Digital Commons Network^™

“Your Body Feels Better When You Drink Water”: Parent And School-Age Children’S Sugar- Sweetened Beverage Cognitions, Kaitlyn M. Eck, Aleksandr Dinesen, Elder Garcia, Colleen L. Delaney, Oluremi A. Famodu, Melissa D. Olfert, Carol Byrd-Bredbenner, Karla P. Shelnutt

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) are a leading source of added sugar in the American diet. Further, ingestion of added sugars from SSBs exceeds recommendations. Thus, interventions that effectively reduce SSB consumption are needed. Focus group discussions with parents (n = 37) and school-aged children between the ages of 6 and 11 years (n = 41) from Florida, New Jersey, and West Virginia were led by trained moderators using Social Cognitive Theory as a guide. Trends and themes that emerged from the content analysis of the focus group data indicated that both parents and children felt that limiting SSBs was important to …

Chitosan Biopolymer Promotes Yield And Stimulates Accumulation Of Antioxidants In Strawberry Fruit, Mosaddiqur Rahman, Julakha Akter Mukta, Abdullah As Sabir, Dipall Rani Gupta, Mohammed Mohi-Ud-Din, Mirza Hasanuzzaman, Md. Giashuddin Miah, Mahfuzur Rahman, Md Tofazzai Islam

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Strawberry is a well-known source of natural antioxidants with excellent free radical scav- enging capacity. This study determined the effects of chitosan application in field condition on plant growth, fruit yield and antioxidant activities in strawberry fruit. Foliar applications of chitosan on strawberry significantly increased plant growth and fruit yield (up to 42% higher) compared to untreated control. Increased fruit yield was attributed to higher plant growth, individual fruit weight and total fruit weight/plant due to the chitosan application. Surprisingly, the fruit from plants sprayed with chitosan also had significantly higher contents (up to 2.6- fold) of carotenoids, anthocyanins, flavonoids …

Detecting Body Mass Index From A Facial Photograph In Lifestyle Intervention, Makenzie L. Barr, Guodong Guo, Sarah E. Colby, Melissa D. Olfert

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

This study aimed to identify whether a research participant’s body-mass index (BMI) can be correctly identified from their facial image (photograph) in order to improve data capturing in dissemination and implementation research. Facial BMI (fBMI) was measured using an algorithm formulated to identify points on each enrolled participant’s face from a photograph. Once facial landmarks were detected, distances and ratios between them were computed to characterize facial fatness. A regression function was then used to represent the relationship between facial measures and BMI values to then calculate fBMI from each photo image. Simultaneously, BMI was physically measured (mBMI) by trained …

Integrated Analysis Of Lncrna And Mrna Expression In Rainbow Trout Families Showing Variation In Muscle Growth And Fillet Quality Traits, Ali Ali, Rafet Al-Tobasei, Brett Kenney, Timothy D. Leeds, Mohamed Salem

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Muscle yield and quality traits are important for the aquaculture industry and consumers. Genetic selection for these traits is difficult because they are polygenic and result from multifactorial interactions. To study the genetic architecture of these traits, phenotypic characterization of whole body weight (WBW), muscle yield, fat content, shear force and whiteness were measured in ~500 fish representing 98 families from a growth-selected line. RNA-Seq was used to sequence the muscle transcriptome of different families exhibiting divergent phenotypes for each trait. We have identified 240 and 1,280 differentially expressed (DE) protein-coding genes and long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs), respectively, in fish …

“My Tummy Tells Me” Cognitions, Barriers And Supports Of Parents And School-Age Children For Appropriate Portion Sizes, Kaitlyn M. Eck, Colleen L. Delaney, Mirian P. Leary, Oluremi A. Famodou, Melissa D. Olfert, Karla P. Shelnutt, Carol Bryd-Bredbenner

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Larger portion sizes have increased in tandem with the rise in obesity. Elucidation of the cognitions of children and parents related to portion size is needed to inform the development of effective obesity prevention programs. This study examined cognitions of parents (n = 36) and their school-age children (6 to 11 years; n = 35) related to portion sizes via focus group discussions. Parents and children believed controlling portion sizes promoted health and weight control. Some parents felt controlling portions was unnecessary, particularly if kids were a healthy weight because kids can self-regulate intake. Barriers to serving appropriate portions identified …

Relationship Between Diet And Mental Health In A Young Adult Appalachian College Population, Rachel A. Wattick, Rebecca L. Hagedorn, Melissa D. Olfert

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Young adults in Appalachia may face poor nutritional status due to low access to healthy food and high mental health symptoms attributed to high stress and the college environment. A cross-sectional design was used to investigate the relationship between diet intake and mental health status of this population via surveys. Participant responses (n = 1956) showed students’ mean number of depressed days over the past 30 days was 9.67 ± 8.80, and of anxious days, 14.1 ± 10.03. The mean fruit and vegetable intake was 1.80 ± 1.27 times per day and the mean added sugars intake was 1.79 ± …

In Utero Gene Expression In The Slc39a8(Neo/Neo) Knockdown Mouse, Jing Chen, Marina Galvez-Peralta, Xiang Zhang, Jingyuan Deng, Zijuan Liu, Daniel W. Nebert

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Slc39a8 encodes ZIP8, a divalent cation/bicarbonate symporter expressed in pluripotent mouse embryonic stem cells, and therefore ubiquitous in adult tissues; ZIP8 influxes Zn2+, Mn2+ and Fe2+. Slc39a8(neo/neo) knockdown mice exhibit 10–15% of wild-type ZIP8 mRNA and protein levels, and show pleiotropic phenotype of stunted growth, neonatal lethality, multi-organ dysmorphogenesis, and dysregulated hematopoiesis manifested as severe anemia. Herein we performed RNA-seq analysis of gestational day (GD)13.5 yolk sac and placenta, and GD16.5 liver, kidney, lung, heart and cerebellum,comparing Slc39a8(neo/neo) with Slc39a8(+/+) wild-type. Meta-data analysis of differentially- expressed genes revealed 29 unique genes from all tissues — having enriched GO categories associated …

Strategies For Recruiting A Sample Of Adults With Type 2 Diabetes From Primary Care Clinics In Rural Appalachia: Incorporating Cultural Competence, Roger Carpenter, Laurie A. Theeke

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Background: Recruiting research participants from primary care in rural Appalachia is a major challenge and can be influenced by cultural characteristics, making it critically important to incorporate strategies of cultural competence in the overall design of clinical research. Objectives: The purpose of this paper is to describe culturally competent strategies used for recruitment and data collection with a sample of adults with type 2 diabetes from primary care settings in Appalachia.

Design: The Purnell model of cultural competence and relevant literature served as a framework for study design. Four overarching approaches informed the organization of recruitment strategies and development of …

Neck Circumference Positively Relates To Cardiovascular Risk Factors In College Students, Oluremi A. Famodu, Makenzie L. Barr, Sarah E. Colby, Wenjun Zhou, Ida Holaskova, Miriam P. Leary, Carol Bryd-Bredbenner, Anne E. Matthews, Melissa D. Olfert

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

The objective of this study was to determine the relationship between neck circumference (NC) and other anthropometric measures and examine cut-off points for males and females according to existing waist circumference cut-off levels in this age group. Across 8 universities, 1562 students underwent a physical assessment. Spearman rho correlations (ρ) were calculated to determine associations between NC and other continuous variables of health. Receiving operating characteristic curves were constructed to assess the optimal cut-off levels of NC of males and females with central obesity. Participants were predominantly Caucasian (67%), female (70%), and outside of Appalachia 2 (82%). Forty-one percent of …

The Complementary Health Approaches For Pain Survey (Chaps): Validity Testing And Characteristics Of A Rural Population With Pain, Termeh Feinberg, Dina L. Jones, Christa Lilly, Amna Umer, Kim Innes

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Objectives

Little is known about patterns and correlates of Complementary Health Approaches (CHAs) in chronic pain populations, particularly in rural, underserved communities. This article details the development and implementation of a new survey instrument designed to address this gap, the Complementary Health Approaches for Pain Survey (CHAPS).

Design

Following pilot-testing using pre-specified criteria to assess quality and comprehension in our target population, and after feedback regarding face-validity from content experts and stakeholders, the final cross-sectional self-report survey required 10–12 minutes to com- plete. It contained 69 demographic, lifestyle and health-related factors, and utilized a Trans- theoretical Model (TTM) underpinning to …

Subclinical Atherosclerosis, Cardiovascular Health, And Disease Risk: Is There A Case For The Cardiovascular Health Index In The Primary Prevention Population?, Sarah S. Singh, Courtney S. Pilkerton, Carl D. Shrader Jr, Stephanie J. Frisbee

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Background: Current primary prevention guidelines for cardiovascular disease (CVD) prioritize risk identification, risk stratification using clinical and risk scores, and risk reduction with lifestyle interventions and pharmacotherapy. Subclinical atherosclerosis is an early indicator of atherosclerotic burden and its timely recognition can slow or prevent progression to CVD. Thus, individuals with subclinical atherosclerosis are a priority for primary prevention. This study takes a practical approach to answering a challenge commonly faced by primary care practitioners: in patients with no known CVD, how can individuals likely to have subclinical atherosclerosis be easily identified using existing clinical data and/or information provided by the …

Targeted Metabolomic And Transcriptomic Analyses Of “Red Russian” Kale (Brassicae Napus Var. Pabularia) Following Methyl Jasmonate Treatment And Larval Infestation By The Cabbage Looper (Trichoplusia Ni Hübner), Yu-Chun Chiu, John A. Juvik, Kang-Mo Ku

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Methyl jasmonate (MeJA), synthesized in the jasmonic acid (JA) pathway, has been found to upregulate glucosinolate (GS) biosynthesis in plant species of the Brassicaceae family. Exogenous application of MeJA has shown to increase tissue GS concentrations and the formation of myrosinase-mediated GS hydrolysis products (GSHPs). In vitro and in vivo assays have demonstrated the potential health-promoting effects of certain GSHPs. MeJA is also known to elicit and induce genes associated with defense mechanisms to insect herbivory in Brassica species. To investigate the relationship between MeJA-induced GS biosynthesis and insect defense, three treatments were applied to “Red Russian” kale (Brassicae napus …

A Case Study Of International Students’ Social Adjustment, Friendship Development, And Physical Activity, Shaung Li, Sam Zizzi

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Previous literature has focused on international student’s social transition and monocultural and bicultural ties. Little research has explored international students’ multicultural friendship development and the role that physical activity plays in their social interaction. The current case study explored a group of international students’ friendship development and the social aspect of physical activity. Data from individual interviews (pre and post), and 5 months of participant observations was used to describe two female international students’ experiences. Results suggested international students faced both language and cultural barriers in their social interactions with American students. Engagement in physical activities served as the context …

2018 Symposium Brochure

Programs

No abstract provided.

Perceived Benefits And Barriers Of A Community-Based Diabetes Prevention And Management Program, Samantha Shawley-Brzoska, Ranjita Misra

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

This study examined the perceptions of benefits of and barriers to participating in a community-based diabetes program to improve program effectiveness. The Diabetes Prevention and Management (DPM) program was a twenty-two session, 1-year program, modeled after the evidence-based National Diabetes Prevention Program and AADE7 Self-Care Behaviors framework. Community-based participatory research approach was used to culturally tailor the curriculum. Participants included overweight or obese adults with dysglycemia. A benefits and barriers survey was developed to gather information on participants’ perception of the program, as well as information on demographics and health literacy levels. Eighty-nine adults participated in the DPM program (73% …

Validation Of A Dietary Screening Tool In A Middle-Aged Appalachian Population, Melissa Ventura Marra, Sowmyanarayanan V. Thuppal, Elizabeth J. Johnson, Regan L. Bailey

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Proactive nutrition screening is an effective public health strategy for identifying and targeting individuals who could benefit from making dietary improvements for primary and secondary prevention of disease. The Dietary Screening Tool (DST) was developed and validated to assess nutritional risk among rural older adults. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the utility and validity of the DST to identify nutritional risk in middle-aged adults. This cross-sectional study in middle-aged adults (45–64 year olds, n = 87) who reside in Appalachia, examined nutritional status using an online health survey, biochemical measures, anthropometry, and three representative 24-h dietary recalls. …

Study On The Relationship Between Expression Patterns Of Cocaine-And Amphetamine Regulated Transcript And Hormones Secretion In Porcine Ovarian Follicles, Pengfei Li, Jinzhu Meng, Jiongjie Jing, Qingling Hao, Zhiwei Zhu, Jianbo Yao, Lihua Lyu

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Background: Cocaine-and amphetamine regulated transcript (CART) is an endogenous neuropeptide, which is widespread in animals, plays a key role in regulation of follicular atresia in cattle and sheep. Among animal ovaries, CART mRNA was firstly found in the cattle ovaries. CART was localized in the antral follicles oocytes, granulosa and cumulus cells by immunohistochemistry and in situ hybridization. Further research found that secretion of E2 was inhibited in granulosa cells with a certain dose of CART, the effect depends on the stage of cell differentiation, sug- gesting that CART could play a crucial role in regulating follicle atresia. The objective …

Hyperspectral Imaging And K-Means Classification For Histologic Evaluation Of Ductal Carcinoma In Situ, Yasser Khouj, Jeremy Dawson, James Coad, Linda Vona-Davis

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Hyperspectral imaging (HSI) is a non-invasive optical imaging modality that shows the potential to aid pathologists in breast cancer diagnoses cases. In this study, breast cancer tissues from different patients were imaged by a hyperspectral system to detect spectral differences between normal and breast cancer tissues. Tissue samples mounted on slides were identified from 10 different patients. Samples from each patient included both normal and ductal carcinoma tissue, both stained with hematoxylin and eosin stain and unstained. Slides were imaged using a snapshot HSI system, and the spec- tral reflectance differences were evaluated. Analysis of the spectral reflectance values indicated …

Tree Species Richness Enhances Stand Productivity While Stand Structure Can Have Opposite Effects, Based On Forest Inventory Data From Germany And The United States Of America, Laura Zeller, Jingjing Liang, Hans Pretzsch

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Background: In recent studies, mixed forests were found to be more productive than monocultures with everything else remaining the same.

Methods: To find out if this productivity is caused by tree species richness, by a more heterogeneous stand structure or both, we analyzed the effects of forest structure and tree species richness on stand productivity, based on inventory data of temperate forests in the United States of America and Germany.

Results: Having accounted for effects such as tree size and stand density, we found that: (I) tree species richness increased stand productivity in both countries while the effect of tree …

Vegetarian Diet And Cardiometabolic Risk Among Asian Indians In The United States, Ranjita Misra, Padmini Balagopal, Sudha Raj, Thakor G. Patel

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Research studies have shown that plant-based diets confer cardiovascular and metabolic health benefits. Asian Indians (AIs) in the US (who have often followed plant-based diets) have elevated risk for chronic diseases such as diabetes, metabolic syndrome, and obesity suggesting ethnic vulnerability that imply genetic and/or lifestyle causative links. This study explored the association between this ethnic group and diabetes, obesity, and metabolic syndrome after controlling for demographics, acculturation, family history of diabetes, and lifestyle and clinical risk factors. The sample comprised of 1038 randomly selected adult AIs in seven US sites. Prevalence and metabolic syndrome was estimated, and obesity was …

Hepatology Mentorship: A Bold Idea, Christina C. Lindenmeyer, Elizabeth May

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

No abstract provided.

A Comparison Study Of Quality Attributes Of Ground Beef And Veal Patties And Thermal Inactivation Of Escherichia Coli O157:H7 After Double Pan-Broiling Under Dynamic Conditions, Kawang Li, Amanda Gip Mckeith, Cangliang Shen, Russell Mckeith

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

This study compared the quality variation and thermal inactivation of Escherichia coli O157:H7 in non-intact beef and veal. Coarse ground beef and veal patties (2.1 cm thick, 12.4 cm diameter, 180 g) inoculated with E. coli O157:H7, aerobically stored before double pan-broiling for 0–360 s without rest or to 55, 62.5, 71.1, and 76 ◦C (internal temperature) with 0.5- or 3.5-min rest. Microbial population and qualities including color, cooking losses, pH, water activity, fat, and moisture content, were tested. After cooking the beef and veal patties, the weight losses were 17.83–29%, the pH increased from 5.53–5.60 to 5.74–6.09, the moisture …

Combining Semi-Synthesis With Plant And Microbial Biocatalysis: New Frontiers In Producing A Chemical Arsenal Against Cancer†, Samuel Gary, Janet Adegboye, Brian Popp, Jean-Christophe Cocuron, Brooklyn Woodrum, Nik Kovinich

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Natural products (NPs) that exhibit anticancer activities are frequently not potent enough to be used clinically as therapeutics. Semi-synthesis and metabolic engineering are promising approaches for producing more efficacious derivatives of anticancer NPs (ACNPs), but each technique alone can be inefficient at obtaining specific ACNP derivatives that may be suspected to have enhanced anticancer activity. Here, we demonstrate that the methods of semi-synthesis and biocatalysis can be used as modules in succession and in different combinations to produce 6,8-dibromogenkwanin, a derivative of the ACNP apigenin. Further, we demonstrated that soybean seed coats can be used as a biocatalyst to convert …

2018-2019 Factbook, Tennessee. General Assembly

Factbook

This Fact Book provides an overview of the state's budget for the fiscal year.

Scientology: The Art Of Cultic Persuasion, Sophie Barowsky

Student Library Research Awards

First Year Award recipient for 2018. Paper written for course POL 123. Supporting faculty: Christopher Candland

Slaughter: An Animal Rights Virtual Reality Experience, Michelle Lu

Honors Thesis Collection

No abstract provided.

A Method For Optimizing Amino Acids In Defined Media For Pichia Pastoris Protein Expression, Angel Kuo

Honors Thesis Collection

In the biopharmaceutical industry, media for host organisms have been optimized with nutrients like amino acids to maximize recombinant protein production. Because amino acids serve as the building blocks of proteins, as well as intermediates in various metabolic pathways, they are posited to relieve much of the metabolic burden experienced by organisms producing heterologous proteins. Both complex amino acid mixtures and defined amino acids have shown to improve protein titers in various organisms. While there have been some studies on media optimization with amino acids for yeast, few systematic studies of amino acid supplementation have been reported for Pichia pastoris …

Unlocking The Past: Behavioral Reconstruction Using The Clavicle In Archaeological Contexts, Audrey Choi

Honors Thesis Collection

Since it plays such a critical role in the movements of the upper body, the human clavicle is likely subjected to external forces, or mechanical loads, that influence its morphology. By observing the clavicle’s morphological modifications, anthropologists can potentially reconstruct the activity patterns of past populations. However, the clavicle is largely neglected by anthropological studies. To demonstrate the utility of the clavicle for behavioral reconstruction research, this study documents patterns of clavicular sexual dimorphism, directional asymmetry, and morphological variation to investigate the demographics of four medieval European populations.

Nutrient-Dependent Specification Of Threshold Weight In Manduca Sexta, Lorrie L. He

Honors Thesis Collection

No abstract provided.

Investigating The Effects Of Legume Mulching On Carbon And Nitrogen Fluxes Of Small Scale Agriculture, Emily Neel

Honors Thesis Collection

Fertilizers provide nitrogen to agricultural crops, which is often the nutrient limiting plant growth. However, synthetic fertilizers are often not preferred or possible sources of soil nutrients due to economic and ecological reasons. Agroecological practices have historically incorporated legumes and mulching into agroecosystems to improve productivity. This research investigated the effects of legume mulching on small scale vegetable crop productivity. The experiment was conducted in the Wellesley College Edible Ecosystem Garden in 24 replicate barrel collars. In each barrel, I planted two spinach (Spinacia oleracea, variety ‘Tyee’) and two lettuce (Lactuca sativa, variety ‘Romaine’) plants. In half of the barrels, …