Digital Commons Network^™

Advancing Livelihoods And Transformation Of Rural Women: The Role Of Critical Pedagogy In Bridging Gender Gap In South Africa, Sampson Tawiah, Itumeleng Setlhodi

Journal of International Women's Studies

The essence of advancing livelihoods is to heighten socio-economic transformation among the poor, especially rural women through education. The statement above suggests that locating these women as critical stakeholders and affording them opportunities to improve their skills and knowledge can advance values significantly. In the country in general, rural women generate less income as compared to men. Hence, educational practices geared toward women are to address this gap. Transformation, however, does not come cheap. It takes consented effort on educators, learners, and society to embrace educational provisions, programs, and new teaching methods for a sustainable change, especially for rural women. …

A Qualitative Exploration Of Women’S Self-Knowledge And Perception Surrounding Their Reproductive Bodies, Lauren Anderson, Marcia D. Nichols

Journal of International Women's Studies

This study examines what happens when a defined normal, in the sociocultural context of western civilization, does not align with women’s diverse experiences of their bodies throughout their reproductive lifespan. The study explores women’s frequent negative affects surrounding their reproductive bodies driven by western culture’s societal definition of normal. Using modified interview questions from Emily Martin’s 1987 study: The Woman in the Body, which help examine women’s perception of achieving womanhood through their corporeal experiences including menarche, menstruation, menopause, and pregnancy, this study strives to explore questions that women have about their bodies during their reproductive lifespan: How does …

Breaking Free From The Stringent Fetters Of Patriarchy: The Discourse Of Resistance In Vijay Tendulkar’S Silence! The Court Is In Session, Oliva Roy

Journal of International Women's Studies

For centuries, the Brahminical social order in India has endorsed hegemonic masculinity and reinforced as well as legitimized a pseudo-equal relationship between men and women in Indian traditional, orthodox society, where men exercise coercive power, authority and dominance over women. Throughout the past centuries, women have experienced marginalization, suffered exploitation, discrimination and subjugation in every sphere of life, notably in economic affairs, political activities and decision-making processes. Women have been labelled as the ‘inferior strata’, the ‘voiceless other’ and the ‘subaltern’ in our society. Vijay Tendulkar, the doyen of Marathi theatre, has portrayed women, not as weak and submissive victims …

Collateral Damage From Agricultural Netting To Open-Country Bird Populations In Thailand, Rongrong Angkaew, Philip D. Round, Dusit Ngoprasert, Larkin A. Powell

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Nets are used across a wide variety of food production landscapes to control avian pests typically resulting in deaths of entangled birds. However, the impact of nets on bird populations is a human–wildlife conflict that remains mostly unquantified. Here, we examined the scale of netting in the central plains of Thailand, a region dominated by ricefields, among which aquaculture ponds are increasingly interspersed. Nets/exclusion types, number of individual birds and species caught were recorded on 1312 road-survey transects (2-km length × 0.4-km width). We also interviewed 104 local farmers. The transect sampling took place in late- September 2020, and from …

Mercury Biomagnification In A Coastal Louisiana Food Web Following The 2010 Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill, Katelyn J. Lamb, Stephen R. Midway, Rebecka L. Brasso, Paola C. López-Duarte, Matthew E. Kimball, Michael J. Polito

Faculty Publications

The estuarine environments surrounding coastal Louisiana create favorable conditions for microbially mediated mercury (Hg) methylation and subsequent bioaccumulation by biota. In 2010, the Deepwater Horizon (DWH) oil spill released large amounts of oil which, despite having low Hg concentrations, had the potential to influence methylmercury (MeHg) bioavailability in the coastal zone. To explore this possibility, we assessed Hg concentrations and trophodynamics in the coastal Louisiana food web prior to and immediately following the DWH oil spill and compared these metrics with an adjacent coastal ecosystem in the northern Gulf of Mexico. We found no differences in MeHg concentrations between oysters …

Socioeconomic Status And Physical Attractiveness In Partner Selection 32 Years Later: An Empirical Replication And Extension Of Townsend And Levy (1990), Elena Kelsey Henderson

Theses and Dissertations

Partnership is a universal part of human existence. Human partner selection has been long studied within evolutionary and sociocultural frameworks. One study by Townsend and Levy (1990) found that physical attractiveness and socioeconomic status influence male and female partner selection in distinct ways. The present study replicated and extended the work of Townsend and Levy, investigating how physical attractiveness, socioeconomic status, and race and ethnicity influence relationship willingness at various levels of involvement. A repeated measures ANOVA was conducted, and planned post hoc pairwise comparisons and parameter estimates were analyzed. We analyzed responses from 503 single American adults of four …

Drone-Based Water Sampling And Characterization Of Three Freshwater Harmful Algal Blooms In The United States, Regina Hanlon, Stephen J. Jacquemin, Johnna A. Birbeck, Judy A. Westrick, Charbel Harb, Hope Gruszewski, Andrew P. Ault, Durelle Scott, Hosein Foroutan, Shane D. Ross, Javier González-Rocha, Craig Powers, Lowell Pratt, Harry Looney, Greg Baker, David G. Schmale

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Freshwater harmful algal blooms (HABs), caused mostly by toxic cyanobacteria, produce a range of cyanotoxins that threaten the health of humans and domestic animals. Climate conditions and anthropogenic influences such as agricultural run-off can alter the onset and intensity of HABs. Little is known about the distribution and spread of freshwater HABs. Current sampling protocols in some lakes involve teams of researchers that collect samples by hand from a boat and/or from the shoreline. Water samples can be collected from the surface, from discrete-depth collections, and/or from depth-integrated intervals. These collections are often restricted to certain months of the year, …

Office Of Research, Economic Engagement And Outreach Update, August 24, 2022, Office Of Research, Economic Engagement And Outreach

Office of Research, Economic Engagement and Outreach

No abstract provided.

Characterizing A Muc4-Based Nanovaccine And Enhancing Its Efficacy By Targeting The Endothelin Axis, Mansi Gulati

Theses & Dissertations

Pancreatic cancer (PC) is a lethal malignancy claiming over 49000 lives in the US in 2022. It is established as an immunosuppressive tumor that assists tumor pathogenesis and is associated with poor response to chemotherapy, radiation and immunotherapy. Immunotherapy is hampered by lack of neoantigens, upregulation of checkpoint molecules and obstructive stroma. PC is characterized by aberrant upregulation of mucins, and MUC4 is one of the differentially overexpressed mucins. Due to its overexpression and functional involvement in pathobiology, MUC4 has emerged as a promising therapeutic target. However, the excessive fibrosis and immunosuppression in the pancreatic tumor microenvironment (TME) are challenges …

Role Of Nucleobindin-2/Nesfatin-1 In The Regulation Of Energetic Status And Maternal Mouthbrooding In The Cichlid Fish, Astatotilapia Burtoni, Saachi Chugh

LSU Master's Theses

Feeding and energetics are fundamental processes in all species that must also be balanced with reproductive investment. The peptide hormone nesfatin-1 is encoded by the nucleobindin-2(nucb2) gene and has recently emerged as a key player involved in both feeding and reproduction across vertebrates. How nesfatin-1 might help regulate trade-offs between feeding and reproduction, however, are relatively unexplored. The female cichlid fish Astatotilapia burtoniis an ideal system to examine the role of nesfatin-1 in regulating metabolic and reproductive functions because this species cycles between a gravid feeding state while preparing to mate, followed by a forced starvation …

Implementing Affordable Socially Assistive Pet Robots In Care Homes Before And During The Covid-19 Pandemic: Stratified Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial And Mixed Methods Study, Hannah Bradwell, Katie J. Edwards, Rhona Winnington, Serge Thill, Victoria Allgar, Ray B. Jones

School of Nursing and Midwifery

No abstract provided.

The Primacy Of Property; Or, The Subordination Of Property Rights, Bart J. Wilson

ESI Publications

A property right, the standard view maintains, is a proper subset of the most complete and comprehensive set of incidents for full ownership of a thing. The subsidiary assumption is that the pieces that are property rights compose the whole that is ownership or property, i.e., that property rights explain property. In reversing the standard view I argue that (1) a custom of intelligent and meaningful human action explains property and that (2) as a custom, property is a historical process of selecting actions conditional on the context. My task is to explain how a physical world of human bodies …

Cellular Bioenergetics: Experimental Evidence For Alcohol-Induced Adaptations, Liz Simon, Patricia E. Molina

School of Medicine Faculty Publications

At-risk alcohol use is associated with multisystemic effects and end-organ injury, and significantly contributes to global health burden. Several alcohol-mediated mechanisms have been identified, with bioenergetic maladaptation gaining credence as an underlying pathophysiological mechanism contributing to cellular injury. This evidence-based review focuses on the current knowledge of alcohol-induced bioenergetic adaptations in metabolically active tissues: liver, cardiac and skeletal muscle, pancreas, and brain. Alcohol metabolism itself significantly interferes with bioenergetic pathways in tissues, particularly the liver. Alcohol decreases states of respiration in the electron transport chain, and activity and expression of respiratory complexes, with a net effect to decrease ATP content. …

Understanding The Effects Of Phthalate Exposure, Karen Orenshteyn

Graduate Student Dissertations, Theses, Capstones, and Portfolios

Phthalates are found in nearly all everyday products; therefore, human exposure is inevitable. Phthalates are groups of chemicals classified as plasticizers that help increase the durability and shelf life of whatever product they are put into. The effects of phthalates can occur prenatally and throughout adulthood. Despite phthalates being understood to be endocrine disruptors, chemicals that block hormones and certain receptors, phthalate use within plastics is increasing every year- raising concern to find different alternatives. This research analysis will aim to define and explain what phthalates are and where they are found along with the harmful effects that occur due …

Mechanisms And Roles Of Dynamic Actin Assembly Around Dysfunctional Mitochondria, Tak Shun Fung

Dartmouth College Ph.D Dissertations

Possessing the ability to efficiently generate ATP required to sustain cellular functions, mitochondria are often considered the ‘powerhouses of the cell’. However, our understanding of mitochondria in cell biology was further expanded when we recognized that communication between this unique organelle and the rest of the cell regulates cellular bioenergetics, metabolism and signaling processes such as mitophagy and apoptosis. Here, I investigate signaling between mitochondria and the actin cytoskeleton, and how this signaling regulates mitochondrial dynamics and cellular function. Specifically, I find that, upon mitochondrial dysfunction, actin polymerizes rapidly around the dysfunctional organelle, which we term ‘acute damage-induced actin’ (ADA). …

Metabolomics Reveals Mouse Plasma Metabolite Responses To Acute Exercise And Effects Of Disrupting Ampk-Glycogen Interactions, Mehdi R. Belhaj, Nathan G. Lawler, John A. Hawley, David I. Broadhurst, Nolan J. Hoffman, Stacey N. Reinke

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Introduction: The AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) is a master regulator of energy homeostasis that becomes activated by exercise and binds glycogen, an important energy store required to meet exercise-induced energy demands. Disruption of AMPK-glycogen interactions in mice reduces exercise capacity and impairs whole-body metabolism. However, the mechanisms underlying these phenotypic effects at rest and following exercise are unknown. Furthermore, the plasma metabolite responses to an acute exercise challenge in mice remain largely uncharacterized. Methods : Plasma samples were collected from wild type (WT) and AMPK double knock-in (DKI) mice with disrupted AMPK-glycogen binding at rest and following 30-min submaximal treadmill …

Roundup And Glyphosate’S Impact On Gaba To Elicit Extended Proconvulsant Behavior In Caenorhabditis Elegans, Akshay Naraine, Rebecca Aker, Isis Sweeney, Meghan Kalvey, Alexis Surtel, Venkatesh Shanbhag, Ken Dawson-Scully

Chemistry and Physics Faculty Articles

As 3 billion pounds of herbicides are sprayed over farmlands every year, it is essential to advance our understanding how pesticides may influence neurological health and physiology of both humans and other animals. Studies are often one-dimensional as the majority examine glyphosate by itself. Farmers and the public use commercial products, like Roundup, containing a myriad of chemicals in addition to glyphosate. Currently, there are no neurological targets proposed for glyphosate and little comparison to Roundup. To investigate this, we compared how glyphosate and Roundup affect convulsant behavior in C. elegans and found that glyphosate and Roundup increased seizure-like behavior. …

Update On The Management Of Vitamins And Minerals In Cystic Fibrosis, Senthilkumar Sankararaman

Faculty Scholarship

Advancements in respiratory and nutrition management have significantly improved the survival of patients with cystic fibrosis (CF). With the availability of several nutrition interventions such as oral/enteral nutrition supplements, enteric-coated pancreatic enzymes, and water-miscible CF-specific vitamin supplements, frank vitamin deficiencies—with the exception of vitamin D—are rarely encountered in current clinical practice. Whereas they were previously considered as micronutrients, our current understanding of fat-soluble vitamins and minerals as antioxidants, immunomodulators, and disease biomarkers has been evolving. The impact of highly effective modulators on the micronutrient status of patients with CF remains elusive. This narrative review focuses on the updates on the …

Ms 059 Guide To Samuel Dreizen, Dds, Md Papers (1946-1992), Samuel Dreizen (1918-1994)

Manuscript Finding Aids

The Samuel Dreizen, DDS, MD papers contains 35mm slides, glass slides, reprints, medical and dental school course notes, lecture notes, faculty workshop records, and models that document Dr. Dreizen's education, work, and colleagues in the field of dentistry. Collection includes records from University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston and UT Dental Branch. See more at MS 059.

Relieving Immune Suppression In The Melanoma Tumor Microenvironment, Gretel Torres Santiesteban

Dartmouth College Ph.D Dissertations

The high immunogenicity of melanoma tumors makes these malignancies an attractive target for immunotherapeutic treatment, as evidenced by the success of ipilimumab and nivolumab. However, most immunotherapeutic approaches have had limited success, partly due to the suppression of innate and adaptive immune responses by tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) in the tumor microenvironment (TME). TAM redirection may relieve immunosuppression in the TME, directly inhibiting melanoma growth and potentially enhancing the efficacy of additional targeted and immuno-therapies.

We have shown that synthetic oleanane triterpenoid CDDO-Me (or C-Me) enhances immune activation in the melanoma TME by reprogramming TAMs from immunosuppressive to immunostimulatory. CDDO-Me is …

Hawks On The Hunt, Sarah Schaier

UNH Today Archive

No abstract provided.

Layer-Specific Developmentally Precise Axon Targeting Of Transient Suppressed-By-Contrast Retinal Ganglion Cells (Tsbc Rgcs), Nai-Wen Tien, Carmela Vitale, Tudor C Badea, Daniel Kerschensteiner

2020-Current year OA Pubs

The mouse retina encodes diverse visual features in the spike trains of >40 retinal ganglion cell (RGC) types. Each RGC type innervates a specific subset of the >50 retinorecipient brain areas. Our catalog of RGC types and feature representations is nearing completion. Yet, we know little about where specific RGC types send their information. Furthermore, the developmental strategies by which RGC axons choose their targets and pattern their terminal arbors remain obscure. Here, we identify a genetic intersection (

C10pred: A First Machine Learning Based Tool To Predict C10 Family Cysteine Peptidases Using Sequence-Derived Features, Adeel Malik, Nitin Mahajan, Tanveer Ali Dar, Chang-Bae Kim

2020-Current year OA Pubs

No abstract provided.

Introduction: Festivalisation As A Contested Urban Strategy, Andrew Smith, Guy Osborn, Bernadette Quinn

Research Outputs: 2025-Present

No abstract provided.

Future Crop Risk Estimation Due To Drought, Extreme Temperature, Hail, Lightning, And Tornado At The Census Tract Level In Louisiana, Rubayet Bin Mostafiz, Robert V. Rohli, Carol J. Friedland, Melanie Gall, Nazla Bushra

Faculty Publications

Louisiana is one of the most hazard-prone states in the U.S., and many of its people are engaged directly or indirectly in agricultural activities that are impacted by an array of weather hazards. However, most hazard impact research on agriculture to date, for Louisiana and elsewhere, has focused on floods and hurricanes. This research develops a method of future crop loss risk assessment due to droughts, extreme low and high temperatures, hail, lightning, and tornadoes, using Louisiana as a case study. This approach improves future crop risk assessment by incorporating historical crop loss, historical and modeled future hazard intensity, cropland …

Narratives Close The Gap: The Limited Role Of Temporal Distance In Binding Events Into Coherent Memories, Angelique Delarazan

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

Temporal information has been identified as a powerful influence on memory retrieval. Much of this arise from studies that tend to focus on associations between items. In contrast, real-life experiences consist of discrete events that encompass more than mere associations. While events can be remembered based on temporal proximity, events that are farther apart in time can also be linked together by forming a coherent narrative. Given that daily experiences are multifaceted, it is unclear to what extent prior work generalizes to real-world memories. Here, we sought to determine the influence of temporal features and narrative coherence on memory for …

Clinical Ophthalmic Parameters Of The Quaker Parrot (Myiopsitta Monachus), Emily Halsmer, Jennifer Jill Heatley Ms, Dvm, Dabvp (Avian, Reptilian, Amphibian), Daczm, Erin M. Scott Dvm, Dacvo

Research Day

Purpose: Ophthalmic diagnosis in many avian species remains hindered by lack of normative values. This study aimed to establish normal ophthalmic parameters for select diagnostic tests in clinically normal Quaker parrots. Methods: Ninety-six captive Quaker parrots ages 8-18 years underwent ophthalmic examination to include assessment of neuro-ophthalmic reflexes, phenol red thread test, rebound tonometry, fluorescein staining, palpebral fissure length measurements, slit lamp biomicroscopy, indirect fundoscopy, and ocular ultrasound biometry. Results: Menace response, dazzle reflex, and direct pupillary light reflex were present for all Quaker parrots. Tear production (mean ± SD) was 13.3 ± 4.0 mm/15 sec and intraocular pressure (IOP, …

Metabolic Model Of Necrotizing Enterocolitis In The Premature Newborn Gut Resulting From Enteric Dysbiosis, Giorgio Casaburi, Jingjing Wei, Sufyan Kazi, Junlin Liu, Kewei Wang, Guo-Zhong Tao, Po-Yu Lin, James C. Y. Dunn, Bethany M. Henrick, Steven A. Frese, Karl G. Sylvester

Department of Nutrition and Health Sciences: Faculty Publications

Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) is a leading cause of premature newborn morbidity and mortality. The clinical features of NEC consistently include prematurity, gut dysbiosis and enteral inflammation, yet the pathogenesis remains obscure. Herein we combine metagenomics and targeted metabolomics, with functional in vivo and in vitro assessment, to define a novel molecular mechanism of NEC. One thousand six hundred and forty seven publicly available metagenomics datasets were analyzed (NEC = 245; healthy = 1,402) using artificial intelligence methodologies. Targeted metabolomic profiling was used to quantify the concentration of specified fecal metabolites at NEC onset (n = 8), during recovery ( …

Understanding The Views Of Beef Show Cattle Parents And The Reasons Why Their Children Participate In Beef Cattle Shows, Matt Schiel

LSU Master's Theses

The population for this qualitative study were 10 families who participated in showing a heifer at the 2022 Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo during the junior heifer show weekend. The families were all from Texas. This study examined why parents allow their children to participate in showing cattle using a case study design. The study was grounded in human capital theory. Interviews and observations were used for the study’s findings. Results showed that the children who showed beef cattle learned responsibility, interpersonal skills, character development, and hard work.

Future research topics include further case studies using the same methodology …

Image Analysis For Characterization Of Microtubule Protrusions, Haomin Yu

Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science Independent Study

The dynamics of microtubules is central to how cells probe their environment and adopt both morphology and phenotypic fate. The length and dynamics of the protrusions that microtubules drive may be affected by the growth environment of a cell. This independent study project aimed to obtain data on the relationship between environment and microtubule disposition through integrated experiments and analysis. PDMS models in different sizes were fabricated by photolithography technology. The diameters of the PDMS model used in this experiment were 50, 75, 100, and 200 microns, respectively. A single 3T3 cell was grown in the PDMS model. After the …