Digital Commons Network^™

No. 49: Urban Food System Governance And Food Security In Namibia, Jonathan Crush, Ndeyapo Nickanor, Lawrence Kazembe

Hungry Cities Partnership

Namibia’s transition to an urban society is occurring extremely rapidly and with it has come a transformation of urban food systems, changes in diets and food consumption patterns, increased undernutrition and overnutrition, and the rapid growth of non-communicable diseases. This paper examines the policy response of the Namibian government to the nutrition transition and double burden of malnutrition with particular reference to urban centres and populations. The national government assumes responsibility for all food security and health-related programming, while local government’s mandate is largely confined to non-food related management issues such as housing, transport and sanitation. The paper shows that …

No. 46: Hunger, Anger, And Strangers: Precarious Status And Food Insecurity Among Refugees And Asylum Seekers In South Africa, Jennifer Kandjii

Hungry Cities Partnership

This discussion paper analyzes the impact of a multiplicity of actors, policies, and practices on the food security of refugees and asylum seekers in South Africa’s urban spaces. Building on recent work that focuses on the legal production of illegality, institutionalization of precarity, and the reproduction of bordering practices by the state and citizenry, the paper reviews how South Africa’s migration governance processes coalesce with societal xenophobic tendencies to shape food security outcomes for forcibly- displaced populations. The discussion paper aims to fill a policy and research gap through understanding the experiences of displaced persons at the intersection of food …

No. 47: Urban Food Security And Household Shocks In Nairobi, Kenya, Elizabeth Opiyo Onyango, Jonathan Crush, Samuel Owuor

Hungry Cities Partnership

Even though urban poverty is a key component of the development agenda in Nairobi with a focus on job creation, provision of basic infrastructure (such as roads and clean drinking water), food security has traditionally been omitted by city planners and managers despite its centrality to people’s health and wellbeing. One of the consequences of the lack of integration of food security into development planning is that emergency food preparedness planning has not been viewed as a priority. Rather, emergency procedures are only enacted when a food emergency is already in progress. This discussion paper demonstrates that female-centred households, households …

No. 83: Between Burden And Benefit: Migrant Remittances, Social Protection And Sustainable Development, Sujata Ramachandran, Jonathan Crush

Southern African Migration Programme

As the role of migrant remittances for poverty reduction, economic growth and sustainable development in sending countries gains increasing attention, this report reviews the evidence for the linkages between remittances and the social welfare of receiving households, communities and countries, as well as remitters themselves. In low and middle-income countries, where national social security systems have been underdeveloped, monetary and other assistance by family and community members have long constituted an important form of non-state social welfare. Rooted in social relationships and networks of family, kinship connections and social community, individual remittances offer informal mechanisms of social protection. The report …

Agroecology And Participatory Action Research For Food And Water Justice In Central America, Christopher M. Bacon

Environmental Studies and Sciences

I remember driving with local community leaders into northern Nicaragua’s mountains to meet with organized farmers as we continued a long-term relationship that sought to explain and construct strategic responses to drought and an El Niño event in 2016. The Famine Early Warning Systems Network warned that this area, and much of Central America, was experiencing a stage three food crisis characterized by severe food insecurity coping responses, such as skipping meals and selling assets. Yet here we found farmers that had organized themselves into a cooperative and invested not only in organic coffee for export, but also in corn …

Pediatric Feeding Interventions Across A Variety Of Diagnoses, Jenna Penning

OT Student Capstones

Pediatric feeding disorders can compromise a child’s health status leading to serious long-term consequences including failure to thrive due to inadequate nutrition (Carter et al., 2014). Therefore, specialized feeding intervention approaches are needed to address pediatric feeding difficulties (Carter et al., 2014). Although various treatment approaches are provided for addressing pediatric feeding difficulties, differences occur in the preferred delivery form for effectively implementing feeding interventions (Howe & Wang, 2013). Occupational therapists have the skill set to address pediatric feeding difficulties through implementing behavioral interventions, sensory and oral motor-based interventions, and family-based interventions (Henton, 2018; Nadler et al., 2019; Snider et …

Fatigue And Its Relationship With Disease-Related Factors In Patients With Systemicsclerosis: A Cross-Sectional Study, Hazal Yakut, Sevgi̇ Özalevli̇, Ahmet Meri̇h Bi̇rli̇k

Turkish Journal of Medical Sciences

Background/aim: Fatigue is very common symptom in patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc) and adversely affects health-related quality of life and the ability to perform daily living activities. This study aimed to determine the severity of fatigue, and its related factors, in patients with SSc. Materials and methods: A total of 35 patients with SSc (6 males and 29 females, mean age of 50.71 ± 10.09 years) and 35 healthy control subjects (8 males and 27 females, mean age of 54.14 ± 9.51 years) were included in this study. The Fatigue Impact Scale for fatigue, Modified Medical Research Council Scale for …

Deceive, Profit, Repeat: Public Deception Schemes To Conceal Product Dangers, Wes Henricksen

Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Nita Faye Ferguson

University Archives Photograph Collection

Nita Faye Ferguson presenting Food and Nutrition chart

Nutrition Department Display Mississippi A&M

University Archives Photograph Collection

Healthland model town display by Mississippi Extension Department A&M College

Nutritional Information

University Archives Photograph Collection

Women reading about food groups

Implementation Of Diabetes Self-Management Education And Training For Clinical Nurses, Appolonia Okereke

Regis University Student Publications (comprehensive collection)

Diabetes mellitus is a chronic metabolic condition characterized by microvascular and macrovascular complications due to high blood glucose levels (CDC, 2014). Diabetes results in various complications, such as increased risks for heart illness by about two to four-folds, adult-onset blindness, lower-limb amputations, and kidney failure. It also lowers life expectancy by about 15 years

Developing Sustainable Solar-Powered Electricity For Rural Ethiopia, Yonas Workie Cherenet

Regis University Student Publications (comprehensive collection)

The main objective of this capstone paper is to identify the barriers in developing sustainable solar-powered electricity for rural Ethiopia and to review solutions and access the practical challenges using a case study called “Maji Decentralized Off-grid Solar Energy Project (MDOSEP)”. The findings in the case study showed that even though there are many challenges in providing solar solutions for an entire rural community, it is possible to have an impact step-by-step using different approaches. The project used PAYGO payment option for distribution of Solar Home Systems (SHS) in which customers pay a deposit, and commit to making ongoing payments, …

Development Of A Comprehensive Web-Based Prehabilitation Program For Gastrointestinal Cancer Survivors, Eric Norman, Maryam Nahidian, Amy J. Litterini, Timothy Fitzgerald

Case Report Posters

Background: Individuals with frailty who undergo surgical procedures for gastrointestinal cancers are more likely to experience post-surgical complications, have a higher readmission rate, are more likely to be discharged to skilled care, and have an over four-fold risk of mortality. Developing targeted patient education tools and resources may support, and reduce complications for, individuals with frailty undergoing and recovering from major abdominal surgery.
Methods: Program development began via the Delphi Method, including three survey iterations distributed to top experts in the field of Oncologic Physical Therapy. Results achieved expert consensus for exercise parameters. Brief, simple to understand exercise videos and …

The Role Of Maternal Education And Child Gender On Children’S Fine Motor Skill Development, Beatrix Anne Lavigueur

Open Access Master's Theses

Maternal education has been found to be a proximal measure of household income and has been directly linked to a child’s cognitive, social, and academic outcomes (Augustine et al., 2009; Harding, 2015; Kalil et al., 2012). Additionally, several studies examining children’s development found that children’s fine motor skills are the skillset that have a higher likelihood of experiencing delays when correlated with household socioeconomic status (Doulabi et al., 2017). The present study examined the relationship between children’s fine motor skills and maternal education and contributes to the literature in that it strictly examined a low-income sample population. The first wave …

Marginalized Voices: Stories Of Resilience Among At-Risk Youth In Southern China, Lynne Ruth Picker

All Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The stories of at-risk minority youth living in rural southern China, are stories waiting to be told. These are the stories of trauma and courage as they discover their pathway from risk to resilience. This study points to the need for continued study on the cultural dimensions of risk and resilience in the lives of rural minority youth in developing countries. A phenomenological approach was deployed in the qualitative study to explore the lived experiences of rural minority youth who grew up in the Family Village Care Center. The participants were Yao and Zhuang nationality who all experienced trauma in …

An Examination Of Sport Participation Tracking And Adult Physical Activity For Participants Of The Michigan State University Motor Performance Study, Eric M. Martin, Larissa True, Karin A. Pfeiffer, Shannon R. Siegel, Crystal F. Branta, Dave Wisner, John Haubenstricker, Vern Seefeldt

Kinesiology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Research tracking sport participation from youth to adulthood is relatively rare, as is research that tracks youth sport participation with regard to adult physical activity (PA) levels, especially in the United States. Aims of this study were: 1) To investigate the degree to which sport participation tracked across youth, adolescence, and early adulthood in a sample of participants from the Michigan State University Motor Performance Study (MPS), and 2) Determine if differences existed in their levels of adult PA relative to prior sport participation. In total, 256 (60.8%) former participants from the MPS completed follow-up surveys regarding routine sport participation …

Tolle Lege Works Published In 2021, Mcquade Library

Bibliographies

Compiled Tolle Lege bibliography of works published by members of the Merrimack College Community in 2021. Works include journal articles, books, book chapters, conference presentations and posters, and more.

Paternal Ages And Genetic Diseases And Congenital Anomalies, Neda Hamood

Honors Undergraduate Theses

The purpose of this thesis is to investigate the link between advanced paternal ages (APA) (i.e., APA ≥ 35 years and APA ≥ 50 years) and genetic diseases and congenital anomalies. Currently, the relationship between both advanced paternal ages and genetic diseases and congenital anomalies remains unclear. However, there is room for improvement to systematically investigate the relationship between specific congenital anomalies in newborns and advanced paternal ages. More recently, the link between advanced paternal age (as opposed to existing studies analyzing advanced maternal age alone) and genetic diseases has been recognized by researchers, epidemiologists, and various health experts. Thus, …

Role Of Rela In Dormancy And Toxr Proteolysis In Vibrio Cholerae, Zachary J. Malaussena

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Vibrio cholerae, the etiological agent of the severe diarrheal disease cholera, is an enteric pathogen that can be found in aquatic ecosystems when not colonizing the human gastrointestinal tract. Under adverse environmental conditions, V. cholerae is capable of entering dormant states that increase its survival during these ecological fluctuations. In these states, V. cholerae slows its metabolic activity and exhibits drastically altered gene expression and morphology. Stressors that lead to entry into these states vary from nutrient limitation, suboptimal pH, or antimicrobials. Cells in these dormant states are highly resistant to antimicrobials and cannot be detected using standard microbiological techniques …

Gypsum-Exclusive Plants Accumulate More Leaf S Than Non-Exclusive Species Both In And Off Gypsum, Andreu Cera, Gabriel Montserrat-Martí, Juan Pedro Ferrio, Rebecca E. Drenovsky, Sara Palacio

2021 Faculty Bibliography

Gypsum-exclusive species (gypsophiles), are restricted to gypseous soils in natural environments. However, it is unclear why gypsophiles display greater affinity to gyspeous soils than other soils. These plants are edaphic endemics, growing in alkaline soils with high Ca and S. Gypsophiles tend to show higher foliar Ca and S, lower K and, sometimes, higher Mg than non-exclusive gypsum species, named gypsovags. Our aim was to test if the unique leaf elemental signature of gypsophiles could be the result of special nutritional requirements linked to their specificity to gypseous soils. These nutritional requirements could hamper the completion of their life cycle …

Exploited And Empowered Inclusion: Contesting The Flawed Consumer In The United States, Wendy A. Wiedenhoft Murphy

2021 Faculty Bibliography

Compared to affluent consumers, the consumption practices of poor and low-income consumers have received less attention in the global North, where they have been marginalized as flawed. This paper hopes to address this neglect by providing an exploratory profile of poor and low-income consumers in the United States. It will challenge that these consumers are flawed by explaining how they participate in consumer society via exploitative inclusion and empowered inclusion. It concludes by suggesting ways that less affluent consumers can experience expanded empowerment.

Changes In Health Behaviors During A Global Pandemic, Olivia Talamo

Senior Honors Projects

Coronavirus (COVID-19) is an infectious disease caused by the binding of SARS-CoV-2 to ACE-2 receptors. COVID-19 was first discovered in Wuhan, China in December of 2019 (CDC). By March 11, 2020 the World Health Organization (WHO) declared COVID-19 a worldwide pandemic. A COVID-19 infection can cause severe health consequences, including death. COVID-19 affects individuals of all ages. Individuals who are 60 years of age or older, and individuals with underlying medical conditions are considered vulnerable populations for severe consequences from COVID-19 infection (WHO). COVID-19 primarily spreads through physical contact. Respiratory droplets are produced from the nose and mouth when speaking, …

Ms Environmental Biology Capstone Project, Emily Ramos

Regis University Student Publications (comprehensive collection)

1. Impacts on Human Health from Deforestation and Aerosol Pollution in the Brazilian Amazon

2. Impacts of the 2020 Colorado Wildfires on Human Respiratory and Cardiovascular Health

3. A Quantitative Analysis on How Mechanical Thinning Impacts Pinyon Jay (Gymnorhinus cyanocephalus) Occupancy in Southern Colorado

4. Resolving Environmental, Economic, and Political Tensions of the Controversial Keystone XL Pipeline

How To Sell A Dinosaur Club Curriculum, Ronit Gandhi, Lilly Zhou

Honors Program: Expanded Learning Clubs

After school club that reads "How to Sell a Dinosaur" that integrates creativity and abstract thinking into an advertising-focused experience.

A Race Around The World, Lilly Zhou

Honors Program: Expanded Learning Clubs

Afterschool club that learns about different cultures, foods, holidays, and landmarks from countries around the world through interactive presentations. Hands-on activities help the students focus on teamwork, creativity, and active recall.

Association Between Serum Vitamin D And Bone Mineral Density In Us Population, Hamza M. Sultan

Master of Public Health Program Student Publications

Osteoporosis is a condition where the bones become weak that affects 12.6% of the United States (US) population over 50 years of age. Vitamin D helps to improve bone health as it functions in helping reabsorb calcium from the intestines. Several studies have been conducted on the effects of vitamin D on Bone Mineral Density (BMD), where it has shown that insufficient vitamin D is associated with a reduction in BMD. The purpose is to determine the relationship between serum vitamin D and BMD of the femoral neck in the US population in National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) …

Food Edu-Care In The Primary Curriculum: A Collaborative Case Study In An Inner City Deis Gaelscoil, Caroline Mcgowan

Theses, Doctoral

This applied case study explored the role of food education and its potential to nurture the lives of children who may experience disadvantage socially, culturally and economically. The research concedes at the outset that the role of ‘food’ in education is complex, that schools do not deal with curriculum matters alone but also with social justice policy issues, and that school-based ‘food poverty’ policy interventions to date are broadly motivated by nutritional concerns.

The research was informed by a critical pedagogy perspective using a collaborative enquiry design focused on individual and collective agency at the school level. Multiple theoretical and …

The Contribution Of Different Permanent Tooth Types To Untreated Caries: Implications For Public Health Surveillance And Prevention, Susan O. Griffin, Liang Wei, Shillpa Naavaal, Eleanor Fleming

Dental Public Health and Policy Publications

Background: Untreated caries (UC), although highly prevalent, is largely preventable. Information on the contribution of different teeth to UC prevalence and severity could be helpful in evaluating UC surveillance protocols and the relative benefits of caries prevention interventions.

Methods: The authors combined data from 3 cycles (2011-2016) of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey for participants aged 6 through 11 years, 12 through 19 years, 20 through 34 years, 35 through 49 years, 50 through 64 years, 65 through 74 years, and 75 years and older. For each age group the authors calculated the contribution of successive permanent tooth …

Graduate Medical Education Annual Report 2020-2021, Children's Mercy Hospital

GME Annual Reports

Annual report of the Children's Mercy Hospital Graduate Medical Education department, including pediatric residency, internal medicine/pediatrics residency, fellowship programs, medical students, continuing medical education, and library services.