Digital Commons Network^™

Exploring The Biological Basis Of Residual Feed Intake In Beef Cattle Using Multi-Omics Analysis., Godstime Ayobami Taiwo

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Efficient feed utilization is critical for both economic sustainability and environmental responsibility in modern livestock production. While there has been extensive research, the multifaceted nature of feed efficiency remains complex, with many biological factors still unexplored. This dissertation examines the physiological foundations of feed efficiency by elucidating some of the complex biological mechanisms associated with residual feed intake (RFI) phenotype in beef cattle, using a range of Omics approaches. We hypothesized that metabolites related to amino acids, carbohydrates, and fatty acids could act as potential biomarkers for RFI. Through a chemical group-based metabolomics method, we identified enriched pathways in feed-efficient …

Descriptions Of Breast Self-Care From Inner-City African American And Hispanic Women Seeking Care In A Comprehensive Breast Care Center, Salamata Yoda

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Background: A plethora of inquiries has irrefutably revealed a decline in the death rates of breast cancer in some ethnic populations due to timely diagnoses, and enhancement in treatment measures. However, not all women have gained equal access to these innovations in healthcare. Certainly, as a repercussion of the noted disparity, the overall breast cancer prevalence among African American and Hispanic women has steadily escalated. Although no single test can detect all breast cancers early, practicing breast self-care consisting of breast self-awareness (BSA) in combination with other screening methods such as clinical breast exam (CBE), mammogram screening, and a suitable …

Nature Based Interventions For Human Health And Wellbeing, Samantha I. Moyers

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Background. Nature exposure is beneficial to human health and wellbeing, but the evidence base for nature-based interventions (NBI) is still developing. Heterogeneous naming conventions, study designs, and intervention contexts create difficulty in accessing and assessing the evidence for such programming. While NBI have been utilized in a wide array of human populations, no interventions have been reported among clinical health professions students. Aims. The objectives of this dissertation project were to review the existing body of NBI literature exploring health and wellbeing outcomes, and to conduct a feasibility trial of forest bathing, a type of NBI, among clinical students. Specifically, …

Investigating The Role Of Nudt7-Mediated Peroxisomal Coa Degradation In The Regulation Of Hepatic Coa Levels And Lipid Metabolism, Schuyler Dan Adams Vickers

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Coenzyme A (CoA) is a crucial cofactor required to support many essential metabolic processes, including fatty acid oxidation and synthesis, the TCA cycle, and bile acid synthesis. In order to support the proper functioning of these pathways, CoA levels within the cell must be properly regulated. The regulation of CoA levels is achieved through a balance between CoA synthesis and CoA degradation. While the regulation of CoA synthesis has been extensively characterized, the degradation of CoA has received less attention. As such, the contribution of CoA degradation to the regulation of metabolism is poorly understood. NUDT7 is a CoA-specific Nudix …

Addition Of Apple Pomace To Feeding Substrate On Growth, Development, And Survival Rates Of Yellow Mealworms (Tenebrio Molitor) And Characterization Of Their Proteins Extracted By A Ph-Shift Process, Michelle Duvall

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The weight changes, survival/mortality rates, and proximate compositions of Tenebrio molitor (yellow mealworm) larvae whose diets were supplemented with apple pomace were analyzed after a 4-week feeding study to examine the nutritional quality of the insects for use as a future potential food source. Going forward, the terms “mealworm(s)”, "yellow mealworm(s)”, “T. molitor” will be used interchangeably and will always refer to the same species. The mealworm larvae were randomly divided into two groups: in addition to standard worm chow, one group was given 15 g/week of non-nutritive water-storing polymer crystals and the other was given apple pomace …

The Creation Of An Adolescent Prediabetes Screening Protocol To Help With Early Prediabetes Identification, Brittany Parker

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Abstract

The Creation of an Adolescent Prediabetes Screening Protocol to Help with Early Prediabetes Identification

Brittany Parker, MSN, APRN, FNP-C

Problem: The American Diabetes Association (ADA) and the International Society for Pediatric and Adolescent Diabetes (ISPAD) recommend screening for prediabetes and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in high-risk asymptomatic children and adolescents after puberty or at ten years of age, whichever occurs first. However, this recommendation has not been formally recognized by the state of West Virginia for integration into wellness child exam requirements, nor has it been made common practice in many primary care clinics to be flagged as …

Dietary Supplementation And Functional Foods: From Development To Clinical And Public Health Implications, Rachel Grace Newman

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

A rigorous research process is the foundation for the development and ultimate recommendation for use of dietary supplements and functional foods. This dissertation uses three seemingly disparate studies to explore the diverse research methodologies used in dietary supplement and functional food development and use. The first study focuses on primary research on the development of microgreen lemon balm herbal tea, employing experimental methodologies to assess its nutritional and bioactive properties compared to adult lemon balm herbal tea. Results showed that adult lemon balm tea contained higher total phenolics, total flavonoids, rosmarinic acid, and antioxidant capacity than microgreen teas, with hot …

Forage Grass Growth Habit And Allelopathy In Birdsfoot Trefoil Germination And Establishment, Nathan El Blake

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Birdsfoot trefoil (Lotus corniculatus L.) (BFT) is a high quality, tanniniferous forage legume that has been shown to mitigate gastrointestinal nematode (GIN) infection in sheep. Reliable establishment of birdsfoot trefoil in existing pastures is difficult due to BFT’s poor seedling vigor, susceptibility to crown and root rot, and, perhaps chiefly, competition from other pasture plants. Most existing pastures in the Northeastern United States are primarily composed of cool-season grasses, many of which can be highly competitive. A common form of interplant competition is allelopathy, which occurs when secondary metabolites produced by a plant inhibit a necessary growth process of …

Evaluating The Effects Of Modifying Mixing And Pelleting Parameters On Feed Quality, Pellet Production Rate, And Broiler Performance, Lucas E. Knarr

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

In Chapter 2, an experiment was conducted to evaluate the effect of different mixer types (MTY) and mix times (MTI) on mix uniformity (MU). A 2 (mix time) x 3 (mixer type) factorial was utilized in this experiment to create six treatments, each mixed in three randomized complete blocks. Mix times were designated adequate or inadequate, were based on the manufacturers’ recommendation, and varied based on the mixer utilized. The mixer types utilized included a vertical mixer, horizontal mixer, and transfer mixing system. The transfer mixing system can be described as a batch-to-mix system …

Analysis Of Experimental Antimicrobial Prevention Strategies Against Microbial Contamination Of Locally Harvested Poultry And Produce In West Virginia, Rebecca Breanne Stearns

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Fresh produce and poultry have been associated with several foodborne illness outbreaks. Strategies to mitigate these risks are a much-needed research priority; therefore, five experiments were conducted to analyze pathogen cross-contamination capabilities on produce and poultry. Microbial contamination prevention and reduction strategies were also studied.

In Chapter Two, three antimicrobial delivery methods in combination with increasing concentrations of hydrogen peroxide-peroxyacetic acid (H₂O₂-PAA) (0.05-0.25 ml/dL) were compared to evaluate their ability to reduce and prevent cross-contamination of Listeria monocytogenes (L. monocytogenes) and Listeria innocua (L. innocua) on inoculated apples. Apples have been …

Evaluate A Mixer Of Hydrogen Peroxide And Peroxyacetic Acid To Mitigate Microbial Cross-Contamination Of Salmonella Typhimurium And The Surrogate Enterococcus Faecium During Triple-Washing Of Butternut Squash, Jesica M. Temple

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Background: Recent foodborne illness outbreaks have been linked to fresh fruits and vegetables. For public safety, awareness of the risks of contamination from foodborne pathogens that can occur during post-harvest farming practices is essential to prevent foodborne outbreaks. Controlling the spread of foodborne pathogens on produce requires proper washing procedures, antimicrobials and doses. Given the speed and diversity of the produce being distributed, local incidents may become international emergencies. Methods: Studies were included if they assessed the efficacy of antimicrobials and various washing procedures and had to conclude the mitigation of cross-contamination of foodborne pathogens on produce grown in the …

Cluster Homolog Of Immunoglobulin-Like Receptor Genes In Chicken Immune Responses, Brandi A. Sparling

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This dissertation explores the identity and role of immunoglobulin-like (Ig-like) receptors in chickens, with focus on their implications in disease and disease progression. These receptors, wisely expressed across immune cells, interact with the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I molecules to modulate immune responses in mammals. Due to the insufficient representation of chicken Ig-like receptors in online databases, this study systematically annotates the chicken Cluster Homolog of Immunoglobulin-like Receptors (CHIR) genes using advanced bioinformatic techniques, aligning with the release of the 7th edition of the chicken genome assembly that comprises builds for a broiler and layer chicken. The analysis identifies …

Exploring The Conceptualizations And Utilizations Of Learning Theories In Sport Settings, Kevin R. Lou

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The purpose of this study was to identify how integrating learning theories into the design of a formal university course helps facilitate students’ resources, goals, and orientations (Schoenfeld, 2011) of learning theories for their future career work in coaching, sport psychology consulting, or other sport-related professions. Sixteen students signed up for a fifteen-week fall semester course at a Mid-Atlantic university in America and were asked to annotate, create, and reflect upon examples of future work in their desired fields for their three major written assignments in the course. Students reflected on their learning experience through pre-and-post semi-structured interviews and most …

Shifting Mediates Gendered Racial Microaggressions And Perceived Racism Among Asian American Women, Glenn Gamst, Christine Ma-Kellams, Lawrence S. Meyers, Leticia Arellano-Morales

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

Introduction: Microaggressive attacks on Asian American women increased during the COVID-19 pandemic. The present study tested whether Asian American women's shifting, a coping strategy employed by some women of color to alter their self-presentation in response to perceived racism, mediated the association between gendered racial microaggressions and self-perceived subtle and blatant racism. Methods: A convenience sample of 253 Asian American adult women completed the gendered racial microaggressions scale for Asian American women (GRMSAAW), the Asian American women's shifting scale (AsAWSS), and the subtle and blatant racism scale for Asian American college students (SABR-A2). Results: Results from a structural equation model …

Preschool Executive Control, Temperament, And Adolescent Dietary Behaviors, Katherine M. Kidwell, Tiffany D. James, Rebecca L. Brock, Amy L. Yaroch, Jennie L. Hill, Jennifer Mize Nelson, W. Alex Mason, Kimberly Andrews Espy, Timothy D. Nelson

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

Background Child temperament styles characterized by increased emotionality or pleasure seeking may increase risk for less healthful eating patterns, while strong executive control (EC) may be protective. The interaction of these characteristics with longitudinal outcomes has not yet been examined.

Purpose The aim of this study was to examine the association of preschool temperament and EC, as well as their interaction with adolescent eating.

Methods Preschoolers (N = 313) were recruited into a longitudinal study, with behavioral measurement of EC at age 5.25 years, temperament assessed multiple times across preschool, and eating outcomes assessed in adolescence (mean age = …

Corticosteroid-Laba Inhalers Increase Phonation Threshold Pressure (Ptp) And Flow (Ptf) In Rabbits, Christopher Dromey, Kristine Tanner, Heidi J. Robison, Maya Elena Stevens, Ray M. Merrill, Julie Barkmeier-Kraemer, Ben Christensen

Faculty Publications

Objectives: This study examined the effects of a combination corticosteroid plus long-acting beta2-adrenergic agonist inhaler (IC) on rabbit phonation. Methods: White New Zealand male rabbits were assigned randomly to experimental and control groups (n = 11 per group). The experimental group received twice-daily doses of Advair HFA™ (fluticasone propionate 45 mcg and salmeterol 21 mcg) via a veterinary facemask with 1-way valve and spacer; the control group received aerosolized saline. After 8 weeks, animals were euthanized, larynges excised, frozen, and subsequently thawed and mounted on a standard bench apparatus. Phonation was elicited during 15 successive trials, and phonation threshold pressure …

Energy Insecurity Mitigation: The Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program And Other Low-Income Relief Programs In The Us, Andrea Nishi, Diana Hernández, Michael B. Gerrard

Faculty Scholarship

Energy insecurity, defined as the “inability to meet basic household energy needs,” can be both a chronic and an acute problem. Chronic energy insecurity manifests as an inability to access or afford adequate supplies of energy, while acute energy insecurity arises when infrastructural, maintenance, environmental, or other external sources disrupt or impede access to energy. A substantial number of individuals and families across the United States experience energy insecurity, which can lead to a variety of adverse consequences including residential instability and poor health outcomes.

Navigating Between "Politics As Usual" And Sacks Of Cash, Daniel C. Richman

Faculty Scholarship

Like other recent corruption reversals, Percoco was less about statutory text than what the Court deems “normal” politics. As prosecutors take the Court’s suggestions of alternative theories and use a statute it has largely ignored, the Court will have to reconcile its fears of partisan targeting and its textualist commitments

Constructed Technosols As A Soil Rebuilding Technique To Reclaim Abandoned Limestone Quarries In The Mediterranean Region: A Field Study, Eleonora Grilli, Renata Concetta Vigliotti, Antonio Fiorentino, Monica Scognamiglio, Luigi Rossetti, Thiago Assis Rodrigues Nogueira, Arun Dilipkumar Jani, Cassio Hamilton Abreu-Junior, Ludmila Ribeiro Roder, Antonio Ganga, Gian Franco Capra

Biology, Agriculture and Chemistry Faculty Publications and Presentations

Soil rebuilding represents a major challenge in the recovery of abandoned quarries. In this study, we explored the possibility of using reconstructed Technosols, to achieve soil rebuilding goals at an abandoned quarry site. We first investigated the use of a mixture containing commercial manure and limestone debris (LD) as pedotechnomaterials for an “ad hoc” (re)constructed Technosol (CT), for the recovery of an opencast limestone quarry in one of most concentrated quarry areas in the world. In a field experiment, we tested and monitored different pedotechnosystems (PTSs) made up of constructed Technosol + pasture species + different Mediterranean plant species. Specifically, …

Common Bean Productivity And Micronutrients In The Soil–Plant System Under Residual Applications Of Composted Sewage Sludge, Gabriela Souza De Oliveira, Arshad Jalal, Adrielle Rodrigues Prates, Marcelo Carvalho Minhoto Teixeira Filho, Rodrigo Silva Alves, Luana Corrêa Silva, Raimunda Eliane Nascimento Do Nascimento, Philippe Solano Toledo Silva, Orivaldo Arf, Fernando Shintate Galindo, Fernando Carvalho Oliveira, Cassio Hamilton Abreu-Junior, Arun Dilipkumar Jani, Gian Franco Capra, Thiago Assis Rodrigues Nogueira

Biology, Agriculture and Chemistry Faculty Publications and Presentations

Composted sewage sludge (CSS) is an organic fertilizer that can be used as a source of micronutrients in agriculture. However, there are few studies with CSS to supply micronutrients for the bean crop. We aimed to evaluate micronutrient concentrations in the soil and their effects on nutrition, extraction, export, and grain yield in response to CSS residual application. The experiment was carried out in the field at Selvíria-MS, Brazil. The common bean cv. BRS Estilo was cultivated in two agricultural years (2017/18 and 2018/19). The experiment was designed in randomized blocks with four replications. Six different treatments were compared: (i) …

Potential Soil Remineralizers From Silicate Rock Powders (Srp) As Alternative Sources Of Nutrients For Agricultural Production (Amazon Region), Paulo Roberto Rodrigues Benevides Filho, Alessandra Elisa Blaskowski, Marina Nascimento Ramos, Luís Gustavo Frediani Lessa, Antonio Nilson Zamunér Filho, Cassio Hamilton Abreu-Junior, Arun Dilipkumar Jani, Gian Franco Capra, Thiago Assis Rodrigues Nogueira

Biology, Agriculture and Chemistry Faculty Publications and Presentations

The demand for mineral fertilizers has increased over the years. In the states of Amazonas and Roraima, acquiring conventional fertilizers used in agriculture is challenging due to the distance from large production centers. In these regions, alternative fertilizers are needed to maintain food security. However, research in agrominerals of silicate rock powders (SRP) is still incipient. The objective of this research was to characterize three important Units of Agrogeological Interest in the Manaus/Boa Vista axis in the Amazon region of Brazil: (i) EBAM Quarry: quartz monzonites from the Água Branca suite, partially potassified, (ii) Granada Mining Quarry: basalts from the …

Less Meat, Less Heat: Analyzing Meat Consumption Through The Theory Of Planned Behavior, Identity, Past Behavior, And Conservatism, Madeleine Powers

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Meat reduction is a largely underutilized means of combatting climate change that warrants further investigation. The current study utilized an extended model of the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) to predict intention to eat red meat. In addition to traditional TPB components of attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control, this study adds to the literature by including meat-eating identity, past meat-eating behavior, and conservatism as predictors of meat consumption intentions. 744 participants were recruited via Mturk and compensated $1 for completing surveys assessing the extended TPB constructs related to meat consumption. The sample was 57% men, and 81% white, …

Determining The Effects Of Pelleted Cranberry Vine Grains On The Ewe And Offspring During Pregnancy And Lactation, Delaney Smith, Katherine Petersson, Maria L. Peterson

Fisheries, Animal and Veterinary Sciences Faculty Publications

When creating any new anti-parasitic interventions, it is important to evaluate their effects across all life stages. This study had three objectives, which were to evaluate the effect of feeding cranberry vine pellet (CVP) on (1) ewes’ body weights and BCS during late gestation and lactation; (2) ewes’ milk quality during lactation; and (3) lambs’ body weight and growth parameters from birth to 65 days of age. Across two years, 41 Dorset ewes were fed either a 50% CVP or a matching control pellet (CON) from 104 ± 1.60 days of gestation for 62.8 ± 0.68 days of lactation. Measurements …

Learning A Healthy Rhythm: An Intervention To Increase Children’S Resources For Stress Management, Kristin Haglund, Amanda L. King, Abir K. Bekhet, Mauricio Garnier-Villarreal, Karen Olson, Rashs Atshan, Angela Ortiz, Johanna De Los Santos, Ruth Ann Belknap

College of Nursing Faculty Research and Publications

This article describes a pilot test of a community engaged, culturally relevant, arts-based intervention. The purpose was to increase children’s personal protective buffering resources. Protective buffering resources help children cope with stressful stimuli, reduce activation of their systemic stress response, mitigate allostatic load, and promote optimal health. The “Learning a Healthy Rhythm” intervention included a stress management component and an ongoing Afro-Latino percussion program for 18 children ages 9–11. The stress management component included educational content about stress, self-assessment of stress symptoms, and stress management techniques. A mixed-method intervention evaluation design was used. Qualitative data, quantitative data, and biometrics including …

Can Contract Emancipate? Contract Theory And The Law Of Work, Hanoch Dagan, Michael A. Heller

Faculty Scholarship

Contract and employment law have grown apart. Long ago, each side gave up on the other. In this Article, we re-unite them to the betterment of both. In brief, we demonstrate the emancipatory potential of contract for the law of work.

Today, the dominant contract theories assume a widget transaction between substantively equal parties. If this were an accurate description of what contract is, then contract law would be right to expel workers. Worker protections would indeed be better regulated by – and relegated to – employment and labor law. But contract law is not what contract theorists claim. Neither …

Race-Ing Antitrust, I. Bennett Capers, Gregory Day

Faculty Scholarship

Antitrust law has a race problem. To spot an antitrust violation, courts inquire into whether an act has degraded consumer welfare. Since anticompetitive practices are often assumed to enhance consumer welfare, antitrust offenses are rarely found. Key to this framework is that antitrust treats all consumers monolithically; that consumers are differently situated, especially along lines of race, simply is ignored.

We argue that antitrust law must disaggregate the term “consumer” to include those who disproportionately suffer from anticompetitive practices via a community welfare standard. As a starting point, we demonstrate that anticompetitive conduct has specifically been used as a tool …

Porotic Hyperostosis And Cribra Orbitalia In The Adult Population Of Tipu, Miranda Hahn

Master's Theses

Tipu is a contact period Maya site in western Belize where a mission church and cemetery was established around AD 1560. An archaeological excavation in the 1980s recovered the remains of more than 550 individuals. In its unique location on the fringes of Spanish control, Tipu was the site of both acceptance of introduced cultural traits as well as rebellion against them. The series has been intensively studied over the last decades, but an analysis of anemia using more recently developed and widely accepted standards has not yet been completed. Therefore, I scored adults using the new widely accepted standards …

Black Boarding Academies As A Prudential Reparation: Finis Origine Pendet, Roy L. Brooks

Faculty Scholarship

With billions of dollars pledged and trillions of dollars demanded to redress slavery and Jim Crow (“Black Reparations”) the question of how best to use these funds has moved into the forefront of the ongoing campaign for racial justice in our post-civil rights society. Reparatory strategies typically target the norms and structures that sustain racial disadvantage wrought by slavery and Jim Crow. The goal of such transitional reparations is to extinguish the menace of white supremacy and systemic racism across the board. Restructuring in housing, education, employment, voting, law enforcement, health care, and the environment—social transformation—is absolutely needed in the …

Space Maintenance In The Primary And Mixed Dentitions, Giovana Anovazzi Medeiros Dds, Msc, Phd, Chia-En Tsai Dds, James R. Boynton Dds, Ms

The Journal of the Michigan Dental Association

Primary teeth serve many critical functions in the growing child: they allow for proper chewing function for appropriate diet and nutrition, help in speech production and development, promote self-esteem, and importantly preserve space for eruption of the succedaneous permanent dentition. Premature loss of a primary molar can cause a loss of arch perimeter and negatively impact the normal eruption path of premolars. Space maintenance is an approach to minimize or prevent untoward consequences after unavoidable loss of a primary molar. Several types of space maintainers can be used to preserve arch length, including fixed unilateral space maintainers, such as the …

Development Of A Peripheral Blood Transcriptomic Gene Signature To Predict Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia, Alvaro Moreira, Miriam Tovar, Alisha M Smith, Grace C Lee, Justin A Meunier, Zoya Cheema, Axel Moreira, Caitlyn Winter, Shamimunisa B Mustafa, Steven Seidner, Tina Findley, Joe G N Garcia, Bernard Thébaud, Przemko Kwinta, Sunil K Ahuja

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) is the most common lung disease of extreme prematurity, yet mechanisms that associate with or identify neonates with increased susceptibility for BPD are largely unknown. Combining artificial intelligence with gene expression data is a novel approach that may assist in better understanding mechanisms underpinning chronic lung disease and in stratifying patients at greater risk for BPD. The objective of this study is to develop an early peripheral blood transcriptomic signature that can predict preterm neonates at risk for developing BPD. Secondary analysis of whole blood microarray data from 97 very low birth weight neonates on day of …