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Climate And Intraspecific Geographic Variation Of Nests And Eggs In The Eastern Kingbird Tyrannus Tyrannus, Samantha Marie Gillette

Dissertations and Theses

The reproductive success of birds is ultimately driven by the traits of nests, eggs, and incubation behavior and the interactions among them. Avian reproduction varies on large geographic scales, most prominently between tropic- vs. temperate-breeding species, but also on finer scales, such as along latitudinal and elevational geographic gradients. However, despite the importance of eggs and nests, how their traits vary geographically in response to differences in regional climate remains understudied.

We studied Eastern Kingbirds (Tyrannus tyrannus), which have been previously demonstrated to alter incubation length in response to local climate conditions. Our study sites, Kansas (KS), New …

Immunogenicity And Efficacy Of Non-Adjuvant Tissue Culture-Based Rabies Vaccine Produced In Ethiopia, Birhanu Hurisa, A Mengesha, G Kebede, A Godana, A Adhanom, S Kerga, D Nigussie, H Lemma, A Kebede, B Newayesiliasie, G Gebrewold, D Bankovskiy, A Metlin, K Urga

Vaccine Technology VIII

Rabies is 100% fatal, but it is preventable. More than 95% of human rabies cases occur in improperly treated individuals. This is partly due to the fact that modern post-exposure rabies prophylaxis is expensive and therefore not readily available in many endemic regions. Nervous tissue vaccine has been in use for more than 100yrs. These vaccines have now been superseded in purity, potency, immunogenicity and safety. The efficacy and immunogenicity of inactivated tissue culture rabies vaccine, produced in Ethiopia was evaluated. Twelve experimental dogs from local breed were duly conditioned during a quarantine period and assigned to two groups randomly. …

Increasing Of Pk15 Biomass For Pcv Viral Antigen Production Using Modelbased And Media Optimization Strategies That Consider Cellular Metabolic Requirements, Ziomara Gerdtzen, Felipe Véliz, Gerardo Flores, Felipe Sánchez, Andrea Villanueva, Kurt Pohlhammer, Daniel Morales, J. Cristian Salgado, Iván Valdés, Harold Oliva, Samuel Valdevenito

Vaccine Technology VIII

Porcine circovirus associated disease (PCVD) is responsible for a significant economic loss in the livestock industry. A vaccine based on a viral antigen has been developed to prevent this disease, and it is produced industrially in the pig’s kidney cell line PK15. However, both biomass and viral antigen production are limited in the current attachment culture bioprocess set-up.

Please click Download on the upper right corner to see the full abstract.

Early Depression Screening And The Effects On Postpartum Depression, Tara Udy

Master of Science in Nursing Family Nurse Practitioner

Postpartum depression is as common as 3-22% of women. More and more studies are finding that one of the leading risk factors for postpartum depression is perinatal depression. With early screening during pregnancy, these women can be referred to proper treatment early and may reduce the risk of poor prenatal outcome for the patient and the baby. Use of the internet and mobile phone applications can make early screening easy and quick, using the EPDS as the gold standard for perinatal depression screening.

Divergent Evolution Of Extreme Production Of Variant Plant Monounsaturated Fatty Acids, Lu Gan, Kiyoul Park, Jin Chai, Evan M. Updike, Hyojin Kim, Adam Voshall, Sairam Behera, Xiao-Hong Yu, Yuanheng Cai, Chunyu Zhang, Mark A. Wilson, Jeffrey P. Mower, Etsuko Moriyama, Chi Zhang, Sireewan Kaewsuwan, Qun Liu, John Shanklin, Edgar B. Cahoon

Center for Plant Science Innovation: Faculty Publications

Metabolic extremes provide opportunities to understand enzymatic and metabolic plasticity and biotechnological tools for novel biomaterial production. We discovered that seed oils of many Thunbergia species contain up to 92% of the unusual monounsaturated petroselinic acid (18:1Δ6), one of the highest reported levels for a single fatty acid in plants. Supporting the biosynthetic origin of petroselinic acid, we identified a Δ6-stearoyl-acyl carrier protein (18:0-ACP) desaturase from Thunbergia laurifolia, closely related to a previously identified Δ6-palmitoyl-ACP desaturase that produces sapienic acid (16:1Δ6)- rich oils in Thunbergia alata seeds. Guided by a T. laurifolia desaturase crystal structure obtained in this study, …

Gender Inequality And The Division Of Labor In The Home During Covid-19: A Literature Review, Ella F. Jackson

University Honors Theses

The current Covid-19 pandemic has dramatically impacted families in the United States as working parents face increased demand for domestic labor at home while losing community and institutional support through pandemic closures. By integrating emerging research on gender norms and expectations regarding the division of household labor for working parents, the impact of Covid-19 on working mothers, and the gendered impact of infrastructure and the pandemic response in the United States, I aim to provide a holistic conceptualization and analysis of gender inequality and the division of labor in the home during the Covid-19 pandemic. Through summarizing and analyzing current …

Complex Role Of Microbiome In Pancreatic Tumorigenesis: Potential Therapeutic Implications, Suneetha Amara, Li V. Yang, Venkataswarup Tiriveedhi, Mahvish Muzaffar

Biology Faculty Research

Pancreatic cancer (PC) is the fourth leading cause of cancer-related mortality with limited diagnostic and therapeutic options. Although immunotherapy has shown promise in the treatment of several cancers, its role in pancreatic cancer is rather limited. Several studies have focused on determining the role of the tumor microenvironment with cancer-cell-intrinsic events and tumor-infiltrating immune cellular properties. However, in the past decade, there has been emerging research aimed at delineating the role of the host microbiome, including the metabolites from microbes and host responses, on pancreatic tumorigenesis. Importantly, there is emerging evidence suggesting the beneficial role of a gut microbiome transplant …

Resource Mobilization Combined With Motivational Interviewing To Promote Healthy Behaviors And Healthy Weight In Low-Income Families: An Intervention Feasibility Study., Helena Laroche, Jennifer Park-Mroch, Amy O'Shea, Sarai Rice, Yolanda Cintron, Bery Engebretsen

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

Objectives: This non-randomized pilot trial examined the feasibility and acceptability of an intervention for low-income families with one parent with obesity, glucose intolerance and/or diabetes.

Methods: The 12-month intervention combined health coaching using motivational interviewing to promote lifestyle behavior change and community resource mobilization to assist with basic needs plus diet quality and physical activity. Outcome measures included process measures, open-ended questions, and the Family Nutrition and Physical Activity scale.

Results: Forty-five families completed an average of 2.1 health coach in-person visits, including 15 families lost to follow-up. Parents who stayed in the intervention reported the intervention was helpful. Some …

Gibbon Surgical Review, Volume 5, Issue 1, 2022

Gibbon Surgical Review

In this Issue:

6 - A History of ECMO and its Use During the COVID-19 Pandemic

8 - The First Pig-to-Human Heart Xenotransplantation

9 - Residency Interviewing in the Zoom Era

10 - An Interview with Dr. Andrew Newman

12 - Lung Transplantation for Patients with Severe COVID-19 Pulmonary Disease

14 - Risk Factors for Five-year Mortality after Carotid Endarterectomy

18 - An Interview with Dr. Scott Cowan

18 - General Surgery 101: The J-Pouch

20 - The Business of Surgery: Recognizing Barriers to Gender Equity

Genes Involved In Feed Efficiency Identified In A Meta-Analysis Of Rumen Tissue From Two Populations Of Beef Steers, Amanda K. Lindholm-Perry, Allison M. Meyer, Rebecca J. Kern-Lunbery, Hannah C. Cunningham-Hollinger, Taran H. Funk, Brittney N. Keel

Roman L. Hruska U.S. Meat Animal Research Center: Reports

In cattle, the rumen is an important site for the absorption of feed by-products released by bacterial fermentation, and variation in ruminal function plays a role in cattle feed efficiency. Studies evaluating gene expression in the rumen tissue have been performed prior to this. However, validating the expression of genes identified in additional cattle populations has been challenging. The purpose of this study was to perform a meta-analysis of the ruminal transcriptome of two unrelated populations of animals to identify genes that are involved in feed efficiency across populations. RNAseq data from animals with high and low residual feed intake …

Responses Of Nutrient Resorption To Human Disturbances In Phoebe Bournei Forests, Dehuang Zhu, Suhong Peng, Jinyan Wang, Dafeng Hui

Biology Faculty Research

Nutrient resorption plays an important role in the nutrient conservation of plants and ecosystem nutrient cycling. Although community succession and nutrient addition could regulate plant nutrient resorption, how resorptions of foliar nutrients vary with human disturbances remains unclear. With the economic development, Phoebe bournei forests (PF) have suffered varying degrees of human disturbances in China. In this study, the leaf nutrient resorption efficiency (RE) of the PF under two disturbances (i.e., severe and mild disturbances) were investigated. Results showed that the phosphorus (P) contents of green leaf, senesced leaf, and soil were low under both disturbances, reflecting that the PF …

Amino Acids As Alternatives To Emulsifying Salts In Processed Cheese Analogues, Jeremy Thomas Pack

Theses and Dissertations

Background: Manufacturers have used emulsifying salts universally in the processed cheese industry since James L. Kraft patented the first processed cheese in 1916. My objective was to find alternative ingredients to replace emulsifying salts in processed cheese formulations; the product would follow "clean-labeling" trends and lower the final formulation's sodium content. Materials and Methods: My experiments followed conventional processed cheese formulations to create experimental batches, which were compared to positive and negative controls for significance. Textural, rheological, and melting tests evaluated objective cheese parameters. We observed subjective sensory properties through qualitative descriptive analysis, consumer acceptance panels, and focus groups. Results: …

Full Issue, Volume 10, Number 1, Donna J. Peterson, Scott Cummings

Journal of Human Sciences and Extension

No abstract provided.

Too Much For A Heart To Bear: A Systematic Review And Mini Meta-Analysis On The Role Of Skin-Deep Resilience In The Weathering Of Black People In America, Chantelle Miller

College of Science and Health Theses and Dissertations

Current public health data underscore CVD as the most predominant public health crisis affecting the U.S population, claiming over 655,000 lives annually as the primary cause of one out of every four deaths (Kochanek, 2020; Rana et al., 2020; Salim et al., 2020). Current approaches to CVD primarily utilize a biomedical approach, are extremely costly to the U.S economy, and appear to disproportionately support positive health outcomes in White individuals while Black individuals continue to exhibit heart health disparities (Carnethon et al., 2017; Ferdinand, 2016). Race-related health inequities must be addressed with a biopsychosocial preventative health approach to effectively redirect …

Oxidative Stress Protection By Canary Seed (Phalaris Canariensis L.) Peptides In Caco-2 Cells And Caenorhabditis Elegans, Uriel Urbizo-Reyes, Kee Hong Kim, Lavanya Reddivari, Joseph M. Anderson, Andrea M. Liceaga

Department of Food Science Faculty Publications

During oxidative stress, degenerative diseases such as atherosclerosis, Alzheimer’s, and certain cancers are likely to develop. Recent research on canary seed (Phalaris canariensis) peptides has demonstrated the high in vitro antioxidant potential. Thus, this study aimed to assess the cellular and in vivo antioxidant capacity of a low-molecular-weight (<3 kDa) canary seed peptide fraction (CSPF) using Caco-2 cells and the Caenorhabditis elegans model. The results show that the CSPF had no cytotoxicity effect on Caco-2 cells at any tested concentration (0.3–2.5 mg/mL). Additionally, the cellular antioxidant activity (CAA) of the CSPF was concentration-dependent, and the highest activity achieved was 80% by the CSPF at 2.5 mg/mL. Similarly, incubation with the CSPF significantly mitigated the acute and chronic oxidative damage, extending the lifespan of the nematodes by 88 and 61%, respectively. Furthermore, it was demonstrated that the CSPF reduced the accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) to safe levels after sub-lethal doses of pro-oxidant paraquat. Quantitative real-time PCR revealed that the CSPF increased the expression of oxidative-stress-response-related gene GST-4. Overall, these results show that the CSPFs relied on GST-4 upregulation and scavenging of free radicals to confer oxidative stress protection and suggest that a CSPF can be used as a natural antioxidant in foods for health applications.

Electronic Health Record-Based Recruitment And Retention And Mobile Health App Usage: Multisite Cohort Study., Janelle W Coughlin, Lindsay M Martin, Di Zhao, Attia Goheer, Thomas B Woolf, Katherine Holzhauer, Harold P Lehmann, Michelle R. Lent, Kathleen M Mctigue, Jeanne M Clark, Wendy L Bennett

PCOM Scholarly Works

BACKGROUND: To address the obesity epidemic, there is a need for novel paradigms, including those that address the timing of eating and sleep in relation to circadian rhythms. Electronic health records (EHRs) are an efficient way to identify potentially eligible participants for health research studies. Mobile health (mHealth) apps offer available and convenient data collection of health behaviors, such as timing of eating and sleep.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this descriptive analysis was to report on recruitment, retention, and app use from a 6-month cohort study using a mobile app called Daily24.

METHODS: Using an EHR query, adult patients from …

Strengthening Urban Food Systems Through Extension Programming And Community Engagement: A Case Study Of New Brunswick, New Jersey, Cara L. Cuite, Lauren B. Errickson

Journal of Human Sciences and Extension

Cooperative Extension (Extension) can, and in many cases already does, engage in well-rooted partnerships with urban audiences. Yet, it is important to recognize that there are many layers to the diversity that exists within urban audiences– there is no single “urban community.” This article presents a case study of food security programming in New Brunswick, New Jersey, including collaborations between Rutgers Cooperative Extension and multiple community organizations to illustrate important considerations for engaging in urban Extension initiatives. Specifically, challenges exist in identifying urban audiences, including those who are hidden, especially as the demographics of city residents can vary greatly within …

Cooperative Extension In Urban America: Place-Based Approaches For Improving Health, Dawn Burton, Latoya O'Neal, Erin Yelland, Suzanne Stluka, Rodger Rennekamp

Journal of Human Sciences and Extension

While the bulk of Cooperative Extension’s (Extension) historical work has been with rural populations, its future work should also address the needs of those living in urban areas. The opportunity to live a long and healthy life is paramount among those needs. Cooperative Extension’ National Framework for Health Equity and Well-Being (Framework) provides a roadmap by which Cooperative Extension can help ensure that all people have that opportunity. The central premise of the Framework is that future work of Extension must include but extend beyond the promotion of healthy behaviors to place-based approaches for improving conditions in which people live, …

Perspectives Of 4-H Professionals: Practices To Engage Immigrant Youth In 4-H Teens As Teachers Programs, Fe Moncloa, Esther Rodriguez

Journal of Human Sciences and Extension

Immigrant youth in the United States face historical and systemic challenges in American schools. Out-of-school mentoring programs, such as the 4-H Teenagers as Teachers model, have a positive impact on diverse youth outcomes. This qualitative study presents practices associated with engaging immigrant youth as teachers in urban 4-H youth development programs. Purposeful sampling identified 11 4-H professionals from three regions: West, Midwest, and Northeast. Five professionals are immigrants, and six are of White European descent. Building on the essential elements of teenagers as teachers programs and immigrant mentoring research, 4-H professionals indicated that cultural competence, including empathy and commitment to …

Extension And Faith-Based Organizations – Understanding Past And Present Linkages And Future Opportunities For Urban Communities, Jeffery A. Young, Kenneth R. Jones

Journal of Human Sciences and Extension

This examination of the literature explored the limited empirical data available regarding the networks formed between Cooperative Extension (Extension), local partners, and faith-based organizations (FBOs) within metropolitan areas. With FBOs being central to rural towns, as well as urban neighborhoods, Extension must consider engaging with these essential community resources as a means to broaden its reach and serve a wider audience. Not only are these entities underutilized, despite the abundance of human and social capital they provide, but they too are often in need of what Extension has to offer. This article will examine the history of collaborations between urban …

Fostering A Sense Of Belonging In Urban Extension For Internal And External Stakeholders, Ramona Madhosingh-Hector, Linda M. Seals

Journal of Human Sciences and Extension

In urban areas, the communities are as diverse as the issues, and different educational and engagement strategies must be deployed to support urban Extension clientele. Urban communities must connect with and feel a sense of “belonging” with Extension–this connection can strengthen Extension’s presence and value proposition to urban constituents. This study found that although Extension was engaged in efforts to support belonging, its efforts were hampered by a lack of collaboration and commitment to supporting a system-wide effort to change the culture. Intentionality, emotional intelligence, and dialogue were presented as strategies to foster a sense of belonging for Extension personnel …

Neutrosophic Goal Programming Approach For The Dash Diet Model, Srikant Gupta, Ahteshamul Haq, Irfan Ali

Neutrosophic Sets and Systems

No abstract provided.

The Dna Methylation Landscape Of Five Pediatric-Tumor Types, Alyssa C. Parker, Badí I. Quinteros, Stephen Piccolo

Faculty Publications

Fewer DNA mutations have been identified in pediatric tumors than in adult tumors, suggesting that alternative tumorigenic mechanisms, including aberrant DNA methylation, may play a prominent role. In one epigenetic process of regulating gene expression, methyl groups are attached at the 5-carbon of the cytosine ring, leading to 5-methylcytosine (5mC). In somatic cells, 5mC occurs mostly in CpG islands, which are often within promoter regions. In Wilms tumors and acute myeloid leukemias, increased levels of epigenetic silencing have been associated with worse patient outcomes. However, to date, researchers have studied methylation primarily in adult tumors and for specific genes—but not …

Maternal And Fetal Bile Acid Homeostasis Regulated By Sulfated Progesterone Metabolites Through Fxr Signaling Pathway In A Pregnant Sow Model, Peng Wang, Peiqiang Yuan, Sen Lin, Heju Zhong, Xiaoling Zhang, Yong Zhuo, Jian Li, Lianqiang Che, Bin Feng, Yan Lin, Shengyu Xu, De Wu, Douglas G Burrin, Zhengfeng Fang

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Abnormally elevated circulating bile acids (BA) during pregnancy endanger fetal survival and offspring health; however, the pathology and underlying mechanisms are poorly understood. A total of nineteen pregnant sows were randomly assigned to day 60 of gestation, day 90 of gestation (G60, G90), and the farrowing day (L0), to investigate the intercorrelation of reproductive hormone, including estradiol, progesterone and sulfated progesterone metabolites (PMSs), and BA in the peripheral blood of mother and fetuses during pregnancy. All data were analyzed by Student’s t-test or one-way ANOVA of GraphPad Prism and further compared by using the Student–Newman–Keuls test. Correlation analysis was …

Pharmacometabolomics Profiling Of Preterm Infants Validates Patterns Of Metabolism Associated With Response To Dexamethasone Treatment For Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia., Bradley Stockard, Cheri Gauldin, William E. Truog, Tamorah Lewis

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

Bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) is one of the most common health complications of premature birth. Corticosteroids are commonly used for treatment of BPD, but their use is challenging due to variability in treatment response. Previous pharmacometabolomics study has established patterns of metabolite levels with response to dexamethasone. We obtained additional patient samples for metabolomics analysis to find associations between the metabolome and dexamethasone response in a validation cohort. A total of 14 infants provided 15 plasma and 12 urine samples. The measure of treatment response was the calculated change in respiratory severity score (deltaRSS) from pre-to-post treatment. Each metabolite was assessed …

Lca-Assisted Conception Of A Digestate Recovery By Micro-Algae Production, Jean-Romain Bautista Angeli, Marilys Pradel, Lynda Aissani, Fabrice Beline

WasteLCA_3: Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment For Waste Management And Resource Optimization

The digestate produced by anaerobic digestion process is a source of nutrients (N, P, K) and organic matter (C content), generally used as spreading in culture to ideally substitute for the use of mineral fertilizers. This type of digestate recovery presents some weaknesses as for example the poor effective substitution due to the relative low content of bio-available nutrients. Thenceforth, a higher benefit for the recovery of digestate could be thought to increase the effective use of nutrients. Instead of direct spreading, a higher quantity of the digestate and the CO2 contained in the biogas could be used in a …

Hypothalamic Estrogen Signaling And Adipose Tissue Metabolism In Energy Homeostasis, Valeria C. Torres Irizarry, Yuwei Jiang, Yanlin He, Pingwen Xu

Division of Basic Science Faculty Publications

Obesity has become a global epidemic, and it is a major risk factor for other metabolic disorders such as type 2 diabetes and cardiometabolic disease. Accumulating evidence indicates that there is sex-specific metabolic protection and disease susceptibility. For instance, in both clinical and experimental studies, males are more likely to develop obesity, insulin resistance, and diabetes. In line with this, males tend to have more visceral white adipose tissue (WAT) and less brown adipose tissue (BAT) thermogenic activity, both leading to an increased incidence of metabolic disorders. This female-specific fat distribution is partially mediated by sex hormone estrogens. Specifically, hypothalamic …

Maternal Lineage And Habitat Use Patterns Explain Variation In The Fecundity Of A Critically Endangered Baleen Whale, Ana L. Bishop, Leah M. Crowe, Philip K. Hamilton, Erin L. Meyer-Gutbrod

Faculty Publications

The critically endangered North Atlantic right whale population (Eubalaena glacialis) has experienced multiple periods of decreased reproduction within its observable history, which have played a role in the overall decline of the species. In addition to this synchronized variation in reproduction across the population, there exists considerable individual variation in fecundity. To determine the impacts of family history and habitat use behavior on these individual variations in fecundity, photo identification data collected during four decades of visual monitoring were used to create a calving index for sexually mature females that could be used to evaluate matrilineal influence on …

Evaluating The Effects Of Mindfulness Practice On Attentional Control And Episodic Memory, Jacob M. M. Namias

Master's Theses

Mindfulness refers to a mental state of being that involves nonjudgmental acceptance of current cognitions and emotions with awareness of the present moment. Researchers and clinicians have shown the efficacy of mindfulness as a treatment for psychological disorders such as anxiety and depression and have found reductions in reported stress. Building on clinical benefits, mindfulness practice may also facilitate attentional processes as practitioners are required to inhibit distracting thoughts and re-direct their focus to the present moment. My thesis examined the relationship between mindfulness practice and attentional control and potential spillovers to episodic memory. Experiment 1 gauged the relationship between …

Isothermal Inactivation Studies Of Listeria Monocytogenes, Salmonella, And Enterococcus Faecium Nrrl B-2354 In Almond, Peanut, And Sunflower Butters, Ruo Fen Liao

Theses and Dissertations

Vegetative, non-sporeforming foodborne pathogens show notable survival and uncanny thermotolerance in low water activity (aw) foods. Controlled studies on Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella spp., and Enterococcus faecium NRRL B-2354 (a Salmonella surrogate) in a variety of food matrices support thermal process validation studies required to achieve global food safety objectives. In this study, we determined and compared thermal inactivation rates using independent six-strain cocktails of pathogens in three plant-based butters. Direct determinations of decimal reduction times (D-values) for L. monocytogenes, Salmonella, and E. faecium, in corresponding butters were inoculated using peanut oil, almond oil, or sunflower oil. Thermal Death Time (TDT) …