Digital Commons Network^™

Functional Role Of Mepe In Tooth Mineralization: Mediation By Tgf-Beta1, Angela Gullard

All ETDs from UAB

Transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) is one of the most abundant cytokines of the dentin-pulp complex that regulates a broad range of biological processes related to matrix synthesis and ultimately tooth formation, including secretion and mineralization of the dentin extracellular matrix (DECM). TGF-β1 mediates odontoblast cytodifferentiation from precursor dental pulp cells, being up-regulated in odontoblasts and then incorporated into the DECM as a reservoir that can be utilized in times of mechanical, chemical, or bacterial insult. Formation of the DECM is modulated by the actions of small integrin-binding ligand N-linked glycoproteins (SIBLINGs), which include DMP-1, DSPP, BSP, SPP1, and MEPE, with …

The Investigation Of Quality Of Life, Perceived Disease Severity, And Adherence In Patients With The G551d Mutation Receiving Ivacaftor Therapy, Heather Young Hathorne

All ETDs from UAB

Cystic fibrosis (CF), a genetic disorder, is a chronic life threatening illness that affects 30,000 adults and children in the United States and 70,000 worldwide. Treatment for CF is complex and consuming, consisting of multiple time intensive regimens. The therapy regimen has been descried as extraordinary when compared even to therapy regimens for other chronic illnesses. Oral and nebulized medication therapy, airway clearance therapy, pancreatic enzyme replacement therapy and vitamin /nutritional supplements are all required for the multiorgan treatment regimen for CF. Daily prescribed therapy can include as many as 40-50 pills, breathing treatments lasting up to tow hours a …

Nutrient Intake, Nutrient Targets And Feed Application To Promote Optimal Production And Feed Efficiency In The Sea Urchin Lytechinus Variegatus (Echinodermata: Echinoidea), Laura Elizabeth Heflin

All ETDs from UAB

Important considerations for the development of sea urchin aquaculture will include understanding nutrition and feed management. These reported investigations contribute to knowledge of dietary protein and carbohydrate requirements in Lytechinus variegatus and feed management strategies. The first evaluation of economic feasibility of sea urchin aquaculture as related to feed costs is presented and the geometric framework (GF) to assess nutrient intake targets is first applied to cultured aquatic organisms to yield recommendations for nutrient balancing in formulated urchin feed. Data- derived models for dietary protein and carbohydrate intake predict increased rates of growth and production among urchins fed diets containing …

Obesity And Mortality In Us-Residing Hispanic Adults, Carrie Howell

All ETDs from UAB

Previous epidemiological studies observed the lack of an association between increased body mass index (BMI: kg/m2) and all-cause mortality in US-residing Hispanic adults. The purpose of this dissertation was to examine the validity of three hypothesized explanations for the absence of significant associations. Using data on Hispanic participants from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) [1988-1994 and 1999-2004] and the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS), this dissertation examined whether: (1) BMI was associated with cause-specific mortality; (2) measures of body composition was associated with all-cause mortality; and (3) the BMI-all-cause mortality association differed as a function of Hispanic …

Infant Feeding Practices, Weight Gain, And Blood Pressure In Toddlers Born Very Preterm, Doris Rodriguez

All ETDs from UAB

Little is known about how weight gain in those born very preterm is associated with blood pressure and if cortisol, a stress biomarker, plays a mediating role. Also, the influence of infant feeding practices on weight gain has been only sporadically addressed. The purpose of this exploratory, descriptive, cross-sectional study was to examine the relationships between infant feeding practices, weight gain, and blood pressure noting any mediating effect cortisol may have between weight gain and blood pressure in 18-to-24 month old corrected age toddlers born very preterm. A convenience sample of 36 18-to-24 month old corrected age toddlers were enrolled. …

Within Session Repeatability Of The Tear Lab Osmolarity Test And Correlation With Other Clinical Tests For Dry Eye, Pearl Shin

All ETDs from UAB

WITHIN SESSION REPEATABILITY OF THE TEAR LAB OSMOLARITY TEST AND CORRELATION WITH OTHER CLINICAL TESTS FOR DRY EYE PEARL SHIN DEPARTMENT OF VISION SCIENCES ABSTRACT Background The human tear film consists of three primary layers that work in conjunction to provide protection and nutrition to the cornea. When a layer is disrupted, the entire tear film loses its integrity and fails to function normally. Dry eye is the most common cause of tear film disruption. Among several methods to characterize dry eye is measurement of tear osmolarity. The TearLab Osmometer is commonly used clinically for this purpose. Previous studies in …

The Effects Of 6 Weeks Of High Intensity Interval Training Vs. Moderate Intensity Training On Changes In Body Composition, Corey Noles

All ETDs from UAB

THE EFFECTS OF 6 WEEKS OF HIGH INTENSITY INTERVAL TRAINING VS. MODERATE INTENSITY TRAINING ON CHANGES IN BODY COMPOSITION COREY NOLES KINESIOLOGY ABSTRACT Background: It is important to identify strategies to promote exercise adherence and to identify an optimal exercise stimulus to prevent adverse health outcomes associated with obesity. Low-volume high-intensity interval training (HIIT) has recently been shown to improve a number of cardiometabolic health outcomes similarly to moderate intensity exercise training (MIT) despite requiring 1 hr of training per week for HIIT vs 6 hrs for ET. However, less is known about HIIT and its effects on body composition. …

Effect Of Therapeutic Treatment On Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (Doms), Sarah V. La Shier

Master of Education in Applied Human Development Graduate Projects

Context: Delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) is common after unfamiliar, repeated eccentric contractions, or intense exercise. Symptoms of DOMS can range from moderate to severe pain and point tenderness. Many therapeutic interventions are used to decrease the symptoms of DOMS, but currently there is no gold standard. Objective: The aim of this study was to explore the most efficient treatment to decrease DOMS. Participants: Twenty-seven participants (5 male, 22 female) between the ages of 18 to 25 (19.81 + 1.79) were recruited. Methods: Values of perceived soreness were recorded with the use of a visual analog scale ranging from 0 …

Mapping Of The Honey Value Chain And Analysis Of Changes In Gender Roles And Factors Influencing Women Empowerment Among Beekeepers In Kitui County, Kenya, Peter Dennis M. Mburu

All Master’s Theses

Beekeeping is an important activity that helps rural communities to raise additional income to improve their livelihoods. Often, among rural beekeeping households, it has been widely adopted as an income diversification strategy. In addition, it is a sustainable form of agriculture beneficial to the environment. An intervention conducted by the International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (ICIPE), introduced modern hives such as the Langstroth and the stingless beehive through the Commercial Insect Programme (CIP) of the institute. Trainings given to the community were for the development of a value chain and hence the formation of farmer groups that aided …

Third-Degree Family Health History And Perception Of Disease Risk, Liana Carrasco Romero

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Chronic diseases are a significant cause of illness and mortality in the United States. Hereditary predisposition to chronic diseases is a useful indicator for identifying people at risk for disease development. An ideal tool for determining this predisposition is the CDC, NIH, and AAFP recommended third-degree family health history (FHH). The aim of this quantitative, cross-sectional study, based on the theoretical frameworks of social constructivism and the health belief model, was to assess the possible influence between the completed third-degree FHH and the participant's perception of disease risk. Two-hundred seventy-three participants were recruited from health care facilities and from the …

Foliar Spray Of Phyto-Extracts Supplemented With Silicon: An Efficacious Strategy To Alleviate The Salinity-Induced Deleterious Effects In Pea (Pisum Sativum L.), Muhammad Adnan Shahid, Rashad Mukhtar Balal, Muhammad Aslam Pervez, Tahira Abbas, Muhammad Anjum Aqueel, Muhammad Mansoor Javaid, Francisco Garcia-Sanchez

Turkish Journal of Botany

A pot culture study was conducted to assess the ameliorative effect of silicon, Melia azadirachta leaf extract, and sugar beet root extract, each applied individually or in different combinations, on salinity-induced detrimental effects in pea (Pisum sativum L.). Salinity markedly inhibited the growth, various gas exchange attributes, total phenol contents, membrane stability index, and productivity. On the other hand, lipid peroxidation, electrolyte leakage, H2O2 content, antioxidant activities, and leaf free proline and glycinebetaine contents were significantly enhanced by salinity. However, exogenously applied Si and phyto-extracts markedly alleviated the salinity-induced drastic effects on growth, gas exchange attributes, and productivity. Both phyto-extracts …

Mechanisms Of Tolerance Differences In Cucumber Seedlings Grafted On Rootstocks With Different Tolerance To Low Temperature And Weak Light Stresses, Yan Li, Xuemei Tian, Min Wei, Qinghua Shi, Fengjuan Yang, Xiufeng Wang

Turkish Journal of Botany

Stresses of low temperature and weak light are major environmental limiters for horticultural production in greenhouses in northern China during winter and early spring. Grafting is regarded as a promising approach to enhance cucumber tolerance to these environmental stresses. However, it is still unclear why cucumber plants grafted on different rootstocks usually exhibit different tolerance. The responses of cucumber (Cucumis sativus L. Cv. 'Xintaimici') seedlings that were grafted on three rootstock cultivars ('Kilameki', 'Tielizhen', and 'Figleaf gourd') to low temperature (5 °C) and weak light (100 µmol m-2 s-1) were investigated in this study. The results showed that, compared to …

Genetic Improvement Of Rice For Biotic And Abiotic Stress Tolerance, Mahmood Ur Rahman Ansari, Tayyaba Shaheen, Shazai Bukhari, Tayyab Husnain

Turkish Journal of Botany

Rice (Oryza sativa L.) is among the most important food crops that provide a staple food for nearly half of the world's population. Rice crops are prone to various types of stresses, both biotic and abiotic. Biotic stresses include insect pests, fungus, bacteria, viruses, and herbicide toxicity. Among abiotic stresses, drought, cold, and salinity are also well studied in rice. Various genes have been identified, cloned, and characterized to combat these stresses and protect rice crops. The identified genes are successfully transformed into rice plants to produce transgenic plants. These transgenic rice plants are being evaluated under field conditions in …

Mobile Market: A Healthy Here Initiative: 2015 Pilot Season Evaluation Report, R Cuddy, C Fitzgerald, T Cruz

Reports & Documents

No abstract provided.

Five Facets Of Mindfulness And Psychological Health: Evaluating A Psychological Model Of The Mechanisms Of Mindfulness, David B. Brown, Adrian J. Bravo, Corey R. Roos, Matthew R. Pearson

Psychology Faculty Publications

There has been an increasing focus on determining the psychological mechanisms underlying the broad effects of mindfulness on psychological health. Mindfulness has been posited to be related to the construct of reperceiving or decentering, defined as a shift in perspective associated with decreased attachment to one's thoughts and emotions. Decentering is proposed to be a meta-mechanism that mobilizes four psychological mechanisms (cognitive flexibility, values clarification, self-regulation, and exposure), which in turn are associated with positive health outcomes. Despite preliminary support for this model, extant studies testing this model have not examined distinct facets of mindfulness. The present study used a …

Clarifying Observed Relationships Between Protective Behavioral Strategies And Alcohol Outcomes: The Importance Of Response Options, Abby L. Braitman, James M. Henson, Kate B. Carey

Psychology Faculty Publications

Protective behavioral strategies (PBS), or harm-reduction behaviors that can potentially reduce alcohol consumption or associated problems, have been assessed in varied ways throughout the literature. Existing scales vary in focus (i.e., broad vs. narrow), and importantly, in response options (i.e., absolute frequency vs. contingent frequency). Absolute frequency conflates PBS use with number of drinking occasions, resulting in inconsistencies in the relationship between PBS use and alcohol outcomes, whereas contingent frequency is less precise, which could reduce power. The current study proposes the use of absolute frequencies to maximize precision, with an adjustment for number of drinking days to extricate PBS …

Minority Stress, Depression, Relationship Quality, And Alcohol Use: Associations With Overweight And Obesity Among Partnered Young Adult Lesbians, Tyler B. Mason, Robin J. Lewis

Psychology Faculty Publications

Purpose: Although lesbian women are more likely to be obese compared to heterosexual women, relatively little research has examined correlates of overweight and obesity among lesbians. The purpose of this study was to examine the association of minority stress and depression, relationship quality, and alcohol-use variables to overweight and obesity among lesbians in relationships.

Method: Self-identified lesbians (n = 737) in current relationships completed measures of demographics, minority stress, depressive symptoms, relationship variables, and alcohol use.

Results: Overweight and obesity were associated with more public identification as a lesbian, more depressive symptoms, increased heavy drinking, longer relationship length, and lower …

Documenting Perceived Effectiveness Of Community-Based Health Promotion Coalitions: A Grounded Theory Approach, Alyssa Brooke Mayer

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Introduction: Community coalitions with public health-related missions are formal, semi-permanent, action-oriented partnerships comprised of community members, representatives of government agencies, policymakers, and academic partners. Despite their potential to promote sustainable change, coalitions have had mixed success in effecting long-term improvements in community health. There is a need to assist them in developing strategies for improving and sustaining their functionality. The purpose of this study was to improve understanding of the elements of coalition success and sustainability that are vital to health-related community-based participatory research.

Methods: Although the literature describes coalition functions for effecting sustainable programs and policies, most research reports …

Effects Of A Brief Relaxation Intervention On Stress-Related Eating, Laura Lynn Mayhew-Purcell

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The experience of stress may contribute to increased food consumption and selection of unhealthy food options. Resource depletion theory suggests stress temporarily depletes resources needed to regulate behavior. Depletions of self-control may result in subsequent failure to regulate eating behaviors, which is particularly salient in restrained eaters. Restraint theory posits people high in dietary restraint require significant effort to control eating. Emotional eating theory further suggests palatable foods may be used to regulate emotional stress reactions. Relaxation exercises to mitigate stress reactions are recommended in eating and weight management programs, but lack quality scientific support. The current study examined the …

Economic Evaluation Of Integrated Pest Management Technology For Control Of Mango Fruit Flies In Embu County, Kenya, Mary Njeri Kibira

All Master’s Theses

Mango is the third most important fruit in Kenya in terms of area and total production. Nutritionally, mango fruit is important for vitamins and mineral provision in the daily diet of Kenyans. As an export crop, mango earns the country foreign exchange, acts as source of food and household income especially for resource poor farmers, contributing to poverty alleviation and achievement of Millennium Development Goal number one. However, mango production and marketing is constrained by several factors, among which pests and disease infestation is major. Among the pests, mango fruit fly present a real challenge to producers and exporters due …

Chemical Composition Of Ocimum Kilimandscharicum And Ocimum Americanum And Their Bioactivities Against Sitophilus Zeamais, Davis R. Mathu

All Master’s Theses

The maize weevil, Sitophilus zeamais (Motchulsky), the lesser grain borer, Rhyzopertha dominica (Fabricius), and the Angoumois grain moth, Sitotroga cerealella (Oliver), are serious pests of stored grain in Kenya. The control of these insect pests relies heavily on the use of synthetic insecticides by better off farmers; but there is an increasing cost of application and erratic supply in developing countries. In addition, small-scale farmers cannot afford these commercial products and there increasing cases of resistance development by the pests. In contrast with synthetic pesticides, the traditional uses of plants-derived pesticides are usually simple, eco-friendly, cost-effective and accessible to communities …

Productivity And Efficiency Impacts Of Urea Deep Placement Technology In Modern Rice Production: An Empirical Analysis From Bangladesh, S Rahman, Bk Barmon

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

Rice is the most dominant field crop in Bangladesh covering 75% of the total cultivated area and consumes 80% of the total fertilizers alone. Nevertheless, the productivity of rice in Bangladesh remains one of the lowest in the world. Urea, the main source of nitrogen (N), plays a key role in rice production, is required in large amount, is the most limited nutrient and also suffers from heavy system losses. A worldwide crisis of urea fertilizer in 2008 spurred the need to economise on its use with urgency. The Urea Deep Placement (UDP) technology is aimed at increasing N fertilizer …

Can Americans Resist Surveillance?, Ryan Calo

Articles

This Essay analyzes the ability of everyday Americans to resist and alter the conditions of government surveillance. Americans appear to have several avenues of resistance or reform. We can vote for privacy-friendly politicians, challenge surveillance in court, adopt encryption or other technologies, and put market pressure on companies not to cooperate with law enforcement.

In practice, however, many of these avenues are limited. Reform-minded officials lack the capacity for real oversight. Litigants lack standing to invoke the Constitution in court. Encryption is not usable and can turn citizens into targets. Citizens can extract promises from companies to push back against …

Beyond Respectability: Dismantling The Harms Of "Illegality", Angélica Cházaro

Articles

Current pro-immigrant reform efforts focus on legalization. Proposals seek to place as many of the eleven million undocumented people in the United States as possible on a “path to earned citizenship.” However, these reform efforts suffer from a significant and underappreciated blind spot: the strategies used to advocate legalization harm those to whom the path to citizenship is barred—such as those with prior deportation orders, prior criminal convictions, and those who have yet to arrive. The problem begins with rhetoric: in making the push for legalization, immigrant rights groups have deployed imagery of the undocumented as law-abiding, hard-working, and family-oriented—the …

Evaluation Of School Vip Latrines And User Preferences And Motivations For Adopting Communal Sanitation Technologies In Zwedru, Liberia, Sarah J. Ness

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This thesis has three objectives as follows: 1) to investigate VIP latrine design and establish if the communal school VIP latrines located on the shared campus of Tubman Wilson Institute (TWI) Junior and Senior High School and J.C. Barlee Elementary School were properly designed and constructed, 2) to explore the user preferences and motivations impacting the adoption of these school latrines, and 3) to develop a framework for factors that influence latrine adoption. These goals were formed by the author in response to her Peace Corps experience working at a high school in Zwedru, Liberia from August 2012 to August …

Women's Perspectives On Adequacy Of Screening And Treatment For Postpartum Depression, Gloria Marcia Watson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Postpartum depression affects some 10% to 20% of mothers. Its impact on the health and well-being of mothers and their infants is well documented. If not identified and addressed early, it can result in emotional burden, costly hospitalization and treatment, and, at worst, suicide and or infanticide. Empowerment theory was the conceptual framework for this hermeneutic phenomenological study. The purpose was to understand the lived experiences of the screening and treatment processes of 10 women from New York City experiencing postpartum depression and their perceived adequacy of the treatment received. In-depth interviews were used to investigate participants' lived experiences of …

Implementing Innovative Farm Management Practices On Dairy Farms: A Review Of Feeding Systems, Şeyda Özkan, Julian Hill

Turkish Journal of Veterinary & Animal Sciences

The Australian dairy industry relies primarily on pasture for its feed supply. However, the variability in rainfall negatively affects plant growth, leading to uncertainty in dryland feed supply, especially during periods of high milk price. New feeding (complementary) systems combining perennial ryegrass with another crop and/or pasture species may have the potential to mitigate this seasonal risk and improve productivity and profitability by providing off-season feed. To date, the majority of research studying the integration of alternative crops into pasture-based systems has focused on substitution and utilization of alternative feed sources. There has been little emphasis on the impacts of …

Determination Of Nutrient Content And Digestibility Characteristics Ofprangos Ferulacea (L.) On Grazing Lands Of Eastern Anatolia, Reşi̇t Aldemi̇r, Nuri̇ye Tuğba Bi̇ngöl, Mehmet Aki̇f Karsli, İsmai̇l Akça

Turkish Journal of Veterinary & Animal Sciences

The aim of this study was to compare nutrient content, and in situ protein and organic matter degradation kinetics of Prangos ferulacea (L.) (locally called helis), a naturally growing plant on the top of Mount Artos, with those of alfalfa. P. ferulacea plants used in the study were collected from three different parts of Mount Artos in Van Province over two years. While organic matter content and in vitro organic matter digestibility of P. ferulacea were significantly higher, neutral detergent fiber, acid detergent fiber, and acid detergent insoluble nitrogen contents were significantly lower compared with those of alfalfa (P < 0.01). In general, in situ dry matter, and organic matter and crude protein degradability of P. ferulacea were significantly higher compared with those of alfalfa starting from 6 h of incubation (P < 0.05). Organic matter and crude protein degradability of P. ferulacea was 79.15% and 85.31%, respectively, after 48 h of incubation. By-pass protein content and both organic matter and crude protein degradation rates were similar between samples (P > 0.05). …

Novel Coproducts From Corn Milling And Their Use In Ruminants? Nutrition, Catalin Dragomir, Marketta Rinne, David Yanez-Ruiz

Turkish Journal of Veterinary & Animal Sciences

The article reviews published data on two novel coproducts originating from corn milling: high-protein distillers' grain (HPDG) and reduced-fat distillers' grain (RFDG). Based on a literature survey over the last decade, this article focuses on their chemical composition and, consequently, nutritive value and on the effects of their inclusion in ruminants' diets on rumen activity and animal performance. Compared to the classic distillers' grains, the two new coproducts expressed lower variability of their chemical composition, nutritive value, and specific feeding characteristics, allowing more targeted feeding strategies (protein balancing, avoidance of milk fat depression, etc.). Thus, HPDG has significantly higher crude …

The Effect Of Macromolecule And Growth Factor Combinations On In Vitrodevelopment Of Bovine Embryos, Alper Koçyi̇ği̇t, Mesut Çevi̇k, Uğur Şen, Mehmet Kuran

Turkish Journal of Veterinary & Animal Sciences

This study was conducted to determine the effects of different macromolecule sources added to synthetic oviduct fluid (SOF) culture medium supplemented with growth factors on the development of bovine embryos and blastocyst morphology. Zygotes were distributed into 5 treatment groups. Cleavage, morula, and blastocyst rates were evaluated under a stereomicroscope. Trophectoderm (TE) and inner cell mass (ICM) cells were determined by differential staining method. It was found that bovine serum albumin (BSA), either alone or in combination with growth factors, as compared to the control or polyvinyl-alcohol (PVA) resulted in higher embryo yield and faster development during early bovine embryo …