Digital Commons Network^™

Averting The Looming Food Crisis: A Clarion Call To Immediate And Near-Term Policy Action, Gabriel S. Umoh

Economic and Financial Review

This paper reviews food crisis and its causes in Nigeria. It takes the position that food crisis has been simmering in Nigeria for the past couple of years and identifies policy instability, poor policy implementation and declining household purchasing power, among others as the major causes of food crisis. It recommends strong policy support and implementation, automatic indexation of wages and pensions and other measures to curb food crisis in the country.

Buy Produce For Your Neighbor: Supporting Local Agriculture, Lacee Jimenez, Hiram Wigant, Casey Coombs, Heidi Leblanc

Outcomes and Impact Quarterly

For Utahns experiencing food insecurity, eating adequate fruits and vegetables may be difficult due to limited access to fresh produce. Buy Produce for Your Neighbor is a healthy food drive that increases the amount of fresh produce in community food pantries and supports local agriculture.

Promoting Nutrition Equity For Individuals With Physical Challenges: A Systematic Review Of Barriers And Facilitators To Healthy Eating, Marianna S Wetherill, Ashten R Duncan, Hartley Bowman, Reagan Collins, Natalie Santa-Pinter, Morgan Jackson, Catherine M Lynn, Katherine Prentice, Mary Isaacson

Library Staff Publications

Impaired mobility is the most common form of functional disability in the US, affecting one out of every sixteen working-age adults. Little is known about the barriers to and facilitators of healthy eating among people with impaired mobility (PWIM), who are at increased risk for diet-related chronic disease. The pathways by which impaired mobility influence dietary intake are unclear, yet likely involve a complex interplay between structural determinants of health and individual factors. To help advance nutrition equity initiatives for PWIM, this systematic review aimed to qualitatively synthesize factors associated with dietary intake across four levels of ecologic influence. An …

The Negative Side Of A Student-Athlete, Mickey Strauss

Student Works

College athletes have different levels of success and failures throughout their college careers. These successes and failures can easily determine if an athlete is happy, can build up or break down self-esteem and confidence. In addition to student-athlete having many positive benefits like developing healthy lifestyle habits, increase happiness, increase self-esteem and self worth. The challenges that a college athlete faces are the benefits and hazards of physical activity, factors that lead to happiness or depression.

The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) has reported an increase in suicide in student-athletes, causing it to be the fourth leading cause of death …

Rearing Silver Therapon Leiopotherapon Plumbeus (Teleostei: Terapontidae) Larvae Using Euryhaline Rotifers As Starter Food, Frolan A. Aya, Vicar Stella Nillasca, Luis Maria B. Garcia

The Philippine Agricultural Scientist

The silver therapon Leiopotherapon plumbeus is an important but dwindling freshwater food commodity in the Philippine freshwater habitats. The influence of feeding regimes on growth performance and survival of first-feeding silver therapon larvae fed euryhaline rotifers (Brachionus rotundiformis and B. plicatilis) as starter food was examined. Larvae at two days post-hatch (DPH) (1.93 ± 0.07 mm; 200 larvae/basin) were initially reared on rotifers for 12 days followed by Artemia nauplii from 14 to 35 DPH as follows: (A) B. rotundiformis from 2-13 DPH; (B) B. rotundiformis from 2-7 DPH and Moina micrura from 8-13 DPH; and (C) B. …

The Church Bridge Project Focus Group Results: African American Perspectives Of Weight Management Programs To Improve Nutrition And Physical Activity Behaviors, Jennifer L. Lemacks, Laurie S. Abbott, Tammy Greer, Renee Gunn, Ashley Bryant, La Shaundrea Bradford, Penny A. Ralston

Faculty Publications

Background: The prevalence of obesity is disproportionately high among African Americans in the Southern US. More information is needed about factors that influence participation in nutrition and physical activity programs to promote healthy weight.

Objective: The purpose of this study is to explore the weight management perceptions of young to middle aged adult African Americans.

Methods: The Church Bridge Project intervention participants were recruited for two focus groups. Qualitative data were recorded, transcribed and a thematic content analysis was conducted to identify major themes.

Results: Barriers included technology learning curve/burden and competing priorities. Facilitators included support, …

Development Of A Culturally Adaptable Educational Program On Iron-Deficiency Anemia For Use In Resource-Limited Communities., Julie Hirman

Doctoral Scholarly Projects & Capstones

Iron deficiency anemia (IDA) is a significant global health issue that disproportionally impacts individuals living in resource-limited countries. Access to professional healthcare in these regions is limited and rural communities often rely on specific community members for their basic health care needs. These community members, commonly referred to as community health promotors (CHPs), are seen as knowledgeable in informal or traditional healing practices and are often sought out when illnesses are present. This is a dynamic that could be cultivated and promoted to prevent and treat early stages of IDA. With culturally tailored support and education, advancing the healthcare knowledge …

Association Of Serum Magnesium With Blood Pressure In Patients With Hypertensive Crises: A Retrospective Cross-Sectional Study, Ifeanyichukwu O. Onor, Lashira M. Hill, Modupe M. Famodimu, Mallory R. Coleman, Carolkim H. Huynh, Robbie A. Beyl, Casey J. Payne, Emily K. Johnston, John I. Okogbaa, Christopher J. Gillard, Daniel F. Sarpong, Amne Borghol, Samuel C. Okpechi, Ifeyinwa Norbert, Shane E. Sanne, Shane G. Guillory

School of Graduate Studies Faculty Publications

The role of magnesium in blood pressure has been studied among hypertensive patients; however, there is a dearth of studies exploring the role of magnesium in hypertensive crises. The primary objective of this study was to evaluate the relationship between serum magnesium and blood pressure in patients with hypertensive crises. This was a singlecenter, retrospective, chart review, cross-sectional study of patients with hypertensive crises. Patients were included if they were eighteen years of age or older, with an international classification disease ninth revision (ICD-9) code of 401.9 (hypertensive crises: emergency or urgency) and a documented magnesium level on their electronic …

Winter Cover Crop Mixes: Effects On Strip-Tilled Plasticulture And No-Till Watermelon Production In Arkansas, Alden Neil Hotz

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Watermelon, Citrullus lanatus (Thunb.) Matsum. & Nakai, producers in Arkansas grow watermelons in either plasticulture or bare-ground systems. Both systems can benefit from the use of winter cover crops for weed control and to supply nitrogen (N) to the watermelon crop. Currently, the use of cover crops in watermelon production in AR is mostly limited to either cereal rye (Secale cereale L.) or winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L). The objective of this research is to evaluate the potential benefits of growing a mix of a legume and grass cover crops before watermelon production in both a strip-till plasticulture and a …

Higher Habitual Flavonoid Intakes Are Associated With A Lower Risk Of Peripheral Artery Disease Hospitalizations, Nicola P. Bondonno, Kevin Murray, Aedin Cassidy, Catherine P. Bondonno, Joshua Lewis, Kevin D. Croft, Cecilie Kyro, Gunnar Gislason, Christian Torp-Pedersen, Augustin Scalbert, Anne Tjonneland, Jonathan M. Hodgson, Frederik Dalgaard

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Background

The role of nutrition in the primary prevention of peripheral artery disease (PAD), the third leading cause of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, is undetermined. Flavonoids may attenuate atherosclerosis and therefore persons who consume flavonoid-rich foods may have a lower risk of developing PAD.

Objectives

We aimed to examine the association between flavonoid intake and PAD hospitalizations and investigate if the association differs according to established risk factors for PAD.

Methods

Baseline data from 55,647 participants of the Danish Diet, Cancer, and Health Study without PAD, recruited from 1993 to 1997, were cross-linked with Danish nationwide registries. Flavonoid intake was calculated …

A Multifaceted Approach Increased Staff Confidence To Develop Outside Of School Hours Care As A Health Promoting Setting, Karen Forde, Leesa Costello, Amanda Devine, Ros Sambell, Ruth Wallace

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Background:

Outside-of-school-hours-care (OSHC) services are well positioned to influence the health behaviours of 489, 800 Australian children, and are an important setting for health promotion given the current rates of childhood overweight and obesity and associated health risks. OSHC Professionals are ideally placed to become positive influencers in this setting, although they may require training and support to confidently perform this role. This study piloted a multifaceted intervention strategy to increase OSHC Professional’s confidence and competencies, to support a health promoting OSHC environment with a nutrition and physical activity focus.

Methods:

A mixed methods approach was used. Nineteen OSHC Professionals …

Recapture And Reuse Of Nitrogen And Phosphorus From Rendered Animal Materials To Enhance Nutrient Use Efficiency And Produce Quality In Agricultural Crop, Bhupinder Jatana

All Dissertations

The current fertilizer regime heavily relies on inorganic fertilizers to meet the crop nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) demand. However, the United States has a limited N production capacity, with 50% N demand met through imports. On the other hand, the nonrenewable natural reserves of P are being depleted at an unprecedented rate and are expected to be exhausted with in next 100 years. Additionally, high solubility/liability of the field applied inorganic fertilizers often results in lower nutrient use efficiency (NUE;

The MBM led to rapid N mineralization, with 35% of the applied N mineralized within the first five days …

Investigation Of Mitochondrial Inheritance In The Smut Fungus Sporisorium Reilianum., Hector Eduardo Mendoza

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

An important goal in evolutionary biology is to address the origin of Earth’s immense biodiversity through the evolution of complex sexual reproduction mechanisms in eukaryotes. Inheritance of mitochondria during sexual reproduction has received special attention in recent years, as these organelles cannot be synthesized de novo and must be transmitted from parent to offspring. The importance of these organelles far exceeds its common function as the energy-producing “powerhouse” of the cell, as it has been found to also be involved in fundamental processes like apoptosis, aging and metabolic homeostasis. Thus, appropriate inheritance of mitochondria is essential for growth and development …

Synthesis And Assessment Of Sustainable Fuels For Transportation And Space Exploration, Katerina Chagoya

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

As global energy sources transition towards renewable energy, the demand for sustainable fuels has never been greater. The sheer scale of this transition will require numerous solutions to accommodate for the diverse and complex situations worldwide. This dissertation will discuss 3 studies: the utilization of CO2 waste gas to produce fuels sustainably, characterizing biofuels for efficient use in automobiles, and developing a solid, emissonless fuel intended for spaceflight but also applicable on Earth. The hydrogenation of CO2 into value-added molecules could reduce greenhouse gas emissions if waste stream CO2 were captured for conversion. We found that atomic vacancies induced in …

The Philosophy Of Outliers: Reintegrating Rare Events Into Biological Science, Chelsea N. Cook, Angela R. Freeman, James C. Liao, Lisa A. Mangiamele

Biological Sciences Faculty Research and Publications

Individual variation in morphology, physiology, and behavior has been a topic of great interest in the biological sciences. While scientists realize the importance of understanding diversity in individual phenotypes, historically the “minority” results (I.e., outlier observations or rare events) of any given experiment have been dismissed from further analysis. We need to reframe how we view “outliers” to improve our understanding of biology. These rare events are often treated as problematic or spurious, when they can be real rare events or individuals driving evolution in a population. It is our perspective that to understand what outliers can tell us in …

Test Transferability Of 3d-Mot Training On Soccer Specific Parameters, Micaela Dusseault

Honors Theses

Objective: The benefits of perceptual-cognitive training in elite level athletes has recently been investigated in multiple sports such as basketball, soccer, and archery, but conclusive evidence proving test transferability of 3D-MOT training is lacking. The purpose of this research is to examine the transferability of perceptual-cognitive training to on-field soccer performance parameters. Participants: NCAA Division I women’s soccer players (n=22) between the ages of 18-25 who were placed into either the experimental group (n=10) or control group (n=12). After baseline testing for both groups to determine visual tracking speed (VTS), the experimental group completed 10 3D-MOT training sessions with NeuroTracker …

The Impact Of The Menstrual Cycle On Female Performance In Athletics, Calli Doan

Senior Honors Theses

Female hormones, key to preparing a woman's body for childbirth, work in a magnificent, cyclical manner. It can be expected that these hormones, with the role of preparing a woman's body to conceive a child and deliver a life safely into the world, would have a large impact on the health of the female, especially when it comes to athletics. Numerous studies conducted to understand the full extent of the effect of reproductive hormones on the female body have shown that these hormones influence not only menstruation, but also various physiological and psychological elements. Such effects can certainly impact athletic …

The Bridge Newsletter Winter 2021, Missouri University Of Science And Technology

The Bridge Newsletter

-S&T contributes to infrastructure through national center
-Brinkmann leads Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission
-Wu wins NSF CAREER Award for 2D metals work
-Academy of Civil Engineers induction and 150^th celebration

Distillers' Grains: Past, Present, And Future Economic Analyses, Daniel E. Gertner

Department of Agricultural Economics: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This thesis is comprised of four chapters, each of which discusses or conducts economic research related to the distillers’ grains market. The first three chapters are meant to be standalone papers. Chapter four provides potential paths forward in distillers’ grains research based on the findings of the first three chapters and concludes the thesis.

The first chapter conducts a comprehensive literature review that categorizes and summarizes economic research on distillers’ grains products. This section shows how the physical market has moved beyond the current academic understanding of market products and structure. Existing research finds that traditional distillers’ grains products positively …

Evaluation Of A Novel Approach For Assessing Biological Activity In Agricultural Soils, Karla Melgar

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Soil health is a key factor impacting soil resilience and fertility in crop production systems. Favorable soil physical and biological conditions facilitate plant nutrient absorption and nutrient cycling. Demonstrating to farmers the impacts and changes in soil biological activity under different soil management practices has been a challenge due to the limited availability of inexpensive tools for quantifying this component of soil health. The primary goal of this study was to present a simple and readily accessible tool for evaluating soil biological activity to promote the use of organic amendments in crop fields. Research plots were established in two studies …

Evidence Of Western Corn Rootworm (Diabrotica Virgifera Virgifera Leconte) Field-Evolved Resistance To Cry3bb1 + Cry34/35ab1 Maize In Nebraska, Jordan Reinders, Emily E. Reinders, Emily Robinson, Brian W. French, Lance J. Meinke

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: Western corn rootworm (WCR; Diabrotica virgifera virgifera) field-evolved resistance to transgenic maize expressing the Cry3Bb1 protein derived from Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) has been confirmed across the United States Corn Belt. Although use of pyramided hybrids expressing Cry3Bb1 + Cry34/35Ab1 has increased in recent years to mitigate existing WCR Bt resistance, susceptibility of Nebraska WCR populations to this rootworm–Bt pyramid has not been assessed. Plant-based bioassays were used to characterize the susceptibility of WCR populations to Cry3Bb1 and Cry3Bb1 + Cry34/35Ab1 maize. Populations were collected from areas of northeastern Nebraska with a history of planting Bt maize that expressed Cry3Bb1 …

Feedback Loops At Use In Non-Profit Organizations, Chantal Guerra

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Community Bridges serves clients of all ages across Santa Cruz County through ten programs which address the needs of clients across different life stages. Serving a diverse change of client population it can become difficult to ensure client satisfaction and the agency mission is being fulfilled across all programs. The lack of a benchmark to measure overall client satisfaction does not allow for the agency to measure for discrepancies and build on continuous quality improvement. This capstone project will create a high quality client feedback loop that creates a centralized survey for the ten programs of Community Bridges. This will …

Marketing Plan: Increasing Access & Creating A Local Voice, Lizzy Hahn

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Too many youth in Santa Cruz County are not seeing their basic needs being met. Basic needs of residents include education, health and financial stability, three of the main focuses described in United Way of Santa Cruz County’s (UWSCC) mission. The pandemic has only exacerbated the effects that low-income families and individuals have experienced, with youth at the forefront of those affected. UWSCC aims it’s programming towards local at-risk youth, providing needed support services and resources to the community. When systems for distributing these services and resources were switched from in-person to predominantly virtual pathways, it became harder for low-income …

Supplementation Of The Community Action Board Of Santa Cruz County’S Commitment To Equity, Cristian Paredez

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

The Community Action Board of Santa Cruz County, Inc. (CAB) is a non-profit organization that aids low-income clients with emergency, sustaining, and self-sufficiency services through their specialized program areas. Through a micro-level assessment of the County, research indicates a growing rate of poverty among marginalized communities, particularly in the Latinx population. Inequities relating to the low-wage occupational outlook in highly populated Latinx communities coupled with a high unemployment rate in Santa Cruz County only exacerbate the cyclical issue of poverty. Among marginalized community members who are most affected, they are also faced with housing insecurity and lack of health insurance. …

Overcoming Technology Illiteracy, Yolanda Cruz

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

The Community Bridges Child & Adult Care Food Program is a non-profit organization that strives to provide yearly services to the tri-county residents of Santa Cruz County, Monterey County, and San Benito County. Amidst their service providence, the agency works diligently with daycare providers. A requirement for working daycare providers is to take annual training that incorporates new regulations from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).

Global Forces Of Change: Implications For Forest-Poverty Dynamics, Priya Shyamsundar, Laura Aileen Sauls, Jennifer Zavaleta Cheek, Kira Sullivan-Wiley, J.T. Erbaugh, P. P. Krishnapriya

Natural Resource Management Faculty Publications

This article examines global trends likely to influence forests and tree-based systems and considers the poverty implications of these interactions. The trends, identified through a series of expert discussions and review of the literature, include: (i) climatic impacts mediated through changes in forests, (ii) growth in commodity markets, (iii) shifts in private and public forest sector financing, (iv) technological advances and rising interconnectivity, (v) global socio-political movements, and (vi) emerging infectious diseases. These trends bring opportunities and risks to the forest-reliant poor. A review of available evidence suggests that in a business-as-usual scenario, the cumulative risks posed by these global …

Computational Modeling Of 3d-Printed Lactobacillus-Antibiotic Scaffolds For Bacterial Vaginosis., Veeresh P. Rai

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The standard treatment for bacterial vaginosis (BV) is currently antibiotics, such as metronidazole, clindamycin, or tinidazole. These antibiotics are highly effective in getting rid of bacteria in the female reproductive tract (FRT); however, there are some bacteria that provide benefits to the FRT which also get expunged. While there are many strains of bacteria that play a beneficial role in the FRT, lactobacilli are among the most important. These bacteria are responsible for maintaining a healthy environment in the FRT via pH regulation by lactic acid metabolism. Antibiotics eliminate all bacteria from an environment, including lactobacilli, and as a result, …

The Brown Bear Gut Microbiome: A Novel Tool For Conservation & Management, Sarah M. Trujillo

All NMU Master's Theses

Gut microbiomes (GMBs), complex communities of microorganisms inhabiting the gastrointestinal tracts of their hosts, perform countless micro-ecosystem services such as facilitating energy uptake and modulating immune responses. While scientists increasingly recognize the role GMBs play in host health, the role of GMBs in wildlife ecology and conservation has yet to be realized fully. Here, I use brown bears (Ursus arctos) as an ecological model to investigate (1) how both extrinsic and intrinsic factors influence GMB community membership and structure; and (2) the correlation between GMB membership and brown bear health metrics. To achieve these aims, I subsampled archived …

Trophic Ecology Of Juvenile Lean And Siscowet Lake Trout (Salvelinus Namaychush) From U.S. Waters Of Lake Superior, Will Otte

All NMU Master's Theses

In this study, I investigated the spatial overlap, diet similarity, and isotopic niches of juvenile Lean and Siscowet Lake Trout ecotypes across six ecoregions of Lake Superior. Spatially, Lean and Siscowet were observed in overlapping depth distributions. Leans were most abundant in shallow waters (60m). The greatest levels of cohabitation were observed in waters from 40-60m. Trophic position (as measured by δ 15N) was similar for both ecotypes at small sizes (mm), but Siscowet exhibited a higher trophic position than Lean Lake Trout at larger sizes (>400mm) and older ages (>5 years). Base of production (as measured by …

The Effects Of Energy Intake On Upper Respiratory Symptoms In Ultra-Endurance Triathletes, Yasuki Sekiguchi, Deanna M. Dempsey, Rebecca L. Stearns, Jun Hashiwaki, Robert A. Huggins, Laura J. Kunces, J. Luke Pryor, Riana R. Pryor, Brittanie M. Volk, Jenna M. Bartley, Douglas J. Casa

Journal of Human Performance in Extreme Environments

Background: It is unclear whether energy intake can impact the incidence of upper respiratory symptoms (URS). The purpose of this study was to examine if there are differences in energy intake between symptomatic (SYM) and asymptomatic (ASYM) groups of URS in Ironman-triathletes. Methods: Thirty-three subjects competing in the Lake Placid Ironman-triathlon (mean±SD; age,37±8y; height,178±8cm; mass,76.3±10.4kg; body fat,10.8±3.8%) were randomized into either the control (CON) or intervention (INT). INT consumed 4-commercial recovery drinks, two immediately post-race and two 3-hours post-race. Calorie and macronutrient intake were recorded pre-, during, and post-race. Subjects completed the Wisconsin URS Survey to assess URS over the …