Digital Commons Network^™

Dystroglycan Is A Novel And Context-Dependent Regulator Of Notch In The Postnatal Subventricular Zone, Himanshu Sharma

Stony Brook Theses and Dissertations Collection, 2006-2020 (closed to submissions)

While the importance of the subventricular zone (SVZ) in brain development and homeostasis has become more well appreciated over the last few decades, many of the mechanisms regulating SVZ development remain unclear. In particular, the role of extracellular matrix (ECM)-mediated signals in shaping the development and function of the postnatal SVZ remain poorly understood, despite the recognized role of ECM in other stem cell niches. We now report that during the first weeks of postnatal development, ECM is reorganized into laminin-rich "hubs" at the interface between neural stem cells and ependymal cells at the ventricular surface. This ECM is of …

Effects Of Labeling And Consumer Health Trends On Preferred Ground Beef Color Characteristics, Fat Content, And Palatability In Simulated Retail Display, Fred W. Pohlman Ii

Animal Science Undergraduate Honors Theses

Nutritional concerns and attempts to limit fat in the diet over the past decades have impacted the protein market, decreasing red meat consumption as well as prompting the advent of lean and extra lean ground beef. Such lean blends of ground beef may suffer in palatability, however, resulting in less satisfied consumers turning to other protein sources. While consumers are demanding lean ground beef, fatter blends may be more palatable. This study seeks to bridge the gap between perceived health and palatability by evaluating preferred fat content and instrumental color characteristics between labeled and unlabeled packages of ground beef in …

Exploring The Caregiver-Child Relationship In Institutional Care Facilities In South Sudan, Jennifer Joy Telfer

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

Institutional care for children separated from parents is expanding in Africa, but little research exists on caregiving at these institutions. This study explores the caregiver-child relationship in two residential institutions in South Sudan by investigating how caregivers experience their role and how children experience their lives in the institution. Semi- structured interviews assessed 14 caregivers’ backgrounds, parenting experience, attitudes, education, and motivations. The Orphans and Vulnerable Children Wellbeing Tool (OWT) assessed 98 adolescent residents, who also gave feedback about their answers. Caregivers employ parenting styles used by their parents and report treating non-relative children the same as biological children. Children …

Simplifying Methods For In Vitro Metamorphosis Of Glochidia, Morgan A. Kern

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

Captive culture of Unionoid mussels is complicated by the parasitic larval stage, which normally requires a host fish for metamorphosis. Alternatively, some mussel species can metamorphose in vitro, i.e. in an artificial medium in Petri dishes. Most workers have used 5% CO₂ atmosphere and bicarbonate to stabilize pH, requiring a specialized incubator. In the present study, in vitro metamorphosis success of Anodonta oregonensis and other species were higher or similar in air than in 1%, or 5% CO₂. The nutritional role of the medium was tested by substituting physiological saline without nutrients at varying intervals before …

Habitat Associations With Small Mammal Communities At Wilson's Creek National Battlefield, Stephanie Anne Ellison

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to aid the National Park Service at Wilson’s Creek National Battlefield with the reported habitat monitoring and management goals through vegetation and wildlife surveys within the park. I provided a description of two major habitat types that are of ecological concern, which included non-native ruderal grasslands and upland deciduous woodlands and forests. I evaluated small mammal communities to determine factors that may affect the detection of individual species and examined habitat associations with occupancy, as small mammals are good indicators of habitat quality. My study highlights the need to manage invasive species such as …

Comparison Of Understory Chemical And Mechanical Treatments To Promote Regeneration Of Desirable Forestland Species, Rebecca Rachael Tyler

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

Invasive woody plants and trees can have a negative impact on desired tree regeneration in the understory of forest stands, and forage density in grassland sites. An assessment of chemical and mechanical treatments on woody plants in the understory of forestland and in grassland is needed. Two experiments were set up in two forest stands and in two grassland/forest edge sites, with two treatment times during the growing season in the first year of the study. On the forestland sites, chemical and mechanical treatments were applied on undesired woody plants to see if they effect the regeneration of desired tree …

Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction In Women With Overweight Or Obesity: A Randomized Clinical Trial., Nazia Raja-Khan, Katrina Agito, Julie Shah, Christy M Stetter, Theresa S Gustafson, Holly Socolow, Allen R Kunselman, Diane K. Reibel, Richard S Legro

Marcus Institute of Integrative Health Faculty Papers

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the feasibility and cardiometabolic effects of mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) in women with overweight or obesity.

METHODS: Eighty-six women with BMI ≥ 25 kg/m

RESULTS: Compared to health education, the MBSR group demonstrated significantly improved mindfulness at 8 weeks (mean change from baseline, 4.5 vs. -1.0; P = 0.03) and significantly decreased perceived stress at 16 weeks (-3.6 vs. -1.3, P = 0.01). In the MBSR group, there were significant reductions in fasting glucose at 8 weeks (-8.9 mg/dL, P = 0.02) and at 16 weeks (-9.3 mg/dL, P = 0.02) compared to baseline. Fasting glucose did …

Forage News [2017-08], Department Of Plant And Soil Sciences, University Of Kentucky

Forage News

• Possible Causes of Yellowing Alfalfa
• Dung Beetles: Underground Allies
• Don't Overlook Johnsongrass

Brain Microvascular Injury And White Matter Disease Provoked By Diabetes-Associated Hyperamylinemia, Han Ly, Nirmal Verma, Fengen Wu, Miao Liu, Kathryn E. Saatman, Peter T. Nelson, John T. Slevin, Larry B. Goldstein, Geert Jan Biessels, Florin Despa

Pharmacology and Nutritional Sciences Faculty Publications

OBJECTIVE: The brain blood vessels of patients with type 2 diabetes and dementia have deposition of amylin, an amyloidogenic hormone cosecreted with insulin. It is not known whether vascular amylin deposition is a consequence or a trigger of vascular injury. We tested the hypothesis that the vascular amylin deposits cause endothelial dysfunction and microvascular injury and are modulated by amylin transport in the brain via plasma apolipoproteins.

METHODS: Rats overexpressing amyloidogenic (human) amylin in the pancreas (HIP rats) and amylin knockout (AKO) rats intravenously infused with aggregated amylin were used for in vivo phenotyping. We also carried out biochemical analyses …

Early Effects Of The Affordable Care Act On Health Care Access, Risky Health Behaviors, And Self-Assessed Health, Charles J. Courtemanche, James Marton, Benjamin Ukert, Aaron Yelowitz, Daniela Zapata

Institute for the Study of Free Enterprise Working Papers

The goal of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) was to achieve nearly universal health insurance coverage through a combination of mandates, subsidies, marketplaces, and Medicaid expansions, most of which took effect in 2014. We use data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System to examine the impacts of the ACA on health care access, risky health behaviors, and self-assessed health after two years. We estimate difference-in-difference-in-differences models that exploit variation in treatment intensity from state participation in the Medicaid expansion and pre-ACA uninsured rates. Results suggest that the ACA led to sizeable improvements in access to health care in both …

Predictive Relationship Of Positive Lifestyle Choices With Emotional Distress Of Undergraduate College Students: An Analysis Of American College Health Association Data, Robin Lockhart

Nursing Dissertations - Archive

Undergraduate student reports of anxiety and depression have risen each year since 2012 to the most recent report of 17% experiencing anxiety and 14% experiencing depression (ACHA, 2016). The significance of the experience of anxiety and depression in this population is that they are the top-reported factors affecting academic attrition (ACHA, 2016). The purpose of this study was to examine the predictive relationship of three healthy lifestyle behaviors and emotional distress among undergraduate college students. The three healthy lifestyle choices examined were nutrition, exercise and rest. The prevalence of emotional distress and depression within each year of study also was …

Starch-Entrapped Microsphere Fibers Improve Bowel Habit But Do Not Exhibit Prebiotic Capacity In Those With Unsatisfactory Bowel Habits: A Phase I, Randomized, Double-Blind, Controlled Human Trial, Heather E. Rasmussen, Bruce Hamaker, Kumar B. Rajan, Ece Mutlu, Stefan J. Green, Michael Brown, Amandeep Kaur, Ali Keshavarzian

Department of Nutrition and Health Sciences: Faculty Publications

Approximately one-third of individuals in the United States experience unsatisfactory bowel habits, and dietary intake, especially one low in fiber, could be partly responsible. We hypothesized that intake of a fermentable fiber (starch-entrapped microspheres, SM) that has a delayed, slow fermentation profile in vitro would improve bowel habit while exhibiting prebiotic capacity in those with self-described unsatisfactory bowel habits, all with minimal adverse effects. A total of 43 healthy volunteers completed a 3-month,double-blind, parallel-arm randomized clinical trial to assess the ability of a daily dose (9 or 12 g) of SM vs. psyllium (12 g) to improve bowel habit, including …

Hypomethylation Of Cntfrα Is Associated With Proliferation And Poor Prognosis In Lower Grade Gliomas., Kun Fan, Xiaowen Wang, Jingwen Zhang, Romela Irene Ramos, Haibo Zhang, Chunjie Li, Dan Ye, Jiansheng Kang, Diego M Marzese, Dave S B Hoon, Wei Hua

Articles, Abstracts, and Reports

Ciliary neurotrophic factor receptor α subunit (CNTFRα) and CNTF play important roles in neuron survival, glial differentiation and brain tumor growth. However, the molecular mechanisms of CNTFRα regulation and its clinical significance in glioma remain largely unknown. Here, we found CNTFRα was overexpressed in lower grade gliomas (LGG) compared with glioblastoma (GBM) and normal brain specimens in TCGA datasets and in an independent cohort. Bioinformatics analysis revealed a CpG shore of the CNTFRα gene regulated its mRNA expression in TCGA datasets. This observation was further validated with clinical specimens and functionally verified using demethylating agents. Additionally, we observed that independent …

Impact Of Inpatient Care In Emergency Department On Outcomes: A Quasi-Experimental Cohort Study, Aisha Lateef, Soo-Hoon Lee, Dale Andrew Fisher, Wei-Ping Goh, Hui Fen Han, Uma Chandra Segara, Tiong Beng Sim, Malcolm Mahadehvan, Khean Teik Goh, Noel Cheah, Aymeric Yt Lim, Phillip H. Phan, Reshma A. Merchant

Management Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: Hospitals around the world are faced with the issue of boarders in emergency department (ED), patients marked for admission but with no available inpatient bed. Boarder status is known to be associated with delayed inpatient care and suboptimal outcomes. A new care delivery system was developed in our institution where boarders received full inpatient care from a designated medical team, acute medical team (AMT), while still residing at ED. The current study examines the impact of this AMT intervention on patient outcomes.

METHODS: We conducted a retrospective quasi-experimental cohort study to analyze outcomes between the AMT intervention and conventional …

Turf Grass Sod Production Utilizing Hydroponic Systems, Raed Sameeh Raja Hussian

Aridland Agriculture Theses

Turf as a cover is a very essential component in enhancing the aesthetics and in climate modification of the landscape in arid regions. The grasses employed for turf production are cultivable grass species of the poaceae family in the class monocots. It can considerably withstand the stress of traffic and mowing provided right grass species are selected and sod production undertaken. The UAE is characterized by a bi-seasonal Mediterranean climate with high temperature and low rainfall. Like in any desert ecosystems, soils are poor in organic matter, with relatively low biological activities in UAE. In the present research, two warm …

Uah Humanities Center, 2017, University Of Alabama In Huntsville

Newsletters

No abstract provided.

The Association Between Sanitation, Hygiene, And Stunting In Children Under Two-Years (An Analysis Of Indonesia’S Basic Health Research, 2013), Lulu'ul Badriyah, Ahmad Syafiq

Makara Journal of Health Research

Background: This study aims to identify the relationship between sanitation, hygiene, and stunting in children under two-years in Indonesia. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study that examined 9,688 children under the age of two. We obtained data from Indonesia's Basic Health Research paper that was released in 2013 and applied multiple logistic regression analysis. The prevalence of stunting amongst children under two-years in 2013 was 33.3%. Results: Our analysis showed that stunting is closely related to low birth weight, age, gender, exclusive breastfeeding, socioeconomic status, garbage removal, and waste management. Appropriate sanitation and hygiene had a significant impact on stunting …

Retinoic Acid Inhibits White Adipogenesis By Disrupting Gadd45a-Mediated Zfp423 Dna Demethylation, Bo Wang, Xing Fu, Mei Jun Zhu, Min Du

Faculty Publications

© The Author (2017). Retinoic acid (RA), a bioactive metabolite of Vitamin A, is a critical mediator of cell differentiation. RA blocks adipogenesis, but mechanisms remain to be established. ZFP423 is a key transcription factor maintaining white adipose identity. We found that RA inhibits Zfp423 expression and adipogenesis via blocking DNA demethylation in the promoter of Zfp423, a process mediated by growth arrest and DNA-damage-inducible protein alpha (GADD45A). RA induces the partnering between retinoic acid receptor (RAR) and tumor suppressor inhibitor of growth protein 1 (ING1), which prevents the formation of GADD45A and ING1 complex necessary for locus-specific Zfp423 DNA …

Caregiver Integration During Discharge Planning For Older Adults To Reduce Resource Use: A Metaanalysis, Juleen Rodakowski, Philip Rocco, Maqui Ortiz, Barbara Folb, Richard Schulz, Sally C. Morton, Sally Caine Leathers, Lu Hu, A. Everette James

Political Science Faculty Research and Publications

Objectives

To determine the effect of integrating informal caregivers into discharge planning on postdischarge cost and resource use in older adults.

Design

A systematic review and metaanalysis of randomized controlled trials that examine the effect of discharge planning with caregiver integration begun before discharge on healthcare cost and resource use outcomes. MEDLINE, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Library databases were searched for all English‐language articles published between 1990 and April 2016.

Setting

Hospital or skilled nursing facility.

Participants

Older adults with informal caregivers discharged to a community setting.

Measurements

Readmission rates, length of and time to post‐discharge rehospitalizations, costs of postdischarge …

Quantitative Assessment Of Water Security Using A Hydrological Modeling Framework, Anoop Valiyaveettil

All Dissertations

Water scarcity and drought are major threats to water security. Quantifying and defining boundaries between these threats are necessary to properly assess water security of a region. A comprehensive assessment of water security in terms of water scarcity, water vulnerability and drought can address water policy issues related to hydrological conditions and their interactions with societal and ecosystem functioning. Therefore, study of water security can provide useful information to multiple stakeholders. The overarching goal of this thesis is to improve water security in river basins around the world. To demonstrate our proposed methods, we selected Savannah River Basin (SRB) as …

A Wellness Study Of 108 Individuals Using Personal, Dense, Dynamic Data Clouds., Nathan D Price, Andrew T Magis, John C Earls, Gustavo Glusman, Roie Levy, Christopher Lausted, Daniel T Mcdonald, Ulrike Kusebauch, Christopher L Moss, Yong Zhou, Shizhen Qin, Robert L Moritz, Kristin Brogaard, Gilbert S Omenn, Jennifer C Lovejoy, L Hood

Articles, Abstracts, and Reports

Personal data for 108 individuals were collected during a 9-month period, including whole genome sequences; clinical tests, metabolomes, proteomes, and microbiomes at three time points; and daily activity tracking. Using all of these data, we generated a correlation network that revealed communities of related analytes associated with physiology and disease. Connectivity within analyte communities enabled the identification of known and candidate biomarkers (e.g., gamma-glutamyltyrosine was densely interconnected with clinical analytes for cardiometabolic disease). We calculated polygenic scores from genome-wide association studies (GWAS) for 127 traits and diseases, and used these to discover molecular correlates of polygenic risk (e.g., genetic risk …

Estimating Aging Effects In Running Events, Ray C. Fair, Edward H. Kaplan

Cowles Foundation Discussion Papers

This paper uses world running records by age to estimate a biological frontier of decline rates. Two models are compared: a linear/quadratic (LQ) model and a non-parametric model. Two estimation methods are used: 1) minimizing the squared difference between the observed records and the modeled biological frontier and 2) using extreme value theory to estimate the biological frontier that maximizes the probability of observing the existing world records by age. The results support the LQ model and suggest there is linear percentage decline up to the late 70’s and quadratic decline after that. The extreme value estimates suggest that the …

Association Of Xylella Fastidiosa With Yield Loss And Altered Fruit Quality In A Naturally Infected Rabbiteye Blueberry Orchard, Mary Helen Ferguson, Christopher A. Clark, Barbara J. Smith

Faculty Publications

Xylella fastidiosa Wells et al. causes disease in a number of plants in the southeastern United States, including southern highbush blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum interspecific hybrids), but little was known concerning its potential impact in rabbiteye blueberry (Vaccinium virgatum Aiton syn. Vaccinium ashei Reade). In a naturally infected orchard in Louisiana, mean yields of X. fastidiosa-positive plants were 55% and 62% less than those of X. fastidiosa-negative plants in 2013 and 2014, respectively. Average berry weight was also lower in X. fastidiosa-positive plants. Within 3 years of testing positive for X. fastidiosa, four of nine X. fastidiosa-positive plants appeared dead. However, …

Varietal Preferences And Within-Orchard And Tree Distribution Of Newly Recorded Gall Midges, Dasineura Amaramanjarae And Procontarinia Mangiferae (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae), From Commercial Mango Cultivars In Pakistan, H. M. Rehman, R. Mahmood, M. Razaq, R. Saeed, M. Jamil, G. V.P. Reddy

Faculty Publications

Gall midges (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae) damage mango by feeding on flowers and fruit tissues, inducing galls on leaves, and providing inoculums of anthracnose. Dasineura amaramanjarae Grover and Procontarinia mangiferae (Felt), two gall midges that damage flowers in all mango-growing areas of the world, have recently been recorded in Pakistan, and studies were conducted in 2011 and 2012 on the within-tree and orchard distribution patterns and cultivar preference of both species in Pakistan at one location (Rahim Yar Khan). Both gall midge species were found on all mango cultivars examined (Chaunsa, Fajri, Dusehri, Surkha, Sindhri, and Anwar Ratul), with the most damage …

Genistein Crosses The Bioartificial Oviduct And Alters Secretion Composition, Constantine A. Simintiras, Roger G. Sturmey

Faculty Publications

The dietary derived isoflavone and oestrogen analogue, genistein, is known to perturb fundamental reproductive events such as implantation and embryo cleavage. However the question of whether genistein is able to traverse the oviduct epithelial monolayer and impact oviduct fluid secretion remains unclear. This study tests these research questions using a bioartificial oviduct to show that genistein permeates the oviduct lumen in vitro with a biphasic (burst and plateau) kinetic profile, faster than spontaneous diffusion, and alters the amino acid composition of in vitro derived oviduct fluid (ivDOF) but not as an oestrogen analogue. In addition to offering insights into the …

The Effect Of Different Resistance Training Load Schemes On Strength And Body Composition In Trained Men, Charles Ricardo Lopes, Marcelo Saldanha Aoki, Alex Harley Crisp, Renê Scarpari De Mattos, Miguel Alves Lins, Gustavo Ribeiro Da Mota, Brad Jon Schoenfeld, Paulo Henrique Marchetti

Publications and Research

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of moderate-load (10 RM) and low-load (20 RM) resistance training schemes on maximal strength and body composition. Sixteen resistance-trained men were randomly assigned to 1 of 2 groups: a moderate-load group (n = 8) or a low-load group (n = 8). The resistance training schemes consisted of 8 exercises performed 4 times per week for 6 weeks. In order to equate the number of repetitions performed by each group, the moderate load group performed 6 sets of 10 RM, while the low load group performed 3 sets of 20 RM. …

Resisting Technology-Enabled Change Within Healthcare Organization, Yong Kwang Adrian Yeow, Wee-Kiat Lim

CCX Research

Instead of the predominant view of resistance as one that occurs between the management and those lower in the hierarchy, we consider how acts of resisting would unfold between peer actors within a technology-enabled change project for a large university hosptial. Drawing on institutional politics, we highlight the importance of understanding organizational resistance as a set of interrelated skillful acts, where the actions of resisters are not only co-constitutive with actions of agents of change but also interrelated across resisters at different levels of the organization. This case also illustrates how resisting actions could play out across an entire change …

Today - August 2017, Loma Linda University Health

TODAY

Inside this issue:

-- Mission trip to Northern Nigeria supports local Adventist hospital, regional outreach
-- A Vision Coming into 2020 Focus
-- Loma Linda University named a ‘2017 Great College to Work For’ by Chronicle of Higher Education
-- Darryl VandenBosch joins LLU Medical Center administrative team
-- Loma Linda University Health fellow wins $50,000 Amgen Young Investigator Award
-- Loma Linda University researchers find links between meal frequency, BMI
-- Cardiac patient honors nurse with 500th Healing Hands award
-- Loma Linda University program enhances K-12 science, technology, engineering and math programs
-- Hyperbaric Medicine Service receives accreditation …

Behavioral Public Choice, U.S. National Security Interests, And Transnational Security Decision Making, David G. Delaney

Indiana Journal of Global Legal Studies

Transnational law both shapes and is shaped by policy decisions of public officials addressing global terrorist threats. These and other interrelated security and human rights concerns challenge executive officials in national governments and international organizations to simultaneously advance the rule of law and pursue other important welfare interests. This Article explores opportunities for transnational executives to improve their work and transnational legal frameworks. It proposes that behavioral insights into decision making and public policy making provide essential lessons for those efforts. The U.S. experience developing new policies to interrogate suspected terrorists following the Al Qaeda attacks of September 2001 provides …

In Vitro Antiviral Activity Of Black Tea Polyphenols On Sindbis Virus In Vero Cells, Jose Villagomez

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Black tea, derived from the Camellia sinensis plant, is a natural product that is rich in polyphenols. The major polyphenols found in black tea are known as theaflavins. Previous research demonstrated that theaflavins contain antiviral activity against Herpes simplex virus 1 & 2 (HSV-1 & HSV-2), both enveloped DNA viruses. The goal of this research was to investigate the antiviral activity of theaflavins on the Sindbis virus (SINV). SINV is an enveloped RNA virus, and the prototype species of alphaviruses. SINV was treated with various concentrations of a theaflavin rich Black Tea Extract (BTE) before infection of Vero Cells. Antiviral …