Digital Commons Network^™

Participation, Empowerment And Capacity Building: Exploring Young People's Perspectives On The Services Provided To Them By A Grassroots Ngo In Sub-Saharan Africa, Je Morgan

Plymouth Institute of Education

This paper explores young people's perspectives on the services that were provided to them by one NGO in sub-Saharan Africa. Semi-structured interviews and discussion groups were carried out with 71 young people, aged between 10 and 18 years old, who lived and worked on the street. Volunteer facilitators (n = 26) who run the groups and who had either previously lived on their street themselves or who lived in the ‘informal slum areas’ also took part in the discussions. A number of challenges and tensions became apparent from discussions including issues around capacity building, empowerment, participation and the depoliticised nature …

Insights From An Energy Poor Rwandan Village, Terry Van Gevelt, C. Canales Holzeis, B. Jones, M.T. Safdar

Research Collection College of Integrative Studies

We used primary data collected from 163 households in an off-grid Rwandan village to provide insights into energy poverty at the household-level. Informed by the rural livelihoods literature, we constructed a novel asset- and income-based index to disaggregate our results by socio-economic status. We also employed microeconometric techniques to investigate the determinants of household willingness-to-pay for electricity. We found statistically significant differences between households of different socio-economic status for expenditure on lighting and other electricity services, willingness-to-pay for electricity, income-generating activities and food security. Overall, our findings suggest that initiatives aiming to end energy poverty and catalyze rural development should: …

Derivatives Clearinghouses: Clearing The Way To Failure, Hester Peirce

Cleveland State Law Review

One of the major components of Dodd-Frank was a comprehensive regulatory framework for over-the-counter derivatives. A key feature of this framework is a requirement that many of these derivatives be cleared through central counterparty clearinghouses. Clearinghouses have long played a stabilizing force in many markets, but Dodd-Frank’s regulatory mandate may adversely affect the way they operate. Risk management by clearinghouses and market participants could suffer, and improper risks could find their way into clearinghouses. If a clearinghouse were to fail, there would be tremendous pressure for the government to bail it out in the name of financial stability. Dodd-Frank’s derivatives …

General Aviation Accidents Related To Exceedance Of Airplane Weight/Center Of Gravity Limits, Douglas D. Boyd

Publications

Obesity, affects a third of the US population and its corollary occupant weight adversely impacts safe flight operations. Increased aircraft weight results in longer takeoff/landing distances, degraded climb gradients and airframe failure may occur in turbulence. In this study, the rate, temporal changes, and lethality of accidents in piston-powered, general aviation aircraft related to exceeding the maximum aircraft weight/center of gravity (CG) limits were determined.

The Use Of Lactic Acid Bacteria To Control The Growth Of Foodborne Pathogens On Fresh-Cut Fruits And Sprout Vegetables, Franca Gabriela Rossi

Master's Theses

Growing consumer awareness of the health benefits associated with fruits and vegetables and demand for easy to prepare products has prompted the development of a wide variety of minimally processed fruits and vegetables. Minimally processed fruits and vegetables are often peeled, cut, or diced which compromise the produces’ natural protective barriers, exposing a nutrient rich medium and providing an ideal environment for the growth of microorganisms, including foodborne pathogens. The germination conditions of sprout vegetables consisting of relatively high temperatures and humidity, low light and abundance of nutrients are also conducive to the proliferation of foodborne pathogens. Recent outbreaks and …

Impact Of An Active Educational Video Game On Children's Motivation, Science Knowledge, And Physical Activity, Haichun Sun, Yong Gao

Teaching and Learning Faculty Publications

Background: Active educational video games (AVGs) appear to have a positive effect on elementary school students' motivation leading to enhanced learning outcomes. The purpose of this study was to identify the effectiveness of an AVG on elementary school students' science knowledge learning, physical activity (PA) level, and interest-based motivation.

Methods: In this randomized controlled study, 53 elementary school students were assigned to an experimental condition or a comparison condition. The experimental condition provided an AVG learning environment, whereas the comparison condition was based on sedentary educational video games.

Results: The results of repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) on the …

Sunsafe Health Campaign: Rationale And Planning, Jennifer Gonzales, Michelle Merritt

Communication Studies

In Spring 2016, a team of Communication Studies students researched, planned, and conducted a health campaign on the Cal Poly campus. The goal of the health campaign was to educate fellow students about the dangers of sun overexposure and provide information on how to take preventive measures to protect their skin. Communication theories and concepts were applied while the messages of the campaign were created and distributed.

The Influence Of Juncus-Rhizosphere Dissolved Organic Matter On Coastal Plankton Communities, Brittany Zepernick, Robert Michael Mckay, George S. Bullerjahn, Jeffrey W. Krause, Behzad Mortazavi

Honors Projects

Many aquatic plants produce copious amounts of dissolved organic matter (DOM) which enters surrounding waters and potentially stimulates planktonic activity. In the northern Gulf of Mexico, Juncus roemarianus (i.e. black needlerush) is a dominant marsh grass species residing in coastal zones and barrier islands. The below-ground biomass i.e. rhizosphere, can be consistently submerged, serving as a potential source of DOM to the surrounding waters. The lability and possible stimulatory effect of J. roemarianus DOM was examined for three plankton communities collected within the discharge region of Mobile Bay and adjacent waters of Gulf Shores, Alabama (less affected by Mobile Bay). …

Converging On Nutrition Education Competencies: Aligning Library Instruction With Undergraduate Pre-Professional Program Requirements, Lee Ann Fullington, Margrethe Horlyck-Romanovsky, Susan Jakuboski

Publications and Research

No abstract provided.

Isotopes From Fecal Material Provides Evidence Of Recent Diet Of Prairie Deer Mice, John W. Doudna, Brent J. Danielson

The Prairie Naturalist

Prairie deer mice are important predators in many agricultural systems, and through their diet they can help to regulate pest insect and weed populations. Our objective was to test whether fecal material is an effective means of detailing the foraging ecology of small mammals. We conducted three studies to evaluate the efficacy of this technique: 1) field-collected fecal material from unknown deer mice from late winter to early spring, 2) fecal material collected in an enclosure with mice fed a mix of C3 and C4 plant seeds, and 3) fecal material from tagged female mice in the field. We detected …

Board Summary Report June 2016, Regenstrief Center For Healthcare Engineering

RCHE Reports

No abstract provided.

Board Summary Report June 2016, Regenstrief Center For Healthcare Engineering

RCHE Reports

No abstract provided.

Older Adult Transportation In Rural Communities: Results Of An Agency Survey, James P. Wood, Jeffrey R. Brown, Megan Bond, Vitor Suguri

Journal of Public Transportation

The proportion of people over age 65 is higher in U.S. rural and small communities than in urban or suburban areas. When older adults who reside in these communities retire from driving, they may need to rely on alternative transportation options that exist in urban settings but that might not be provided, might be less accessible, or might be available in a different form in their communities. This paper uses a survey of service providers to identify the types of public transportation options available to older adults residing in these communities, as well as the strategies employed to finance, operate, …

The Impact Of Rural Poverty On Women's Health Outcomes In Ethiopia: A Review Of A Walk To Beautiful, Christine A. Wernet

Societies Without Borders

It is estimated that 2-3 million women worldwide suffer from the debilitating effects of birth injuries such as fistulas. This hidden epidemic is both preventable and highly curable, yet poor women, especially those who live in the rural areas of underdeveloped countries continue to be profoundly negatively impacted physically, psychologically, and socially by this condition. The moving documentary, A Walk to Beautiful, highlights this global problem.

Pet Food Monitor Using The Raspberry Pi, Kimberly Aguero

Computer Engineering

Computer system built on a Raspberry Pi that will monitor the levels of food in a pet food bowl. If it detects that there is no food in the bowl, it will notify the user via email or text.

Heterologous Expression Of A Rice Mir395 Gene In Nicotiana Tabacum Impairs Sulfate Homeostasis, Ning Yuan, Shuangrong Yuan, Zhigang Li, Dayong Li, Hong Luo

Publications

Sulfur participates in many important mechanisms and pathways of plant development. The most common source of sulfur in soil –SO42−– is absorbed into root tissue and distributed into aerial part through vasculature system, where it is reduced into sulfite and finally sulfide within the subcellular organs such as chloroplasts and mitochondria and used for cysteine and methionine biosynthesis. MicroRNAs are involved in many regulation pathways by repressing the expression of their target genes. MiR395 family in Arabidopsis thaliana has been reported to be an important regulator involved in sulfate transport and assimilation, and a high-affinity sulphate transporter and three ATP …

Farmstead Planning: Old Farm Buildings Repurposed For Better Farming: How To Develop A Complex, Stephen F. Higgins, Lee Moser

Agriculture and Natural Resources Publications

Farming is probably one of the most complex means of earning a living that has been devised. The many components of a farming operation that have to be managed would create an extensive list. Many beef cattle producers might focus on reproduction, nutrition, forages, health, and handling. However, there are many others operational considerations that are just as important.

Ikkβ Is Essential For Adipocyte Survival And Adaptive Adipose Remodeling In Obesity, Se-Hyung Park, Zun Liu, Yipeng Sui, Robert N. Helsley, Beibei Zhu, David K. Powell, Philip A. Kern, Changcheng Zhou

Clinical and Translational Science Faculty Publications

IκB kinase β (IKKβ), a central coordinator of inflammatory responses through activation of nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB), has been implicated as a critical molecular link between inflammation and metabolic disorders; however, the role of adipocyte IKKβ in obesity and related metabolic disorders remains elusive. Here we report an essential role of IKKβ in the regulation of adipose remodeling and adipocyte survival in diet-induced obesity. Targeted deletion of IKKβ in adipocytes does not affect body weight, food intake, and energy expenditure but results in an exaggerated diabetic phenotype when challenged with a high-fat diet (HFD). IKKβ-deficient mice have multiple histopathologies in visceral …

Honorslink, Issue 2016.2, University Of Dayton. Honors Program

HonorsLINK Newsletter

News & Notes from the University of Dayton Honors. Featured stories include The David Darrow Story, Published!, Student Events and Student News.

Six Things That Happened When I Stopped Eating Breakfast, Staff

Browse All News

No abstract provided.

Influence Of Chelating Agents On Proteolysis Of Micellar Casein Slurries, Azucena Becerril Diez

Master's Theses

ABSTRACT

Influence of chelating agents on proteolysis

of micellar casein slurries

Azucena Becerril Díez

The focus of this research was to analyze the effect of Ca chelators on the proteolytic activity of rennet during ripening of a micellar casein slurry. This research was divided in two phases. During the first phase, preliminary studies were performed to understand the behavior of rennet and the milk system in the presence of chelating agents. A solution of reconstituted skim milk at 10% (w/v) was prepared. Individual samples of this solution were divided in two study groups, samples with chelators and rennet and samples …

Who Cares What They're Saying: Participation In International Development Analysis, Sari N. Hoffman-Dachelet

Lawrence University Honors Projects

Participatory methods are the established methodology in international aid and development. Within this paradigm things that are more participatory are thought of as being more impactful, however, the actual success or failure of any given international project is measured by its evaluation team. These evaluations are vitally important in regards to funding, both for future programs and continuing programs, and in shaping the methodology of future programs. These evaluations are also non-participatory. Do the evaluations impact the lives of participants and how do they reflect “good” development? The measures of impact differ from the measures of success, this project looks …

Graduate Internship In Agricultural Education- Avila Valley Barn Field Trip Guide, Emily Taylor

Agricultural Education: Graduate Internship Reports

The Avila Valley Barn Field Trip Guide connects engaging farm-based activities to content standards, including Next Generation Science Standards, California Agriculture and Natural Resources standards, and California Health Education Standards for K-12 students.

Exposure To Environmentally Persistent Free Radicals During Gestation Lowers Energy Expenditure And Impairs Skeletal Muscle Mitochondrial Function In Adult Mice, Erin J. Stephenson, Alyse Ragauskas, Sridhar Jaligama, Jeanna R. Redd, Jyothi Parvathareddy, Matthew J. Peloquin, Jordy Saravia, Joan C. Han, Stephania A. Cormier, Dave Bridges

Faculty Publications

© 2016 the American Physiological Society. We have investigated the effects of in utero exposure to environmentally persistent free radicals (EPFRs) on growth, metabolism, energy utilization, and skeletal muscle mitochondria in a mouse model of diet-induced obesity. Pregnant mice were treated with laboratory-generated, combustion derived particular matter (MCP230). The adult offspring were placed on a high-fat diet for 12 wk, after which we observed a 9.8% increase in their body weight. The increase in body size observed in the MCP230-exposed mice was not associated with increases in food intake but was associated with a reduction in physical activity and lower …

Hepatic Autophagy Contributes To The Metabolic Response To Dietary Protein Restriction, Tara M. Henagan, Thomas Laeger, Alexandra M. Navard, Diana Albarado, Robert C. Noland, Krisztian Stadler, Carrie M. Elks, David Burk, Christopher D. Morrison

Faculty Publications

© 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. Autophagy is an essential cellular response which acts to release stored cellular substrates during nutrient restriction, and particularly plays a key role in the cellular response to amino acid restriction. However, there has been limited work testing whether the induction of autophagy is required for adaptive metabolic responses to dietary protein restriction in the whole animal. Here, we found that moderate dietary protein restriction led to a series of metabolic changes in rats, including increases in food intake and energy expenditure, the downregulation of hepatic fatty acid synthesis gene expression and reduced markers …

To Eat Or Not To Eat: How Ohio Can Foster More Confidence Between Restaurants And Food Allergic Individuals, Jessica L. Brewer

University of Dayton Law Review

No abstract provided.

Gaining Brand Recognition With The Millennial Generation: How Wine Companies Can Market To This Demographic, Nicolette Deluca

Journalism

The following study was conducted in response to a recent interest in the wine industry and its target markets. With millennials making up such a large portion of our population, I wanted to know why they weren't as big of consumers of wine as previous generations of wine drinkers. Although there are over 80 million millennials in the U.S., only 23 million drink wine. I have uncovered three main recommendations to wine companies in order to gain brand recognition with the millennial generation: be authentic in your marketing endeavors, partner with local nonprofit or fitness organizations, and make visually appealing …

The Raf-Like Kinase Ilk1 And The High Affinity K+ Transporter Hak5 Are Required For Innate Immunity And Abiotic Stress Response, Elizabeth K. Brauer, Nagib Ahsan, Renee Dale, Naohiro Kato, Alison E. Coluccio, Miguel A. Piñeros, Leon V. Kochian, Jay J. Thelen, Sorina C. Popescu

Faculty Publications

© 2016 American Society of Plant Biologists. All rights reserved. Plant perception of pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) and other environmental stresses trigger transient ion fluxes at the plasma membrane. Apart from the role of Ca2+ uptake in signaling, the regulation and significance of PAMPinduced ion fluxes in immunity remain unknown. We characterized the functions of INTEGRIN-LINKED KINASE1 (ILK1) that encodes a Raf-like MAP2K kinase with functions insufficiently understood in plants. Analysis of ILK1 mutants impaired in the expression or kinase activity revealed that ILK1 contributes to plant defense to bacterial pathogens, osmotic stress sensitivity, and cellular responses and total ion …

Cancer Stem-Like Cells Accumulated In Nickel-Induced Malignant Transformation, Lei Wang, Jia Fan, John Andrew Hitron, Young Ok Son, James T.F. Wise, Ram Vinod Roy, Donghern Kim, Jin Dai, Poyil Pratheeshkumar, Zhuo Zhang, Xianglin Shi

Faculty Publications

Nickel compounds are known as human carcinogens. Chronic environmental exposure to nickel is a worldwide health concern. Although the mechanisms of nickel-induced carcinogenesis are not well understood, recent studies suggest that stem cells/cancer stem cells are likely important targets. This study examines the role of cancer stem cells in nickelinduced cell transformation. The nontransformed human bronchial epithelial cell line (Beas-2B) was chronically exposed to nickel chloride for 12 months to induce cell transformation. Nickel induced Beas-2B cell transformation, and cancer stemlike cells were enriched in nickel-transformed cell (BNiT) population. The BNiT cancer stem-like cells demonstrated enhanced self-renewal and distinctive differentiation …

Commercial Vertical Farm Design Phase 1, Tyler Tappin, Bryan Gomes

Architectural Engineering

Until recent years, vertical farming, or urban agriculture, has usually been referred to as more of a science fiction concept than a realistic means of production. However, it is becoming increasingly apparent that these urban crop­growing structures are not only technologically feasible, but efficient. These structures are entering the realm of economic feasibility as well, appearing in niche markets near large cities. Most of the facilities, however, are generally restricted in size to single­story buildings. The objective of this project was to design a multi story structure that would be well­equipped to house a large vertical farming operation. Some of …