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Proteomic And Metabolomic Analyses Of Biological Systems With Liquid Chromatography Tandem Mass Spectrometry And Ion Mobility Mass Spectrometry, Megan M. Maurer

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Proteomic and metabolomic analyses provide information about altered metabolic processes in plants and animals. This information can be used to assess the impact of toxicant exposure or diseases on biological systems. In this dissertation, development of an ion mobility spectrometry - mass spectrometry (IMS-MS) strategy has been evaluated in addition to utilizing traditional liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) techniques for metabolite and protein analysis. Traditional LC-MS/MS techniques have been applied to the study of: 1) the molecular mechanisms responsible for altered microvasculature function as a result of pulmonary TiO2 exposure in rats; and 2) the effectiveness of intracerebroventricular (ICV) …

Effect Of Cultural Variations Of Spices And Herbs On Improving Meal Pleasure And Increasing Food Intake In Skilled Nursing Facility Residents, Ashwini Wagle, Hema Kundargi, Kasuen Mauldin, S. Narasimhan

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

Spices and herbs from ethnic cuisines can be a healthier option to improve flavor and add variety to meals served to SNF residents.

Multiethnic Genome-Wide Meta-Analysis Of Ectopic Fat Depots Identifies Loci Associated With Adipocyte Development And Differentiation, Audrey Y. Chu, Xuan Deng, Virginia A. Fisher, Alexander Drong, Yang Zhang, Mary F. Feitosa, Ching-Ti Liu, Olivia Weeks, Audrey C. Choh, Qing Duan, Thomas D. Dyer

School of Medicine Publications

Variation in body fat distribution contributes to the metabolic sequelae of obesity. The genetic determinants of body fat distribution are poorly understood. The goal of this study was to gain new insights into the underlying genetics of body fat distribution by conducting sample-size weighted fixed-effects genome-wide association meta-analyses in up to 9,594 women and 8,738 men for six ectopic fat traits in European, African, Hispanic, and Chinese ancestry populations, with and without sex stratification. In total, 7 new loci were identified in association with ectopic fat traits (ATXN1, UBE2E2, EBF1, RREB1, GSDMB, GRAMD3 and ENSA; PATXN1 and UBE2E2 …

Effects Of Conjugated Linoleic Acid And Metformin On Insulin Sensitivity In Obese Children: Randomized Clinical Trial, Nayely Garibay-Nieto, Gloria Queipo-García, Flor Alvarez, Mayra Bustos, Erendira Villanueva, Fernando Ramírez, Mireya León, Estibalitz Laresgoiti-Servitje, Juan Carlos Lopez Alvarenga, Ravi Duggirala

School of Medicine Publications

Context: Insulin resistance precedes metabolic syndrome abnormalities and may promote cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes in children with obesity. Results of lifestyle modification programs have been discouraging, and the use of adjuvant strategies has been necessary.

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the effects of metformin and conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) on insulin sensitivity, measured via euglycemic-hyperinsulinemic clamp technique and insulin pathway expression molecules in muscle biopsies of children with obesity.

Design: A randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled clinical trial was conducted.

Setting: Children with obesity were randomly assigned to receive metformin, CLA, or placebo.

Results: Intervention had a …

Association Of Cardiometabolic Genes With Arsenic Metabolism Biomarkers In American Indian Communities: The Strong Heart Family Study (Shfs), Poojitha Balakrishnan, Dhananjay Vaidya, Nora Franceschini, V. Saroja Voruganti, Matthew O. Gribble, Karin Haack, Sandra Laston, Jason G. Umans, Kevin A. Francesconi, Walter Goessler

School of Medicine Publications

Background:

Metabolism of inorganic arsenic (iAs) is subject to inter-individual variability, which is explained partly by genetic determinants.

Objectives:

We investigated the association of genetic variants with arsenic species and principal components of arsenic species in the Strong Heart Family Study (SHFS).

Methods:

We examined variants previously associated with cardiometabolic traits (~ 200,000 from Illumina Cardio MetaboChip) or arsenic metabolism and toxicity (670) among 2,428 American Indian participants in the SHFS. Urine arsenic species were measured by high performance liquid chromatography–inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (HPLC-ICP-MS), and percent arsenic species [iAs, monomethylarsonate (MMA), and dimethylarsinate (DMA), divided by their sum …

A Discussion Of Art Therapy Approaches Used In Classroom Activities To Help Students With Emotional And Behavioral Issues, Ashley Nichol Elliott

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The purpose of this paper was to inform the reader of the benefits of using art therapy activities in art lessons as a way to help students' process emotional and behavioral issues. New and future art educators are not equipped to handle the wide range of issues that students face everyday. This is especially true for the students in the West Virginia public school system. As in larger, more urban locations, many students here deal with drugs, violence, bullying, abuse, and others contemporary social stressors. In this paper, I utilized my own personal experiences, literary research, experimentation, and observations of …

Child-Care Directors' Years Of Experience In Relation To The Activities Subscale Score On The Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale-R, Angelica Everetts

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This study focused on examining the relationship between the child-care directors' years of experience in relation to the Activities subscale on the Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale-R. The data used in the study was from the Quality Rating and Improvement for West Virginia Child-Care grant, which was funded by the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources. The participants included 175 4-year-old classrooms across West Virginia. The Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale contains 43 items across seven subscales. This scale was used to measure the activities score of the 4-year-old classrooms. There was no significant relationship found between the …

Ripple Effect Mapping Of Youth & Adult Dyad Pairs Demonstrating Community Impact From Icook 4-H Intervention, Sina J.E. King

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Introduction: Creating effective dissemination and implementation tools within community based, obesity prevention research is needed to bridge the current science to practice gap. Ripple Effect Mapping (REM) using Community Capitals Framework (CCF) is a community impact evaluation tool that is hypothesized to positively capture activity during dissemination within community programs. Although REM is a proposed impact evaluation method, it has not been widely adopted within the research sector. In order to facilitate the translation of research into evidenced based practice, a stepwise process must be described and tested to determine efficacy and effectiveness, followed by a method to translate findings …

The Lived Experience Of Establishing A Home After A Period Of Homelessness, Monica Iaquinta

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The purpose of this qualitative study was to describe the structure of meaning of the lived experience of establishing a home after a period of homelessness. Fourteen semi-structured interviews were conducted using a unique line of inquiry based upon story theory and hermeneutic phenomenology. Questions were posed beginning with the present daily life in a home, followed by the previous experience of homelessness, and ending with establishing a home in the future. Stories were reconstructed, using the participant's own words, and confirmed during a second interview. The data analysis strategies were rooted in the theoretical framework including identifying essential statements, …

Evaluating Steam Conditioning Manipulations And Grain Expressed Enzymes Effects On Feed Manufacturing Metrics, Feed Hygiene, Broiler Performance, And Bone Mineralization, John William Boney

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Animal well-being, evolving feed manufacturing regulatory programs, and consumer perception drive the continued need to provide safe feed to animals. Considering the performance benefits associated with feeding pelleted feed, the concepts of hygienic feed production and production of highly durable pellets may interact to benefit the broiler chicken. In addition to hygienic and physical attributes, poultry nutrition may be enhanced by cereal grains expressing enzymatic activity. These additives may provide additional opportunities to support dietary phosphorus (P) requirements in growing broilers, further contributing to improved animal welfare conditions in an economically favorable manner. In order to study the effects of …

Novel Mechanisms Controlling The Expression Of The Antidiabetic Hepatokine Fibroblast Growth Factor 21, Kimberly M. Alonge

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The incidence of obesity has increased at an alarming rate during the past thirty years. Current therapies for the treatment and prevention of obesity and metabolic syndrome are ineffective and/or produce undesirable side effects. Fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21) is a liver derived hormone that mediates adaptive changes in hepatic glucose and lipid metabolism by elevating energy expenditure and reducing lipid storage. Pharmacological administration of FGF21 analogs in both animal and human models induces striking reversals of obesity and type 2 diabetes. However, the activity of FGF21 analogs exhibit short half-lives in blood circulation and are unsuitable for current treatment. …

Bioacoustics And Behavior Of American Crocodiles In Belize, Miriam Boucher

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

American Crocodiles (Crocodylus acutus) are large-bodied crocodylians broadly distributed throughout coastal and lowland wetlands in the Americas. Despite their being large, charismatic megafauna, the study of American Crocodile ecology is still lacking in many areas. As such we assessed the behavior and bioacoustics of American Crocodiles in Belize to address the paucity of data regarding these two facets of American Crocodile ecology. We conducted behavioral observations from three sites in the coastal zone of Belize. We categorized American Crocodile behavior and recorded activity duration for observed behaviors. In conjunction with behavioral data, we also assessed study sites to quantify the …

Interactions Between Euwallacea Ambrosia Beetles, Their Fungal Symbionts And The Native Trees They Attack In The Eastern United States, Matthew C. Berger

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

In a globalized world, wood products are constantly being shipped from one location to another, along with tiny hitchhikers in the form of insects and microorganisms. Euwallacea validus is a fungus-farming ambrosia beetle native to East Asia that likely made its way to the United States in wood packaging materials in the latter half of the twentieth century. E. validus cultivates two fungal symbionts in the U.S., an unnamed Fusarium sp. (AF-4) and Raffaelea subfusca. Fusarium symbionts of Euwallacea ambrosia beetles as well as Raffaelea symbionts of closely related ambrosia beetles have incited widespread disease on more than one-hundred hosts …

Thermal Processes Associated With Pelleting And Feed Phosphate Variation In Diets On Feed Manufacture And Broiler Performance, Ariel N. Bergeron

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The objectives of the first study were to assess performance and digestible amino acid concentration of diets fed to broilers that differed in diet formulation and degree of thermal processing. Basal diets were corn, soybean meal, and DDGS based and formulations were balanced to be similar in calculated energy and digestible amino acids. Treatments were arranged in a 3 x 3 factorial that varied in diet formulation (Basal, Basal + Meat and Bone Meal (MBM), and Basal + Bakery Byproduct (BBP)) and degree of thermal processing (Unprocessed Mash, Pellet, Double Pellet). Pelleted treatments were steam conditioned and extruded through a …

Weight Status As A Mediator Of The Association Between Preschool Extraversion And Adolescent Restrained Eating, Maren Hankey, Katherine M. Kidwell, Jennifer Mize Nelson, Kimberly Andrews Espy, Timothy D. Nelson

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

Objectives To determine the longitudinal association between preschool extraversion and weight/dieting outcomes in adolescence.

Methods Children (N = 180) were recruited as part of a longitudinal study, with child temperament assessed in preschool (age 5.25 years), weight assessed in 2nd grade and early adolescence, and eating outcomes assessed in early adolescence (mean age = 12.02 years).

Results Preschoolers high in extraversion were significantly more likely to have higher body mass index z-scores (zBMI) and more restrained eating behaviors in adolescence. zBMI was found to mediate the relationship between extraversion and restrained eating, such that children with high levels …

Internal Administrative Law Before And After The Apa, Gillian E. Metzger, Kevin M. Stack

Faculty Scholarship

From his early work on social security to more recent scholarship excavating the first hundred years of administrative life in the United States, Professor Jerry L. Mashaw has forcefully argued for the centrality of “internal administrative law.” Internal administrative law, as Mashaw elaborates the term, is the set of practices, procedures, and pronouncements that administrative agencies adopt to structure their work. In his view, understanding administrative institutions and their promise for systemic legality depends upon recognizing their internal administrative law. Yet, as Mashaw observes, despite its importance, internal administrative law remains at the outskirts of the field of administrative law …

Early Childhood Development And The Law, Clare Huntington

Faculty Scholarship

Early childhood development is a robust and vibrant focus of study in multiple disciplines, from economics and education to psychology and neuroscience. Abundant research from these disciplines has established that early childhood is critical for the development of cognitive abilities, language, and psychosocial skills, all of which turn, in large measure, on the parent-child relationship. And because early childhood relationships and experiences have a deep and lasting impact on a child’s life trajectory, disadvantages during early childhood replicate inequality. Working together, scholars in these disciplines are actively engaged in a national policy debate about reducing inequality through early childhood interventions. …

Physical Activity, Body Mass Index, And Clustered Metabolic Risk In U.S. Adolescents: 2007-2012 Nhanes., Bethany Dawn Williams

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Objectives: To examine variation in clustered metabolic risk (cMetS) in adolescents classified as not overweight/active (NOA), not overweight/not active (NONA), overweight/active (OA), and overweight/not active (ONA).

Background: While studies to date have shown that children and adolescents who meet the current physical activity (PA) recommendations and maintain a healthy body weight demonstrate significantly lower cardiometabolic risk, there are some studies that suggest the relationship between PA and metabolic risk may be mediated by adiposity.

Methods: The sample included adolescent participants (n=875; 12-17 years) of the 2007-2012 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). The cMetS score included triglycerides, high-density lipoprotein …

Women’S Narratives Of Living In Polygamous Marriages: Rural Malawian Experience Distilled And Preserved In Poetic Constructions, April Yerges, Patricia E. Stevens, Lucy Mkandawire-Valhmu, Wendy S. Bauer, Thokozani Mwenyekonde, Lance Weinhardt, Loren W. Galvao

College of Nursing Faculty Research and Publications

Polygamy in sub-Saharan Africa has been linked to poverty, infant mortality, and HIV; however, it is unknown how interpersonal dynamics within polygamous households may influence population health outcomes. Findings from this postcolonial feminist study derive from interview data in a larger mixed-methods study in rural Malawi. We used thematic narrative analysis to probe 25 women's stories and applied an arts-based research technique, poetic construction, to present the results. Participants' evocative expressions, distilled and preserved in poetic form, illustrate themes of perseverance, grief, agency, and reflection. We discuss how gender relations, childrearing, tradition, economics, and health intersect in polygamous households.

Rapid Adaptive Responses To Climate Change In Corals, Gergely Torda, Jennifer M. Donelson, Manuel Aranda, Daniel J. Barshis, Line Bay, Michael L. Berumen, David G. Bourne, Neal Cantin, Sylvain Foret, Mikhail Matz

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Pivotal to projecting the fate of coral reefs is the capacity of reef-building corals to acclimatize and adapt to climate change. Transgenerational plasticity may enable some marine organisms to acclimatize over several generations and it has been hypothesized that epigenetic processes and microbial associations might facilitate adaptive responses. However, current evidence is equivocal and understanding of the underlying processes is limited. Here, we discuss prospects for observing transgenerational plasticity in corals and the mechanisms that could enable adaptive plasticity in the coral holobiont, including the potential role of epigenetics and coral-associated microbes. Well-designed and strictly controlled experiments are needed to …

Health Check: Analyzing Trends In West Michigan 2017, Grand Valley State University

Health Check: Analyzing Trends in West Michigan

No abstract provided.

Integrative Care Models: Impact On An Aging Society Chelsea Rink, Chelsea Rink

SPNHA Review

This paper explores the need for healthcare reform to support the aging population in the United States. In the literature review, the author identifies the unique needs of the aging population and explores the application of integrated care models in achieving the healthcare Triple Aim. Two alternative integrated care models for older adults in the United States are examined: the Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) and Tandem 365. Berwick, Nolan, and Whittington’s (2008) recommendations of key framework for integrated care models to achieve the Triple Aim are introduced and utilized to evaluate and compare PACE and Tandem …

Emotional Intelligence And Decision-Making As Predictors Of Antisocial Behavior, Melina Sample

Dissertations

Problem

Antisocial behaviors in the general population are not well understood and little studied, however, their acceptance is becoming more normalized and accepted by society. This present study intended to focus on the contributing factors of emotional intelligence and decision-making to the presence of antisocial behaviors, and how these contributions vary by gender.

Method

This study used the Levenson Self-Report Psychopathy Scale, the Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire – Short Form, and the General Decision Making Style Inventory to explore the relationships between the three variables. A structural equation model was developed to examine the theoretical covariance matrix proposed in comparison …

A Comparison Of Screening Tools For The Early Detection Of Peripheral Neuropathy In Adults With And Without Type 2 Diabetes, Jennifer J. Brown, Shana Pribesh, Kimberly G. Baskette, Aaron I. Vinik, Sheri R. Colberg

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Faculty Publications

Objective. Examine the effectiveness of the 128 Hz tuning fork, two monofilaments, and Norfolk Quality of Life Diabetic Neuropathy (QOL-DN) questionnaire as tools for the early detection of diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) in overweight, obese, and inactive (OOI) adults or those who have prediabetes (PD) or type 2 diabetes (T2D). Research Design and Methods. Thirty-four adults (mean age 58.4 years +/- 12.1) were divided by glycemia (10 OOI normoglycemic, 13 PD, and 11 T2D). Sural nerves were tested bilaterally with the NC-stat DPNCheck to determine sural nerve amplitude potential (SNAP) and sural nerve conduction velocity (SNCV). All other testing …

Passive Warming Reduces Stress And Shifts Reproductive Effort In The Antarctic Moss, Polytrichastrum Alpinum, Erin E. Shortlidge, Sarah M. Eppley, Hans Kohler, Todd N. Rosenstiel, Gustavo E. Zúñiga, Angélica Casanova-Katny

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Background and Aims: The Western Antarctic Peninsula is one of the most rapidly warming regions on Earth, and many biotic communities inhabiting this dynamic region are responding to these well-documented climatic shifts. Yet some of the most prevalent organisms of terrestrial Antarctica, the mosses, and their responses to warming have been relatively overlooked and understudied. In this research, the impacts of 6 years of passive warming were investigated using open top chambers (OTCs), on moss communities of Fildes Peninsula, King George Island, Antarctica.

Methods: The effects of experimental passive warming on the morphology, sexual reproductive effort and stress physiology of …

The Law Of Interpretation, William Baude, Stephen E. Sachs

Faculty Scholarship

How should we interpret legal instruments? How do we identify the law they create? Current approaches largely fall into two broad camps. The standard picture of interpretation is focused on language, using various linguistic conventions to discover a document's meaning or a drafter's intent. Those who see language as less determinate take a more skeptical view, urging judges to make interpretive choices on policy grounds. Yet both approaches neglect the most important resource available: the already applicable rules of law.

Legal interpretation is neither a subfield of linguistics nor an exercise in policymaking. Rather, it is deeply shaped by preexisting …