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Vertebral Pathologies And Implications For Economic Lifestyle Changes In Two Prehistoric Skeletal Populations, Alyxandra Leigh Stanco

LSU Master's Theses

Little research considers the vertebral column in relation to inter-populational variation and changes in economic lifestyle. Numerous studies have been conducted regarding the influence of activity-related stress on post-cranial elements such as the knees, hips and shoulders, but few studies have considered the vertebral column. This study examined the vertebral columns of two prehistoric skeletal populations. The Indian Knoll site, home to a population of early hunter-gatherers, is located in Ohio County, Kentucky along the Green River. Indian Knoll was first excavated in 1915 by C.B. Moore. The Moundville site, a chiefdom of early agriculturalists, is located in the Black …

Pesticide Concentrations In Water From A Southern Louisiana Marsh Influenced By The Mississippi River, Kara Leigh Callicott

LSU Master's Theses

The pesticides atrazine, chlorothalonil, and fipronil are common surface water contaminants due to their high rates of application and their chemical properties. This study investigates the introduction of contaminants into coastal wetlands via the Bayou Lamoque Mississippi River control structure in Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana. A protocol for environmental sampling using Continuous Low-level Aquatic Monitoring (C.L.A.M.) C-18 disks is described, along with effective solid phase extraction (SPE) and gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC/MS) methodology for the determination of atrazine, chlorothalonil, and fipronil in surface water. Average concentrations of atrazine and chlorothalonil inside the Bayou Lamoque freshwater diversion structure for the months …

Optimization Of The Extraction Of Procyanidin B-2 Rich Extract From Unfermented Cocoa Using Response Surface Methodology And Interaction Of Procyanidin B-2 Rich Cocoa Extract With Collagenase And Elastase As Biomarkers Of Skin Aging, Marco Eduardo Toc Sagra

LSU Master's Theses

Skin ageing is a natural process accelerated by environmental exposure that generate reactive oxygen species and activates enzymes that degrade the integrity of the dermis. Cocoa powder (Theobroma cacao) is a good source of polyphenols, particularly procyanidins and flavan-3-ols, with potential enzyme inhibitory activities. In this study we determined whether cocoa extraction standardized to its procyanidin B-2 content has a potential application as anti-ageing bioactive compound. Oil-bath-assisted extraction (OBAE) and microwave-assisted extraction (MAE) were optimized for procyanidin B-2 rich extract using response surface methodology and water as solvent. Methanol (70% in water) extraction was the control to which other extraction …

Baby's Day Out, Andrea Nicole Berg

LSU Master's Theses

Baby's Day Out explores the world through a phenomenological newness that is expressed within abstract figurative painting. Fact and fiction blend in this fantastical array of emotions and real-world referents. I relied on quick mark-making, intuition, and gestural brushwork to explore representations of psychic and emotional states. The results are reminiscent of dreams, poems, secret whispers, unconscious fantasies, and delusions. The viewer is left to navigate the aporia of the space, by gingerly extending each limb forward and backward, to wander from piece to piece. Meaning is relative as the content of each painting is dependent on the interpretive lens …

Sociodemographic, Health, Health-Related, Health Risk, Psychosocial, And Treatment-Related Characteristics Associated With Retention Among Community Mental Health Clients In An Integrated Health Program, Katherine Anne Thomas

LSU Master's Theses

Individuals with serious mental illness (SMI) have higher rates cardiometabolic conditions than the general population, which put them at increased risk for early mortality. Treatment retention is especially important as it may prevent worsening of mental and physical health symptoms and lower such risks. Models of integrated primary and behavioral health care (PBHC) are promising for treating co-morbid mental and physical health conditions common to individuals with SMI. Previous research identified that individuals with SMI drop out of care at higher rates than other individuals with mental illness. Past studies on treatment retention with this population have been qualitative and …

Parents Of Children Who Had Hypoxic-Ischemic Encephalopathy: A Mixed-Methods, Exploratory Study, Natalene Kramer

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Background: There is scant literature addressing the parents of children who had hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE). therefore only inferences may be made as to issues of that experience affecting parents.

Purpose: The purposes of this study was to uncover the lived experiences of parents of children who had HIE, evaluate issues of stress, depression, coping, and impact of neurologic disability in order to better care for them and thus their families

Methods: A parallel, convergent mixed-methods design was used to explore experiences and perceptions of these parents regarding their experiences and life changes. The quantitative strand addressed four research questions which …

L’Intégration De L’Immigré Africain Francophone Aux Etats-Unis Et En France : Opportunités Et Défis, Lily Calaycay

Honors Theses

Durant ces dernières années, l’immigration a considérablement augmenté dans plusieurs parties du monde, et par conséquent, l’intégration des immigrants dans la société est devenue un sujet largement discuté. Un immigré, selon la définition du Haut Conseil à l’intégration en 1991, est une personne résidant dans un pays qui est née dans un pays étranger (« Population immigrée » 96). Les mouvements migratoires africains ont une longue histoire, marquée par l’exploitation et la colonisation européenne du continent. L’histoire de l’immigration africaine est unique parmi les mouvements migratoires à cause des conditions qui ont accompagné un système brutal d’exploitation. La présence des …

“Head Start Works,” But Why? Understanding The Persistence Of An American Welfare Program, Leah Rich-Awkward

Honors Papers

Head Start, a federally-funded preschool program for low-income children which also provides social services to parents, has persisted since its founding in the 1960s. The program has also received consistent public support since its implementation. Head Start’s popularity makes it unique in comparison to other welfare programs in the country. The United States’ welfare state is weak and underfunded when compared to other countries, the US lacks a comprehensive national welfare system, and the existing system exacerbates inequalities based on gender and race.

Despite the lack of support for welfare services, Head Start continues to serve children and families across …

Vegetarianism In Historical And Contemporary China: Tracking Transitions In Discourse Through Rhetorical Idioms Of Entitlement And Endangerment, Brendan Nuse

Honors Papers

This thesis examines changes between historical and contemporary iterations of Chinese vegetarianism discourse. Vegetarian discourse can be divided into two categories: entitlement (which focuses primarily on animals’ entitlement to life) and endangerment (which focuses on meat as a contaminating agent). This project attempts to determine how Chinese vegetarianism fits into this framework. It uses interviews with Chinese international students at Oberlin College, analysis of Chinese vegetarian blogs, and academic work by Chinese and non-Chinese academics to better understand the state of vegetarianism today as compared to the past. This study found that, while Chinese vegetarianism has historically been grounded in …

Interrogating The "And": A Study Of Environmentalism And Disability, Melissa Cabat

Honors Papers

Mainstream environmental activists often draw the correlation between environment and disability as being a matter of public health inequities, including air quality, pollution, and now the aftereffects of fracking. These are important, but they only scratch the surface of the link between these movements. I will discuss the movement of ecodisablism and how climate justice activists with disabilities, including the Crips for Climate Justice movement, have been influenced by climate and disability activism. This research is relevant as the massive baby boomer population ages and risks losing their connection to nature due to inaccessible green spaces. Moreover, discussing disability rights …

The Life And Times Of Transgenics, Hugh Lacey

Philosophy Faculty Works

No abstract provided.

Race, Ethnicity And The Legacy Of Baseball In The Americas, Darren Brett Zaslau

Honors Papers

Baseball is America’s Pastime. When looking at its history in our modern day, it is difficult to imagine the racism and hate, which will always remain implanted in the roots of the game. From the Negro Leagues of 1920, to the racism surrounding Roberto Clemente, Hispanic players, and other racial minorities, the struggles of the past will never be forgotten. Although its history was filled with periods of adversity, the current inclusive state that baseball currently presents is truly remarkable. Analyzing these positive trends toward racial inclusion overtime will be the main focus of this independent major honors research project. …

A Home Away From Home: An Occupational Manual For Working With Refugee Populations, Katherine Erickson, Kari Kjergaard

Occupational Therapy Capstones

Problem: As of October 2016, over 65.3 million people have been displaced from their home due to civil wars and civil unrest; 21.3 million of this population are refugees and this number continues to grow (UNHCR, 2016). Due to the nature in which people become refugees and experience trauma, both physically and mentally, there is a rising need for health professionals to be culturally competent and well equipped to work with this population. The vast majority of refugee populations face barriers some of which include being forced to adapt to a new home environment, social isolation, language barriers, and ultimately …

Content Validation Of A Home Parenteral Nutrition Patient Reported Outcomes Questionnaire, Tracy-Lee Miller

Open Access Master's Theses

Background: Currently, there is no known patient reported outcome (PRO) instrument being used in clinical practice for the home parenteral nutrition (HPN) population. To address this gap, the Home Parenteral Nutrition-Patient Reported Outcome Questionnaire (HPN-PROQ) was developed for use during medical appointments or homecare visits. The purpose of this research is to provide evidence that the items and scales of the HPN-PROQ possess content validity, a crucial step in the process of questionnaire development.

Subjects: Qualitative sample included 32 HPN patients and quantitative sample included 13 expert home care clinicians (physicians, dietitian, pharmacists, registered nurses and patient advocates.) …

Relationship Between Arthritis And Muscular Strength In Older Women With Symptoms Of Sarcopenia, Emily Renna

Open Access Master's Theses

Grip strength has been identified as a valid predictor of frailty and disability and has been shown to be a cost-effective method to assess muscular strength in older populations. Grip strength is also used in working definitions for sarcopenia classification. However, various forms of arthritis have been shown to negatively impact grip strength scores, which could potentially lead to misclassification. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate if hand arthritis is related to sarcopenia classification in a group of older women with or without symptoms of sarcopenia and if arthritis is related to upper and lower body muscular …

Process Of Evaluation Of An Efnep-Enhanced Pse Intervention In Urban Schools, Silvia X. Lepe

Open Access Master's Theses

Objectives: To determine to what extent the EMPOWER intervention was delivered as originally planned and how participants perceived its delivery.

Methods: This was a process evaluation study; data was collected using fidelity and observation checklists, grading rubrics, focus groups, semi-structured interviews, and meeting minutes. Program fidelity was assessed by calculating percent average of curriculum delivery. Program perception was assessed using the subjective data recorded on the fidelity checklists and responses from focus groups and semi-structured interviews. Qualitative data were analyzed to detect common themes using NVivo11 Software.

Results: The intervention was well received by students, school staff, …

Effects Of 10 Weeks Of Periodized Resistance Training On Sarcopenia Classification In Older Women, Samuel Slezak

Open Access Master's Theses

Sarcopenia is defined as the progressive, age related loss of lean muscle mass, which in turn has been associated with osteoporosis, decreases in physical function, and loss of independence. Newly established sarcopenia classification criteria include measures of appendicular lean mass (ALM), grip strength, and gait speed. Periodized resistance training (PRT) has been investigated in older adults, however the impact of PRT, particularly daily undulating periodized resistance training (DUP) on current sarcopenia classification criteria is unknown. The aim of this randomized controlled trial was to investigate the effects of a 10-week DUP intervention on sarcopenia classification in older women. Inactive women …

Associations Between Nighttime Eating And Total Caloric Intake In College-Aged Students, Marissa Christina Ruginski

Open Access Master's Theses

Background: Obesity is a nationwide concern across all age groups including the college-aged population. Approximately 35% of college students are reported to be overweight or obese in America, as defined by a body mass index (BMI) over 25 kg/m². Increased caloric intake has shown to be associated with an elevated BMI. Nighttime eating may be a contributing factor to increased total caloric intake, and it has been associated with higher total caloric intake and weight gain in shift workers and older adults. However, research has not examined whether an association exists between nighttime eating and total daily …

A Carbohydrate Counting Intervention For Hispanics With Type 2 Diabetes, Flavia Cattaneo

Open Access Master's Theses

The purpose of this study is to determine if a culturally tailored carbohydrate (CHO) counting intervention for low-income Hispanics with Type 2 Diabetes (T2DM) will increase their knowledge and skills related to CHO counting.

This non-experimental, single group design assessed knowledge of CHO counting in adult Hispanics with T2DM with pre- and post-surveys. Recruitment and intervention delivery were in three community locations in the Providence RI area. The intervention consisted of 3-workshops, 1-hour each, conducted in Spanish. Each workshop covered information on portion sizes guides, nutrition facts label reading, CHO amounts in commonly consumed foods and CHO counting activities. The …

A Native Lepidopteran Is Impacted By Host Defenses Induced By Hemlock Woolly Adelgid (Adelges Tsugae), Mary M. Mallinger

Open Access Master's Theses

Eastern hemlock, Tsuga canadensis, is currently experiencing widespread mortality due to the invasive hemlock woolly adelgid (HWA; Adelges tsugae). Eastern hemlock looper (Lambdina fiscellaria), another hemlock pest, is a native lepidopteran that has reached outbreak levels in the past. While these insects share a host and overlap in range, little is known about their interactions. Research has shown that HWA infestation increases methyl salicylate concentrations (an indicator of the induction of the salicylic acid pathway) in hemlock tissue while hemlock looper, a chewing insect, likely elicits the jasmonic acid pathway. While plants are capable of inducing …

Diet Quality Of Preschool Aged Children In Family Child Care Homes, Maggie You Ming Tsai

Open Access Master's Theses

Background: Although family child care homes (FCCH) are the second most utilized form of non-relative child care in the US, little is known about what children eat in this setting.

Objectives: The primary objective is to assess the quality of meals and snacks consumed by children aged 2-5 in FCCH compared to the 2015 Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA 2015). The secondary, exploratory objective is to explore the association between childcare provider acculturation and dietary consumption of children in FCCH.

Design: This cross-sectional study used baseline data from an ongoing cluster randomized controlled intervention trial in FCCH.

Participants/setting: Family …

Associations Between Weight Dissatisfaction, Fruit And Vegetable Intake, Physical Activity And Personality Traits, Katherine Tzepos

Open Access Master's Theses

Background: Weight dissatisfaction is a persons’ desire to change his/her current body weight (1, 2). Gender differences in weight dissatisfaction in young adults have been observed, where females prefer to achieve slender figures and males strive to gain muscle mass and increase lean body mass (3-6). Personality type may influence body dissatisfaction: for example, people higher on the neuroticism personality trait have a higher level of body dissatisfaction than those higher on the conscientiousness personality trait (3, 7). There are also gender differences in behaviors related to body dissatisfaction (5, 8). For example, females dissatisfied with their bodies may …

Variety Trials And Production Methods For Vegetable Amaranth In The Northeast, Sarah Schweig

Open Access Master's Theses

This study investigated the production of amaranth (Amaranthus spp.) as a leafy green in the northeastern temperate climate. Amaranth is a productive and resilient crop with cultural, economic, and nutritional significance to many cultures around the world. Growing ethnic crops in the northeastern U.S. is an opportunity for growers to expand into new and diverse markets. Amaranth’s pervasiveness in global foodways and tolerance of many biotic and abiotic stresses make it a promising option for growers to engage with the ethnic produce market and diversify production. However, intensive production research for vegetable amaranth is lacking, especially in temperate climates, …

Biocontrol Of Acute Hepatopancreatic Necrosis Disease (Ahpnd), Jason Laporte

Open Access Master's Theses

Acute hepatopancreatic necrosis disease (AHPND) causes mass mortalities in farmed penaeid shrimp and has proven difficult to control using typical disease control measures. The causative agent of AHPND has been identified as Vibrio parahaemolyticus strains possessing the 69 kbp plasmid pVPA3-1 containing genes homologous with Photorhabdus insect-related (Pir) toxin-like genes (pirA- and pirB-like). Probiotics have been used successfully in shrimp aquaculture to control disease outbreaks caused by pathogenic Vibrio, but there are currently no probiotics available that have been proven to control AHPND. The goal of this study was to screen and characterize marine bacterial isolates …

Humboldt Journal Of Microbiology: Volume 19, Number 1- May 2017, Press Humboldt

Humboldt Journal of Microbiology

No abstract provided.

An Analysis Of California Pharmacy And Medical Students' Dietary And Lifestyle Practices, Nathalie Bergeron, Sebastian Al-Saiegh, Eric J. Ip

Faculty Publications & Research of the TUC College of Pharmacy

Objective. To assess dietary and lifestyle practices of pharmacy and medical students in California and investigate whether they adhered to behaviors consistent with current dietary and exercise guidelines.

Methods. The Block Brief 2000 Food Frequency Questionnaire and a supplemental survey assessing demographics, exercise, and dietary behaviors were administered to students across 10 California pharmacy and medical schools.

Results. While the majority of students consumed sodium/day (73%) and dietary cholesterol/day (84%), only 50% had a saturated fat intake ≤10% total kcal, 13% met fiber intake goals, 10% consumed ≥8 servings/day of fruit and vegetables, and 41% exercised ≥150 minutes/week. The largest …

The Current Volume Summer 2017, Nova Southeastern University

Student Newspapers

No abstract provided.

Urban Garden, Where Art Thou? A Study Of Urban Agriculture In The Dallas Metropolitan Area, Jaronda Williams

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

Food security, the constant access to a variety of food at all times by everyone (USDA), is something not all Americans have the pleasure of experiencing. Beaulac et al. (2007) found evidence of disparities in food access by income and race. A neighborhood lacking access to food is what researchers in Scotland defined as food deserts in the 1990’s (Cummins and McIntyre 2002). Food deserts exist all across America leaving citizens with the hardship of deciding to travel for healthy food options or settle for the poor grocery option in their neighborhood. Millions of Americans are faced with this battle, …

Development Of An Educational Package Regarding Reproductive Environmental Health For Nurses And Patients, Donna Ammons Msn, Rn.

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)

Objectives: To identify common behaviors, attitudes, and practices that expose pregnant women to indoor air pollutants. Design: A mixed method study was conducted. Setting: Data was collected from the South Georgia Outpatient Obstetrical Practice. Participants: Prenatal low-risk OB antepartum/ postpartum patients. Methods: Participants were selected through convenience sampling method and from the preliminary study that had measured the level of indoor air pollutants in the home. The participants completed phone interview that asked 12 open ended questions, which addressed the patient’s knowledge, practice and attitudes/behaviors about indoor air pollutants and their sources. Results: Twenty pregnant women were interviewed. 70% had …

Hplc-Uv Quantitation Of Folate Synthesized By Rickettsia Endosymbiot Ixodes Pacificus (Reip), Junyan Chen

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Ticks are the most important vector of many infectious diseases in the United States. Understanding the nature of the relationship between Rickettsia endosymbiont Ixodes pacificus (REIP) and Exudes pacificus will help develop strategies for the control of tick-borne diseases, such as Lyme disease, and Rocky Mountain spotted fever. Folate, also known as vitamin B9, is a necessary vitamin for tick survival, and plays a central role in one-carbon metabolism in cells. Folate exist as a large family of structurally related forms that transfer one-carbon groups among biomolecules that are important to cell growth, differentiation, and survival. In Dr. Zheng’s lab, …