Digital Commons Network^™

'Big Food' Is Making America Sick, Lawrence O. Gostin

Georgetown Law Faculty Publications and Other Works

“Big Food”—agribusiness, manufacturers, restaurants, and marketers—is making America sick. The industry produces and aggressively markets foods laden with sugar, salt, saturated fat, and calories. It obfuscates nutritional information to confuse consumers, targeting young people and minorities in particular. It purchases influence at every level of government and fights commonsense regulations by funding “shadow” advocacy groups and sympathetic scientists. Big Food is relentless in litigating against any law that is likely to be effective in curbing unhealthy eating.

Spyglass 2015-2016, Florida Southwestern State College

Spyglass: The Magazine of Florida SouthWestern State College

Spyglass: The Magazine of Florida SouthWestern State College. 2015-2016.

Firmly Grasping The Knife: An Investigation Of The Asymmetric Application Of Chinese Antitrust Law As A Protectionist Tool, Jillian Bray

Cardozo Journal of International and Comparative Law

The note argues that China's Antimonopoly Law (AML), while modeled after Western antitrust laws, is often applied in a protectionist manner, disproportionately targeting foreign companies to shield domestic industries and state-owned enterprises. This selective enforcement contrasts with the U.S. antitrust system, which prioritizes fair competition and consumer welfare. The note advocates for aligning AML enforcement with international standards to promote a level playing field and foster long-term economic growth.

Animal Farm: The E.U.'S Move Towards Progress And The U.S.'S Slide Towards Dystopia In Farm Animal Welfare, Dorothy Sluszka

Cardozo Journal of International and Comparative Law

The note argues that the United States lags behind European countries in protecting animals used in agriculture, with inadequate regulations endangering public health and ignoring voter concerns. It advocates for the repeal of "ag-gag" laws and antitrust enforcement to dismantle the meat industry's monopoly, aligning with public policy and improving animal welfare standards.

Integrating A Multi-Tiered System Of Supports With Comprehensive School Counseling Programs, Jolie Ziomek-Daigle, Emily Goodman-Scott, Jason Cavin, Peg Donohue

Counseling & Human Services Faculty Publications

A multi-tiered system of supports, including Response to Intervention and Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports, is a widely utilized framework implemented in K–12 schools to address the academic and behavioral needs of all students. School counselors are leaders who facilitate comprehensive school counseling programs and demonstrate their relevance to school initiatives and centrality to the school’s mission. The purpose of this article is to discuss both a multi-tiered system of supports and comprehensive school counseling programs, demonstrating the overlap between the two frameworks. Specific similarities include: leadership team and collaboration, coordinated services, school counselor roles, data collection, evidence-based practices, equity, …

Career Experiences Of Women With Major Financial Barriers, Madeline E. Clark, Jaime D. Bower

Counseling & Human Services Faculty Publications

The career experiences of women facing major financial barriers are unique and varied. To better understand and assist such women, the authors interviewed 10 women twice to explore their lived career experiences, using photographs in one interview as stimuli to increase participants' voice and triangulate data. Participants' responses were grouped into 20 themes across 4 domains: career as privilege, reasons for engaging in work, supports, and barriers. Women with major financial barriers appear to understand career as a privilege while experiencing significant obstacles to successfully obtaining work. Participants expressed resiliency and self-motivation to transcend and mitigate these obstacles. This study …

Regional Variations Of Optimal Sowing Dates Of Maize For The Southwestern U.S., Boksoon Myoung, Seung Hee Kim, Jinwon Kim, Menas Kafatos

Mathematics, Physics, and Computer Science Faculty Articles and Research

Sowing date (SD) is sensitive to regional climate characteristics; thus, it is critical to systematically examine the effects of SD on crop yields for various temperature regimes. We performed a sensitivity study of SD for maize in the southwestern U.S. using the regionally extended version of the Agricultural Production Systems sIMulator (APSIM) model. The model was run utilizing North American Regional Reanalysis at a 32 km resolution from 1991 to 2011, with an irrigation threshold at 95% of the soil water-holding capacity. Two types of SD optimizations maximizing yield potential (Yp), varying spatially or interannually, revealed that the optimal SD …

Reclaiming The Right Of Beneficial Use, Abby Harder

University of Colorado Law Review

Under the doctrine of prior appropriation, those that divert and apply water resources to a beneficial use gain a future right of use. Further, individuals may contract with the federal Bureau of Reclamation (BOR) for the delivery of federal project water. Under either method, individuals are required to use their water appropriation for a beneficial purpose to acquire and maintain their rights of use. What constitutes a beneficial purpose or a beneficial use of water resources has traditionally been defined by state law. Following some states’ legalization of marijuana, the BOR announced a new policy with regard to water use, …

Evaluating The Effects Of The Phytohormone Indole-3-Acetic Acid In The Response Of Green Pea (Pisum Sativum L.) To Nanoscale Cuo Exposure In Soil, Loren Ochoa

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The response of plants to copper oxide nanoparticles (nCuO) in presence of the phytohormones such as IAA, is unknown. In this study, green pea (Pisum sativum) plants were cultivated to full maturity in soil amended with nCuO, CuO bulk (bCuO), and CuCl2 at 50 and 100 mg/kg and indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) at 10 and 100 µM. Several analytical techniques were used to evaluate the effects of treatments in the agronomical, physiological, and biochemical effects of treatments. Results showed that only CuCl2 reduced root length and number of leaves. Root copper (Cu) increased in plants exposed to nCuO without IAA; however, …

Nutrition Knowledge Among A Predominantly Hispanic College Population, Heather Sandford

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

ABSTRACT

Many chronic diseases such as Type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and some types of cancer are prevalent and have been associated with unhealthy eating patterns. At the same time overweight and obesity are contributing factors to the development of these conditions. There are multiple factors contributing to overweight and obesity. Some of these include a frequent consumption of unhealthy or high energy-dense foods combined with the lack of physical activity. A true understanding and foundation of proper nutrition allows people to make healthy eating choices. It has been documented that among the population, college students have a limited nutrition …

Research Outlook : January 2016, Office Of Research & Graduate Studies

Office of Research and Graduate Studies

Content

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Proximity To Children: A Geospatial Approach To Understanding The Relationship Between Fast Food And Schools, Andrew Atwong

CMC Senior Theses

In a time when Americans are waking up to the health consequences of consuming fast food, researchers have discovered that fast food restaurants seem to be located in greater concentrations near primary or secondary schools. While this phenomenon affects the food environments of some children and carries implications as to their short term and long term health (which has also been well researched), this paper focuses primarily on fast food restaurants that are within walking distance of schools. Using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to integrate geospatial, business, demographic, and food quality data, I use linear regressions to examine whether and …

Think Of The Children: How U.S. Domestic Policy Undermined Good Foreign Policy And Contributed To The 2014 Central American Migration Crisis, Rebekah D. Vermillion

CMC Senior Theses

Why was the United States caught completely unprepared for the Central American refugee crisis during the summer of 2014? Although thousands of unaccompanied children from Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador streamed across the southwest U.S. border in unprecedented numbers, the systemic problems plaguing the region stem back decades, and recent data clearly shows a trend of increasing yearly migration flows to the United States from these countries. Even in the face of the crisis, the U.S. government’s response was targeted more towards mitigating the symptoms of the crisis while insufficiently addressing its underlying causes.

This is largely due to U.S. …

An Analysis Of Education Reform In Sub-Saharan Africa, Katharine Eger

CMC Senior Theses

Sub-Saharan Africa continues to fall behind other developing regions regarding educational attainment, despite recent progress in enrollment. This thesis examines a variety of external conditional factors that could contribute to a country’s relative success, in terms of years spent in school using a prediction model that compares years enrolled in secondary education as a foundation to determine over- and under-performing countries in sub-Saharan Africa.

By exploring various educational policies, historical patterns, and projects executed in Rwanda, South Africa, Ghana, and Botswana, this thesis sheds light on four main challenges that can impact educational attainment: ethnic and racial tensions, an acute …

A Conflict-Sensitive Approach To Conditional Cash Transfers In Indonesia: Can Ccts Reduce Conflict?, Glenys Kirana

CMC Senior Theses

Given that conditional cash transfers (CCTs) can be a very effective social welfare program to reduce poverty and improve education and health outcomes, but may exacerbate conflict, this thesis addresses strategies for conflict-sensitive formulation and implementation of CCTs in Indonesia. This thesis raises the immediate need to address poverty in Indonesia and seeks to learn from the successes and challenges of other CCTs, such as those enacted in Mexico, Brazil, Turkey, and the Philippines. This thesis also looks into existing literature comparing the effectiveness of CCTs to other social protection programs (SPPs) and finds that CCT is one of the …

Neighborhood-Level Poverty At Menarche And Prepregnancy Obesity In African-American Women, Andrea E. Cassidy-Bushrow, Rosalind M. Peters, Charlotte Burmeister, Lawrence F. Bielak, Dayna A. Johnson

Public Health Sciences Articles

Introduction: Menarche is a critical time point in a woman's reproductive system development; exposures at menarche may influence maternal health. Living in a poorer neighborhood is associated with adult obesity; however, little is known if neighborhood factors at menarche are associated with prepregnancy obesity.

Methods: We examined the association of neighborhood-level poverty at menarche with prepregnancy body mass index category in 144 pregnant African-American women. Address at menarche was geocoded to census tract (closest to year of menarche); neighborhood-level poverty was defined as the proportion of residents living under the federal poverty level. Cumulative logistic regression was used to examine …

Fruit And Vegetable Availability, Nutrition Education And Access Amongst Food Pantries In California, Maine, Mississippi And South Dakota, Sarah L. Fowler

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

This descriptive study explored the views of food pantry directors in four states regarding pantry fruit and vegetable stock and supply, nutrition education offered, and current practices and perceived barriers to providing access to food pantries to low-income individuals and families in need. This study examined these variables by surveying staff at the food pantries who have direct contact with the individuals and families who utilize the pantries. All survey responses were collected utilizing Qualtrics software and then analyzed in SPSS. There were 87 respondents from four different states, California, Maine, Mississippi, and South Dakota.

The reporting for both fresh …

Development And Evaluation Of A Habitat Suitability Model For White-Tailed Deer In An Agricultural Landscape, Eric Anstedt

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

White-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) are an ecological, economical, and socially significant species that occupy a variety of ecoregions. White-tailed deer are mobile habitat generalists that prefer habitats containing woody cover. Deer have successfully adapted to habitat-fragmented, agricultural landscapes. As a result, deer are not uniformly distributed across intensively cultivated areas, which make field surveys difficult with often highly variable spatial data. To increase sampling efficiency (deer observed / sampling effort), the landscape can be stratified based upon preferred habitat types. Habitat suitability models (HSI) have been used to represent hypothesized wildlife-habitat relationships, and therefore the likelihood of deer being observed …

Early Detection Of Mountain Pine Beetle Damage In Ponderosa Pine Forests Of The Black Hills Using Hyperspectral And Worldview-2 Data, Kyle Edward Mullen

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

A leading cause for mortality in the pine forests of western North America, the mountain pine beetle, has impacted over 400,000 acres of ponderosa pine forest in the Black Hills of South Dakota since 1996. Methods aimed at earlier detection, prior to visual manifestation of a mountain pine beetle damage in the tree crown, have not been successful because of the overlap and variability of spectral response between the initial stages of attack (green-attacked) and non-attacked tree crowns. Needle-level reflectance spectra was measured from green-attack and non-attack ponderosa pine trees in early spring following an infestation and analyzed using a …

“Exchange Northern Ky”: An Evidence-Based Needle & Syringe Exchange Program Serving The Northern Kentucky Area Development District, Amanda Hunter

Theses and Dissertations--Public Health (M.P.H. & Dr.P.H.)

Intravenous drug users (IDUs) account for nearly 16% of new HIV infections in the United States and almost one half (48%) of newly reported acute hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections have been found to be IDU related.1 Within the Northern Kentucky Area Development District, hepatitis C infections have soared with an incidence of more than 1,000 newly reported cases during 2015 alone.⁴ Rigorous scientific evidence complied by the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services has indicated that one of the most unique and effective strategies for the curtailing HIV incidence among IDUs is by ensuring users’ access to …

The Physical Activity And Redesigned Community Spaces (Parcs) Study: Protocol Of A Natural Experiment To Investigate The Impact Of Citywide Park Redesign And Renovation, Terry T. K. Huang, Katarzyna E. Wyka, Emily Ferris, Jennifer Gardner, Kelly R. Evenson, Devanshi Tripathi, Gabriel Martinez Soto, Matthew S. Cato, Jon Moon, Julia Wagner, Joan M. Dorn, Diane J. Catellier, Lorna E. Thorpe

Publications and Research

Background: The built environment plays a critical role in promoting physical activity and health. The association between parks, as a key attribute of the built environment, and physical activity, however, remains inconclusive. This project leverages a natural experiment opportunity to assess the impact of the Community Parks Initiative (CPI), a citywide park redesign and renovation effort in New York City, on physical activity, park usage, psychosocial and mental health, and community wellbeing.

Methods: The project will use a longitudinal design with matched controls. Thirty intervention park neighborhoods are socio-demographically matched to 20 control park neighborhoods. The study will investigate whether …

Assessment Of Obesity Management In A Primary Care Setting, Katie Diffenderfer

DNP Projects

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the current practices related to obesity in the primary care setting in University of Kentucky’s Healthcare System. The specific aims were to: 1) Determine the proportion of obese patients who had an ICD-9/10 diagnosis code for obesity, 2) Determine the proportion of obese patients who received interventions related to their obesity, 3) Determine whether obesity diagnosis and interventions varied based on patient demographics, and 4) Compare actual obesity interventions to those outlined in the clinical practice guidelines.

Methods: A retrospective chart review of male and female patients between the ages of …

Effect Of Enteral Feeding Timing In Septic Shock Patients, Shane D. Slone

DNP Projects

The goal of this research project was to identify the effect of the timing of enteral nutrition (EN) initiation timing on in-hospital mortality, ICU LOS and hospital LOS among patients with septic shock requiring norepinephrine. The study design was a cross-sectional analysis of retrospective electronic health record data. Patients who had received norepinephrine for septic shock were divided into early EN initiation (within 48 hours of ICU admission) and late EN initiation (Greater than or equal to 48 hours after ICU admission) groups. 680 subjects were included; 469 in the early group and 211 in the late group. Demographics, comorbidities, …

An Evaluation Of Childhood Overweight And Obesity Screening And Management In The Primary Care Setting, Stephanie Horning

DNP Projects

Background-In Kentucky, 19.7% of children ages 6-11 years old are obese ("Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)," 2013). Approximately 50% of these children will become obese adults (Lazarou & Kouta, 2010). It is imperative that interventions are initiated to normalize weight in childhood to offset the long term physical and psychosocial risks associated with obesity.

Purpose-The purpose of this gap analysis was to evaluate the screening and management of childhood overweight and obesity in one of Norton’s healthcare primary care setting.

Methods-The electronic medical records of 35 children aged 10 to 11, who had BMIs > 85 …

Iron Uptake In Symbiosis: The Role Of Siderophore In The Association Between Vibrio Fischeri And Euprymna Scolopes, Evan Dasilva

Master's Theses and Capstones

Iron acquisition is well studied in pathogens, and successful virulence is often attributed to iron acquisition by siderophore and heme uptake; however, the role of iron uptake in mutual symbiotic interactions is not as well understood. The mutual symbiosis between Vibrio fischeri and the Hawaiian bobtail squid, Euprymna scolopes, is a well-characterized system in which iron uptake has been implicated as a symbiotic factor. Four studies have implicated iron uptake in the symbiosis: 1) A TnLux reporter assay revealed that siderophore is more highly expressed by V. fischeri in the light organs of juvenile squid compared to V. fischeri in …

Marker Assisted Selection Of Sex Determination In Kiwiberry (Actinidia Arguta And Actinidia Kolomikta), Haley Gustafson

Master's Theses and Capstones

The selection of phenotypic traits in plant breeding has recently become augmented by the implementation of molecular markers. Marker-assisted breeding strategies are used to develop new cultivars of many important crop plants but have yet to be assimilated into breeding programs for many minor crops with untapped economic potential. In the following chapters, I discuss methods of marker development in crop plants, sex determination as a trait of economic interest in plant breeding, and the identification of two male-dominant, PCR-based markers in the commercially viable Kiwiberry species Actinidia arguta and A. kolomikta.

Safety Net Benefit Access In The Official And Supplemental Poverty Measures By Race And Gender, Nikhail Sinea Maestas

Master's Theses and Capstones

Historically, minority women have made up a disproportionate percentage of the low-income population who receive safety net benefits. However, there has been no previous research that assesses how alternative poverty measures could impact these isolated groups of women. This study aims to determine which groups of people would receive the largest benefit if state and federal agencies used the supplemental poverty measure (SPM) rather than the official poverty measure (OPM) to determine eligibility for various safety net programs. In addition, this study assesses the intersectional effect of gender and race on poverty using the SPM and the official U.S. poverty …

The Impact Of Direct-Fed Microbials And Enzymes On The Health And Performance Of Holstein Cattle With Emphasis On Colostrum Quality And Serum Immunoglobulins In The Calf, Shona Brittany Ort

Master's Theses and Capstones

Research has shown that direct-fed microbials (DFM) and enzyme supplementation can impact the dry matter intake (DMI), milk production, and milk composition. However, limited research has evaluated the impact of DFM and enzyme supplementation on colostrum quality and the uptake of the Immunoglobulins A and G (IgA and IgG) by calves. In this study, 36 multiparous Holstein cows were blocked by expected calving date and randomly assigned to 1 of 3 treatments 3 weeks prior to calving and remained on these treatments until week 8 postpartum. These treatments were: 1) 0 g of DFM and enzyme (control), 2) 45.40 g/d …

Kelp Meal (Ascophyllum Nodosum) Supplementation To Organic Lactating Dairy Cows: Effects On Milk Production, Milk Composition, Animal Health And Nutrient Utilization During The Non-Grazing And Grazing Seasons In New Hampshire, Nicole Theresa Antaya

Master's Theses and Capstones

This thesis examines the feeding of kelp meal (KM), most commonly produced from the species Ascophyllum nodosum to lactating dairy cattle. In the first experiment KM was fed at incremental levels to lactating jersey cattle over the winter season in Lee, New Hampshire. The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of incremental amounts (0, 57, 113, and 170 g/d) of KM on animal performance and milk iodine concentration in dairy cows fed high-forage diets. While animal performance was not improved, milk iodine output increased linearly in cows fed KM. Trends and quadratic effects were observed for nutrient …

An Obesity Needs Assessment With African American Adults In Central Virginia, Nicole Michelle Brown

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The risk for obesity is especially prevalent among African American adults in Central Virginia, who have one of the highest rates of obesity in the nation. Efforts to address obesity in African American adults through diet, weight reduction, and increased physical activity in settings such as schools, worksites, healthcare organizations, churches, and communities, are among the initiatives of Healthy People 2020. The objective of this project, conducted with 91 African American adults (33 females and 58 males) in central Virginia, was to complete a community needs assessment that related to obesity among members of an African American church. The needs …