Digital Commons Network^™

Impact Assessment, Sustainability, And Climate Change: Lessons From Lower Churchill, Adebayo Majekolagbe

Dalhousie Law Journal

The attainment of sustainability is the overarching objective of impact assessment (IA). Over the years, IA has evolved from being a predominantly biophysical- environment assessment venture to a multicentric undertaking including hundreds of IA modes. IA’s proliferation has been attributed to the inadequacy of previously dominant modes (e.g. Environmental Impact Assessment and Social Impact Assessment) to cater to other areas of humanity’s concerns or recent phenomena. Climate change is one of such phenomena and the conceptualization of climate change impact assessment has been the response of the IA movement. Drawing lessons from the Lower Churchill project in Newfoundland and Labrador …

The Bdpar Package: Big Data Pipelining Architecture For R, Miguel Ferreiro-Díaz, Tomás R. Cotos-Yáñez, José R. Méndez, David Ruano-Ordás

The R Journal

In the last years, big data has become a useful paradigm for taking advantage of multiple sources to find relevant knowledge in real domains (such as the design of personalized marketing campaigns or helping to palliate the effects of several fatal diseases). Big data programming tools and methods have evolved over time from a MapReduce to a pipeline-based archetype. Concretely the use of pipelining schemes has become the most reliable way of processing and analyzing large amounts of data. To this end, this work introduces bdpar, a new highly customizable pipeline-based framework (using the OOP paradigm provided by R6 …

Seedcca: An Integrated R-Package For Canonical Correlation Analysis And Partial Least Squares, Bo-Young Kim, Yunju Im, Jae Keun Yoo

The R Journal

Canonical correlation analysis (CCA) has a long history as an explanatory statistical method in high-dimensional data analysis and has been successfully applied in many scientific fields such as chemometrics, pattern recognition, genomic sequence analysis, and so on. The so-called seedCCA is a newly developed R package that implements not only the standard and seeded CCA but also partial least squares. The package enables us to fit CCA to large-p and small-n data. The paper provides a complete guide. Also, the seeded CCA application results are compared with the regularized CCA in the existing R package. It is believed that the …

Rocnreg: An R Package For Receiver Operating Characteristic Curve Inference With And Without Covariates, María Xosé Rodríguez-Álvarez, Vanda Inácio

The R Journal

This paper introduces the package ROCnReg that allows estimating the pooled ROC curve, the covariate-specific ROC curve, and the covariate-adjusted ROC curve by different methods, both from (semi) parametric and nonparametric perspectives and within Bayesian and frequentist paradigms. From the estimated ROC curve (pooled, covariate-specific, or covariate-adjusted), several summary measures of discriminatory accuracy, such as the (partial) area under the ROC curve and the Youden index, can be obtained. The package also provides functions to obtain ROC-based optimal threshold values using several criteria, namely, the Youden index criterion and the criterion that sets a target value for the false positive …

Rhizosphere Microbiomes In A Historical Maize-Soybean Rotation System Respond To Host Species And Nitrogen Fertilization At The Genus And Subgenus Levels, Michael A. Meier, Martha G. Lopez-Guerrero, Ming Guo, Marty Schmer, Josh Herr, James Schnable, James R. Alfano, Jinliang Yang

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Root-associated microbes are key players in plant health, disease resistance, and nitrogen (N) use efficiency. It remains largely unclear how the interplay of biological and environmental factors affects rhizobiome dynamics in agricultural systems. In this study, we quantified the composition of rhizosphere and bulk soil microbial communities associated with maize (Zea mays L.) and soybean (Glycine max L.) in a long-term crop rotation study under conventional fertilization and low-N regimes. Over two growing seasons, we evaluated the effects of environmental conditions and several treatment factors on the abundance of rhizosphere- and soil-colonizing microbial taxa. Time of sampling, host plant species, …

Cilësia E Jetës Te Pacientët Me Diabet Tip 2, Arta Rama

Theses and Dissertations

Hyrja: Diabeti mellitus i tipit 2 (T2DM) është një problem global shëndetësor në zgjerim, i lidhur ngushtë me epideminë e mbipeshes. Individët me diabet mellitus tip 2 janë në rrezik të lartë për të dy ndërlikimet mikrovaskulare (përfshirë retinopatinë, nefropatinë dhe neuropatinë) dhe komplikimet makrovaskulare (të tilla si sëmundjet kardiovaskulare) për shkak të hiperglikemisë dhe përbërësve individualë të sindromës së rezistencës ndaj insulinës (metabolike).

Qëllimi: Ky punim ka për qëllim ngritjen e cilësisë së jetës te personat që vuajnë nga diabeti mellitus tip 2, pra përmirësimin e jetesës, këshillimin që të mirren me sporte të ndryshme, përfshirë këtu ecjen …

Remember Me: How We Can Modify The Home For People With Dementia, Wenjin Wang

Masters Theses

More than 50 million people live with dementia worldwide. For reasons of familiarity, affordability, and psychological comfort, the home is uniquely preferred by people with dementia (PwD) and their caregivers for aging in place. Ample studies show that built environmental features (e.g., furnishing, lighting, layout) influence the daily lives of PwD. These features can be modified easily and with fewer disruptions to daily life at home. However, most PwD and their caregivers usually have little knowledge of what can be achieved through simple interventions to environmental features.

There is a great need for an exhibition to explain the dementia-friendly home …

Shifting The Industrial Food System Towards Sustainability: The Intersections Of Agriculture, Industrialization, & Health, Courtney Marchi

City and Regional Planning

This work traces the impact of the industrialization of corporate agriculture that has agglomerated globally. The aim of this paper is to discuss the major impacts and technicalities behind modern agricultural practices, and to draw attention to the intersections between industrialization, technology, health, and environmental concerns. This paper addresses the social and political implications associated with a global trade system and attempts to remedy some of them through environmentally and socially sustainable, and deconstructive, systemic approaches. There are several intersections between social equity, globalization, and agriculture that Urban and Regional Planners can work intimately with to improve overall food security …

Full Issue

Swiss American Historical Society Review

No abstract provided.

Goss Receives $3 Million Nih Grant For Family-Based Diet Intervention Treating Fatty Liver Disease In Adolescents, Adam Pope

Browse All News

No abstract provided.

High-Fat Diet Increases Serum Hdl, But Not For Ldl And Hdl/Ldl Ratio In Mice, Iqbal Laksana, Purwo Sri Rejeki, Lilik Herawati, Mohammad Anam Al Arif, Indrayuni Lukitra Wardhani

Folia Medica Indonesiana

The use of a ketogenic diet with an increased proportion of fat is rampant lately, both as a therapy or even lifestyle. The use of a ketogenic diet is feared to cause dyslipidemia. It will also lead to atherosclerosis and thrombosis. This study aimed to determine the effect of a high-fat diet on HDL, LDL, and HDL/LDL ratio in mice. Thirty male Mus Musculus, 2-3 mo, 15-25 g divided into five groups diet. K1 (12% fat, 20% protein, 62% carb), K2 (30% fat, 60%protein), K3 (45% fat, 45% protein), K4 (60% fat, 30% protein) and K5 (75% fat, 15% protein) …

Insects As A Sustainable Food Ingredient – Utilization Of Carrot Pomace, Identification Of Early Adopters, And Evaluation Of Mealworm Acceptability, Dominic Rovai

Master's Theses

Insects have been proposed as a sustainable alternative to livestock to help feed the growing population. Edible insects such as mealworms require less land and resources and can utilize food by-products to grow. While insects are consumed by over 2 billion people worldwide, they are not widely accepted in developed countries like the United States because of their unfamiliarity and the perception of disgust associated with entomophagy. The objectives of this research are to 1) grow mealworms using carrot pomace and determine an optimum diet for growth and nutritional composition, 2) identify and classify early adopters of insects, and propose …

Effects Of Plant Growth-Promoting Bacteria And Fungi On Strawberry Plant Health, Fruit Yield, And Disease Susceptibility, Mary Maher

Master's Theses

Studies on plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) and fungi (PGPF) as biostimulants have shown significant positive effects on plant health, fruit yield, or pest management. However, very few published studies to date have been specific regarding their effects on strawberries (Fragaria × ananassa), particularly on soilborne disease prevalence in organically grown strawberries. Empirical data on the results of using these products in commercial growing applications under various conditions would be highly valuable, especially for organic growers who have limited synthetic chemical pesticides, herbicides and fertilizers registered for use. The objective of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of …

Development Of A Split Green Fluorescent Protein Reporting System For Angiogenin, Phan QuỳNh ChâU Lê

Lawrence University Honors Projects

Angiogenin (ANG) is a secreted protein that holds important implications in the growth and survival for a variety of cell types—from healthy endothelial or neuronal cells, to diseased cancer cells. Currently, we lack a complete understanding of ANG’s mechanism of action. Our work aims to develop a functional fluorescence-based reporting system to study ANG internalization activity in cancer cells. Specifically, we utilize a split green fluorescent protein (split GFP) system, in which the 11th strand of the GFP molecule (GFP11) is attached to ANG, while the remaining non-fluorescent GFP1-10 fragment is expressed in our target HeLaGFP1-10 cell line. The reconstitution …

Graduate Internship Report - Tulare, Dakota Burns Romans

Agricultural Education: Graduate Internship Reports

This internship and project report includes validation documents required in meeting the quality criteria for secondary-level programs of instruction in agriculture. The supporting material includes information to receive state and local funding, outline the goals and objectives of the program, along with an overview of the Tulare agriculture program and the community.

Unh: The Magazine Of The University Of New Hampshire, Spring/Summer 2021, Unh Magazine

UNH Magazine

This editon of UNH Magazine was digital only due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. This is an archived version of web content originally found at https://magazine.unh.edu/

Enhanced Production Of Fibrinolytic Enzyme From Pseudomonas Aeruginosa By Optimization Media Components, Bilal Jasim, Entesar Ali

Journal of Applied Sciences and Nanotechnology

Fibrinolytic enzyme is factor that lysis fibrin clots. This fibrinolytic factor has prospective use to treat cardiovascular diseases, such as stroke and heart attack. Cardiovascular diseases attracted worldwide attention for their elevation morbidity and mortality. Expensive cost and fatally undesired side effects associated with the available fibrinolytic agents to treat these diseases stimulated the researchers to investigate potentially better agents for curative applications. In the current investigation, fibrinolytic enzyme production from Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolated from injuries of wounds and burns patients. Parameters for the promoted production of the enzyme under minimal production media were optimized. It comprised carbon source (glucose), …

Development Of A Competency Model For Placement And Verification Of Nasogastric And Nasoenteric Feeding Tubes For Adult Hospitalized Patients., Jan Powers, Britta Brown, Beth Lyman, Arlene A Escuro, Lorraine Linford, Kim Gorsuch, Kris M Mogensen, Jessica Engelbrecht, Amanda Chaney, Carol Mcginnis, Beth A Quatrara, Jennifer Leonard, Peggi Guenter

Nursing Publications, Posters, & Presentations

Nasogastric/nasoenteric (NG/NE) feeding tube placements are associated with adverse events and, without proper training, can lead to devastating and significant patient harm related to misplacement. Safe feeding tube placement practices and verification are critical. There are many procedures and techniques for placement and verification; this paper provides an overview and update of techniques to guide practitioners in making clinical decisions. Regardless of placement technique and verification practices employed, it is essential that training and competency are maintained and documented for all clinicians placing NG/NE feeding tubes. This paper has been approved by the American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition …

Fertilizer And Plant Growth Regulator Strategies For Improving Consumer Performance Of Container-Grown Petunia, Jonathan Ebba, Ryan W. Dickson, Paul R. Fisher, Crysta N. Harris, Todd Guerdat, Sofia Flores

Horticulture Faculty Publications and Presentations

The overall goal was to evaluate fertilizer options for greenhouse producers, with or without a plant growth regulator (PGR) application, to improve subsequent performance of container-grown annuals. Petunia (Petunia × hybrida) was the model container-grown crop in simulated production and consumer environments. The first experiment at two locations (New Hampshire and Florida) compared strategies using water-soluble fertilizer [WSF (17N–1.8P–14.1K)], controlled-release fertilizers (CRF), and slow-release fertilizers (SRF) that were either applied throughout or at the end of the 8-week production phase [point of shipping (POS)] for petunia rooted cuttings grown in 8-inch azalea containers. In the subsequent simulated “consumer” …

Gut Microbiota In Covid-19 Treatment, Tella Sadighpour, Audrey C. Tolouian

Nursing Faculty Publications

A novel coronavirus (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus [SARS-CoV-2]), has been causing a COVID-19 pandemic of acute respiratory syndrome in humans since December 2019. It appears to be similar in structure to the virus that caused the SARS-CoV outbreak of 18 years ago. However, in addition to the respiratory disorders, the COVID-19 patients might suffer extra-pulmonary disorders, including gut dysfunction or liver dysfunction complications, which show as gut–lung crosstalk. Fecal specimens should be considered as a source of detection of SARS-CoV-2 as one of the routine diagnostic tests in order to guide hospital’s liberation and release of quarantine of patients.

Ginger And Honey, Samana Shah, Austin Shin

Biomedical Engineering

Ginger and Honey is an application service for those interested in holistic health and wellness. It is intended to provide a cohesive space where eating plans, recommendations and information can be easily accessed. The app captures the art and science of food as a healing mechanism for those fighting diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular disease and diabetes.

Brown Meets Green: Light And Nutrients Alter Detritivore Assimilation Of Microbial Nutrients From Leaf Litter, Taylor L. Price, Jennifer Harper, Steven N. Francoeur, Halvor M. Halvorson, Kevin A. Kuehn

Faculty Publications

In aquatic detrital-based food webs, research suggests that autotroph-heterotroph microbial interactions exert bottom-up controls on energy and nutrient transfer. To address this emerging topic, we investigated microbial responses to nutrient and light treatments during Liriodendron tulipifera litter decomposition and fed litter to the caddisfly larvae Pycnopsyche sp. We measured litter-associated algal, fungal, and bacterial biomass and production. Microbes were also labeled with ¹⁴C and ³³P to trace distinct microbial carbon (C) and phosphorus (P) supporting Pycnopsyche assimilation and incorporation (growth). Litter-associated algal and fungal production rates additively increased with higher nutrient and light availability. Incorporation of microbial P …

Effect Of Informed Conditions On Sensory Expectations And Actual Perceptions: A Case Of Chocolate Brownies Containing Edible-Cricket Protein, Cristhiam Gurdian, Damir Torrico, Bin Li, Georgianna Tuuri, Witoon Prinyawiwatkul

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Agrp Neurons Trigger Long-Term Potentiation And Facilitate Food Seeking, Chunmei Wang, Wenjun Zhou, Yang He, Tiffany Yang, Pingwen Xu, Yongjie Yang, Xing Cai, Julia Wang, Hesong Liu, Meng Yu, Chen Liang, Tingting Yang, Hailan Liu, Makoto Fukuda, Qingchun Tong, Qi Wu, Zheng Sun, Yanlin He, Yong Xu

Division of Basic Science Faculty Publications

Sufficient feeding is essential for animals’ survival, which requires a cognitive capability to facilitate food seeking, but the neurobiological processes regulating food seeking are not fully understood. Here we show that stimulation of agouti-related peptide-expressing (AgRP) neurons triggers a long-term depression (LTD) of spontaneous excitatory post-synaptic current (sEPSC) in adjacent pro-opiomelanocortin (POMC) neurons and in most of their distant synaptic targets, including neurons in the paraventricular nucleus of the thalamus (PVT). The AgRP-induced sEPCS LTD can be enhanced by fasting but blunted by satiety signals, e.g. leptin and insulin. Mice subjected to food-seeking tasks develop similar neural plasticity in AgRP-innervated …

Hepatic Nfe2l2 Is Not An Essential Mediator Of The Metabolic Phenotype Produced By Dietary Methionine Restriction, Han Fang, Kirsten P. Stone, Sujoy Ghosh, Laura A. Forney, Landon C. Sims, Leighann Vincik, Thomas W. Gettys

Division of Basic Science Faculty Publications

The principal sensing of dietary methionine restriction (MR) occurs in the liver, where it activates multiple transcriptional programs that mediate various biological components of the response. Hepatic Fgf21 is a key target and essential endocrine mediator of the metabolic phenotype produced by dietary MR. The transcription factor, Nfe2l2, is also activated by MR and functions in tandem with hepatic Atf4 to transactivate multiple, antioxidative components of the integrated stress response. However, it is unclear whether the transcriptional responses linked to Nfe2l2 activation by dietary MR are essential to the biological efficacy of the diet. Using mice with liver-specific deletion of …

Human Plasma Proteomic Profiles Indicative Of Cardiorespiratory Fitness, Jeremy M. Robbins, Bennet Peterson, Daniela Schranner, Usman A. Tahir, Theresa Rienmüller, Shuliang Deng, Michelle J. Keyes, Daniel H. Katz, Pierre M.Jean Beltran, Jacob L. Barber, Christian Baumgartner, Steven A. Carr, Sujoy Ghosh, Changyu Shen, Lori L. Jennings, Robert Ross, Mark A. Sarzynski, Claude Bouchard, Robert E. Gerszten

Division of Basic Science Faculty Publications

Maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max) is a direct measure of human cardiorespiratory fitness and is associated with health. However, the molecular determinants of interindividual differences in baseline (intrinsic) VO2max, and of increases of VO2max in response to exercise training (ΔVO2max), are largely unknown. Here, we measure ~5,000 plasma proteins using an affinity-based platform in over 650 sedentary adults before and after a 20-week endurance-exercise intervention and identify 147 proteins and 102 proteins whose plasma levels are associated with baseline VO2max and ΔVO2max, respectively. Addition of a protein biomarker score derived from these proteins to a score based on clinical traits improves …

Risks Of Macrosomia Associated With Catechol-O-Methyltransferase Genotypes And Genetic-Epigenetic Interactions Among Children With And Without Gestational Diabetes Exposure, Liliana Aguayo, Weiqin Li, Brian T. Joyce, Junhong Leng, Yinan Zheng, Stephanie Shiau, Huikun Liu, Leishen Wang, Ru Gao, Andrea Baccarelli, Gang Hu, Lifang Hou

Population and Public Health Science Faculty Publications

Background: Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is a major macrosomia risk factor. Variations in the catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT; rs4680) genotypes are associated with heightened susceptibility to environmental exposures and nutritional conditions. However, macrosomia risks associated with COMT genetics, epigenetics, and the interaction between genetic and epigenetics among children with and without exposure to GDM are unknown. Methods: Data from women/children pairs (n = 1087) who participated in the Tianjin Gestational Diabetes Birth Cohort were used to examine the odds of being born with macrosomia associated with COMT-genotypes, 55 CpG sites located on the COMT gene, and genetic and epigenetic interactions. Odds of …

Obesity And Cancer Risk In White And Black Adults: A Prospective Cohort Study, Justin C. Brown, Shengping Yang, Emily F. Mire, Xiaocheng Wu, Lucio Miele, Augusto Ochoa, Jovanny Zabaleta, Peter T. Katzmarzyk

Population and Public Health Science Faculty Publications

Objective: Anthropometric measures of obesity, including BMI and waist circumference (WC), do not quantify excess adiposity and metabolic abnormalities consistently across racial populations. This study tested the hypothesis that participant race modifies the association of anthropometric measures of obesity and cancer risk. Methods: This prospective cohort (The Pennington Center Longitudinal Study) included 18,296 adults, 6,405 (35.0%) male sex and 6,273 (34.3%) Black race. The primary exposures were BMI (weight in kilograms/height in meters squared) and WC (centimeters). The primary end point was the time from study enrollment to diagnosis of histologically confirmed invasive cancer. Results: During a median follow-up of …

Striking The Right Balance: Evidence To Inform Combined Physical Activity And Sedentary Behavior Recommendations, Sebastien F.M. Chastin, Duncan E. Mcgregor, Stuart J.H. Biddle, Greet Cardon, Jean Philippe Chaput, Philippa M. Dall, Paddy C. Dempsey, Loretta Dipietro, Ulf Ekelund, Peter T. Katzmarzyk, Michael Leitzmann, Emmanuel Stamatakis, Hidde P. Van Der Ploeg

Population and Public Health Science Faculty Publications

Background: Crucial evidence gaps regarding: (1) the joint association of physical activity and sedentary time with health outcomes and (2) the benefits of light-intensity physical activity were identified during the development of recommendations for the World Health Organization Guidelines on physical activity and sedentary behavior (SB). The authors present alternative ways to evidence the relationship between health outcomes and time spent in physical activity and SB and examine how this could be translated into a combined recommendation in future guidelines. Methods: We used compositional data analysis to quantify the dose–response associations between the balance of time spent in physical activity …

University Of Central Florida Undergraduate Catalog, 2021 - 2022, University Of Central Florida

UCF Catalogs

No abstract provided.