Digital Commons Network^™

Comparison Of Dna Extraction Methods For The Detection Of Canned Tuna Species With Dna Mini-Barcoding, Aubrey J. Emmi, Biola Fatusin, Rosalee S. Hellberg

Food Science Faculty Articles and Research

Tuna is susceptible to species mislabeling due to its high demand, quick rate of production, and wide range of price points. DNA barcoding, a sequencing-based technique, allows for the detection of species mislabeling by targeting a standardized region of DNA. A mitochondrial control region (CR) DNA barcode has been found to be capable of species discrimination for tuna, but it is challenging to recover the entire DNA fragment from canned tuna. While a short fragment of CR, referred to as a “mini-barcode,” has shown some success with canned tuna species identification, more research is needed to improve identification rates. The …

Faculty Senate Chronicle November 2, 2023, Heather Loughney

The University of Akron Faculty Senate Chronicle

No abstract provided.

Research Outreach Interdisciplinary Activity To Classify Olive Oil Blends Integrating Multicolor Imaging, Image Processing, And Machine Learning, Allan Abraham, Kameshwaran Balachandran

Undergraduate Research (Journal)

This outreach undergraduate research project presents a low-cost method to distinguish the quality of different olive oils. The proposed method is based on an indirect measurement of the chlorophyll molecules present when a green laser diode illuminates the oil sample. Oil blends can be classified into five classes (no olive oil, light olive oil, medium olive oil, olive oil, and extra virgin olive oil) by quantifying the ratio of the red channel versus the green channel along the laser illumination path from a color image. After labeling each oil blend, a convolutional neural network has been implemented and trained to …

Containerized Satsuma Mandarin Production Under Protective Screens As A Management Strategy, Anna Timmerman

LSU Master's Theses

Many of the world’s citrus growing regions are experiencing challenges related to citrus greening, also known as Huanglongbing (HLB) caused by the presumed bacterial agent Candidatus Liberibacter spp. HLB is vectored by the Asian citrus psyllid (Diaphorina citri) and through propagation of infected citrus material. HLB impacts tree health as well as fruit development, ripening, and quality of the resulting citrus fruit, often leading to an unmarketable product. Producers are growing citrus in high density orchards underneath protective screening material that excludes the Asian citrus psyllid, preventing new HLB infections. Four ultra-high containerized tree spacings of 2 feet …

The Current - Volume 34 Issue 5, Nova Southeastern University

Student Newspapers

No abstract provided.

Associations Between Rest-Activity Rhythms And Liver Function Tests: The Us National Health And Nutrition Examination Survey, 2011-2014, Chris Ho Ching Yeung, Cici Bauer, Qian Xiao

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Liver functions are regulated by the circadian rhythm; however, whether a weakened circadian rhythm is associated with impaired liver function is unclear. This study aims to investigate the association of characteristics of rest-activity rhythms with abnormal levels of biomarkers of liver function. Data were obtained from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2011-2014. Seven rest-activity rhythm parameters were derived from 24 h actigraphy data using the extended cosine model and non-parametric methods. Multiple logistic regression and multiple linear regression models were used to assess the associations between rest-activity rhythm parameters and alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alkaline phosphatase …

Hospital Development Of A Hybrid Emergency Department - Inpatient Care Observation Unit, Anna Powell, Paul Clark Rn, Phd, Ma, Faen, Karan Shah

Faculty and Staff Scholarship

Introduction: This project aimed to design and implement an emergency department-managed observation unit that improves inpatient bed and emergency department stretcher capacity, decreases observation patient length of stay, earns high patient satisfaction scores, and generates a positive fiscal impact on the organization.

Methods: This quality improvement project followed a 1-group, pre- and postprogram implementation design.

Results: In the first year of operations, 40% of the total observation patients treated in this hospital were managed in the new observation unit. Emergency department observation unit length of stay across all patient complaints was half of the average length of stay for observation …

Conformational Ensemble-Dependent Lipid Recognition And Segregation By Prenylated Intrinsically Disordered Regions In Small Gtpases, Mussie K Araya, Alemayehu A Gorfe

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

We studied diverse prenylated intrinsically disordered regions (PIDRs) of Ras and Rho family small GTPases using long timescale atomistic molecular dynamics simulations in an asymmetric model membrane of phosphatidylcholine (PC) and phosphatidylserine (PS) lipids. Here we show that conformational plasticity is a key determinant of lipid sorting by polybasic PIDRs and provide evidence for lipid sorting based on both headgroup and acyl chain structures. We further show that conformational ensemble-based lipid recognition is generalizable to all polybasic PIDRs, and that the sequence outside the polybasic domain (PBD) modulates the conformational plasticity, bilayer adsorption, and interactions of PIDRs with membrane lipids. …

Incidence And Risk Factors For Pneumonitis Associated With Checkpoint Inhibitors In Advanced Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: A Single Center Experience, Mehmet Altan, Felipe Soto, Linda L Zhong, Fechukwu O Akhmedzhanov, Nathaniel R Wilson, Abdulrazzak Zarifa, Aya A Albittar, Vincent Yang, Jeff Lewis, Waree Rinsurongkawong, J Jack Lee, Vadeerat Rinsurongkawong, Jianjun Zhang, Don L Gibbons, Ara A Vaporciyan, Kristofer Jennings, Fareed Khawaja, Saadia A Faiz, Vickie R Shannon, Girish Shroff, Myrna C B Godoy, Naval G Daver, Saumil Gandhi, Tito R Mendoza, Aung Naing, Carrie Daniel-Macdougall, John V Heymach, Ajay Sheshadri

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

INTRODUCTION: Immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) pneumonitis causes substantial morbidity and mortality. Estimates of real-world incidence and reported risk factors vary substantially.

METHODS: We conducted a retrospective review of 419 patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who were treated with anti-PD-(L)1 with or without anti-CTLA-4 therapy. Clinical, imaging, and microbiological data were evaluated by multidisciplinary adjudication teams. The primary outcome of interest was grade ≥2 (CTCAEv5) pneumonitis. Clinicopathologic variables, tobacco use, cancer therapies, and preexisting lung disease were assessed for univariate effects using Cox proportional hazards models. We created multivariate Cox proportional hazards models to assess risk factors for …

Food Systems Under Pressure, Julie M. Parsons, A Draper

School of Law, Humanities and Social Sciences

This special section represents an exciting new multiplatform collection that contains a range of contributions that all focus on contemporary food systems and the ways in which they operate to influence consumption patterns. In addition to conventional research papers, the section also includes a Sociology in Action paper containing a shorter opinion piece and Beyond the Text, which is a creative audio-visual contribution. Some of the papers derive from the seventh conference of the British Sociological Association Food Studies Group held in Prato, 24–25 June 2019. The theme of the original conference was food systems and society, given that throughout …

Tfeb And Tfe3 Control Glucose Homeostasis By Regulating Insulin Gene Expression, Adrien Pasquier, Nunzia Pastore, Luca D'Orsi, Rita Colonna, Alessandra Esposito, Veronica Maffia, Rossella De Cegli, Margherita Mutarelli, Susanna Ambrosio, Gennaro Tufano, Antonio Grimaldi, Marcella Cesana, Davide Cacchiarelli, Nathalie Delalleau, Gennaro Napolitano, Andrea Ballabio

Duncan NRI Faculty and Staff Publications

To fulfill their function, pancreatic beta cells require precise nutrient-sensing mechanisms that control insulin production. Transcription factor EB (TFEB) and its homolog TFE3 have emerged as crucial regulators of the adaptive response of cell metabolism to environmental cues. Here, we show that TFEB and TFE3 regulate beta-cell function and insulin gene expression in response to variations in nutrient availability. We found that nutrient deprivation in beta cells promoted TFEB/TFE3 activation, which resulted in suppression of insulin gene expression. TFEB overexpression was sufficient to inhibit insulin transcription, whereas beta cells depleted of both TFEB and TFE3 failed to suppress insulin gene …

The Prognostic Role Of Platelet-To-Lymphocyte Ratio In Acute Coronary Syndromes: A Systematic Review And Meta-Analysis, Michal Pruc, Frank William Peacock, Zubaid Rafique, Damian Swieczkowski, Krzysztof Kurek, Monika Tomaszewska, Burak Katipoglu, Maciej Koselak, Basar Cander, Lukasz Szarpak

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

This study aimed to investigate the potential prognostic role of the platelet-to-lymphocyte (PLR) ratio in patients presenting with suspected acute coronary syndromes (ACS). A systematic search of PubMed Central, Scopus, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Library from conception through 20 August 2023 was conducted. We used odds ratios (OR) as the effect measure with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for dichotomous data and mean differences (MD) with a 95% CI for continuous data. If I2 was less than 50% or the p value of the Q tests was less than 0.05, a random synthesis analysis was conducted. Otherwise, a fixed pooled meta-analysis …

Slow Surgical Correction Affects More Than Just The Bowels, Emilia M. Clementi

Clinical Research in Practice: The Journal of Team Hippocrates

Reflection on how delayed colostomy reversal affects a patient's mental and physical well-being.

Interprofessional Health Fairs: An Effective Tool For Interprofessional Education?, Caleb Holloway, Ashley Barbo, Bryan Donald, Min Jee Kim

Journal of Interprofessional Practice and Collaboration

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine whether interprofessional health fairs have a significant impact on the interprofessional education of students in health care disciplines.

Methods: An optional survey was administered to students participating in the health fairs in 2021 and 2022. The survey utilized four retrospective pre and post ICCAS assessment questions to address IPEC core competencies and two open ended questions to provide feedback about the health fair and report anything new learned from or about another health care discipline. The self-assessment questions were reported on a 5-point Likert scale and recorded in aggregate for both …

Improving Effective Care In Obese Patients In A Primary Care Clinic, Amy Miller

Journal of Interprofessional Practice and Collaboration

Background: Obesity is a preventable epidemic and costs the United States $200 billion annually. The leading causes of death are linked to obesity.

Local Problem: In a chart review, 53% of patients at a northeast Louisiana primary care clinic were obese. However, none were offered comprehensive lifestyle intervention. The aim was to increase the percentage of patients with BMI < 30 kg/m2 to 60% over 8 weeks.

Methods: A rapid-cycle quality improvement initiative was implemented using four Plan-Do-Study-Act cycles over 8 weeks. Each cycle produced tests of change related to screening, patient and team engagement, and assessing effective care. Run charts and aggregate tables were used to analyze …

The Ketogenic Diet Effect On Organ Chemistries, Rundk Hwaiz, Mohammad Mostafa, Sazan Talaat, Mohammed Merza

Polytechnic Journal

Background: ketogenic diet refers to the diet plan that emphasizes foods that are high in fats, moderate proteins and very low carbohydrates to consume more calories from fat rather than carbohydrates and is commonly used as a weight-loss plan and in rare cases, as a treatment for some diseases. Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate or assess organ functions in the individuals following ketogenic diet. Patients and methods: A total 31 samples were collected from individuals following ketogenic diet in male and femal aged from 20 to 55, and a control group which composed of 10 healthy …

Promotional Brochure: Dayton Civic Scholars, University Of Dayton

Fitz Center Reports and Promotional Materials

The Dayton Civic Scholars program strives to shape students into civic leaders through education, sustained civic engagement, and several professional development opportunities. Fifteen students are selected at the end of their first year to become a cohort that will embark on a three-year commitment together.

Hmmelfarb Headlines - November/December 2023, George Washington University, Himmelfarb Health Sciences Library

Himmelfarb Headlines (2009 - present)

News, information, and resources relating to the Himmelfarb Library that is of interest to patrons

Growth Performance, Feed Utilization, Hematological Parameters, And Histological Features Of Nile Tilapia (Oreochromis Niloticus) Fed Diets With Supplementary Herbal Extracts Under Prolonged Water Exchange, Mohamed F.A. Abdel-Aziz, Mohammed F. El Basuini, Islam I. Teiba, Mohamed M.M. Metwally

Faculty Journal Articles

No abstract provided.

Periodontal Disease And Alzheimer’S Disease, Lexis Labonte, Jaycee Cole

Dental Hygiene Student Research Posters

There is a direct correlation between patients with periodontal disease and negative cognitive decline or Alzheimer’s disease. Research has proven that those who suffer from Alzheimer’s/dementia have a reduced dentition which negatively impacts masticatory function. With impaired masticatory function, it leads to poor nutrition which has a direct effect on cerebral stimulation and blood flow which worsens the effects of Alzheimer’s. The bacteria that is present during periodontitis, causes a spike in inflammatory cytokines. These cytokines invade the brain and trigger CNS inflammation which leads to cognitive decline.

Muhlenberg Magic, Lehigh Valley Health Network

LVHN documents

No abstract provided.

Development Of An Angiogenic Tissue-On-A-Chip Microenvironment, Eric Stuehr

Master's Theses

Preclinical testing is necessary to investigate the safety and efficacy of novel therapeutics before moving to clinical trials, yet approximately 90% of these therapies fail once tested in humans. This has led to increased interest in developing robust preclinical models that accurately mimic the complex human in vivo physiology. Microfluidic devices that can introduce dynamic conditions to 3D cell/organoid cultures, also known as tissue-on-a-chip, have emerged as physiologically relevant in vitro preclinical models that can achieve high throughput screening of therapeutics. The research presented here aimed to develop an angiogenic environment within a novel microfluidic device to stimulate formation of …

Hockey Fans In Training Graduate Program (Hfit Grad): Process Evaluation Of An Add-On Fitness Program For Hfit Participants, Robert Petrella, Marisa Kfrerer, Olivia Crozier, Brendan Riggin, Wendy Blunt, Dawn P. Gill, Brooke Bliss

Department of Medicine Publications

Context: Approximately 1 in 4 Canadian adults are living with obesity, indicating a need to provide accessible, sustainable, and locally tailored programs to manage the disease long-term. HFIT Grad was a 6-week exercise and physical activity pilot program offered to previous participants who completed Hockey FIT (a 12-week healthy lifestyle program for male hockey fans who were overweight or had obesity) within the last 12 months. Objective: Evaluate the acceptability of HFIT Grad for promoting maintenance of health behaviours developed in Hockey FIT. Study Design and Analysis: Participants who completed HFIT Grad (n=27) were invited to participate in a virtual …

Stakeholder Acceptability Of The Hockey Fans In Training Healthy Lifestyle Intervention, Robert Petrella, Melissa Majoni, Marisa Kfrerer, Narlon Boa Sorte Silva, Brendan Riggin, Wendy Blunt, Dawn P. Gill, Brooke Bliss, Guangyong Zou, Kate Shillington, Paul Aspinall, Jennifer Irwin

Department of Medicine Publications

Context: Canadian men have a higher likelihood of having excess weight or obesity than Canadian women, which puts them at a significant risk of developing preventable chronic diseases. To address this issue, we created the Hockey Fans In Training (Hockey FIT) healthy lifestyle program designed for middle-aged male hockey fans with overweight or obesity.

Objective: In parallel to a cluster randomised trial of Hockey FIT, we conducted a process evaluation of the acceptability of the Hockey FIT program from the perspective of program participants, implementation partners, and program coaches. This included identifying areas to be improved for future delivery beyond …

Measuring The Impact Of Kisangas’ Biodigester, Francis Brooke, Liyara Senadheera

Miller Center Fellowship

Kisangas provides sustainable organic waste management solutions for farmers and empowers them to use cow dung as an asset. They achieve this by offering a low-maintenance biodigester that converts cow waste into net-zero emission gas, utilized for cooking, heating water, and in some instances, generating electricity. Their product also produces a slurry which can be used as organic fertilizer to replace synthetic chemical fertilizers on their farms. Kisangas is a small startup so they lacked concrete data on their clients and data on their overall impact on the farmers who have their biodigester. To address this challenge, our team conducted …

Scope Of Open Education: A New Framework For Research, Virginia Clinton-Lisell, Jasmine Roberts-Crews, Lindsey Gwozdz

Education, Health & Behavior Studies Faculty Publications

The field of open education and research on the topic has notably expanded since the introduction of the term 20 years ago. Given these developments, a framework to structure research inquiry is necessary to ground and organize findings in open education. We propose the SCOPE framework for open education research: social justice, cost, outcomes, perceptions, and engagement. In this article, we explain how this framework emphasizes the need for social justice at the forefront of open education research. In addition, we incorporate existing theories in social justice, motivation, cognition, pedagogy, and engagement into each of the components to propose theoretical …

Correlations Between Mental Health, Physical Activity, And Body Composition In American College Students After The Covid-19 Pandemic Lockdown, Luis Torres, Manuela C. Caciula, Alin S. Tomoiaga, Carmen Gugu-Gramatopol

Department of Exercise Science and Physical Education Scholarship and Creative Works

Restrictions associated with the COVID-19 pandemic had forced American college students to significantly reduce their daily energy expenditure and increase their sedentary behaviors, thus presumably increasing mental health symptoms, decreasing physical activity levels, and enhancing the promotion of unhealthy eating habits. This study aimed to explore the correlations between mental health symptoms, physical activity levels, and body composition in college students in the years following the pandemic, focusing on the lingering effects of lockdown measures. American college students completed pre-existing, well-validated surveys for both mental health (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale) and physical activity (International Physical Activity Questionnaire—Long Form). Body …

The Gut-Brain Axis Let's Talk About It, Megan Gibson

3 Minute Thesis Competition

No abstract provided.

Enhancing Diabetes Care In Lmics: Insights From A Multinational Consensus, Jose Carlos Miranda, S Abbas Raza, Babatope Kolawole, Jahanzeb Kamal Khan, Atiba Alvi, Fariha Sadiq Ali, Ejim Emmanuel Chukwudi, Nanik Ram, Amira Oluwatoyin

Section of Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism

The International Cardio-Metabolic Forum held a plenary session to establish a multinational consensus on the challenges faced in diabetes management within lower-middle-income countries (LMICs) and their potential solutions. Stakeholders, including patients, family/caretakers, healthcare professionals, and healthcare policymakers & organizations, participated in discussions. The audience of 280 doctors from 15 different countries (Pakistan, Qatar, Sri Lanka, Kenya, Myanmar, Georgia, Nigeria, Philippines, Uzbekistan, Iraq, Tanzania, Cambodia, Kazakhstan, South Sudan and Libya) was divided into 4 groups led by Group Leaders to represent each stakeholder group. Questionnaires addressing key challenges and solutions specific to each group were used to facilitate consensus development. Participants …

Determinats Of Antenatal Clinic Attendance Among Female Sex Workers, Nairobi County, Kenya, Lonah Vuhia Tunya

MSc in Advanced Practice Midwifery

Due to stigma and discrimination, female sex workers (FSWs) in sub-Saharan Africa encounter obstacles while attempting to get antenatal care (ANC), as sex work is a crime. As a result of not using family planning (FP), FSWs frequently experience unwanted pregnancies. This study looked into the antenatal experiences of FSWs, how they receive ANC and any obstacles they encounter. The broad objective of the study was to assess the determinants of ANC attendance among FSWs in Nairobi County. The specific objectives were to assess the level of knowledge on the importance of ANC attendance, identify the challenges to ANC attendance …