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Disordered Eating Risk And Body Image Dissatisfaction Of Division I Male And Female Cheerleaders, Christopher Blaszka

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The sport of cheerleading is growing both in the high school and college setting, however there is little research on cheerleaders specifically, both sideline and competitive. It is clear that while this sport does not benefit from being affiliated with the NCAA, the athletes are still at large risk for disordered eating and eating disorders, and are in need of more accurate screening and prevention methods. With the lack of cheerleading studies in general, there is an even larger scarcity of studies that focus on males in cheerleading. The current study aims to fill the gap in the research regarding …

Pre-Season Vitamin D And Iron Levels As A Predictor Of Musculoskeletal Injury In Division I Athletes, Mariellen Katherine Veach

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Context: Pre-season testing that includes the analysis of micronutrient serum levels in the blood has become a routine part of pre-participation examinations in collegiate football. Objective: Assess the predictability of vitamin D and iron serum levels as indicators of future injury during a subsequent competitive season for lower extremity sprains, strains, and fractures. Additionally, determine the effectiveness of vitamin D supplementation on increasing serum 25(OH)D levels and preventing injury. Design: Cohort Study. Setting: National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I football program. Participants: Football athletes (n=349) who underwent pre-participation examinations and participated in at least one of three competitive football seasons. …

Enhanced Production Of Pro-Il-1Βeta Contributes To Immunopathology During The Coinfection Of Influenza A Virus And Streptococcus Pneumoniae, Angeline E. Rodriguez

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

Viral bacterial coinfections are known to cause severe pneumonia, especially in the elderly and in pediatric patients. Antibiotics like β-Lactams kill the bacteria but fail to improve symptoms suggesting a faulty immune system may play an important role in the disease. Interleukin-1β (IL-1β) is an important immune signaling cytokine responsible for inflammation. It exists as an inactive precursor that can be activated by caspase-1 containing inflammasomes (multi-protein complex). Influenza A virus (IAV) and Streptococcus pneumoniae (S. pneumoniae) activate the inflammasome through the NOD-like receptor protein NLRP3 and/or AIM2. Previous reports in mice indicate that IL-1β levels are dramatically …

Assessment Of Resistance To Botrytis Cinerea In Arabidopsis Expressing Grapevine Sts Genes And Analysis Of New Grapevine Vein Clearing Virus Isolates, Li Su

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

Grapevine stilbene synthase gene (STS) family is unusually large with more than 32 members of full-length genes. Resveratrol and piceid are synthesized in VaSTS7-, VvSTS22-, VaSTS22-transgenic Arabidopsis. To study the function of these STS genes in the resistance against Botrytis cinerea in vivo, lesion sizes on these STS transgenic Arabidopsis were compared to that on non-transgenic control Col-0, at 96 hours post inoculation with B. cinerea spores at 0, 200, or 1,000 spores/μl. In each experiment there were three biological replicates. Three lesion sizes from each replicate were averaged. The experiment was repeated three …

Alternative Feeding Strategies For Growing Cattle Grazing Endophyte-Infected Tall Fescue During The Summer, Kerri A. Johnson

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

Two experiments were conducted to determine animal performance of alternative feeding strategies to heifers grazing endophyte-infected tall fescue during summer months. In Experiment 1, 40 Limousin heifers (261± 40kg initial BW) were stratified by weight and assigned to either a spring harvested tall fescue silage diet or grazing endophyte-infected tall fescue pasture with grain supplement having either natural or artificial shade for 80 days. In Experiment 2, 40 Limousin heifers (277 ± 44kg initial BW) were stratified by weight and assigned to either a traditional grain supplement or feather-meal supplement (rumen bypass arginine supplement) with natural or artificial shade while …

Genetic Diversity Analysis Of 11 Black Walnut (Juglans Nigra L.) Cultivars And Development Of A Mapping Population, Steven Jacob Schneider Jr.

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

Eastern black walnut (Juglans nigra L.) production stands on the brink of potentially great market expansion that can only be realized if tree improvement increases such that commercial production becomes feasible. Breeding black walnut for thinner shell, disease resistance, and predictable nut yield are just three of the many agronomically important traits that could be improved using marker-assisted selection (MAS). The goal of this study was to incorporate microsatellite markers to characterize (genotype) 11 cultivars and establish a mapping population from a cross between ‘Football’ and ‘Sparrow’ (Ft x Sp). Phenology of these two cultivars coupled with marker characteristics …

A Relational Dialectics Approach To The Identity Development Of Millennial Mothers, Shawna L. Merrill

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

This thesis uses relational dialectics theory (RDT) to make sense of the experiences of millennial mothers. RDT is a heuristic theory of relational meaning making and asserts that relationships and identities are negotiated in states of competing and contradictory discourses. This thesis can be conceptualized as two projects: autoethnography and qualitative inquiry using semi-structured interviews. Autoethnography explores the researcher’s own experience with the topic. Interview participants were asked a series of questions about their lives as millennial mothers to identify competing discourses, management strategies, and implications for identity. Three primary tensions were identified of millennial vs. mother, authenticity vs. persona, …

In-Vitro Digestibility And Gas Production Of Wheat Middlings, Solvent Extracted Cottonseed Meal, Soyhulls, And Corn Gluten Feed And The Effects Of Monensin On In-Vitro Digestibility And Gas Production, Dustin W. Devore

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

This study was designed to study the in-vitro digestibility and in-vitro total gas production of corn gluten feed, wheat middlings, solvent extracted cottonseed meal, and soyhulls in multi parous steers. Evaluation of the effects of monensin on in-vitro digestibility and in-vitro total overall gas production of a commercially available complete feed was also studied Feedstuffs were ground through a Wiley mill to ensure uniform samples and were added to digestion jars in a completely randomized design. Rumen fluid was collected from a Bos taurus steer via a ruminal cannula. To ensure consistent digesta material the steer was fed a uniform …

Obesity: Modern Medicine Vs. Lifestyle, Jenny Christianson

Physician Assistant Scholarly Project Papers

Obesity is a rising epidemic, and is one of the most common, costly and preventable health problems the world is experiencing today (Center for Disease Control and Prevention, [CDC], 2017). From this, it is important to establish an effective treatment plan that can be implemented across the nation for maximum patient benefit. Lifestyle changes such as diet and exercise are important to any health care plan and are equally necessary to reduce health risks. However, in certain patients, lifestyle changes are not enough due to the maladaptive biologic process in their brain. From this, additional treatment options need to be …

Workfare, Wellbeing And Consumption: Evidence From A Field Experiment With Kenya’S Urban Poor, Syon Bhanot, J. Han, C. Jang

Economics Faculty Works

Restrictions like work requirements and constraints on voucher transfers are often used in social welfare systems, but little empirical evidence exists on their impact on wellbeing. We conducted a 10-day randomized experiment with 432 individuals living below the poverty line in the Kawangware settlement of Nairobi, Kenya, testing two elements of social welfare design: workfare versus welfare and restricted versus unrestricted vouchers. Participants were randomly assigned to a “Work” condition, involving daily work for unrestricted vouchers, or one of two “Wait” conditions, involving daily waiting for vouchers that were either unrestricted or partially restricted to staple foods. We find that …

Quality Of Life Associated With Physical Activity But Not Sedentary Time In Youth, K. Kattelmann, E. Hofer, C. Merfeld, J. Meendering, M. Olfert, J. White, S. Colby, R. Meade, L. Franzen-Castle, T. Aquirre, D. Matthews, A. White

Health and Nutritional Sciences Faculty Publications

Purpose: It has been reported that youth who engaged in more screen time had lower quality of life scores compared to those that were more physically active. Furthermore, increased sedentary behavior increases health risks particularly the risk for obesity. A cross-sectional analysis was completed to examine the relationship between healthrelated quality-of-life (HRQOL) and accelerometer-measured sedentary time (ST) and physical activity (PA) in 9-10-yearold youth who were recruited for the family-based, childhood obesity intervention, iCook 4-H. It was hypothesized that objectively measured ST would be negatively correlated and PA would be positively correlated with HRQOL.
Methods: A subset of participants (n=118) …

The Effect Of Food Donations On The Micronutrient Intake Of Soup Kitchen Clients, Abigail Fudge

Honors Scholar Theses

For the past two years, this author has been the program director for a volunteer group called Food Recovery. Food Recovery collaborates with UConn Dining Services to collect unsold food items from UC Cafes on campus, and donates them to the Covenant Soup Kitchen in Willimantic, CT. The majority of the donations provided by Food Recovery are pre-packaged sandwiches and salads, that are made fresh daily by Dining Services staff and are sold in UC Cafes to the UConn community. The Covenant Soup Kitchen supports people experiencing food insecurity in Willimantic, by providing multiple hot meals throughout the week.

This …

Environmental And Animal Benefits When Beef Cattle Consume Condensed And Hydrolysable Tannins, Elizabeth K. Stewart, Juan J. Villalba, Kerry A. Rood

All Current Publications

This fact sheet describes the environmental and animal benefits when cattle consume condensed and hydrolysable tannins, and includes producer concerns.

Boys And Girls Club, Ines Rojas

Second-Year Seminar Posters (COE 202)

The mission of the Boys and Girls Club is to enable young adult to reach their full potential. They do this by providing them with the tools necessary to become successful citizen, classmates, and leaders. The facility recognizes that most of their members come from low-income families and that is why they support the young adults with food and a social emotional connection; as these things are vital when growing up. The Boys and Girls Club’s vision is that young adults all around America who roamed the streets with no positive guidance would get off the streets and get on …

Care Transitions From Patient And Caregiver Perspectives, Suzanne E. Mitchell, Vivian Laurens, Gabriela M. Weigel, Karen B. Hirschman, Allison M. Scott, Huong Q. Nguyen, Jessica Martin Howard, Lance Laird, Carol Levine, Terry C. Davis, Brianna Gass, Elizabeth Shaid, Jing Li, Mark V. Williams, Brian W. Jack

Communication Faculty Publications

PURPOSE: Despite concerted actions to streamline care transitions, the journey from hospital to home remains hazardous for patients and caregivers. Remarkably little is known about the patient and caregiver experience during care transitions, the services they need, or the outcomes they value. The aims of this study were to (1) describe patient and caregiver experiences during care transitions and (2) characterize patient and caregiver desired outcomes of care transitions and the health services associated with them.

METHODS: We interviewed 138 patients and 110 family caregivers recruited from 6 health networks across the United States. We conducted 34 homogenous focus groups …

Relationship Between Food Intake And Expression Of O-Linked N-Acetylglucosamine Transferase Messenger Rna In Channel Catfish, Oaklee Abernathy

Master's Theses or Doctor of Nursing Practice

Food intake regulation is a complex neural process that involves the coordination of multiple mechanisms. O-linked N-acetylglucosamine transferase (OGT) is a neural nutrient sensor that aids in regulating satiety in mammals. Compared to mammals, little is known about function and regulation of OGT expression in fish. It was hypothesized changes in food intake are associated with changes in OGT expression in channel catfish. The objectives of this study were to examine tissue distribution of OGT mRNA and determine the possible relationship between food intake and OGT mRNA in channel catfish. Screening of the catfish genome database yielded four highly homologous …

Effects On Producers Of The Transition To Revenue-Based Federal Crop Insurance Programs, Evan Wiese

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

Prior to the passage of each farm bill, there is much debate regarding the programs contained within it. One of these programs is federal crop insurance, which underwent a major shift in the mid-1990’s with the introduction of revenue-based crop insurance rather than yield-based. Revenue-based programs provide insurance of a certain revenue level, rather than a certain yield level, which contributed to their popularity among producers. These revenue-based programs have become a key component of federal crop insurance. From 2014 to 2018, the costs of federal crop insurance were approximately $41 billion, much of this a result of subsidized insurance …

Development Of Protein Display Systems And Genetic Tools For Spore-Forming Bacteria, Erin Drufva

Doctoral Dissertations

One major area of synthetic biology is to engineer microbial cells and subcellular systems for diverse applications including biosynthesis, biocatalysis, therapeutics, drug delivery, and bioremediation. For most applications, robust cellular systems are preferred for longer activity half-life and resistance to harsh environments. Two projects related to robust cellular systems involving Gram-positive bacteria are presented in this work. One is to develop thermostable genetic reporters for Geobacilli species and the other is to display an enzyme on the Bacillus subtilis spore surface to enhance its robustness and present an alternative to purified enzymes for industrial applications.

Bacillus subtilis and Geobacillus thermoglucosidans …

Ecosystems, Communities, And Species: Understanding Mammalian Response To Ancient Carbon Cycle Perturbations, Abigail Carroll

Doctoral Dissertations

Abrupt perturbations of the global carbon cycle during the early Eocene are associated with rapid global warming events. Recent studies have observed mammal dwarfing during the most severe of these ancient global warming events (or “hyperthermals”), known as the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM, ~56 mya). Chapter I of this dissertation establishes a stratigraphic framework around two subsequent and smaller-magnitude warming events known as ETM2 and H2 (~53.7 mya and ~53.6 mya, respectively), which have recently been documented in the strata of the Bighorn Basin of Wyoming. Such a stratigraphic framework is crucial for placing fossil localities into stratigraphic context, which …

Work Expectations And The Able-Bodied Adult: Myths And Realities In Food Stamp Reform, Elizabeth Patterson

Faculty Publications

Since at least 2012 congressional Republicans have been seeking ways to strengthen work requirements in the SNAP (Food Stamp) program as a means both for reducing the size and cost of the program and for reinforcing the moral value of work. Most of these proposals have built on an existing requirement that limits access to SNAP benefits for able-bodied adults without dependents (ABAWDs) who are not working at least half-time. Implicit in this requirement are assumptions about the inherent employability of able-bodied adults and the availability of a sufficient number of suitable jobs into which they can be hired. In …

Exploring The Role Of Mindfulness In The Established Relationship Between Self-Efficacy And Exercise Motivation., Savannah M. Neace

College of Arts & Sciences Senior Theses

The purpose of this study was to investigate how exercise self-efficacy and self-reported mindfulness are related to motivation to be physically active. Investigating mindfulness in the field of exercise is at an early stage, and our findings may help bridge the gap between mindfulness and the lack of regular physical activity in the United States. Our initial hypothesis replicated an existing relationship between exercise self-efficacy and exercise motivation. Next, we hypothesized that mindfulness would be positively correlated with exercise motivation. Third, we predicted that mindfulness would be positively correlated with exercise self-efficacy. Finally, we hypothesized that intrinsic motivation (a type …

The Role Of Ferric Reduction Oxidases In Plant Anti-Herbivore Defense., Virginia C. Nunamaker

College of Arts & Sciences Senior Theses

Iron is an essential element required for plants to carry out metabolic functions such as photosynthesis, heme biosynthesis, and chlorophyll biosynthesis. Within Arabidopsis thaliana, eight ferric reduction oxidase (FRO) genes function in iron uptake and homeostasis with tissue specific expression. However, little else is known regarding the biological role of FROs. Recent studies identify the FRO gene family as particularly responsive to the green leaf plant derived volatile (GLV) cis-3-hexenyl acetate (z3HAC). Since z3HAC acts as a wound signal and cues unaffected parts of the plant to prime defenses prior to herbivory, an increase in FRO activity in response …

Factors Influencing Physical Activity Among Immigrants From South India: A Qualitative Descriptive Study, Jaya Abraham

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Background: In the United States (U.S), the percentage of diabetes and coronary artery diseases is higher among Asian Indian immigrants compared to other ethnic groups. Although research has been useful in describing patterns of physical activity among South Asian groups, very little is known about the factors influencing physical activity among Asian South Indian (ASI) immigrants. There is very limited research performed on the individual, social, cultural and environmental factors influencing physical activity among ASI immigrants.

Purpose: The study purpose was to explore the factors influencing physical activity with the following primary and secondary aims: The primary aim …

Bridging The Gap Between Food Insecurity And Subsequent Child Body Mass: Mediating Effects Of Dietary Quality And Feeding Styles In Low-Income Hispanic Preschoolers, Nipa Kamdar

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Background: Low-income Hispanic preschoolers face disproportionately high prevalence of food insecurity (FI) and obesity. Consumption of low-cost, energy-dense foods to compensate for FI leads to excess body-mass. FI parents may adopt feeding styles that contribute to decline in children’s dietary quality. Feeding style describes the amount of demandingness (i.e., control of children’s eating) and responsiveness (i.e., warmth used to express demandingness). FI may indirectly contribute to obesity through dietary quality and feeding style.

Purpose: This study investigated: 1. if dietary quality mediated the relationship between food security status (FSS) at Time 1 (T1) and child body-mass at Time 2 (T2), …

Does Hydration Impact Memory: A Systematic Review, Kelsey Ellis-Lepard

Health, Human Performance and Recreation Undergraduate Honors Theses

With 60% of the adult human body composed of water it makes sense that maintaining proper hydration levels is important to survival as well as living a healthy life. Water has many roles throughout the human body: thermoregulation, being a carrier, being a lubricant, and acting as a reaction medium. As a carrier, water is responsible for allowing exchanges between cells, interstitial fluid and capillaries. In addition, water regulates the blood volume and allows blood circulation. Since water is responsible for these tasks, many systems in the body as well as the brain are reliant upon proper hydration levels to …

2018 May, Morehead State University. Office Of Communications And Marketing

Morehead State Press Release Archive, 1961 to the Present

Press releases for May of 2018.

A Localized Sourcing Model For The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (Snap), Claire H. Burrus

Environmental Studies

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is a federally funded public food program that combats food insecurity by providing credits to SNAP recipients for the purchase of food products. SNAP is effective in addressing hunger, a symptom of poverty, but is ineffective at addressing nutritional inequity, another symptom of poverty, and is also ineffective at addressing the roots of poverty itself. I propose a localized sourcing model for SNAP which addresses both the symptoms and roots of poverty by improving the capacity of the policy to address nutritional inequity and economic injustices. The localized sourcing model benefits the communities in …

A Narrative Inquiry On The Impact Leadership Development Has On The Professionalization Of Early Childhood Education In New York State, Michelle A. Paige

Education Doctoral

This qualitative research examined the early childhood leadership preparation and resources, as well as the career trajectory and impact of these factors, have on the professionalization of early childhood education in New York. At the time of this writing, there is no defined and formal career track for an educator to become an early childhood administrator, and as a result, there are a variety of entry points for professionals to become leaders in these programs. The narrative inquiry methodology was used to research the impact leadership development has on the professionalization of early childhood education. Eight semi-structured interviews, supported by …

The Influence Of Social Determinants Of Health On High School Students’ Health Literacy, Rebecca Welch

The Eleanor Mann School of Nursing Undergraduate Honors Theses

The broad topic of health literacy has been assessed in a variety of studies. The most extensive research has been completed on how a lack of health literacy contributes to specific disease progressions. However, there is a deficit of research on how general health literacy contributes to overall individual health in high school students. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the health literacy scores of Northwest Arkansas high school students and examine the impact that age, gender, and ethnicity have on their health literacy. Health literacy was assessed using the Health Literacy Questionnaire (HLQ). A cross-sectional research design …

Causes Of Late Preterm Infant Hospital Readmission Rates In Relation To Feeding, Kaitlyn Reid

The Eleanor Mann School of Nursing Undergraduate Honors Theses

Abstract

Background:

In the U.S., late preterm (LP) births, which occur at 34^0/7-36^6/7 weeks gestation, make up the largest and fastest-growing group of preterm births. Although there is a trend of increased rates of LP infant readmissions compared to term infant readmissions, the relationship between LP infant morbidities and method of feeding has not been extensively studied.

Objective:

The purposes of this study were to 1) identify the primary causes of LP infant hospital readmissions and, 2) correlate the primary causes of LP infant hospital readmissions with the method of feeding.

Methods:

The design of this nonexperimental …