Digital Commons Network^™

Does Gut Microbiota Affect The Diet Preference In Anurans?, Jordan A. Rice

Honors Theses

Gut microbiota is a community of bacteria that live in the digestive track of a host. These microbes assist in the breakdown of indigestible materials as food passes through the alimentary canal. Metabolites from bacteria may play a role cell to cell communication with their host and thus gut microbiota may affect the diet preference of the animal host. Southern Leopard frogs (Rana sphenocephala) and Green Tree frogs (Hyla cinerea) were used as focal species to test whether gut microbiota affect their diet preference. Three groups of tadpoles were tested. The control group was fed a …

Influence Of Benagene Supplementation In Conjunction With High Intensity Cycling Exercise, Wilson P. Simmons

Honors Theses

High intensity aerobic performance is determined by the body’s maximal ability to match lactate production and clearance rates, defined as the lactate threshold (LaTh). Intensities performed above the LaTh result in accumulation of lactate causing fatigue. In a double-blind experiment, using trained cyclists and triathletes, we investigated skeletal muscle adaptations that occurred following 28-days of Benagene supplementation (oxaloacetate). The testing protocol consisted of an initial cycle test (T1) to measure VO₂max, LaTh, respiratory exchange ratio (RER), power output (PO) and heart rate (HR). Testing began after a 15-min warm-up at 75W, beginning at 100W, increasing 30W each 3-min …

Characterization Of Embryonic Stem Cell-Differentiated Cells As Mesenchymal Stem Cells, Rachael N. Kuehn

Honors Theses

Embryonic stem cells (ESCs), due to their ability to differentiate into different cell types while still maintaining a high proliferation capacity, have been considered as a potential cell source in regenerative medicine. However, current ESC differentiation methods are low yielding and create heterogeneous cell populations. If transplanted in the human body, differentiated ESCs could be rejected by the immune system, form tumors, or may not function normally within the human body. On the other hand, mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), a type of adult stem cell typically derived from bone marrow, have proved to be excellent candidates in clinical applications due …

Hero, Savage, Or Equal? Representations Of The Moral Personhood Of Pacific Islanders In Hollywood Movies, David Lipset

Pacific Studies

This essay explores the theme of moral agency in cinematic representations of Pacific Islanders. Drawing on anthropological theories, the essay argues that moral personhood is a socially conferred status. Hollywood films often strip Pacific Islanders of moral agency, portraying them as passive or incapable of ethical discernment, while reserving such agency for Western characters. This cinematic imbalance is framed as a form of cultural dispossession and colonial narrative control. The essay thus critiques the broader implications of how moral accountability and personhood are distributed across cultural lines in film.

Sickeningly Sweet: Analysis And Solutions For The Adverse Dietary Consequences Of European Agricultural Law, Emile K. Aguirre

Journal of Food Law & Policy

Sixty-nine percent of adults in the United States, sixty-four percent in the United Kingdom, and over one-third worldwide are overweight or obese. These staggering figures continue to grow, with accompanying emotional, physical, and economic consequences, both for individuals and society as a whole. The role law plays in facilitating this global trend is significant, and yet puzzlingly, little recognized or understood The current food system is profoundly structurally flawed: it establishes unhealthy dietary behaviors as the default option for consumers. This Article is the first to examine how agricultural law has facilitated these unhealthier diets for the past fifty years, …

Mediating The Gm Foods Debate: Lessons From The Enduring Conflict Framework, Lisa F. Clark, Michaela J. Keet, Camille D. Ryan

Journal of Food Law & Policy

Critics of the commercialization of Genetically Modified (GM) foods in Canada and the United States oppose the economic and political forces that create and approve the technology: the industry that develops it and the governments that approve its use. The conventional narrative pits the concerned public, labeled "anti-GM," against the "pro-GM" interests of industry supported by business-friendly governments. Based on this binary view of the interests and motivations of stakeholders, conflict between government and industry appears minimal and regulatory frameworks for genetically engineered crops look as though they are primarily designed to facilitate those technologies. This paper refocuses the current …

Best Practices Guidance For Nanomaterial Risk Management In The Workplace, Claude Ostiguy, Maximilien Debia, Brigitte Roberge, André Dufresne

Rapports de recherche scientifique

Les nanotechnologies présentent aujourd’hui des enjeux majeurs en termes technologique, économique, éthique, social et environnemental, car elles offrent le potentiel d’améliorer de façon substantielle les propriétés de multiples produits dans tous les secteurs d’activité tant en matière de production de matériaux aux performances inédites que de diagnostic et de traitement médical. Les nanomatériaux favorisent ainsi l’émergence de nouveaux marchés, la création d’emplois, l’amélioration de la qualité de vie et peuvent contribuer à la protection de l’environnement. Du reste, l’impact se fait déjà sentir dans des secteurs aussi diversifiés que l’agroalimentaire, l’aérospatiale, la cosmétique, la construction et la santé. Au Québec, …

Relationship Dealbreakers: Traits People Avoid In Potential Mates, Peter K. Jonason, Justin R. Garcia, Gregory D. Webster, Norman P. Li, Helen E. Fisher

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Mate preference research has focused on traits people desire in partners (i.e., dealmakers) rather than what traits they avoid (i.e., dealbreakers), but mate preferences calibrate to both maximize benefits and minimize costs. Across six studies (N > 6,500), we identified and examined relationship dealbreakers, and how they function across relationship contexts. Dealbreakers were associated with undesirable personality traits; unhealthy lifestyles in sexual, romantic, and friendship contexts; and divergent mating strategies in sexual and romantic contexts. Dealbreakers were stronger in long-term (vs. short-term) relationship contexts, and stronger in women (vs. men) in short-term contexts. People with higher mate value reported more dealbreakers; …

Misrepresentation Of Carbohydrate For Exercise: ‘It Is Time To Bust The Myth Of Physical Inactivity And Obesity: You Cannot Outrun A Bad Diet’, Patrick B. Wilson

Athletic Performance Research

The contention from Malhotra et al1 regarding the unimportance of carbohydrate for exercise is misguided. First, the reference they provide is an editorial2 that should not be viewed as high-quality evidence. Several oft-cited exercise studies showing benefits with high-fat diets simultaneously utilized carbohydrate restoration strategies,3 which involves “carbohydrate loading” after a high-fat diet. Thus, the evidence provided does not contradict the established belief that carbohydrate is an important fuel for endurance exercise. Second, the authors’ use of the term “carbohydrate loading” is misleading in this context. No public health organizations advocate a diet containing carbohydrate in amounts used in “carbohydrate …

Choosing Among Imprecise American State Parentage Laws, Jeffrey A. Parness

Louisiana Law Review

No abstract provided.

Transcriptomics In Type 2 Diabetes: Bridging The Gap Between Genotype And Phenotype, Christopher Jenkinson, Harald H. H. Goring, Rector Arya, John Blangero, Ravindranath Duggirala, Ralph A. Defronzo

School of Medicine Publications

Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is a common,multifactorial disease that is influenced by genetic and environmental factors and their interactions. However, common variants identified by genome wide association studies (GWAS) explain only about 10% of the total trait variance for T2D and less than 5% of the variance for obesity, indicating that a large proportion of heritability is still unexplained. The transcriptomic approach described here uses quantitative gene expression and disease-related physiological data (deep phenotyping) to measure the direct correlation between the expression of specific genes and physiological traits. Transcriptomic analysis bridges the gulf between GWAS and physiological studies. Recent GWAS …

Students' Perception Towards Thermal Sensation In Libraries / Chen Sin Yee, Sin Yee Chen

Student Works (2010-2019)

Recently, the effect of thermal sensation found to greatly impacted on the outcome or productivity of work within an area. Based on the thermal environment data, the air temperature and mean radiant temperature found to be in compliance with the standard stated, but the percentage rate of relative humidity revealed that were higher than standard, whereas the air velocity has reported were lower than standard. On the other hand, the results shown from relevant parameters in perceived thermal sensation, i.e. the level of coldness (air temperature and mean radiant temperature), the level of humidity (relative humidity) and the level of …

A Synthetic Lethality Screen Using A Focused Sirna Library To Identify Sensitizers To Dasatinib Therapy For The Treatment Of Epithelial Ovarian Cancer., Harsh B Pathak, Yan Zhou, Geetika Sethi, Jeff Hirst, Russell J Schilder, Erica A Golemis, Andrew K Godwin

Department of Medicine Faculty Papers

Molecular targeted therapies have been the focus of recent clinical trials for the treatment of patients with recurrent epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC). The majority have not fared well as monotherapies for improving survival of these patients. Poor bioavailability, lack of predictive biomarkers, and the presence of multiple survival pathways can all diminish the success of a targeted agent. Dasatinib is a tyrosine kinase inhibitor of the Src-family kinases (SFK) and in preclinical studies shown to have substantial activity in EOC. However, when evaluated in a phase 2 clinical trial for patients with recurrent or persistent EOC, it was found to …

The Effect Of The Patient Protection And Affordable Care Act On The Medicare Part D Coverage Gap As Reflected In Diabetes Medication Adherence., Jennifer A. Forristal

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation involves an evaluation of the effect of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) on diabetic medication adherence for mail order utilizers over 6 years as the Medicare Part D coverage gap begins to close. The study had 3 objectives: 1) to evaluate diabetes medication adherence of health plan members before they reach the coverage gap and then while they are in the coverage gap, 2) to compare diabetes medication adherence between two similar groups with differing benefit structures, one group with a gap in coverage as opposed to a group with no benefit changes within the …

Atmospheric Nitrogen Assimilation In Ustilago Maydis., Michael Cooper

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Nitrogen is an essential nutrient for all living creatures. Ammonium is one of the most efficiently used and thus preferred, sources of nitrogen. As with other dimorphic fungi, yeast-like cells of Ustilago maydis, a fungal pathogen of maize, switches to filamentous growth when starved for nitrogen/ammonium. U. maydis carries two genes, ump1 and ump2, encoding ammonium transporters that facilitate both uptake of ammonium and the filamentous response to its absence. While no obvious phenotype is observed when ump1 is deleted, cells without ump2 are unable to filament in response to low ammonium, although they can still grow. Surprisingly, …

Places In The Polity Of Rhetoric : Topoi, Evolution, And The Fragmentation Of Discourse., Benjamin James Bickel Wetherbee

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation integrates classical rhetoric with postmodern understandings of textual fragmentation. “Places in the Polity of Rhetoric” follows two mutually constitutive avenues of inquiry, one of which stresses the importance of understanding textual fragments as rhetorical topoi—that is, as generative “places” that allow writers and speakers to economically evoke larger fields of cultural meaning in the space of a single word, phrase, or image. The other stresses the evolution of rhetorical culture that emerges through the interaction between human agents, who use these topoi for rhetorical ends, and discursive agents (topoi themselves) who use human rhetors to propagate …

Dietary Carotenoids And The Complex Role Of Redness In The Behavior Of The Firemouth Cichlid Thorichthys Meeki., Sarah Anne Fauque

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation takes a comprehensive approach to the role of dietary carotenoids on redness and the subsequent behaviors in the firemouth cichlid, Thorichthys meeki. I start with a brief introduction into signaling, the importance of carotenoids, and mate choice. The dissertation is then divided into three data chapters which are designed to stand as independent manuscripts. Chapter II documents how altering the availability of dietary carotenoids affects redness in the integument of male and female T. meeki. I tracked how redness changed in color and distribution in individuals over the course of 12 weeks. I confirm that a dichotomy …

Comparison Of Digital Scanning And Polyvinyl Siloxane Impression Techniques By Dmd Students : Instructional Efficiency And Attitudes Toward Technology., Alexander M. Marti

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The aim of this research was compare the ability of dental students to learn an digital scanner (3M LAVA) and material-based (PVS) impression techniques and to determine attitudes and preferences towards each. D2 dental students (n=25) were recruited and instructed on the use of 3M LAVA and PVS techniques using three pedagogic methods: 1) video lecture (P1), 2) investigator-led demonstration (P2), and 3) independent clinical exercise (P3). The amount of time for each pedagogic method was measured, averaged (± s.d.) and compared using Wilcoxon Signed-Ranks tests. A pre- and post-test was administered assessing their attitudes towards both techniques using a …

"If We Don't Talk About It, They'll Never Go Away" : An Examination Of The Experiences Of And Reactions To Stigma By A Diverse Population Of Adoptive Parents In The United States., Jessica Rae Newton

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Adoption challenges the traditional Western notions of kinship and family formation. Because of this, adoption has become a stigmatized status in American culture. Utilizing a grounded theoretical approach, this study examines the experiences of stigma by adoptive parents in the United States and the ways adoptive parents react to and manage this stigmatization. Qualitative interviews were conducted with a diverse sample of 17 adoptive parents living across the country. It was found that adoptive parents experienced stigma through comments made during their interactions with others, which fell into four categories: hesitation toward the birth parents, suspicion of the costs, assumptions …

Genomic And Transcriptomic Analyses Of Microbotryum Lychnidis-Dioicae Provide Insights Into The Biology Of A Fascinating Fungal Phytopathogen., Su San Toh

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study made use of the Silene latifolia/Microbotryum lychnidis-dioicae phytopathogen system as the focal system to establish the first reference genome for Microbotryum violaceum sensu lato. In silico analysis was performed on the genome assembly to identify various characteristics of the genome. Using RNA-Sequencing technologies on the Illumina platform, we collected transcriptomic data for both in vitro and in planta life stages of the fungus, providing the most comprehensive look at the gene expression and regulation of this fungus. Due to a lack of identifiable domains on the predicted genes, gene set enrichment analysis was done in …

The Ras Effector Nore1a Forms A Tumor Suppressor Complex With Brca1., Nicholas C Nelson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Ras proteins function as molecular signaling switches that can stimulate multiple mitogenic pathways in response to extracellular signaling. Oncogenic activation of Ras by structural mutation is a highly transforming event in ~1/3 of human cancers. However, aberrant Ras activation can also promote oncogene-induced senescence. This Ras-induced irreversible growth arrest is a physiological process that acts as a barrier to malignancy. The mechanisms by which Ras drives senescence and how this process is bypassed during Ras-driven transformation remains poorly understood.

Although mutations in the RAS gene are extremely rare in human breast cancer, the Ras signaling pathway is constitutively activated in …

Temporal And Spatial Dynamics Of Scaling-Specific Features Of A Gene Regulatory Network In Drosophila, Honggang Wu, Renjie Jiao, Manu, Jun Ma

Biology Faculty Publications

A widely appreciated aspect of developmental robustness is pattern formation in proportion to size. But how such scaling features emerge dynamically remains poorly understood. Here we generate a data set of the expression profiles of six gap genes in Drosophila melanogasterembryos that differ significantly in size. Expression patterns exhibit size-dependent dynamics both spatially and temporally. We uncover a dynamic emergence of under-scaling in the posterior, accompanied by reduced expression levels of gap genes near the middle of large embryos. Simulation results show that a size-dependent Bicoid gradient input can lead to reduced Krüppel expression that can have long-range and …

Nutrinews, Volume 12, December 2015, Department Of Nutrition And Dietetics, University Of North Florida

NutriNews

This issue features Mixify, UNF DND 2014-2015 Highlights, and Recipes from Jessica's Table

Numerical Solution Of Linear Fredholm Integro-Differential Equations By Non-Standard Finite Difference Method, Pramod K. Pandey

Applications and Applied Mathematics: An International Journal (AAM)

In this article we consider a non-standard finite difference method for numerical solution of linear Fredholm integro-differential equations. The non-standard finite difference method and the repeated / composite trapezoidal quadrature method are used to transform the Fredholm integro-differential equation into a system of non-linear algebraic equations. The numerical experiments on some linear model problems show the simplicity and efficiency of the proposed method. It is observed from the numerical experiments that our method is convergent and second order accurate.

On The Growth Of Solutions Of The Generalized Axially Symmetric, Reduced Wave Equation In (N + 1) Variables, Devendra Kumar

Applications and Applied Mathematics: An International Journal (AAM)

In this paper we have investigated the growth properties of solutions of the generalized axially symmetric, reduced wave equation in (n + 1) variables. Results analogus to those for order and type found in the theory of entire functions of several complex variables, of solutions, in terms of their expansion coefficients have been obtained. Our study is essential to a detailed understanding of the scattering of waves by central potentials and may be applied for generalized (n + 2)􀀀dimensional problems of potential scattering in quantum mechanics.

Dynamics Of An Sir Model With Nonlinear Incidence And Treatment Rate, Balram Dubey, Preeti Dubey, Uma S. Dubey

Applications and Applied Mathematics: An International Journal (AAM)

In this paper, global dynamics of an SIR model are investigated in which the incidence rate is being considered as Beddington-DeAngelis type and the treatment rate as Holling type II (saturated). Analytical study of the model shows that the model has two equilibrium points (diseasefree equilibrium (DFE) and endemic equilibrium (EE)). The disease-free equilibrium (DFE) is locally asymptotically stable when reproduction number is less than one. Some conditions on the model parameters are obtained to show the existence as well as nonexistence of limit cycle. Some sufficient conditions for global stability of the endemic equilibrium using Lyapunov function are obtained. …

Thermal Instability In A Horizontal Layer Of Walter’S (Model B') Visco-Elastic Nanofluid- A More Realistic Approach, Ramesh Chand, G. C. Rana

Applications and Applied Mathematics: An International Journal (AAM)

Thermal instability in a horizontal layer of Walter’s (Model B') visco-elastic nanofluid is investigated for more realistic boundary conditions. The flux of volume fraction of nanoparticles is taken to be zero on the isothermal boundaries. The model used for nanofluid incorporates the effect of Brownian diffusion and thermophoresis. Perturbation method, normal mode technique and Galerkin method are used in the solution of the eigenvalue problem. Oscillatory convection has been ruled out for the problem under consideration. The influences of the Lewis number, modified diffusivity ratio and nanoparticle Rayleigh number on the stationary convection are shown both analytically and graphically.

Laminar Boundary Layer Flow Of Sisko Fluid, Manisha Patel, Jayshri Patel, M. G. Timol

Applications and Applied Mathematics: An International Journal (AAM)

The problem of steady two dimensional laminar boundary layer flow of non-Newtonian fluid is analyzed in the present paper. Sisko fluid model, one of the various fluid models of non- Newtonian fluid, is considered for stress-strain relationship. Similarity and numerical solutions obtained for the defined flow problem.

A New Analytic Numeric Method Solution For Fractional Modified Epidemiological Model For Computer Viruses, Ali H. Handam, Asad A. Freihat

Applications and Applied Mathematics: An International Journal (AAM)

Computer viruses are an extremely important aspect of computer security, and understanding their spread and extent is an important component of any defensive strategy. Epidemiological models have been proposed to deal with this issue, and we present one such here. We consider the modified epidemiological model for computer viruses (SAIR) proposed by J. R. C. Piqueira and V. O. Araujo. This model includes an antidotal population compartment (A) representing nodes of the network equipped with fully effective anti-virus programs. The multi-step generalized differential transform method (MSGDTM) is employed to compute an approximation to the solution of the model of fractional …

Seir Model Of Seasonal Epidemic Diseases Using Ham, Nirmala P. Ratchagar, S. P. Subramanian

Applications and Applied Mathematics: An International Journal (AAM)

SEIR mathematical model of childhood diseases measles, chickenpox, mumps, rubella incorporate seasonal variation in contact rates due to the increased mixing during school terms compared to school holidays. Driven by seasonality these diseases are characterized by annual oscillations with variable contact rate which is a periodic function of time in years. Homotopy Analysis Method (HAM) is considered in this paper to obtain a semi analytic approximate solution of non-linear simultaneous differential equations. Mathematica is used to carry out the computations. Results established through graphs show the validity and potential of HAM for amplitude of variation greater than zero. Also, when …