Digital Commons Network^™

Ecological Calendars, Food Sovereignty, And Climate Adaptation In Standing Rock, Morgan L. Ruelle, Aubrey Joshua Skye, Evan Collins, Karim-Aly S. Kassam

Sustainability and Social Justice

Indigenous food sovereignty relies on ecological knowledge of plants and animals, including knowledge related to their development and behavior through the seasons. In the context of anthropogenic climate change, ecological calendars based on Indigenous knowledge may enable communities to anticipate seasonal phenomena. We conducted research with communities in the Standing Rock Nation (North and South Dakota, USA) to develop ecological calendars based on their ecological knowledge. We present ecological calendars developed in seven communities through a series of workshops and interviews. These calendars are rich with knowledge about temporal relations within each community's ecosystem, including the use of plants and …

Mental Health Concerns In The Pediatric Population Following Covid-19, Kristina N. Yaczik, Ashley M. Komosinski

Honors Projects

The COVID-19 pandemic has contributed to an increase in stress and mental health concerns in the pediatric population. Research indicates a decrease in pediatric mental health incidences in 2020, followed by an increase in 2021 and 2022. It is thought that the initial decrease may be due to the intensity of the pandemic at the time and a lack of hospital beds available. The increase suggests a response to the high levels of adversity and stress children and adolescents faced both during and after the origination of the pandemic. The evidence supports the idea that the COVID-19 pandemic had a …

A Comparison Of The Treatments Of Al-Razi To Those Of His Contemporary Physicians And To Modern Medicine, Nicholas E. Brough

Honors Projects

Introduction: The Golden Age of the Islamic Empire was a time of great scientific advancements. Due to the support of the Abbasid Caliphate, centers of learning such as the Baghdad House of Wisdom produced translations of Greek medical texts which formed the basis of medicine in Medieval Islam. This led the Islamic Empire to produce some of the greatest physicians of all time including al-Razi. Analysis: The treatments used by al-Razi in his thirty-three case studies from al-Hawi are all theoretically effective through the lens of humoral medicine. Additionally, many of al-Razi’s treatments are backed by research into the phytochemical …

Opening The Vault: An Osteobiography Of Three Individuals From A New Orleans Cemetery, Jordan Butler

Honors Theses

The purpose of this study is to reconstruct the lives of three individuals buried in Cypress Grove Cemetery in New Orleans through osteobiographies, which combines knowledge gained from human remains, material culture, and mortuary practices. The opportunity for analysis arose since the vault was being demolished due to its dilapidated condition.

The individuals were White and of middle-class status and date to the later nineteenth century. One burial is a middle-aged man who was of average height and showed no evidence of pathology; his muscle markers do suggest he was relatively Physically active during his life. Another individual is an …

Isomaltooligosaccharides Sustain The Growth Of Prevotella Both In Vitro And In Animal Models, Junkui Chen, Zhengpeng Li, Xiaofan Wang, Bin Fan, Feilong Deng, Hongwei D. Yu, Xiaolei Ze, Liying Zhu, Yeshi Yin, Yanhong Chen, Jiangchao Zhao, Yunsheng Yang, Xin Wang

Animal Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

The human digestive tract is colonized by trillions of bacterial cells that play important roles in human health and diseases. It is well known that dietary habits are associated with human microbiota enterotypes. However, the factors that determine the enterotype still remain elusive. In this study, it was first examined, via in vitro batch fermentation, how different carbohydrates affect the Bacteroides and Prevotella enterotypes. Among the 11 substrates (fructo-, galacto-, xylo-, manno-, and isomalto-oligosaccharides [IMO] and lactulose, raffinose, starch, inulin [INU], mannitol, and xylitol) tested, IMO, INU, and starch were found to sustain the growth of Prevotella through batch fermentation. …

Examining The Association Between Facebook Marketing And Applications Received In Graduate Programs At One University, Heather Danielle Campbell

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

As the technological world continues to grow and expand, the use of social media marketing continues to increase. Graduate programs looking to increase the number of applications received can turn to Facebook to market their programs. This study looks at the use of self-presentation, from a graduate program level of Facebook use, to create content that reaches their target audience. Self-presentation allows graduate programs to control the types of marketing, posts, and content displayed regarding their program in an effort to be seen in a certain light. This study explores six types of Facebook content perceived as favorable in the …

Assessment Of Novel Protein Ingredient Arthrospira Platensis (Microalgae) And Soybean Genotype Amino Acid And Oil Selection Improvements On Broiler Performance, Savannah Wells Crafton

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Two experiments were conducted to assess the efficiency of including novel protein ingredient Arthrospira platensis or improved soybean meal in a broiler diet. The first experiment aimed to determine the feeding value of soybean meal produced from varieties of soybeans bred for increased amino acid content (SBAA) improved oil content (SBO) compared to a conventional soybean variety in an ANOVA design fed to Cobb 500 female broilers for 28-42d of age. The SBAA and SBO soybeans contained overall higher amino acid content and lower oligosaccharide content compared to the conventional soybean variety in addition to improved oil quality. The second …

Nitrogen Use Efficiency Of Pretassel Nitrogen Applications In Corn, Robyn Brittlee Mulloy

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Corn (Zea mays L.) production continues to be a critical component of row-crop production systems within Arkansas and is seeing a resurgence in recent years. Nitrogen (N) is critical for corn growth and is often one of the single largest input costs associated with corn production. Research objectives for this study were to determine the nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) of late season N applications as influenced by sidedress N rate and timing of pretassel application and to quantify the nutrient uptake and partitioning in modern era corn hybrids within a furrow-irrigated production system. Research was conducted at the Milo J. …

Nitrogen Management In Rice Under Suboptimal Soil Conditions, Payton Suzanne Rhea

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In Mid-South rice (Oryza sativa, L.) production, nitrogen (N) fertilizer management for pureline varieties is most often recommended as a single preflood (SPF) or two-way split (2WS) application in a direct-seeded, delayed-flood system. Most of the N fertilizer is typically applied at the four- to six-leaf stage onto dry soil, and the second application, if necessary, into the floodwater during early reproductive growth stages (referred to as midseason). Environmental factors frequently prohibit growers from applying early N fertilizer under optimal dry soil conditions. A study was conducted to determine the best N fertilization management practices to utilize in rice when …

Sustainability And Health Impacts Of Pulse Crops In The United States Using Life Cycle Assessment, Prathamesh A. Bandekar

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Environmental sustainability and human health impact of pulses produced and consumed in the United States was assessed using life cycle assessment (LCA). The study included three objectives 1) to estimate environmental impact of current production and consumption practices in the United States using attributional LCA; 2) to estimate environmental and human health impact of iso-caloric diets containing varying amounts of pulses using Hybrid-LCA and Combined Nutritional and Environmental-LCA (CONE-LCA); and 3) to estimate environmental impact of increased demand for pulses using consequential LCA. Scope of the study varied for each objective with system boundary encompassing cradle-to-grave activities for objective 1 …

Perceptions Of Beginning Secondary Alternatively Licensed Family And Consumer Sciences Teachers In Kansas: A Case Study, Jennifer S. Snell

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Alternatively licensed Career and Technical Education teacher licensure programs have become a more conventional process for licensing new CTE teachers. Evidence from recent research supports that alternatively licensed teachers have a much greater teacher turnover rate than traditionally licensed teachers. This study focused on Family and Consumer Sciences education, which is part of the umbrella of CTE. There is limited research on new teacher training that specifically supports beginning alternatively licensed secondary FCS teachers in Kansas. This qualitative study examined the experiences of novice alternatively licensed secondary FCS teachers in Kansas who transitioned from the workforce with no previous teacher …

The Effect Of Spirulina Platensis Algae Inclusion In Feed Of Commercial Broilers Subjected To Cyclic Heat Stress, Kirsten Shafer

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The effect of Spirulina platensis inclusion in feed of commercial broilers was evaluated over one experiment. The study aimed to investigate the effects of Spirulina platensis freshwater algae inclusion on live performance and processing characteristics of commercial broilers subjected to daily cyclic heat stress. Day old Ross 708 male broilers were placed into 8 environmentally controlled chambers. At d 21, four chambers remained on a control diet containing no algae (CON) while 4 chambers received a diet that included algae at an inclusion rate of 2.5% (ALG). An 8 hour daily cyclic heat stress (24°C to 36°C) was applied to …

The Binding Of The Micronutrient Transition Metals To The Alkylation Products Of Chemical Warfare Agent, Sulfur Mustard, And Thiols, Potentially Giving New Understanding To Physiological Effects Of Exposure And Increased Toxicity, Colin O'Donnell

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Model compounds, 3,6,9-trithaiundecane-1,11-dicarboxylic acid (TTDPA), 2,5,8-trithianonane-1,9-dicarboxylic acid (TTDAA), and 1,11-diamide-3,6,9-trithiaundecane (TTDAce), closely related to the adducts formed by cysteine alkylation of the chemical weapon, sulfur mustard, were synthesized. It is shown that TTDPA forms complexes with key metal micronutrients: copper, nickel, cobalt, manganese, and zinc. Though the strength of binding to TTDPA varies, the complexes in many cases precipitate from solution. All metals produced a visible precipitate upon interaction with TTDPA under the conditions tested, however only Cu2+, Mn2+, and Zn2+ produced enough to be measured. The mass of formed precipitate seemed to peak at an equimolar ratio of TTDPA …

Applying A Material Science Approach To Improve Rice Processing Performance, Michelle Oppong Siaw

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Rice is typically consumed as whole kernel, which makes the economic value of whole kernels twice that of brokens. Macro-structural defects such as fissures and chalkiness have been recognized to weaken kernel mechanical strength, and thereby increase breakage during milling. However, high percentages of brokens are sometimes recorded even though these defects are controlled prior to milling. It was hypothesized that rice milling characteristics are influenced by endosperm porosity from the structural arrangement of chemical components and by bran thickness and composition. Thus, this study aimed to modify chemical components by applying treatments to alter rice porosity and its associated …

Creating Nutrition Education For Lactating Parents, Audrey Fohey

Honors Capstones

Lactation is an important life stage that requires a unique emphasis on nutritional intake; existing educational materials on this topic do a poor job of meeting the needs of lactating parents. The purpose of this project was to work with a community partner, the DeKalb County WIC, to create educational materials that will address this issue. The creation of the educational materials was a multi-step process, involving exploration of the relationship between nutrition and lactation and collaboration with the established community partner. A written paper was synthesized, and three handouts were created. Each handout focused on a specific nutrient of …

Telehealth-Based Health Coaching Produces Significant Weight Loss Over 12 Months In A Usual Care Setting, Kelly Johnson, Elizabeth Gutierrez, Patricia Dionicio, Jeremy Mcconnell, Rachel Sauls, Michelle Alencar

Kinesiology

Background: Telehealth-based health coaching in a usual care setting has yet to be examined. The purpose of this study was to incorporate the inHealth Lifestyle Therapeutics, Inc.’s Telehealth Enabled Approach to Multidisciplinary Care (TEAM) method within a real-world routine clinical care setting to reduce body weight in obese participants. Materials and Methods: n = 70 participants were recruited for this intervention (Age: 58.1 ± 14.6yrs, BMI: 35.5 ± 7.8 kg/m², 32 males and 38 females). All participants self-selected participation in either the virtual health coaching (VHC) group or usual care (UC) group. VHC participants met with a medical …

Toward Understanding Cardiovascular Risk Burden In South Asians: A Major Step Forward, Kartik Gupta, Shalini S. Modi, Karthikeyan Ananthasubramaniam

Cardiology Articles

No abstract provided.

The Relationship Between Anti-Müllerian Hormone, Body Mass Index And Weight Loss: A Review Of The Literature, Jacqueline Kloos, Rachel Weinerman

Student Scholarship

Anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) is commonly used as a proxy for ovarian reserve due to its secretion by antral follicles. It is considered a metric for prediction of ovarian response to certain assisted reproduction therapies. As obesity has a negative impact on fertility, it is important to establish whether obesity-induced hormonal changes influence AMH levels, if and how weight loss affects AMH, and if that influence represents altered reproductive function. The aim of this study was to review the existing literature on the effects of body mass index and weight loss on AMH levels. A PubMed literature keyword search with relevant …

Facilitators And Inhibitors To First Adult Care Visits In The Transition From Paediatric To Adult Orientated Inflammatory Bowel Disease Healthcare, Joanna Rea

Theses

Background: Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) can be a very debilitating disease and it is found to be more extensive in children with rapid early progression (Van Limbergen et al., 2008). As adolescents, these children transition from paediatric to adult oriented care. The first adult care visits are a pivotal phase of a successful transition process, where adolescents potentially begin to actively take control of their disease. The aim of this study is to explore the inhibitors and facilitators to first adult care visits in the transition process from paediatric to adult oriented IBD healthcare.

Methods: An exploratory, descriptive, qualitative approach …

The Education Process Of Children With Imprisoned Parents After The July 15, 2016 Coup Attempt In Turkey

Journal of Comparative & International Higher Education

No abstract provided.

A Suggested Data Structure For Transparent And Repeatable Reporting Of Bibliographic Searching, Neal R. Haddaway, Melissa L. Rethlefsen, Melinda Davies, Julie Glanville, Bethany Mcgowan, Kate Nyhan, Sarah Young

Publications

Academic searching is integral to research activities: (1) searching to retrieve specific information, (2) to expand our knowledge iteratively, (3) and to collate a representative and unbiased selection of the literature. Rigorous searching methods are vital for reliable, repeatable and unbiased searches needed for these second and third forms of searches (exploratory and systematic searching, respectively) that form a core part of evidence syntheses. Despite the broad awareness of the importance of transparency in reporting search activities in evidence syntheses, the importance of searching has been highlighted only recently and has been the explicit focus of reporting guidance (PRISMA-S). Ensuring …

Effects Of Home-Based High-Intensity Interval Training Versus Continuous Walking On Cognition In Overweight And Obese Women, Kelsey C. Bourbeau

Health, Exercise, and Sports Sciences ETDs

Objective: The purpose of the present study was to determine whether six weeks of home-based high-intensity interval training versus six weeks of moderate-intensity walking improves cognition, depression, and anxiety in women that are overweight or obese. Design: A randomized control trial design. Subjects: Twelve sedentary women characterized as overweight or obese were randomized into either a six-week home-based high-intensity interval training (HIIT, n = 6, 26.6 ± 8.9 years, 37.4 ± 4.9% body fat) group or a six-week moderate-intensity walking (Walk, n = 6, 22.5 ± 3.7 years, 40.2 ± 4.1% body fat) group. Main Measures: Pre- and post-intervention, participants …

Food Security & Urban Agriculture - Considerations For Soil Improvements And Crop Planning, Aaron Sedivy

Doctor of Plant Health Program: Dissertations and Student Research

Urban agriculture provides many benefits, such as energy conservation, rainwater remediation, increased aesthetic and property value, and therapeutic use for physical, cognitive, and emotional wellbeing. Urban agriculture can also provide critical integrity to each pillar of food security: availability, access, utilization, and stability. As urban agricultural activities increase, social interactions will follow in concert. This will provide opportunities for building trust through the two-way communication of contrasting perspectives, cultures, and beliefs using impartial narratives. Growers can use knowledge and understanding gained from these positive social interactions to formulate their personal paradigms for practice and better meet the needs of each …

Adverse Health Impacts On Honey Bee (Apis Mellifera L.) Colonies From A Contaminated Environment And Resources, Rogan Tokach

Department of Entomology: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Honey bees (Apis mellifera L.) continue to experience high annual declines due to a combination of factors including pesticides. Due to increasing agricultural intensification has led to a reliance on systemic pesticide treated seed which can brought back to the colony in pollen and nectar. Treated seed is not subject to the same guidelines as pesticide applications reducing the regulations on the disposal of treated seed. In 2015, an ethanol plant in Mead, Nebraska began processing expired treated seed for ethanol production. Subsequently, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Bee Lab started seeing 100% colony failure in apiaries surrounding the plant. …

Evaluating The Efficacy Of Germination And Fermentation In Producing Biologically Active Peptides From Pulses, Ashley Newton

Department of Food Science and Technology: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Recently, there has been a profound increase in demand of plant-based proteins, especially pulse proteins. However, pulses contain high concentrations of antinutritional factors that hinder the digestibility of proteins. Processing techniques such as enzymatic hydrolysis, microbial fermentation, and physical processing modulate nutritional quality and functionality of pulses. Processing also releases peptides from parent proteins that exhibit health-beneficial bioactivity against various disease risk factors. In this study, germination, gastrointestinal digestion, and microbial fermentation were evaluated to determine the nutritional quality and release of bioactive peptides during and after processing.

Germination of chickpeas (Cicer arietinum L.) modulated the protein profile, and …

Modulation Of Monoamine Transporters By Palmitoylation In Human Health And Disease, Christopher Ryan Brown

Theses and Dissertations

The projects discussed in this dissertation outline the physiologic consequences of S-palmitoylation, a lipid-based post-translational modification, on the serotonin and norepinephrine transporters (SERT and NET, respectively). SERT and NET are trans-membrane proteins that belong to the SLC6 family of secondary active transporters. During neuro- and neuro-hormonal transmission, SERT and NET utilize the differential ionic concentrations of the extracellular and intracellular spaces to remove their corresponding substrates (serotonin [5HT] and norepinephrine [NE]) from the extracellular space. Each monoamine modulates distinct and overlapping physiologic functions, with dysregulation driving the pathogenesis of neuro-cognitive, neuro-humoral, sympathetic, cardiac, and vascular diseases. Because of this, these …

Amorphous Silicon Oxynitride Coatings For Craniofacial Implants Stimulate Osteogenesis Via Nrf2 Antioxidant Activity, Neelam Ahuja

Kinesiology Dissertations - Archive

Craniomaxillofacial injuries and defects are functionally and socially debilitating. These defects require immediate attention, and most cases undergo reconstruction surgery to restore the lost tissues. Current treatment strategies such as autologous bone grafts and fixative titanium devices are well established to treat the craniofacial region. But, the limited supply of donor bone and secondary surgery limit the use of autologous bone grafts, and low bioactivity, poor osteointegration of the titanium devices, has led to an increased number of tissue engineering research for the development of newer biomaterials. Bone defects especially in the craniofacial region can have a significant portion of …

An Economic Impact And Investment Analysis Of Armillaria Root Rot In The United States Peach Industry, Gracie Herrin

All Theses

Peach production in the United States has decreased over the last decade due to increased disease prevalence. Armillaria root rot (ARR) is a lethal root fungus that affects many stone fruits, including peaches, often leading to rapid decline/death of trees and abandonment of orchards. This thesis is divided into four chapters which focus on answering four key questions that, to the best of my knowledge, have not been addressed in previous industry research.

The second chapter determines the magnitude of ARR disease prevalence in the United States and producers’ maximum willingness to pay (WTP) for a theoretical ARR-resistant rootstock. Results …

Good Faith: Surveillance And Evaluation Of 911 Good Samaritan Laws In The United States, Shane W. Reader

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

To fight soaring overdose mortality rates in the United States, lawmakers adopted a variety of harm reduction tools. Among these, 911 Good Samaritan Laws (GSLs) derive their name from the biblical parable of the Good Samaritan, a bystander who broke cultural convention to come to the aid of a man beset by thieves. These laws provide limited criminal immunity for bystanders in possession of controlled substances to encourage them to report drug overdoses. While previous studies associate GSLs with a modest reduction in opioid mortality, analyses often model them as equivocal or divide them coarsely across individual provisions. Evaluating these …

What Is Contributing To Covid-19 Mortality In Harris County, Texas?, Rachel Roy

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

The COVID-19 pandemic exposed long-standing inequities that have been present in the United States since its origin. While the entire country has been devastated by this pandemic, low-income and minority communities were hardest hit. Race alone does not predict poor health outcomes. Rather, the historic strategies implemented in the United States, such as redlining, placed racial and ethnic minorities in neighborhoods where cycles of disinvestment in education, transportation infrastructure, flooding infrastructure, healthy food, and clean air and water have created low socioeconomic status and poor health outcomes. This public health research aims to understand how historical processes have created and …