms often play significant roles in the association of bacteria with their animal hosts, including promoting attachment to and colonization of host tissues. The symbiosis between the bacterium Vibrio fischeri and its animal host Euprymna scolopes provides a natural model system for investigating the impact of biofilms on host infection. In particular, V. fischeri produces a specific biofilm to successfully initiate host colonization.

Biofilm formation by V. fischeri is a tightly regulated process involving a complex network of regulatory genes. …

Probiotic Modulation Of Mucosal Immune Responses In An In Vitro Co-Culture Model, Neama Habil

School of Biomedical Sciences Theses

Probiotics confer health benefits through many mechanisms including modulation of the gut immune system. Gut mucosal macrophages play a pivotal role in driving mucosal immune responses. The local environment and macrophage subset determine immune response: tolerance, associated with an M2-like, regulatory macrophage phenotype and inflammatory activation with an M1-like phenotype. The aims of this study were firstly to investigate the immunomodulatory effects of a panel of heat-killed (HK) probiotic bacteria and their secreted proteins (SP) of Bifidobacterium breve (BB), Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG (LR), L. salivarius (LS), L. plantarum (LP), L. ferrmentum (LF), and L. casei strain Shirota (LcS) on cytokine …

Bridgewater Magazine, Volume 23, Number 1, Spring 2013, Bridgewater State University

Bridgewater Magazine

Contents include articles about The Washington Center selecting BSU as Public University of the Year, Remembering Dean Emerita Martha D. Jones, alumni working in the arts, and alumni preserving the history of football at Bridgewater. Also Bridgewater and Alumni News.

The Intersection Between Urban Agriculture And Form-Based Zoning: A Return To Traditional Planning Techniques, Joshua Yellin

UC Law Environmental Journal

No abstract provided.

Food: A Human Rights Issue Ignored In Sociology, Kathryn Strother Ratcliff, Trisha Tiamzon

Societies Without Borders

Mainstream sociology, including the sociology of health, has been remiss by ignoring food as an important human right both in the United States and globally. This article documents the neglect of food as a topic of sociological inquiry and argues for the centrality of a sociological lens in understanding food as a human right. Sociological ideas are important in understanding forces which have encouraged the globalization of food production and distribution, decreased the equality of access to nutritious food, and threatened core human rights. Sociologists as teachers and researchers need to become academic activists on this important human rights topic.

Regulating In Uncertainty: Animating The Public Health Product Safety Net To Capture Consumer Products Regulated By The Fda That Use Innovative Technologies, Including Nanotechnologies, Genetic Modification, Cloning, And Lab Grown Meat, Katharine A. Van Tassel

Faculty Publications

The past several decades have seen the creation of transformative new technologies that are being used to design innovative consumer product ingredients never seen before in nature. Examples include the use of nanotechnology and genetic modification, and, right around the corner, cloning and lab grown meat. These innovative technologies are harbingers of more pioneering consumer product ingredients to come. The remarkable pace of the development of ground-breaking new technologies means that the population is being steadily exposed to novel ingredients with unknown health risks.

Optimally, the Food & Drug Administration ("FDA") should be regulating these innovative, novel ingredients in consumer …

Random Assignment Of Schools To Groups In The Drug Resistance Strategies Rural Project: Some New Methodological Twists, John W. Graham, Jonathan Pettigrew, Michelle Miller-Day, Janice L. Krieger, Jiangxiu Zhou, Michael L. Hecht

Communication Faculty Articles and Research

Random assignment to groups is the foundation for scientifically rigorous clinical trials. But assignment is challenging in group randomized trials when only a few units (schools) are assigned to each condition. In the DRSR project, we assigned 39 rural Pennsylvania and Ohio schools to three conditions (rural, classic, control). But even with 13 schools per condition, achieving pretest equivalence on important variables is not guaranteed. We collected data on six important school-level variables: rurality, number of grades in the school, enrollment per grade, percent white, percent receiving free/assisted lunch, and test scores. Key to our procedure was the inclusion of …

Self-Replicating Technologies And The Challenge For The Patent And Antitrust Laws, Daryl Lim

Faculty Scholarly Works

Few patented inventions challenge the traditional boundaries of the patent and antitrust laws like those that are capable of multiplying as they are used. These self-replicating technologies are embedded in our food, fortify our vaccines, and form the computer code upon which the information age is based. These inventions create an inherent conflict between patentees and their customers. The conflict arises because every customer could become competitors as the product replicates, potentially making every first sale the patentee's last. They also challenge how we think about fundamental issues of ownership as well as innovation and market competition, and make it …

To Detroiters And Outsiders: A Call To Action To Bring Back The Motor City, Leah A. Walker

Texas A&M Journal of Property Law

In order to spark progress in the form of urban farming, a basic understanding of the relevant history, benefits, and laws proves essential. Part II of this Comment introduces the history of urban agriculture in the United States. Part III narrows the historical focus to Detroit before discussing the benefits that accompany urban agriculture, which are essential to Detroit’s survival and potential revival. Finally, Part IV discusses the laws with the most widespread and immediate impact on urban farming in Detroit and reveals the significant role timing plays in starting an urban farm, as changes to the zoning ordinance loom.

Memory, Cognition, And The Effect Of A Music Intervention On Healthy Older Adults, Shannon L. Bowles

Theses and Dissertations--Gerontology

Music is a powerful modality that can bring about changes in individuals of all ages. This research employed both an experimental and quasi-experimental design to identify the effects of music as it influenced psychological well-being, memory, and cognition among older adults. Specifically, it addressed three aims: (a) To determine to what extent learning to play a music instrument later in life influenced psychological well-being and cognitive function of non-institutionalized healthy seniors, (b) To determine the effects of the amount of music involvement on psychological well-being and cognitive function (c) To determine the benefit of music for those with limited/no music …