Digital Commons Network^™

Plasma Inflammatory Cytokines And Survival Of Pancreatic Cancer Patients., A. Babic, N. Schnure, N. P. Neupane, M. M. Zaman, N. Rifai, M. W. Welch, L. K. Brais, D. A. Rubinson, V. Morales-Oyarvide, C. Yuan, S. Zhang, E. M. Poole, B. M. Wolpin, M. H. Kulke, D. A. Barbie, K. Wong, C. S. Fuchs, K. Ng

Department of Medical Oncology Faculty Papers

OBJECTIVES: Inflammation and inflammatory conditions have been associated with pancreatic cancer risk and progression in a number of clinical, epidemiological, and animal model studies. The goal of the present study is to identify plasma markers of inflammation associated with survival of pancreatic cancer patients, and assess their joint contribution to patient outcome.

METHODS: We measured circulating levels of four established markers of inflammation (C-reactive protein (CRP), interleukin-6 (IL-6), soluble tumor necrosis factor receptor type II (sTNF-RII), and macrophage inhibitory cytokine-1 (MIC-1)) in 446 patients enrolled in an ongoing prospective clinic-based study. Hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for …

Exploration Of Soybean Nodule Microbiome For Plant Health Management, Serkan Tokgöz

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Root nodule is a unique environment formed in the legume roots through a highly specific symbiotic relationship between leguminous plants and nodule inducing bacteria. Over the years, Rhizobia have been thought as the only group of bacteria residing within the nodules. However, this consideration has been recently changed with the discovery of other groups of bacteria besides Rhizobia within the legume nodules. In an effort to identify beneficial bacteria for plant disease control and growth promotion, soybean nodules were studied as the source of nodule-associated bacteria. Metagenomics analysis of a single soybean nodule was conducted to determine the bacterial diversity …

Effects Of Static, Countermovement, And Drop Jump Performance On Power And Rate Of Force Development In 6–16-Year Old Boys, Lacey E. Jahn

Department of Nutrition and Health Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of static, counter movement, and drop jump performance on peak power and peak rate of force development (RFD). The secondary purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between vertical jump outcomes, maturity offset, and muscle cress-sectional area (CSA). During a single testing session, twenty-one young males (mean age ± SD = 12.1 ± 2.4 yrs) performed maximal vertical jumps which included: static jump (SJ), counter movement jump (CMJ), and drop jump from 8 (DJ8), 12 (DJ12) and 16 (DJ16) inches in a randomized order. Peak power increased from …

Champs: Child Health And Methods Of Parenting Study, Megan Fletcher

Department of Nutrition and Health Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The range of different contexts in which children learn and develop dietary and physical activity habits varies greatly, yet there is limited research on the role of the family structure and parenting style in the development of childhood obesity. CHAMPS (Child Health and Methods of Parenting Study), was designed to explore the relationships between parenting style, family structure, and child health status through a new lens and novel application of the Unified Theory of Behavior model. Surveys were administered to families at two partner locations to examine these relationships. 51 parents/legal guardians and 57 children completed the survey. Results were …

Impact Of Body Mass Index On High Blood Pressure Among Obese Children In The Western Region Of Saudi Arabia, Mahmood D. Al-Mendalawi

Saudi Medical Journal

No abstract provided.

Development Of Rubric For Measuring Transformative Learning In Learning Assistants, Leah Neel

Honors Projects

In Fall 2016, a training seminar was established to help prepare Learning Assistants to succeed in their positions. The goal of training is to better prepare the LAs for their position and provide them with tools to effectively interact with students. The effectiveness of this seminar was measured by conducting a survey to assess for levels of transformation. This preliminary work detected signs of transformation and found the training seminar to be effective in reaching its goal. This work also led to revised method of how to measure this transformation. A new survey was developed which allows better comparison of …

Helpful Hints For Parents Of Picky Eaters, Chelsea Feller, Mateja R. Savoie-Roskos, Carrie Durward

All Current Publications

This fact sheet offers helpful hints to reduce picky eating and make mealtime enjoyable and fun for the whole family.

Power Of Produce: Farmers' Market Incentive Program Targeting Eating Behaviors Of Children, Jessica Norman, Amy Moore, Mildred Mattfeldt-Beman, Patrick Kelly, Patrick Barlow

Journal of Extension

The Power of Produce (PoP) Club is a farmers' market incentive program for children aged 5–12. The purpose of the summative evaluation described in this article was to determine the impact of the PoP Club on improving family and child behavior at a Minnesota farmers' market as well as child fruit and vegetable (F&V) consumption. Results from a self-reported retrospective survey completed by parents suggest that the PoP Club is a valuable program, with participating parents reporting increased family attendance and child engagement at the farmers' market and increased F&V consumption by children at home.

How To Create Videos For Extension Education: An Innovative Five-Step Procedure, Dipti A. Dev, Kimberly A. Blitch, Holly Hatton-Bowers, Samantha Ramsay, Aileen S. Garcia

Journal of Extension

Although the benefits of using video as a learning tool in Extension programs are well known, less is understood about effective methods for creating videos. We present a five-step procedure for developing educational videos that focus on evidence-based practices, and we provide practical examples from our use of the five steps in creating a video series for an Extension program. Through the effective development of videos, Extension professionals can organize and present information in a meaningful way.

Nonprofit Partnerships In Extension Programming: A Pilot Study, Jennifer A. Jones, Dale Pracht, Eric Simonne, Kelsey Renfrow, Caitlin Hunter

Journal of Extension

Strategic collaboration between Extension faculty and nonprofit organizations has the potential to reduce costs, generate revenue, and improve programmatic outcomes for all involved. Through a mixed-methods pilot study, we examined how and to what extent such collaboration exists. Data sources included the National Center for Charitable Statistics, the Foundation Center, and results from a survey administered to county Extension faculty in one administrative district in Florida. Findings indicate that although Extension faculty partner with nonprofits, further development of these partnerships could lead to increased revenue generation and programmatic outcomes. Our methods and findings may help inform future research and development …

Test-Retest Reliability Of The Short-Form Survivor Unmet Needs Survey, Karen Taylor, Max Bulsara, Leanne Monterosso

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Objective: Reliable and valid needs assessment measures are important assessment tools in cancer survivorship care. A new 30-item short-form version of the Survivor Unmet Needs Survey (SF-SUNS) was developed and validated with cancer survivors, including hematology cancer survivors; however, test-retest reliability has not been established. The objective of this study was to assess the test-retest reliability of the SF-SUNS with a cohort of lymphoma survivors (n = 40).

Methods: Test-retest reliability of the SF-SUNS was conducted at two time points: baseline (time 1) and 5 days later (time 2). Test-retest data were collected from lymphoma cancer survivors (n …

Women’S Lived Experience Of Pregnancy And Child Birth: Narratives From Pakistan, Rabia Ali, Ume Habiba, Hazir Ullah

The Qualitative Report

In Pakistan there are unique socio-cultural factors that contribute to women’s experiences of pregnancy and childbirth. This study explores Pakistani women’s experiences of pregnancy and childbirth an area that remains under researched in the country. Qualitative research was employed for data collection by using an un-structured interview guide. The informants included twelve women who had recently been through the childbirth process for the first and second time. The collected data reveals that women were unaware of the use of multi vitamins during pregnancy. They delayed physical check-ups with a gynaecologist. Women encountered challenges at work during pregnancy and encountered work …

A Lot To Digest: Advancing Food Waste Policy In The United States, Alexandra Evans, Robin Nagele

Natural Resources Journal

An estimated thirty-one percent of the food grown, produced, and transported in the United States is wasted annually. This waste translates into ninety-six billion pounds of food and $165 billion in lost economic value. Food waste occurs at all phases of the supply chain, stretching from farm to table, and imposes substantial economic, environmental, and social costs. This Article highlights the staggering quantity of food waste in the United States and argues that certain innovative policies and market-based initiatives that strategically target the most egregious and unjustifiable types of food waste can efficiently reduce this problem. Applying a simple cost-benefit …

Obesity And Obesogenic Growth Are Both Highly Heritable And Modified By Diet In A Nonhuman Primate Model, The African Green Monkey (Chlorocebus Aethiops Sabaeus), C. A. Schmitt, S. K. Service, A. J. Jasinska, Thomas D. Dyer, M. J. Jorgensen, R. M. Cantor, G. M. Weinstock, John Blangero, J. R. Kaplan, N. B. Freimer

School of Medicine Publications

OBJECTIVE: In humans, the ontogeny of obesity throughout the life course and the genetics underlying it has been historically difficult to study. We compared, in a non-human primate model, the lifelong growth trajectories of obese and non-obese adults to assess the heritability of and map potential genomic regions implicated in growth and obesity.

STUDY POPULATION: A total of 905 African green monkeys, or vervets (Chlorocebus aethiops sabaeus) (472 females, 433 males) from a pedigreed captive colony. METHODS: We measured fasted body weight (BW), crown-to-rump length (CRL), body-mass index (BMI) and waist circumference (WC) from 2000 to 2015. We used a …

Unmodifiable Variables Related To Thyroid Cancer Incidence, Cornelia Nitipir, Lucian Alecu, Iulian Slavu, Raluca Tulin, Radu C. Jecan, Cristina Orlov, Silviu Pituru, Dana L. Stanculeanu, Razvan Hainarosie, Anca P. Stoian, Adrian Tulin

Journal of Mind and Medical Sciences

The incidence of thyroid cancer is significantly different between male and female patients. Thyroid cancer is also the only form of cancer where age can be considered a staging variable. Identifying biological prognostic factors such as age or sex is important as it helps select an optimal personalized therapy. The present analysis is an observational, prospective study that enrolled all patients with thyroid disease who were operated upon at a single center. The study aimed to determine the most frequent age at presentation, the predominance of one sex over the other, the incidence of malignant thyroid disease, and the relative …

Does Sex Of The Patient Play A Role In Survival For Msi Colorectal Cancer?, Adrian Tulin, Iulian Slavu, Raluca Tulin, Lucian Alecu, Radu C. Jecan, Cristina Orlov, Cristian I. Iaciu, Dana L. Stanculeanu, Razvan Hainarosie, Silviu Pituru, Anca Pantea Stoian, Cornelia Nitipir

Journal of Mind and Medical Sciences

Microsatellite instability (MSI) is a feature of colorectal tumors that develops as a result of inactivation of the DNA mismatch repair system. It is found in about 15% of all colorectal cancers and is an important prognostic molecular marker when assessing patients with colorectal cancer. It can influence prognosis and treatment decisions in both the advanced and early stages. Although in early stages this marker suggests a favorable prognosis and presents an important argument against adjuvant treatment in stage II disease, in metastatic stages it no longer associated with such an optimistic outcome. The present trial is a prospective, single-center …

Dietary Habits And Lifestyle In School-Aged Children From Bucharest, Romania, Anca Pantea Stoian, Liliana F. Andronache, Razvan Hainarosie, Dan N. Paduraru, Cristinel D. Badiu, Andreea Arsene, Claudia Mehedintu, Georgiana Ditu, Silviu M. Pituru, Cristina Orlov, Mihaela Oros, Cornelia Nitipir

Journal of Mind and Medical Sciences

Background. This study evaluated the difference between boys and girls in terms of nutritional status, lifestyle, and dietary habits during school life.

Materials and Methods. A descriptive and observational study was conducted in 2016, in which 251 children, aged 7-17, from 3 elementary schools and a high school inBucharest,Romania, were evaluated. A questionnaire was used to assess food behavior, eating, and lifestyle habits.

Results. Boys had a significantly higher waist circumference (71.18±9) than girls (67.46±9.91) (p=0.004). Thus 27% of boys were overweight or obese compared with only 22% of the girls. Differences were also seen between the two groups in …

Vascular Neurocognitive Disorders And The Vascular Risk Factors, Carmen V. Albu, Vlad Padureanu, Mihail V. Boldeanu, Ana M. Bumbea, Anca S. Enescu, Dana M. Albulescu, Cristian A. Silosi, Aurelia Enescu

Journal of Mind and Medical Sciences

Dementias are clinical neurodegenerative diseases characterized by permanent and progressive transformation of cognitive functions such as memory, learning capacity, attention, thinking, language, passing judgments, calculation or orientation. Dementias represent a relatively frequent pathology, encountered at about 10% of the population of 65-year olds and 20% of the population of 80-year olds.

This review presents the main etiological forms of dementia, which include Alzheimer form of dementia, vascular dementia, dementia associated with alpha-synucleionopathies, and mixed forms. Regarding vascular dementia, the risk factors are similar to those for an ischemic or hemorrhagic cerebrovascular accident: arterial hypertension, diabetes mellitus, dyslipidemia, smoking, obesity, age, …

Association Between Thyroid Status And Glucose Intolerance Inhyperthyroid Patients, Wismandari Wisnu, Pradana Soewondo, Imam Subekti

Jurnal Penyakit Dalam Indonesia

Introduction. The most common endocrinopathy in adults are diabetes mellitus (DM) and thyroid disease. Hyperthyroidism decreases blood glucose control and increased the need of insulin. However, the mechanism of abnormal glucose metabolism in hyperthyroidism is not fully understood. This study aims to determine the relationship of thyroid status with incidence of glucose intolerance in hyperthyroid patients compared to hyperthyroid patients who have achieved clinical status of eutyroid and normal population. Methods. This study was cross sectional design in outpatients with hyperthyroidism in hyperthyroid and euthyroid/subclinical hyperthyroid status, and healthy volunteers who had matching age and sex. An oral glucose test …

Impact Of Motivation On Project Teams’ Performance In Information Technology, Ramu Karanam

Dissertations and Theses

Sufficient motivation is a critical ingredient for any organization to derive optimal performances from their workforce. Project teams are an integral part of the efficient conduction of an information and communication technology company’s core operations. This study is dictated towards the evaluation of the main factors that influence the level of motivation portrayed by team members of information technology project teams. Through a comprehensive literature review, the research was able to uncover insightful trends in motivation patterns among project team members that might be useful to project managers. The findings of this research conclude that a project team manager can …

Herbivory And Eutrophication Mediate Grassland Plant Nutrient Responses Across A Global Climatic Gradient, T. Michael Anderson, Daniel M. Griffith, James B. Grace, Eric M. Lind, Peter B. Adler, Lori A. Biederman, Dana M. Blumenthal, Pedro Daleo, Jennifer Firn, Nicole Hagenah, W. Stanley Harpole, Andrew S. Macdougall, Rebecca L. Mcculley, Suzanne M. Prober, Anita C. Risch, Mahesh Sankaran, Martin Schütz, Eric W. Seabloom, Carly J. Stevens, Lauren L. Sullivan, Peter D. Wragg, Elizabeth T. Borer

Ecology Center Publications

Plant stoichiometry, the relative concentration of elements, is a key regulator of ecosystem functioning and is also being altered by human activities. In this paper we sought to understand the global drivers of plant stoichiometry and compare the relative contribution of climatic vs. anthropogenic effects. We addressed this goal by measuring plant elemental (C, N, P and K) responses to eutrophication and vertebrate herbivore exclusion at eighteen sites on six continents. Across sites, climate and atmospheric N deposition emerged as strong predictors of plot‐level tissue nutrients, mediated by biomass and plant chemistry. Within sites, fertilization increased total plant nutrient pools, …

Development, Acceptability, And Emotional Responses Of Low-Sodium Roasted Peanuts And Flavored Spreads, Kairy Dharali Pujols Martinez

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The objective of this research was to evaluate the feasibility of developing acceptable low-sodium products by using a salt-replacement technique, an oil-in-water emulsion system, and health benefit information to improve consumers’ awareness of low-sodium diets. Three experiments were conducted: (I) Sensory characteristics and optimization of low-sodium roasted peanuts by substitution of NaCl with KCl, and addition of glycine (Gly) as a bitterness blocker; (II) Rejection threshold (RjT) of KCl added to low-sodium roasted peanuts using a 2AC-test; (III) Development of acceptable low-sodium and sodium-free spreads by flavor modification and their use on turkey salad sandwiches. In study I, results showed …

Presidentialized Party Di Indonesia: Kasus Perilaku Pdi-P Dalam Pencalonan Joko Widodo Pada Pilpres 2014, Ahmad Alhamid, Aditya Permana

Jurnal Politik

The mechanism of direct election in presidential election encourages political party to choose the most popular candidate even though he/she is a party outsider. It has a risk that the party or the general chairperson as “principal” will have difficulty controlling the nominated “agent” or outsider. Presidentialism at least changes the behavior of political parties in terms of nominating, electing, and governing. Through qualitative methods and data collection using interviews, this research raises the case study of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) behavior in the nomination of Joko Widodo as the Presidential Candidate of the Republic of Indonesia …

Childhood Cancer And Treatment Effects On Motor Performance, Jessica A. Peterson, Tom V. Darling

International Journal of Exercise Science

International Journal of Exercise Science 11(3): 657-668, 2018. Children with cancer report motor problems several years post treatment. Physical performance limitations can restrict the survivor's ability to participate fully in daily activities necessary for self-care, family life, and/or work. Motor performance in childhood cancer could be an important measure in symptom research. This review addresses motor performance limitations caused by cancer treatment in childhood cancer survivors. Several studies found performance deficits in strength and flexibility. Conflicting research in balance, coordination, and reaction time needs further consideration. The findings may indicate muscle atrophy as a cause of performance limitations rather than …

Compelled Speech And State Advertising Of Abortion: A Look At The Split Between A Woman's Friend And Evergreen, Nicholas M. Lauer

Liberty University Law Review

No abstract provided.

Curricular Report No. 2017-18-8 From The Graduate Council To The Faculty Senate: Graduate Certificate In Science Writing And Rhetoric, University Of Rhode Island Faculty Senate

Faculty Senate Bills

No abstract provided.

Curricular Report No. 2017-18-7 From The Graduate Council To The Faculty Senate: Curricular Changes, University Of Rhode Island Faculty Senate

Faculty Senate Bills

No abstract provided.

The Minutes Of The Marshall University Graduate Council Meeting, March 30, 2018, Marshall University Graduate Council

Graduate Council Minutes

No abstract provided.

Food Waste Diversion Programming In Post-Secondary Education, Manar Arica Alattar

Dissertations and Theses

The urgent need for reform of USA and global food systems is evident in the pervasiveness of both food waste and food insecurity. Such an inefficient system strains the environmental, social, and economic systems on which it relies. Although policy and infrastructure changes are essential, consumers can play a significant role by decreasing their food waste, given that consumer waste represents 60% of the waste along the food cycle in developed countries. Incorporation of food literacy and food waste education in school curricula may provide a meaningful entry point for promoting food waste reduction skills.

This dissertation presents context on …

Multimedia Development For Hygiene Education In Developing Countries, Nathan Brough, Jason K. Mcdonald, Cougar Hall, S. C. Yanchar

Instructional Psychology and Technology Graduate Student Projects

In coordination with the Liahona Children's Foundation, this project sought to address the needs of hygiene education of children and parents in developing countries. Design and development resulted in a multimedia video in conjunction with short assessments to aid foundation volunteers in delivering hygiene education to the children and parents.