Digital Commons Network^™

Utilizing Short- And Long-Term Evaluation To Measure The Impact Of A Long-Standing, Multi-State Educational Venue, Lisa Franzen-Castle, Karla Jenkins, Aaron Berger

Department of Nutrition and Health Sciences: Faculty Publications

The purpose of this program evaluation was to utilize short- and long-term surveys to measure the impact of a multi-state Range Beef Cow Symposium on knowledge change and changes in beef cattle production practices. Symposium participants completed end-of-session surveys and ranked their degree of knowledge change, with a 36% return rate. Follow-up surveys were mailed to past symposium participants who noted changes made to their production practices, with a 23% return rate. For symposium survey respondents, 70% were male, a majority were white, over 60% were under 50 years, and they represented 16 states. The estimated annual increase in profitability …

Sweetened Food Purchases And Indulgent Feeding Are Associated With Increased Toddler Anthropometry, Virginia Chaidez, Scott Mcniven, Stephen A. Vosti, Lucia L. Kaiser

Department of Nutrition and Health Sciences: Faculty Publications

Objective: To explore the role of feeding practices and food purchases in toddler dietary intake and anthropometry. Methods: A convenience sample of Latino mother and toddler pairs were interviewed at baseline and at 6-month follow-up. Data on feeding practices, toddler dietary intake, anthropometry, and food purchases were collected using the Toddler-Feeding Questionnaire; 24-hour recalls; measurements of weight, height, and/or length; and food purchase receipts. Results: Indulgent feeding scores and high intake of sweetened beverage were associated with a 0.52 increase (P = .03) and 0.46 increase in toddler weight-for-height z-score (P = .05), respectively. Households with 10 …

One Health In Action: Reducing Feral Swine Damage And Disease, Sarah N. Bevins, Alan B. Franklin

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

As an invasive species, feral swine (Sus scrofa) are a classic example of a species that can profoundly influence ecological communities and ecosystems. They alter environments through a suite of well-known traits: rooting behaviors that alter soil properties and disturb plant communities; a generalist diet that can encompass seeds, crops, and animals; a rapid reproduction rate that can result in explosive population growth; and an adaptable biology that allows them to thrive in a range of habitats and climates. Along with these more familiar traits of an aggressive invasive species, feral swine can also reservoir and transmit a …

Comparative Analyses Of Three Chlorella Species In Response To Light And Sugar Reveal Distinctive Lipid Accumulation Patterns In The Microalga C. Sorokiniana, Julian N. Rosenberg, Naoko Kobayashi, Austin Barnes, Eric A. Noel, Michael J. Betenbaugh, George A. Oyler

Department of Biochemistry: Faculty Publications

While photosynthetic microalgae, such as Chlorella, serve as feedstocks for nutritional oils and biofuels, heterotrophic cultivation can augment growth rates, support high cell densities, and increase triacylglycerol (TAG) lipid content. However, these species differ significantly in their photoautotrophic and heterotrophic characteristics. In this study, the phylogeny of thirty Chlorella strains was determined in order to inform bioprospecting efforts and detailed physiological assessment of three species. The growth kinetics and lipid biochemistry of C. protothecoides UTEX 411, C. vulgaris UTEX 265, and C. sorokiniana UTEX 1230 were quantified during photoautotrophy in Bold’s basal medium (BBM) and heterotrophy in BBM supplemented …

European Starling Feeding Activity On Repellent Treated Crops And Pellets, Shelagh K. Tupper, Scott J. Werner, James C. Carlson, Susan E. Pettit, John C. Wise, Catherine A. Lindell, George M. Linz

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

The varied diet of European starlings (Sturnus vulgaris L.) can present challenges when working with starlings in experimental testing and holding situations and should be taken into account when testing repellents applied to food. Our purpose was to evaluate an anthraquinone-based repellent (Arkion Life Sciences, New Castle, DE, USA; active ingredient 50% 9,10-anthraquinone; hereafter anthraquinone) and SucraShield^TM (Natural Forces, Davidson, NC, USA; active ingredient 40% sucrose octanoate esters) repellent for non-lethal protection of specialty crops (i.e., fruit, sweet corn) and grains. Our objectives were to evaluate (1) laboratory efficacy of anthraquinone applied topically to blueberries and sweet …

An Efficacy Test Of Cholecalciferol Plus Diphacinone Rodenticide Baits For California Voles (Microtus Californicus Peale) To Replace Ineffective Chlorophacinone Baits, Gary W. Witmer, Rachael S. Moulton, Roger A. Baldwin

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

California voles cause damage to pastures and rangelands, orchards and nurseries, and a wide variety of field crops, including artichokes. The anticoagulant rodenticides (chlorophacinone and diphacinone) typically used for voles are becoming less effective in controlling their populations. Consequently, there is a need to identify new rodenticides that will have a high efficacy on California voles so that agricultural production losses to rodents can be substantially reduced. We tested a new formulation containing two active ingredients (cholecalciferol and diphacinone) as a control method for California voles. Both a pelleted bait and an oil-coated artichoke bract bait were very palatable and …

Responses By Wild House Mice (Mus Musculus) To Variousstimuli In A Novel Environment, Gary W. Witmer, Nathan P. Snow, Rachael S. Moulton

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

House mice (Mus musculus) pose a threat to the native flora and fauna on islands, and cancause significant damage wherever they have been introduced. Methods used to eradicateinvasive rodents, like house mice, at high population densities may not be appropriate forintercepting them at lower densities. A better understanding of the immediate behavior ofhouse mice when first introduced to a novel environment would help managers developeffective biosecurity techniques to protect against new invasions. To address this problem,we conducted a controlled laboratory experiment that simulated an invasion by wild housemice into a novel environment. We quantified and compared the immediate behaviors …

Evaluating The Clinical And Physiological Effects Of Long Term Ultraviolet B Radiation On Guinea Pigs (Cavia Porcellus), Megan K. Watson, Adam W. Stern, Amber L. Labelle, Stephen Joslyn, Timonthy M. Fan, Katie Leister, Micah Kohles, Kemba Marshall, Mark A. Mitchell

School of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences: Faculty Publications

Vitamin D is an important hormone in vertebrates. Most animals acquire this hormone through their diet, secondary to exposure to ultraviolet B (UVB) radiation, or a combination thereof. The objectives for this research were to evaluate the clinical and physiologic effects of artificial UVB light supplementation on guinea pigs (Cavia porcellus) and to evaluate the long-term safety of artificial UVB light supplementation over the course of six months. Twelve juvenile acromelanic Hartley guinea pigs were randomly assigned to one of two treatment groups: Group A was exposed to 12 hours of artificial UVB radiation daily and Group B …

An Assessment Of Mayor Bloomberg’S Public Health Legacy, Lawrence O. Gostin

Georgetown Law Faculty Publications and Other Works

As New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s last term was coming to an end, Professor Gostin wrote an article for the Hasting Center Report addressing Bloomberg’s public health legacy. Rodger Citron has edited that article into a question and answer format and also asked Professor Gostin to elaborate on a number of points made in that article.

Public Health Heart And Soul: Jean Ellet Chabut, Bsn, Mph (1942-2014), Julie Gleason-Comstock, Steven C. Gold, Greg Cline

Michigan Journal of Public Health

No abstract provided.

Table Of Contents

Michigan Journal of Public Health

No abstract provided.

Posters From The 2014 Michigan Epidemiology Conference, Talat Danish

Michigan Journal of Public Health

Poster session presenters from the annual Michigan Epidemiology Conference were invited to submit their posters for publication in the Michigan Journal of Public Health. Submissions were accepted from two authors on subjects much in health news and very relevant to public health. One poster looks at NHANES data for use of energy drinks with interesting recommendations for future research, and the other poster attempts to predict health care costs associated with hospital acquired Methicillin Resistant Staph. Aureus and Clostridium Difficile infections.

Posters included:

The MDCH SHARP MRSA?CDI Prevention Initiative: A Cost Analysis

Noreen Mollon, MS, Bryan Buckley, MPH, Gail Denkins, …

Proceedings Of The 1st Annual Cuny Games Festival, Robert O. Duncan, Joe Bisz, Francesco Crocco, Carlos Hernandez, Kathleen Offenholley, Leah Potter, Maura A. Smale, Cuny Games Network

Publications and Research

Proceedings of the CUNY Games Conference, held from January 17-18, 2014, at the CUNY Graduate Center and Borough of Manhattan Community College.

Topics in Game Design - Teaching with Virtual and Augmented Realities - Writing with Games - Breaking the Magic Circle: Games & Real Life - Interactive Game Design (What's Your Game Plan? - Designing Ethical Games - Games and Gender - Gaming English Language and Literature - Game, Narrative, Literacy - Teaching with Games - Games, Storytelling, and Narrative - Games and STEM - Learning by Design - Students as Game Designers - Experiencing Reality in Popular Games …

Emotional Abuse : The Subjective Experience Of Professionals And The Obstacles To Prevention And Intervention, Rachel H. Flichtbeil

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

The purpose of this study was to explore the subjective experience of the professionals in the Denver/Boulder area working with emotional abuse that occurs between children and their caretakers and to examine the obstacles they experience to more effective prevention and intervention of emotional abuse. Emotional abuse is a widespread and damaging social problem that is often ignored or minimized by the legal system, the child welfare system and the mental health system (Doyle, 1997; Glaser, 2011; Marshall, 2012). This study interviewed 12 key informants from the mental health system, the child welfare system and the legal system and included …

The Reasons And Economic And Political Consequences Of Arab Spring, Ismet Gocer, Sertan Cinar

Khazar Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences

A great many states have economic and political interests in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. This area has suffered from instabilities, autocratic regimes, economic hardships and radical movements as well as rich natural resources. In this study, the reasons and political and economic consequences of Arab Spring were studied. As far as we are concerned, this study is supposed to contribute to the related literature at a time when the democratic government was toppled with a coup d’état in Egypt and ongoing civil war in Syria.

Coverage And Quality Of Antenatal Care Provided At Primary Health Care Facilities In The ‘Punjab’ Province Of ‘Pakistan’, Muhammad Ashraf Majrooh, Seema Hasnain, Javaid Akram, Arif Siddiqui,, Zahid Memon

Centre of Excellence in Women and Child Health

Background: Antenatal care is a very important component of maternal health services. It provides the opportunity to learn about risks associated with pregnancy and guides to plan the place of deliveries thereby preventing maternal and infant morbidity and mortality. In ‘Pakistan’ antenatal services to rural population are being provided through a network of primary health care facilities designated as 'Basic Health Units and Rural Health Centers. Pakistan is a developing country, consisting of four provinces and federally administered areas. Each province is administratively subdivided in to ‘Divisions’ and ‘Districts’. By population ‘Punjab’ is the largest province of Pakistan having …

The Origins Of An Everyday Behavior: Why Do People Share Meals?, David Lee

Honors Theses

Humans are socially driven creatures that require constant interaction. One way humans have consistently expressed their social nature since prehistory is through sharing meals. Recent studies and literature were examined in order to investigate the roots behind why sharing meals has been the most consistent method of social output. Through careful reading and analysis, reasons behind why people share meals were traced in perspective levels. The biological and molecular aspect explains how humans evolved from prehistoric primates and their similarities associated with food consumption. Genetics and food preferences also play a role by allowing humans to taste food rather than …

Parasitism And Feather Reflectance In Mourning Doves (Zenaida Macroura), Wesley Youngblood

Honors Theses

The theory of sexual selection has proven to be an important factor in understanding the mechanisms behind the evolution of secondary sexual traits. The Hamilton and Zuk (1982) hypothesis of parasite-mediated sexual selection postulates that birds evolved ornamentation to indicate parasite resistance to potential mates. My research explores the relationship between parasite load and plumage coloration in hunter-harvested mourning doves. Plumage from seven body areas was collected, ectoparasites were quantified and blood smears made so that intracellular hematozoan parasites could be quantified. Tarsometatarsi were measured, and the testes of males were collected to determine any effects of parasite load on …

An Evaluation Of Soil Extracellular Enzyme Activity In Response To Burning As A Forest Restoration Technique, William M. Steward

Honors Theses

Burning is a method of forest restoration with the goal of returning natural tree species to ecosystems. Burning has a wide range of effects on an ecosystem, including the alteration of important soil processes and characteristics. One of the key components of soil is the activity of extracellular enzymes, which can be used to provide insight into the nutritional requirements of soil microbes as well as nutrient availability and cycling. Because enzymes are important in the overall functioning of soil and can be used to assess soil health, there is great need to examine the effects of burning on soil …

Effects Of Novel Feed Ingredients And Additives On Feed Quality And Broiler Performance, Ashley Marie Evans

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

In the poultry industry, feed and feed manufacture account for 60 to 70% of production costs. Because of this, integrators are continually seeking ways to decrease costs while maintaining pellet quality and bird performance. The research presented in this dissertation offer several novel feed ingredients that have the potential to replace costly feed ingredients, increase pellet quality, improve bird growth and performance, and improve nutrient digestibility. In Chapter 2, four experimental phytase enzymes (A -- D) were examined for thermostability during pelleting, as well as efficacy in vivo. Phytase activity post-pelleting demonstrated high variability between phytases, ranging from 120 to …

Evaluating The Inclusion Of Phytase Super-Dose In Various Broiler Diet Formulations And Novel Pellet Binders, John W. Boney

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Grains commonly used in poultry diets contain phytic acid, a known anti-nutrient that binds dietary phosphorus rendering it unavailable for absorption also decreasing the digestibility of other nutrients. Phytic acid also increases mucin production and endogenous amino acid secretions causing a gut irritant effect which may decrease performance. An abundance of phytase literatures suggests that phytase enzymes can liberate bound phosphorus enhancing phytate phosphorus utilization and bone mineralization. Recently, the use of super-doses of phytase has been suggested to, not only liberate bound phosphorus, but to alleviate the gut irritant effect associated with phytate phosphorus. Therefore, an experiment was conducted …

Essential Roots: Planting Seeds For A Bright Future; A Pilot Implementation Of Transitional Service That Promotes Nutritional Health And Business Skills For Students With Idd, Jennybeth S. Hendrick

Honors Theses

Too many men and women with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities (IDD) are unable to live autonomously due to economic instability and the lack of knowledge to successfully make appropriate and healthy life choices. To improve attainment of financial independence and autonomous living, transitional services must be implemented into grade schools so that adolescents can master basic life skills to help their future quality of life. Essential Roots: Planting Seeds for a Bright Future, a pilot transitional program and evaluation was conducted in a classroom at the Scott Child Development Center, Oxford, MS. The goal of the non-randomized, controlled research study …

Promotion Of Environmental Engagement Through Positive Youth Development In Tanzania, Katherine Westfall

Honors Theses

With climate change and environmental degradation already having devastating effects on communities in sub-Saharan Africa, enhancing youth's commitment to the environment and mobilizing their pro-environmental action is increasingly urgent. In this study, we explored predictors of environmental commitment and action based on a model of positive youth development. We predicted that sociodemographics, self-efficacy, connection to nature, sense of community, and club participation would predict environmental commitment and action. Tanzanian youth (N = 959) from regions across the country completed self-report measures assessing these constructs. Using a series of logistic and hierarchical multiple regressions, we were able to predict statistically significant …

Development Of The Dynamic Evaluation Model To Significantly Advance Autism Research, Dana Cihelkova

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

In my dissertation effort I suggested new directions in order to significantly advance Autism Research. I moved from identification of the problem (Stagnation of Autism Research) to offering one possible explanation for the problem (Conceptualization of Autism as a Complex Phenomenon) to one possible solution for the problem. I developed the Dynamic Evaluation Model which is a five dimensional evaluation system to (a) effectively evaluate Autism interventions, (b) uncover Autism symptoms dynamics, and (c) identify what child with what symptoms characteristics will benefit the most from what currently available treatments. And finally I tested the prototype of the Dynamic Evaluation …

The Performer's Journey As A Student Of Music, Rachel Saliba

Honors Theses

The following thesis is a study of one student's journey as a student of singing at the University of Mississippi. The author documented her progression through four years of vocal study, culminating in a recital performance that occurred on December 7, 2013. First, the author presents the development of a lifestyle that was reflective of her career as a musician. Next, the author provides a description of rehearsal procedures that enabled technical improvement. Then, the author includes a copy of the program notes that were given to the audience of the December recital. Finally, the author presents an analysis of …

Teaching Self-Care To Pastors In The Western Nigeria Union Conference Of The Seventh-Day Adventist Church, Sunday David-Abiola Adelakin

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Problem and Purpose

The Seventh-day Adventist Church in Nigeria, as well as those in other parts of the world, have genuine concern for their pastors’ physical and spiritual well-being. One of the fundamental teachings of the church that applies both to the pastors and the laity as well is to be temperate in all that we do. There is still concern, however, for those pastors that are not observing and keeping the laws of health to keep healthy physically, emotionally, and spiritually. This project explored concepts of self-care practices as they relate to pastors in Nigeria and a teaching manual …

Strategies Towards Dignity In The Experience Of Poverty Among Two Predominantly African-American Seventh-Day Adventist Churches In Birmingham, Alabama, Roy E. Gaiter Sr.

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Problem. African Americans have a higher rate of poverty than any ethnic group. The dearth of dignity through slavery and beyond became a societal pathway to poverty. Seventh-day Adventist African Americans in Birmingham Alabama are not exempt from this predicament. The Norwood and Ephesus Seventh-day Adventist churches are located in the midst of communities of poverty. Some members live in these and other poverty distressed areas. This study is to determine the extent of poverty and the lack of dignity of members of these two predominantly African American churches. The church community is uniquely positioned to share the message that …

Forced Evictions, Mass Displacement, And The Uncertain Promise Of Land And Property Restitution In Haiti, Greger B. Calhan

UC Law Journal of Race and Economic Justice

Haiti's devastating 2010 earthquake produced human suffering on an unimaginable scale. The disaster's aftermath-marked by widespread displacement, secondary occupation of land, and consequent forced evictions-raises critical questions of land ownership and housing rights. It also provided a testing ground for the body of restitutionary legal norms developed in the decades following the Cold War. Using the earthquake in Haiti as a lens, this article critically examines the development of the restitution model, from its inception in the Balkans conflicts of the 1990s to its current expression in the United Nation's Pinheiro Principles. While the Pinheiro Principles are positive in many …

Metabolomic Analysis Of Liver Tissue From The Vx2 Rabbit Model Of Secondary Liver Tumors, R. Ibarra, J. E. Dazard, Y. Sandlers, F. Rehman, R. Abbas, R. Kombu, G. F. Zhang, H. Brunengraber, J. Sanabria

Chemistry Faculty Publications

Purpose. The incidence of liver neoplasms is rising in USA. The purpose of this study was to determine metabolic profiles of liver tissue during early cancer development. Methods. We used the rabbit VX2 model of liver tumors (LT) and a control group consisting of sham animals implanted with Gelfoam into their livers (LG). After two weeks from implantation, liver tissue from lobes with and without tumor was obtained from experimental animals (LT+/LT-) as well as liver tissue from controls (LG+/LG-). Peaks obtained by Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry were subjected to identification. 56 metabolites were identified and their profiles compared between groups …

State-And-Transition Modeling And Adaptive Management: Tools For Future Co-Development Of Madagascar’S Natural Resources And People, Patrick Thomas Spencer

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports - Open

Madagascar’s terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems have long supported a unique set of ecological communities, many of whom are endemic to the tropical island. Those same ecosystems have been a source of valuable natural resources to some of the poorest people in the world. Nevertheless, with pride, ingenuity and resourcefulness, the Malagasy people of the southwest coast, being of Vezo identity, subsist with low development fishing techniques aimed at an increasingly threatened host of aquatic seascapes. Mangroves, sea grass bed, and coral reefs of the region are under increased pressure from the general populace for both food provisions and support of …