Digital Commons Network^™

The Effect Of Vitamin D On Metastatic Epithelial Breast Cancer Cell Cycle Regulation, Mattie K. White

College of Health and Human Sciences Honors Program Undergraduate Theses

No abstract provided.

Performance Benchmarks For Scholarly Metrics Associated With Fisheries And Wildlife Faculty, Robert K. Swihart, Mekala Sundaram, Tomas O. Höök, James Andrew Dewoody, Kenneth F. Kellner

Department of Forestry & Natural Resources Faculty Publications

Research productivity and impact are often considered in professional evaluations of academics, and performance metrics based on publications and citations increasingly are used in such evaluations. To promote evidence-based and informed use of these metrics, we collected publication and citation data for 437 tenure-track faculty members at 33 research-extensive universities in the United States belonging to the National Association of University Fisheries and Wildlife Programs. For each faculty member, we computed 8 commonly used performance metrics based on numbers of publications and citations, and recorded covariates including academic age (time since Ph.D.), sex, percentage of appointment devoted to research, and …

Prevalence And Distribution Of Gastrointestinal Nematode Parasites And Dung Beetles Associated With Upland And Lowland Grazing Of Irish Native Dexter Cattle, Noel Dineen

Theses

Diseases such as parasitic gastroenteritis are very common in cattle and can have detrimental economic consequences on agricultural productivity. This study was conducted to establish the prevalence and distribution of gastrointestinal nematode parasites associated with Dexter cattle under an organic lowland grazing regime and an extensive upland system. A secondary aim to the study was to investigate dung beetle assemblages in upland and lowland sites and their interactions with gastrointestinal nematode parasites as they offer an alternative method of natural control to organic farming systems in particular.

Cattle weights were recorded and faecal samples were collected at the beginning and …

Use Of A Mobile Application To Increase Patient Compliance To A Prescribed Home Exercise Program And Improve Outcomes, Ellie Cobb, Jed Hurst, Ethan Konshuk

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Methods: The creator of the app offered free use of their app to a physical therapy clinic. As the app is only compatible with Apple products, the clinic used the app with any patient that had an iPhone. Retrospective review was conducted to determine if differences in patient outcomes were observed. Patients who had access to an iPad or iPhone were considered part of the “app group” and used the mobile app to reference and report PT HEP compliance. Patients without access to an iPad or iPhone were considered part of the “non-app group” and received traditional PT HEP prescription …

Short-Term Outcome Evaluation Of Healthy Habits, Healthy U: A School-Based Cancer Prevention Program, Alicia Anderson

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Healthy Habits, Healthy U (HHHU) is a school-based cancer prevention program. This program is a collaborative effort among Boise State University, St. Luke’s Mountain States Tumor Institute, and the Boise School District. HHHU started in April 2013 as a community outreach initiative designed to teach and reinforce positive health habits in students. HHHU lessons target eighth-grade students and offer a unique approach highlighting the relationships among nutrition, physical activity, sugar-sweetened beverages, and cancer risks, through a variety of educational materials.

The purpose of this study was to assess program efficacy by evaluating short-term outcomes. The study evaluated the effectiveness of …

Reading Between The Lines: Indicators Of Developmental Stress In Prehistoric Ohio Valley Children From Linear Enamel Hypoplasias, Emily Moes

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

A large body of research in bioarchaeology focuses on the changes in the human skeleton associated with the introduction of agriculture. It is assumed that the intensification of agriculture results in an increase in physiological stress and poor health. However, previous studies have shown that stress experiences cannot be generalized by subsistence strategy and prevalence comparisons alone. Rather, age-at and duration of stress events are necessary to construct patterns of health.

Linear enamel hypoplasias (LEH) of subadult permanent dentition serve as a proxy for understanding health and stress in archaeological populations. LEH are defects in enamel, characterized by an increased …

Vision Based Extraction Of Nutrition Information From Skewed Nutrition Labels, Tanwir Zaman

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Vision-based extraction of nutritional information from nutrition labels (NLs) available on most product packages is critical to proactive nutrition management, because it improves the user’s ability to engage in continuous nutritional data collection and analysis. However, even users who are health conscious find it difficult to keep track of their nutrition intake due to lack of time, motivation, or training. In order to make nutrition management more proactive we present a Proactive NUTrition Management System (PNUTS), which aims to make nutrition management more user friendly and proactive using computer vision techniques running on smartphones which are ubiquitous and powerful computers …

Student Satisfaction At Utah State University Regional Campuses, Taylor K. Adams

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This research examined the difference between what undergraduate students at Utah State University (USU) regional campus locations perceive as important to their education and how satisfied students are with those education-related priorities. As institutions offer more distance education coursework, enrollment of nontraditional students is increasing. However, few studies examine satisfaction, which is a proven predictor of retention, of the student population described in this study.

The results of this study showed the highest discrepancies between priorities and satisfaction of undergraduate students at USU related to academic advising, course scheduling and registration; and finances including student fees, tuition, and financial aid …

A National Strategy For The Conservation Of Native Freshwater Mollusks, Megan Bradley, Robert S. Butler, Heidi L. Dunn, Catherine Gatenby, Patricia A. Morrison, Teresa J. Newton, Matthew Patterson, Kathryn E. Perez

School of Integrative Biological & Chemical Sciences (Formerly Dept. of Biology)

In 1998, a strategy document outlining the most pressing issues facing the conservation of freshwater mussels was published (NNMCC 1998). Beginning in 2011, the Freshwater Mollusk Conservation Society began updating that strategy, including broadening the scope to include freshwater snails. Although both strategy documents contained 10 issues that were deemed priorities for mollusk conservation, the identity of these issues has changed. For example, some issues (e.g., controlling dreissenid mussels, technology to propagate and reintroduce mussels, techniques to translocate adult mussels) were identified in the 1998 strategy, but are less prominent in the revised strategy, due to changing priorities and progress …

Effects Of Arachidin-1 And Arachidin-3 On Human Colon Cancer Cells, Jessica L. Bettis

Biological Sciences Undergraduate Honors Theses

Cancer remains a leading cause of death in the state of Arkansas and across the United States. Recent research found that peanuts consumption has been correlated with a decreased risk of cancer. Although limited research has been conducted, phenolic antioxidant compounds found in peanuts, arachidin-1 and arachidin-3, are correlated to a decrease in human leukemia and lung cancer cell growth. The objective of this study was to evaluate the anti-colon cancer effects of these compounds. Experiments were conducted to examine the effects of purified arachidin-1 and arachidin-3 on Caco-2 cell proliferation. Treatment of cells with arachidin-1 (0, 1, 5, 10µM) …

Validation Of The Use Of Doubly Labeled Water For Measuring Metabolic Rate In Timber Rattlesnakes (Crotalus Horridus), Caitlin Hirsh

Biological Sciences Undergraduate Honors Theses

The doubly labeled water method is an isotopic technique for measuring field metabolic rate and water flux rates of free-living animals. We present a validation of the use doubly labeled water for measuring metabolic rate and water loss in Timber Rattlesnakes (Crotalus horridus). For this study seven animals of varying body size were used with masses ranging from 148 to 650 grams. Prior to dosing, blood samples were taken to establish background isotope levels for each animal. Snakes were injected with water enriched with isotopes of oxygen (18O) and hydrogen (2H, deuterium). The injected isotopes were then allowed to equilibrate …

The Effect Of Thirst And Pharyngeal Stimulation On Exercise Performance, Jordan E. Smith

Health, Human Performance and Recreation Undergraduate Honors Theses

Purpose: The purpose of this research was to determine if activating the oral- pharyngeal receptors through the act of swallowing plays a role in enhancing exercise performance. It was hypothesized that stimulation of the pharyngeal receptors through the act of swallowing (D trial) increases exercise performance when compared to infusing the same amount of liquid via a nasogastric tube (I trial). Methods: Five trained male cyclists (31 ± 5 years; 74.7 ± 4 kg; 57 ± 3 mL/kg/min) performed two trials in a counterbalanced fashion, each consisting of 120 minutes cycling in an environment at 35°C and 30% RH at …

Programming Heart Disease: Does Poor Maternal Nutrition Alter Expression Of Cardiac Markers Of Proliferation, Hypertrophy, And Fibrosis In Offspring?, Cathy Chun

Honors Scholar Theses

Maternal malnutrition can affect fetal organogenesis, metabolic processes, and factors involved in developmental regulation. Of the many physiological effects poor maternal nutrition can induce in offspring, one of the most important organs affected is the heart. Cardiovascular disease has been associated with poor maternal diet. It also been suggested that hypertension can originate during impaired intrauterine growth and development. Hypertension can trigger hypertensive heart disease and is associated with numerous heart complications. We hypothesized that poor maternal nutrition would alter critical growth factors associated with normal heart development, specifically, insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-1, IGF-2, transforming growth factor (TGF)β, and connective …

Breast Milk Exposure And The Incidence Of Necrotizing Enterocolitis In Very Low Birth Weight Pre-Term Infants, Meaghan Sullivan

Honors Scholar Theses

Purpose: To determine what degree of exposure to breast milk feeding is protective against Necrotizing Enterocolitis (NEC) in very low birthweight (VLBW) preterm infants.

Data Sources: This is a secondary data analysis of 56 VLBW preterm infants diagnosed with NEC and 56 age-matched VLBW infants who served as controls. All infants were born between 1997 and 2009 and cared for in the Newborn Intensive Care Unit (NICU). Infants were born at or before 29 weeks gestation and with a birth weight less than 1500 grams. Data included the volume fed daily and type of feeding along with demographic birth data. …

Biosand Water Filter Evaluation: Meta-Evaluation And Pilot Study Of Field Use Indicators, Bethesda O'Connell

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Diarrheal diseases are a global public health burden, killing 1.8 million people annually. Diarrhea disproportionately affects children and those in poverty. Most diarrheal cases can be prevented through safe drinking water, basic hygiene and/or sanitation measures, with drinking water interventions having the most impact on reducing diarrheal disease. A meta-evaluation was completed of studies evaluating a specific household water treatment method, the biosand water filter. Results from the meta-evaluation illustrate that biosand water filters improve drinking water quality and reduce diarrheal disease. However, there is no generally agreed upon field method for determining biosand water filter effectiveness that is useable …

The Evolution Of Inequity Aversion: Nonhuman Primate Responses To Unequal Reward Distributions, Jessica Feller

Theses

Inequity aversion, the negative response to receiving an unequal reward, has been intensely studied and is well established in humans. However, why humans developed a profound sense of equity is still enigmatic, and the evolutionary roots of this interesting phenomenon are still largely unknown. The little research that has been completed on nonhuman primates indicates that some species, like humans, are inequity averse, while others are not. Brosnan and de Waal (2003) suggested that an aversion to inequitable outcomes coevolved as a response to an increased emphasis on cooperative relationships, where individuals would respond negatively when their rewards differed from …

Outdoor Education And Mobile Learning: An Autobiographical Narrative Using Application-Based Information And Resources, Ivan Nikolaeff

Dissertations

Although mobile learning using smartphones and applications or apps have the potential to inform and educate individuals in an outdoor environment, users may find that connectivity issues and basic knowledge of outdoor environments, including both physical and emotional, could be limited by what this technology provided. This study provided my perspective as both participant and researcher on a journey over 150 miles on the Colorado Trail, using my iPhone as my primary tool for navigation and information for learning how to survive in an outdoor environment. From the beginning, the physical effects were difficult to overcome, but it was the …

Revenue Management In The Sport Industry: An Examination Of Forecasting Models And Advance Seat Section Inventory In Major League Baseball, Micah Seth Mcgee

Dissertations

Technological advances in data storage and processing have led to more sophisticated ticket pricing strategies in professional sport. Sport organizations are beginning to adopt a form of revenue management known as dynamic ticket pricing. Effective pricing strategies such as dynamic ticket pricing require an in-depth understanding of the nature of advance ticket inventory and accurate forecasting models to predict remaining inventory at various time horizons prior to game time. The purpose of this study was to gain an understanding of the nature of advance seat section ticket inventory. The study built on and contributed to work in sport revenue management. …

Wic Program Evaluation: A Breastfeeding Study, Christina Damouny

Master's Projects

Poor nutrition is prevalent among low-income pregnant and postpartum women, and infants. Inadequate nutrition during these vital stages can have negative effects on the health status of this population. The Women, Infants and Children Program (WIC) was established specifically to help low-income women and children lead healthy lives by providing nutrition education, referrals to healthcare and other health-related services, breastfeeding promotion, and economic resources to purchase nutritious foods at retail grocery stores. WIC has been shown to have an influence on participating mothers’ infant feeding decisions for both formula- feeding and breastfeeding. Although WIC is mandated to provide breastfeeding education …

Relationships Between Texas Tortoise Carapace Length, Home Range Size, And Habitat Selection At Sites With Invasive Grass, Kiley V. Briggs

Theses and Dissertations

Invasive grasses in south Texas have the potential to negatively impact the threatened Texas tortoise (Gopherus berlandieri) by reducing the availability of preferred foods (forbs) and may cause tortoises to travel farther, lead to reduced carapace length, and reduce the availability of refugia from heat stress. I used compositional analysis, regression, and ANOVA to explore relationships between invasive grasses and habitat use, home range size, and carapace length, as well as compared daily maximum temperatures between tussocks of an invasive and native grass. Forbs were ranked higher in use over invasive grasses in compositional analysis, but not strongly so (p …

Jatropha Curcas Protoplast Isolation And Inhibitory Effects Of Culture, Christopher S. Lukaszewski

Theses and Dissertations

Improvement on the sub-tropical plant Jatropha curcas may increase the use of this drought tolerant oilseed crop for the production of biodiesel. One of the methods for enhancing a species is through genetic manipulation of the protoplast. Isolating protoplasts is challenging and culturing has many obstacles similar to those seen in tissue culture, such as oxidative browning. Successful isolation of J. curcas leaf protoplasts resulted in an average of 3.23 x 106 viable protoplasts/mL. However, protoplasts diminished within 2 days after culturing. A review of the potential solutions used for overcoming the inhibitory effects of culture may reveal further insight …

The Canción Cannibal Cabaret And Other Songs: Feminists Of A Dystopian Future Repurpose A Punk Past, Amalia L. Ortiz

Theses and Dissertations

This collection of poem-songs is an experiment in combining poetry and theatre. Focused on the theme of revolution and inspired by current issues of social justice, the manuscript is set in a not-so-distant future. After an environmental apocalypse, a refugee raised under an oppressive state, La Madre Valiente studies secretly to become the leader of a feminist revolution. Her emissaries roam the land telling her story, educating others, and enlisting allies in revolution. My goal is to transform the text into live theatrical performances so that the manuscript serves both as a poetry collection and as a script. Some critics …

Effects Of Lactobacillus Rhamnosus Milk Isolate On The Production Of Inflammatory Cytokines In Enterocytes, Beverly C. Ngeny

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In the gastrointestinal tract, probiotics have been shown to promote host immunity and to regulate immune signaling pathways. This study used Caco-2 cell line to examine the effects of a Lactobacillus rhamnosus isolate from “amabere amaruranu” a Kenyan traditional cultured milk, on the production inflammatory cytokines in enterocytes. Live Lactobacillus rhamnosus (MRS6AN), its cytoplasmic fraction (CF), filtered spent broth (FSB) or heat inactivated FSB (HIB) were used as treatments on differentiated Caco-2 cell monolayer in transwells. Cytokine content in the cell lysates, apical and basolateral supernatants were determined using ELISA. Caco-2 cell lysate treatments showed significantly increased anti-inflammatory TGF-β (ng/ml) …

Gene Duplication And Evolutionary Innovations In Hemoglobin-Oxygen Transport, Jay F. Storz

Jay F. Storz Publications

During vertebrate evolution, duplicated hemoglobin (Hb) genes diverged with respect to functional properties as well as the developmental timing of expression. For example, the subfamilies of genes that encode the different subunit chains of Hb are ontogenetically regulated such that functionally distinct Hb isoforms are expressed during different developmental stages. In some vertebrate taxa, functional differentiation between co-expressed Hb isoforms may also contribute to physiologically important divisions of labor.

In Vivo Kinome Screen Reveals Non-Canonical Cdk-Driven Metabolic Adaptation In Brain Metastasis, Frank J. Lowery Iii

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Brain metastasis, which frequently arises from breast cancer, lung cancer, melanoma, and colorectal cancer, remains a severely unmet medical need and its incidence continues to rise while treatment options remain palliative. To better understand the biology underlying its aggressive, incurable nature, I performed an unbiased in vivo kinome screen to identify potential driver kinases of experimental brain metastasis in a nude xenograft model using the human breast cancer cell line MDA-MB-231. Several of the kinase pools led to decreased brain metastasis-specific survival in nude mice, shortening survival time by up to 50% relative to controls. Targeted next-generation sequencing (NGS) was …

Factors Of Profitable Field Crop Selection, Jacob Thomas Briscoe

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

Methods of crop selection are varied, depending on a variety of factors, including resources, climate, soil type, and potential marketability of the crop. This study utilizes a theoretical farm of one thousand farmable acres to estimate the costs and returns as well as the resources associated with cultivating, planting, irrigating, harvesting and selling the crop products. The theoretical farm is situated in southwest Idaho in any of the counties of Ada, Canyon, Elmore, Owyhee and Payette. The crops grown are typical of the area; the crops examined are field corn (Zea mays), alfalfa (Medicago sativa) and …

Environmental Toxicants And Unsaturated Fatty Acids Alter Toxicant Sensitivity And Allocation Of Polar Lipids In Daphnia Magna, Namrata Sengupta

All Dissertations

Daphnia is a commonly used test organism in toxicology, ecology, and evolution. HR96 is a CAR/PXR/VDR ortholog in invertebrates, and a promiscuous endo- and xenobiotic nuclear receptor involved in acclimation to toxicants. Daphnia HR96 is activated by chemicals such as atrazine and linoleic acid (LA) (n-6 fatty acid), and inhibited by triclosan and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) (n-3 fatty acid). HR96 is also a key regulator of Magro, Niemann Pick genes, and other genes involved in cholesterol and triacylglycerol uptake, metabolism, and transport. We hypothesized that Daphnia magna exposed to HR96 activators will increase their lipid resources and in turn either …

May 2016 Commencement Program, Bowling Green State University

Commencement Programs

No abstract provided.

The Apoptotic And Inhibitory Effects Of Phylloquinone In The U937 Cell Line, Tesha E. Blair

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Phylloquinone is a natural analog of vitamin K that has been shown to both inhibit cancer cell growth and induce apoptosis in several cancer cell lines. This study examined these effects in a non-Hodgkin lymphoma cell line, known as U937. Cell growth inhibition and apoptosis were assessed through the quantification of cell density and area, following treatment with several concentrations of phylloquinone. In addition, apoptosis was detected and quantified using immunofluorescent markers of apoptosis (i.e. annexin V, APO-BrdU). Treatment with phylloquinone resulted in reduced overall cell density, increased overall cell area, and an increased frequency of apoptosis in U937 cells. …

Comparison Of In Vivo Simulation Training Compared To Video Simulation Training For Identifying Clinical Markers Of Distress When Feeding Preterm Infants, Emily M. Wagner

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Preterm infants have multiple health complications due to their underdeveloped neurological systems. Bottle-feeding difficulties are one complication that leads to pulmonary illness secondary to aspiration. Preterm infants exhibit clinical markers when experiencing distress during bottle-feeding. Training caregivers to identify clinical markers reduces the risk for aspiration. Simulation training provides a safe learning environment without harming patients. Twenty-two speech-language pathology and pre-requisite students divided into two simulation groups, video-simulation (N=12) and in-vivo simulation (N=10), were trained to document clinical markers of distress exhibited by preterm infants and make clinical judgments about bottle-feeding. Students rated their levels of anxiety during simulation training. …