Digital Commons Network^™

A Tropical Flour: Manioc In The Afro-Brazilian World, 1500-1800, Joseph Leestma

Latin American Studies ETDs

This research follows the movement of the American tropical root crop manioc [Manihot esulenta] throughout the Afro-Portuguese world between ca. 1500 to ca.1800. In addition to tracing the spatial movement of the plant, this thesis will also show how manioc was culturally redefined as an African crop and how this effected its reception and meaning upon returning to the New World from Africa. In tracking the geographical diffusion of the plant from the Americas to Africa, this research relies upon primary sources on the exploration of Brazil and Africa by European travelers and accounts of the early era of the …

The Meat You Haven't Met, Pt. 3, Rebecca Soja

Architecture Senior Theses

This thesis contends that architecture can be a tool for exposing the social, environmental, economic, and political problems caused by industrial beef production and excessive cultural consumption of beef in order to promote meaningful change. A narrative is established in which a fictitious beef corporation seeks the expertise of an architect to design a Transparency Tour as part of a green washing campaign. However, while the intent of the corporation is to mislead consumers to gain loyalty, the architect seizes the opportunity to infiltrate the system and expose realities that would have remained hidden. Subversive design interventions within three stops …

The Symbiosis Of Creativity And Wellness: A Personal Journey, Jennifer A. Quarrie

Creativity and Change Leadership Graduate Student Master's Projects

The Symbiosis of Creativity and Wellness project explored how holistic personal wellness practices nurture creativity, and conversely, how creativity fosters personal wellness. The project specifically explored wellness from the standpoint of sleep and circadian rhythms, somaticism and movement, nutrition and hydration, meditation and mindfulness, as well as connection and support. By immersing in research-based wellness practices and building a customized approach to personal wellness, this project not only facilitated measurable personal wellness improvements over the six-week period, but also highlighted more profound insights within the relationship between creativity and wellness. Overall this work resulted in significant lifestyle changes, a more …

Executive Function And Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder In Ugandan Children With Perinatal Hiv Exposure, Matthew Burkey, Robert Opoka

Paediatrics and Child Health, East Africa

Background: Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is among the most commonly diagnosed mental disorders in childhood and is associated with substantial deficits in executive functioning and lost academic and occupational attainment. This study evaluates symptoms of ADHD and their association with neurocognitive deficits in a cohort of rural Ugandan children who were born to HIV-infected mothers.

Methods: We assessed ADHD symptoms and executive function (including memory and attention) in a non-clinical sample of children born to HIV-infected mothers in rural eastern Uganda. Analyses included assessments of the psychometric properties, factor structure, and convergent and discriminant validity of the ADHD measure (ADHD-Rating Scale-IV); …

Sulfidic Spring In The Gypsum Karst System Of Monte Conca (Italy): Chemistry And Microbiological Evidences, Marianna Messina, Tiziana Grech, Florenzo Florenza

KIP Articles

Monte Conca Cave is a karst system placed in Messinian evaporites, consisting of an active cave and a resurgence located on the massif of Monte Conca, Campofranco within the "Riserva Naturale Integrale di Monte Conca". A sulfidic spring is located in the terminal gallery of the cave. To characterize the physical and chemical parameters of the Monte Conca cave and of the sulfidic spring, air temperature, relative humidity, water pH, and concentrations of dissolved sulfides, nitrates and sulfates were monitored. The high sulfide consumption rate in the sulfidic spring, evaluated by a kinetic study, suggests that biotic consumption is dominant. …

Antioxidant Capacity Of Wyoming Big Sagebrush (Artemisia Tridentata Ssp. Wyomingensis) Varies Spatially And Is Not Related To The Presence Of A Sagebrush Dietary Specialist, Xinzhu Pu, Lisa Lam, Kristina Gehlken, Amy C. Ulappa, Janet Rachlow, Jennifer Sorensen Forbey

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Sagebrush (Artemisia spp.) in North America is an abundant native plant species that is ecologically and evolutionarily adapted to have a diverse array of biologically active chemicals. Several of these chemicals, specifically polyphenols, have antioxidant activity that may act as biomarkers of biotic or abiotic stress. This study investigated the spatial variation of antioxidant capacity, as well as the relationship between a mammalian herbivore and antioxidant capacity in Wyoming big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata wyomingensis). We quantified and compared total polyphenols and antioxidant capacity of leaf extracts from sagebrush plants from different spatial scales and at different levels …

A Path Toward An Increased Role For The United States In Patent Infringement Litigation, Caroline M. Turner

Chicago-Kent Journal of Intellectual Property

A number of major statutory schemes implicate federal interests but do not provide for explicit authority for the United States to bring lawsuits for damages or to obtain injunctive relief. The patent statutes provide that the patentee may sue in the case of infringement, and court decisions have extended that right to certain licensees. Accordingly, the United States has participated in cases in which it is not a co-patentee or licensee only as an amicus. Yet the government arguably has an interest in intervening in or instituting, as a co-plaintiff, infringement cases involving certain patents. Recent scholarship has renewed attention …

Open Source Business Models And Synthetic Biology, Tej Singh

Chicago-Kent Journal of Intellectual Property

The software industry has successfully utilized open source business models namely with software such as Android and Linux. Open source business models allow individuals to collaborate and share information without fear that the shared information will be commercially misused. Given the similarities between software source code and genetic sequences, innovators in the field of synthetic biology feel that open source business models can help further innovation for synthetic biology in a similar manner. However, when determining whether to join an open source project, practitioners must first identify if such a project will be beneficial to their goals. This Comment discuss …

Identification And Characterization Of Cholesterol Metabolism Related Genes And Gene Products From Mycobacterium Tuberculosis, Meng Yang

Stony Brook Theses and Dissertations Collection, 2006-2020 (closed to submissions)

Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb), as an intracellular pathogen, preferentially respires on lipids when surviving in vivo. Cholesterol metabolism is important for Mtb’s persistence and virulence. We demonstrate through experiment and bioinformatic analysis the existence of an architecturally distinct subfamily of acyl-CoA dehydrogenase (ACAD) enzymes that are α2β2 heterotetramers with two active sites. These enzymes are encoded by two adjacent ACAD (fadE) genes that are regulated by cholesterol. Their structures and genomic locations suggest that the α2β2 heterotetrameric structural motif has evolved to enable catalysis of dehydrogenation of steroid- or polycyclic-CoA substrates and that they function in four sub-pathways of cholesterol metabolism. …

Post-Transcriptional Gene Regulation During Meiosis In Schizosaccharomyces Pombe, Kaustav Mukherjee

Stony Brook Theses and Dissertations Collection, 2006-2020 (closed to submissions)

The fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe grows by mitotic divisions as a haploid when nutrition is adequate. When starved for nitrogen, it mates with a cell of opposite mating type, undergoes meiosis and forms spores. When S. pombe cells switch from mitosis to meiosis, there is a massive rewiring of gene expression, controlled by both transcriptional and post-transcriptional gene regulation. I have studied two major post-transcriptional gene regulatory mechanisms during early meiosis in S. pombe. A subset of early meiotic genes are actively transcribed even during vegetative growth, but an RNA binding protein called Mmi1 binds to their RNA and targets …

Understanding The Impacts Of Changes In Water Inflow On The Fishes Of Lake Turkana, Kenya, Natasha Jeanne Gownaris

Stony Brook Theses and Dissertations Collection, 2006-2020 (closed to submissions)

Lake Turkana, Kenya is an understudied desert lake that receives over 90% of its inflow from the Omo River in Ethiopia. The volume and patterns of inflow from this river influence the lake’s chemistry and productivity, as well as the availability of habitat and the breeding migrations of its fishes. Lake Turkana is at the precipice of large-scale changes in ecological function due to climate change and economic development along the Omo River, including the construction of massive dams and irrigation projects. Upstream development will reduce the volume of water entering the lake and dampen the lake’s ecologically crucial seasonal …

Hypertension In Ckd: Sodium Still At The Nexus, Jerry Yee

Nephrology Articles

No abstract provided.

Crossroads: How The Intersection Of Technology, Medicine, And The Law, Impact The Administration Of Healthcare In Florida And Puerto Rico, Casaundra Johnson

University of Miami Inter-American Law Review

No abstract provided.

Effects Of Food Quality On Daphnia Ambigua, Ishrat Durdana

2015 Spring Honors Capstone Projects - Archive

Environmental changes are common in nature and are responsible for variables such as temperate and food quality. Daphnia ambigua are an integral part of aquatic ecosystems, providing food sources for aquatic life and keeping phytoplankton from overgrowing. Our goal was to manipulate food quality in order to observe generational and cross-generational effects on Daphnia. Existing clones from cultures in the lab were reared in a common garden setting for three generations in order to reduce extraneous variables. Food quality is a key aspect of development; therefore, it was manipulated in order to determine possible effects on clutch and body size. …

Perceptions Of Weight And Body Image Among Indian Preschool Children: A Replication Study, Adrianna Lall

2015 Spring Honors Capstone Projects - Archive

Background: Healthy People 2020 recognize child obesity as a significant problem in the United States. This replication study included four and five year olds of Asian Indian descent. Methods: Identification of body shapes reflecting an overweight/underweight individual was shown to children and they were asked to choose the body shape reflecting their own body mass index (BMI). The relationship between a child’s actual BMI and his/her perceived body shape, perceptions of body shape/size in relation to types of food consumed, and gender differences for each were analyzed. BMI calculations were obtained and interviews completed using a pictorial questionnaire representing various …

The Effectiveness Of Cellucor C4 Extreme Pre-Workout Supplementation On Submaximal Cycle Endurance, Mary-Catherine Wilson

2015 Spring Honors Capstone Projects - Archive

Pre-workout supplements are meant to improve sports performance by increasing power, focus, endurance, and reaction time, but little research exists for specific pre-workout supplements. This study tested the effectiveness of pre-workout supplementation during submaximal cycling by comparing five variables (distance, rate of perceived exertion (RPE), heart rate, minute ventilation, and oxygen consumption (VO2)). Six recreationally active female University of Texas at Arlington Kinesiology students took part in this study. All completed a VO2max cycle ergomemter ride, as well as two 30-minute submaximal rides at 70% of their VO2 prior to which they received either a control drink or the pre-workout …

A Population-Based Approach To Cesarean Section Surgical Site Infections: Analyzing The Relationship Between Income, Access To Food, And Incident Infections, Melissa Deleon

2015 Spring Honors Capstone Projects - Archive

Various studies have been conducted regarding the risk factors for surgical site infections (SSI) in women who undergo a cesarean section (CS). However, minimal literature exists where independent risk factors such as income and access to food are observed in relation to surgical site infections. Despite technological advances in wound dressings, surgical techniques, and medications, the number of SSI following CS remains substantially high. The purpose of this study is to determine if a correlation exits between neighborhood income and access to food and the development of surgical site infections among women who have had a cesarean section. A retrospective …

Impact Of Numeracy On Parental Self-Efficacy And Treatment Outcome Of Children On Complex Diets., Diana Cardina Pantalos

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Health numeracy, a counterpart to health literacy, can be a mediator of health disparities. This study analyzed the impact of both cognitive and affective numeracy on the pathway linking health behavior to health outcomes, and the role of self-efficacy in this relationship, based on the Health Belief Model. The context was parental management of children's complex diets that require numerical calculations. Parents of children ages 12 months to 12 years with type 1 diabetes (T1D) or phenylketonuria (PKU) were recruited at clinics or community events in east-central states. Ninety-eight participants completed a standardized test of math skills, an instrument to …

The Relationship Between Financial Empowerment And Health Related Quality Of Life In Family Scholar House Participants., Chelsey Erbaugh Franz

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Family Scholar House program was a unique intervention designed to stop the cycle of poverty by providing college education and support to single parents. The different aspects of the Family Scholar House program addressed each of the five social determinants of health (economic stability, education, social and community context, health care, and neighborhood and built environment). Results of the studies showed that participant’s mental health and general health rating, as measured by a health-related quality of life survey, improved during the time in the Family Scholar House program. Upon graduation from the program, the mental health and the health …

Implementation Of Break Time For Employee Nursing Mothers At The University Of Louisville : A Case Study., Robin Elise Weiss, 1971-

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation is a mixed methods look at the barriers to successful implementation of the Break Time for Nursing Mothers provisions of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) at an upper southern-midwestern university. As public health and medical officials push the desire for an increase in breastfeeding initiation and duration, many mothers must overcome barriers within the employment arena. Previous work has failed to look at how the university setting presents unique challenges with a diverse workforce, varied jobs, and differing space availability. In other settings, barriers have been identified; the goal of this dissertation was to identify what the specific …

The Influence Of Child Physical Activity Programs On Parent Physical Activity In A Rural Community., Katie F. Leslie

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Introduction: In 2008, a coalition of community leaders and parents sought to increase access to physical activity opportunities for residents of Meade County, a rural Kentucky community. To date, the Meade Activity Center has implemented a variety of year-round programs conducted at borrowed spaces from local schools that have targeted children, utilizing the strategy to first engage children as a way to extend behavior change to other members of the community. This study assessed the influence of child participation in physical activity programs on parent physical activity, and determined potential methods of intervention to increase adult physical activity in a …

The Evolution And Ecology Of Individual Specializations Amongst A Group Of Dietary Generalists., Carl S. Cloyed

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation examines individual diet specializations (IS) in a group of ecologically similar and evolutionarily related frogs and toads. Individual specialization is known to have widespread ecological and evolutionary effects. In an initial literature review (Chapter 2) I build a comprehensive theoretical framework showing how different types of population diversity can help, halt, or hinder sympatric speciation. I argue that IS can be maintained indefinitely in populations yet fail to lead to speciation because it is influenced by ecological conditions that may change. Additionally, IS can potentially aid niche partitioning among similar species, increasing species coexistence and resulting in less …

The Meat You Haven't Met, Pt. 1, Rebecca Soja

Architecture Senior Theses

This thesis contends that architecture can be a tool for exposing the social, environmental, economic, and political problems caused by industrial beef production and excessive cultural consumption of beef in order to promote meaningful change. A narrative is established in which a fictitious beef corporation seeks the expertise of an architect to design a Transparency Tour as part of a green washing campaign. However, while the intent of the corporation is to mislead consumers to gain loyalty, the architect seizes the opportunity to infiltrate the system and expose realities that would have remained hidden. Subversive design interventions within three stops …

The Meat You Haven't Met, Pt. 2, Rebecca Soja

Architecture Senior Theses

This thesis contends that architecture can be a tool for exposing the social, environmental, economic, and political problems caused by industrial beef production and excessive cultural consumption of beef in order to promote meaningful change. A narrative is established in which a fictitious beef corporation seeks the expertise of an architect to design a Transparency Tour as part of a green washing campaign. However, while the intent of the corporation is to mislead consumers to gain loyalty, the architect seizes the opportunity to infiltrate the system and expose realities that would have remained hidden. Subversive design interventions within three stops …

The Meat You Haven't Met, Pt. 5, Rebecca Soja

Architecture Senior Theses

This thesis contends that architecture can be a tool for exposing the social, environmental, economic, and political problems caused by industrial beef production and excessive cultural consumption of beef in order to promote meaningful change. A narrative is established in which a fictitious beef corporation seeks the expertise of an architect to design a Transparency Tour as part of a green washing campaign. However, while the intent of the corporation is to mislead consumers to gain loyalty, the architect seizes the opportunity to infiltrate the system and expose realities that would have remained hidden. Subversive design interventions within three stops …

Saving Charitable Settlements, Christine P. Bartholomew

Fordham Law Review

    This Article defies the conventional wisdom that all charitable distributions from a class action settlement fund are types of cy pres. Instead, it proposes a radical delineation between “cy pres remainders” (meaning settlement funds left over after individual monetary distributions) and “charitable settlements” (meaning money initially distributed to charities as part of class action settlements). While both have cy pres roots, these two settlement structures have been conflated, jeopardizing the potential utility of charitable settlements. After articulating more precise nomenclature for these distinct distribution methods, this Article justifies why we must preserve charitable settlements. This defense is particularly …

Effect Of A Trace Mineral Injection On Beef Cattle Performance, Carmen J. Brasche

Department of Animal Science: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Adequate trace mineral status is important in beef cow/calf and replacement heifer systems because trace minerals play vital roles in reproduction, immunity and growth. Many experiments have investigated the use of a trace mineral injection containing Cu, Mn, Se and Zn (TMI) on growth and immunity of beef cattle. However, very few have investigated TMI use on reproductive performance. Therefore, five experiments, a two year cow/calf experiment, and four replacement heifer experiments were designed to investigate the use of a TMI on reproductive performance of cows and heifers, calf growth and trace mineral status of cows, heifers, and calves. The …

Corn Plant Maturity Effect On Yield And Nutritional Quality: Corn Silage Inoculation On Performance Of Cattle Fed Silage With Or Without Live Yeast Added, Cassandra A. Row

Department of Animal Science: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Corn plots were serially harvested over two years to evaluate nutrient, digestibility, and yield change as plants matured from half-milk line through black layer. In yr 1 (2013), two corn plots were used, one short season (102 d), and one normal season (111 d). Year two used two Pioneer hybrids (111 d; 112 d). Silage yield and silage DM increased quadratically as maturity increased (P ≤ 0.01). Percent NDF increased quadratically (P = 0.01), and NDF-digestibility decreased linearly (P < 0.01) as maturity increased. This study suggests there is a delicate balance between plant maturity, nutrient content, and silage yield. A finishing study using 320 yearling steers (initial BW = 417 ± 22.7 kg) evaluated the effect of using a silage inoculant or not on performance and carcass characteristics. Treatments were designed as a 2×2×2 factorial arrangement with factors being no inoculant (CON) or use of inoculant (Buchnerii spp.; B500) at silage harvest, silage fed at 15 or 40% of diet DM, and presence (LEV) or absence (noLEV) of Levucell SC yeast product fed at 14.2 g/hd/d. Performance data were analyzed with pen as the experimental unit, with 5 pens/treatment. There was a three-way interaction for final live BW, HCW, ADG, and G:F (P < 0.05). Feeding corn silage at 40% inclusion instead of 15% inclusion increased DMI and decreased G:F. At 15% silage inclusion, the B500 LEV treatment had the lowest ADG. At 40% silage inclusion all treatments were similar for ADG (P ≥ 0.06). When including silage at 15%, using B500 inoculant, the addition of LEV did not …

Evaluation Of A Pharmacist-Led Medication Assessment Used To Identify Prevalence Of And Associations With Polypharmacy And Potentially Inappropriate Medication Use Among Ambulatory Senior Adults With Cancer., Ginah Nightingale, Emily Hajjar, Kristine Swartz, Jocelyn Andrel-Sendecki, Andrew Chapman

College of Pharmacy Faculty Papers

PURPOSE: The use of multiple and/or inappropriate medications in seniors is a significant public health problem, and cancer treatment escalates its prevalence and complexity. Existing studies are limited by patient self-report and medical record extraction compared with a pharmacist-led comprehensive medication assessment.

PATIENTS AND METHODS: We retrospectively examined medication use in ambulatory senior adults with cancer to determine the prevalence of polypharmacy (PP) and potentially inappropriate medication (PIM) use and associated factors. PP was defined as concurrent use of five or more and less than 10 medications, and excessive polypharmacy (EPP) was defined as 10 or more medications. PIMs were …

Spatio-Temporal Patterns Of Flowering Around Lake Issaqueena, Sc, Samantha Kathleen Hart

All Theses

Spatio-temporal patterns of flowering in forest ecosystems are hard to quantify and monitor. The objectives of this study were to investigate spatio-temporal patterns (e.g. soils, simple slope classes, slope aspect, and flow accumulation) of flowering around Lake Issaqueena, SC using a plant-flowering database collected with GPS-enabled cameras (stored in Picasa 3 web albums and project website) on a monthly basis in 2012. Pacolet fine sandy loam had the highest flowering count, followed by Madison sandy loam, both dominant soil types around the lake. The highest flowering counts were on moderately steep (17-30%) and gently sloping (4-8%) slopes. The highest flowering …