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Inclusive, Accessible, And Successful: Is It Possible? ​A Case Study Analysis Of How To Curate An Enduring Justice-Centered Farmers Market In Lewiston, Me​, Annie Cc Conway

Standard Theses

Food Security is the physical and economic access to safe, sufficient and nutritious food at all levels of society to ensure a healthy and happy lifestyle for all people; this theme intersects with other topics such as food justice, food deserts, and food sovereignty. In the United States, 11.4 % of the population receives Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Benefits (SNAP) while in Maine, 12.1% do and in Lewiston, this number more than doubles, with 24.4% of the local population receiving SNAP benefits. Thus, Lewiston, Maine provides an interesting locale to understand how the national, regional, and local food system impacts local …

Engaging Older Adults In Local Nonprofit Nutrition Assistance Programs: Understanding Barriers And Exploring Opportunities For Improved Participation, Amber R. Godinsky

Nonprofit and NGO Studies Student Projects

The rapidly growing population of older adults in the United States is set to require a highly skilled and specialized healthcare response to control the threat of a public health crisis. Research on approaches to mitigation suggests the need for an emphasis on preventative measures such as health promotion and nutrition intervention to be used as vital tools in local communities. This case study on older adults residing within DeKalb County, Illinois offers insight into the accessibility of nonprofit nutritional assistance programs by providing a local snapshot of the barriers to participation in a preventative health resource. Methods of collecting …

Generating Personalized Pregnancy Nutrition Recommendations With Gpt-Powered Ai Chatbot. In: 20th International Conference On Information Systems For Crisis Response And Management, Chun-Hua Tsai, Sathvik Kadire, Tejesvi Sreeramdas, Matthew Vanormer, Melissa Thoene, Corrine Hanson, Ann Anderson Berry, Deepak Khazanchi

Information Systems and Quantitative Analysis Faculty Publications

Low socioeconomic status (SES) and inadequate nutrition during pregnancy are linked to health disparities and adverse outcomes, including an increased risk of preterm birth, low birth weight, and intrauterine growth restriction. AI-powered computational agents have enormous potential to address this challenge by providing nutrition guidelines or advice to patients with different health literacy and demographics. This paper presents our preliminary exploration of creating a GPT-powered AI chatbot called NutritionBot and investigates the implications for pregnancy nutrition recommendations. We used a user-centered design approach to define the target user persona and collaborated with medical professionals to co-design the chatbot. We integrated …

Occupational Therapy In The Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (Nicu) & Implementation Of The Test Of Infant Motor Performance, Juliana C. Keane

Occupational Therapy Capstone Presentations

Current literature identifies the recognizable value of occupational therapy within the NICU; however, not all NICUs utilize therapy services. The purpose of this project was to highlight the role of occupational therapy in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) and implement the Test of Infant Motor Performance (TIMP) within this setting through a variety of goals, objectives, and produced deliverables. Als’ Synactive Theory of Development and the Person-Environment-Occupation-Performance (PEOP) Model guided this capstone project. In addition to in-depth clinical practice, education and program development were the methods utilized to achieve the project’s goals. The results of this project further support …

Investigating Behavioral Patterns In Birds With Wing Weaponry And Skeletal Weaponization In Two Zenaida Doves, Maia Dykstra

Biology Honors Theses

The white-winged dove and the mourning dove are two closely related North American Columbid species that display aggressive wing-slapping behavior. This behavior, observed in several avian families, is sometimes accompanied by weaponizing osteological modifications to the carpometacarpus bone. I hypothesized the existence of such weapons in white-winged and mourning doves due to their common use of wing-slapping. To explore this hypothesis, I made two predictions based on patterns of modification in birds with well documented weaponry. I predicted that, if weaponry exists in these birds, 1) white-winged doves will show greater weaponization than mourning doves, and 2) males of each …

Evaluation And Heavy Metal Concentration Assessment In Selected Brands Of Infant And Toddler Food Types In Houston, Texas, Omobolanle Oluwafemi David Garuba

Theses (2016-Present)

Heavy metals and metalloids such as lead, cadmium, arsenic, nickel and zinc are an unavoidable contaminant of our ecosystem because of its natural occurrence They are also introduced into the environment anthropogenically through manufacturing, industrial agricultural processes which contaminates the food chain when taken up by food producing crops as a result of their presence in soil and water used in planting or feeding livestock. The adverse effects of these toxic elements have become a global threat to food security, particularly due to their inextricable association with human health. Exposure to environmental contaminants from daily diet is a major concern …

An Exploration Of The Pathway From Childhood Neglect To School Bullying Victimization, Natalie D. Johnson

Dissertations

The objective of the current study was to explore the association between two widely prevalent sources of trauma occurring early in life, child neglect and bullying victimization (BV), via adult recollections of maltreatment experiences. One hundred and twenty participants, recruited from a mid-sized university in the Rocky Mountain region of the United States, were ultimately included in the sample. Of the total sample, 30 participants (25%) endorsed a history of moderate to severe neglect in childhood and 62 participants (52%) endorsed experiencing at least one form of BV in school. Childhood maltreatment, including various forms of neglect and abuse, was …

Assessing Cancer-Causing Carcinogens In Freight Facilities: A Case Study Of Englewood Rail Yard In Houston, Texas, Terrance Dewayne Overstreet

Theses (2016-Present)

This study provides a qualitative analysis and uses a cross-case comparison to highlight the contamination exposure of the Englewood rail yard in Houston, Texas to contamination exposure found in four (4) other rail yards: Conrail rail yard in Elkhart, Indiana, Union Pacific rail yard in Eugene, Oregon, Paoli rail yard in Paoli, Pennsylvania, and CSX rail yard in Waycross, Georgia. The research will show that a high level of cancer-causing toxins created a health problem in the Houston area communities of the city’s Greater Fifth Ward, Denver Harbor, and Kashmere Gardens neighborhoods. Based upon the disposal practices by rail yard …

Epidemiology Of Retinopathy Of Prematurity In The Us From 2003 To 2019, Anshul Bhatnagar, Henry C Skrehot, Amit Bhatt, Honey Herce, Christina Y Weng

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

IMPORTANCE: Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) is a potentially blinding retinal disease with poorly defined epidemiology. Understanding of which infants are most at risk for developing ROP may foster targeted detection and prevention efforts.

OBJECTIVE: To identify changes in ROP incidence in the US from 2003 to 2019.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: This retrospective database cohort study used the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project Kids' Inpatient Databases. These nationwide databases are produced every 3 years, include data from over 4000 hospitals, and are designed to generate national estimates of health care trends in the US. Participants included pediatric newborns at risk …

Exploration Of Associations Among Dietary Tryptophan, Microbiome Composition And Function, And Symptom Severity In Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Anna M Plantinga, Kendra J Kamp, Qinglong Wu, Li Chen, Linda Yoo, Robert L Burr, Kevin C Cain, Daniel Raftery, Fausto Carnevale Neto, Shyam Badu, Sik Yu So, Tor Savidge, Robert J Shulman, Margaret M Heitkemper

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

BACKGROUND: Imbalance of the tryptophan (TRP) pathway may influence symptoms among patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). This study explored relationships among different components that contribute to TRP metabolism (dietary intake, stool metabolite levels, predicted microbiome metabolic capability) in females with IBS and healthy controls (HCs). Within the IBS group, we also investigated relationships between TRP metabolic determinants, Bifidobacterium abundance, and symptoms of IBS.

METHODS: Participants with IBS (Rome III) and HCs completed a 28-day diary of gastrointestinal symptoms and a 3-day food record for TRP intake. They provided a stool sample for shotgun metagenomics, 16 S rRNA analyses, and …

Childhood Sleep Health And Epigenetic Age Acceleration In Late Adolescence: Cross-Sectional And Longitudinal Analyses, David Balfour, Phillip E. Melton, Joanne A. Mcveigh, Rae-Chi Huang, Peter R. Eastwood, Sian Wanstall, Amy C. Reynolds, Sarah Cohen-Woods

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Aim: Investigate if childhood measures of sleep health are associated with epigenetic age acceleration in late adolescence. Methods: Parent-reported sleep trajectories from age 5 to 17, self-reported sleep problems at age 17, and six measures of epigenetic age acceleration at age 17 were studied in 1192 young Australians from the Raine Study Gen2. Results: There was no evidence for a relationship between the parent-reported sleep trajectories and epigenetic age acceleration (p ≥ 0.17). There was a positive cross-sectional relationship between self-reported sleep problem score and intrinsic epigenetic age acceleration at age 17 (b = 0.14, p = 0.04), which was …

Reduced Peak Bone Mass In Young Adults With Low Motor Competence, Jocelyn Tan, Carrie Anne Ng, Nicolas H. Hart, Timo Rantalainen, Marc Sim, David Scott, Kun Zhu, Beth Hands, Paola Chivers

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Although suboptimal bone health has been reported in children and adolescents with low motor competence (LMC), it is not known whether such deficits are present at the time of peak bone mass. We examined the impact of LMC on bone mineral density (BMD) in 1043 participants (484 females) from the Raine Cohort Study. Participants had motor competence assessed using the McCarron Assessment of Neuromuscular Development at 10, 14, and 17 years, and a whole-body dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) scan at 20 years. Bone loading from physical activity was estimated from the International Physical Activity Questionnaire at the age of 17 …

Does The Type Of Chronic Heart Failure Impact In-Hospital Outcomes For Aortic Valve Replacement Procedures?, Talha Mubashir, John Zaki, Sin Yeong An, Ismael A Salas De Armas, Yafen Liang, Travis Markham, Han Feng, Mehmet H Akay, Angelo Nascimbene, Bindu Akkanti, George W Williams, Fabricio Zasso, Maria Patarroyo Aponte, Igor D Gregoric, Biswajit Kar

The Texas Heart Institute Journal

Background: This study assessed in-hospital outcomes of patients with chronic systolic, diastolic, or mixed heart failure (HF) undergoing transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) or surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR).

Methods: The Nationwide Inpatient Sample database was used to identify patients with aortic stenosis and chronic HF who underwent TAVR or SAVR between 2012 and 2015. Propensity score matching and multivariate logistic regression were used to determine outcome risk.

Results: A cohort of 9,879 patients with systolic (27.2%), diastolic (52.2%), and mixed (20.6%) chronic HF were included. No statistically significant differences in hospital mortality were noted. Overall, patients with diastolic HF …

Does The Type Of Chronic Heart Failure Impact In-Hospital Outcomes For Aortic Valve Replacement Procedures?, Talha Mubashir, John Zaki, Sin Yeong An, Ismael A Salas De Armas, Yafen Liang, Travis Markham, Han Feng, Mehmet H Akay, Angelo Nascimbene, Bindu Akkanti, George W Williams, Fabricio Zasso, Maria Patarroyo Aponte, Igor D Gregoric, Biswajit Kar

The Texas Heart Institute Journal

Background: This study assessed in-hospital outcomes of patients with chronic systolic, diastolic, or mixed heart failure (HF) undergoing transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) or surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR).

Methods: The Nationwide Inpatient Sample database was used to identify patients with aortic stenosis and chronic HF who underwent TAVR or SAVR between 2012 and 2015. Propensity score matching and multivariate logistic regression were used to determine outcome risk.

Results: A cohort of 9,879 patients with systolic (27.2%), diastolic (52.2%), and mixed (20.6%) chronic HF were included. No statistically significant differences in hospital mortality were noted. Overall, patients with diastolic HF …

Parent-Child Attachment When Parenting A Child With A Disability, Giulianna Zocchetti

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Parent-child attachment is a commonly researched topic, but parent-child attachment when a child has a disability has received limited attention in the literature. This study seeks to examine the impact of parenting a child with a disability on parent-child attachment. This study was conducted on a Facebook forum that posts about parenting with children who have developmental disabilities.

This research study used a variety of methods and procedures. First, this study was conducted using quantitative methods. The research used a self-administered survey on the platform SurveyMonkey. The study used snowball sampling to recruit participants. To analyze the data, descriptive and …

Examining Social Determinants Of Health Of Formerly Incarcerated California Students Who Graduated From Project Rebound, Ashley C. Adams

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Project Rebound is an educational based program that supports justice impacted individuals in obtaining higher education. The purpose of this study is to explore specific social determinants of health for these justice impacted students, and how these social determinants may improve after graduation. Specifically, this study will examine participants’ housing, mental health, substance use, employment, and finances during and after their participation in Project Rebound. This study is important, as there is little research on Project Rebound, their alumni, and how social determinants of health may be impacted by enrollment. This study is quantitative, and uses online surveys to gather …

How Has The Covid-19 Pandemic Impacted Clients Of The Early Development Center, Daniella Loera

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

The research project explored the impact of factors that resulted from the COVID-19 pandemic and families and children in the early development center, resulting in a decrease of child attendance. This research sought to analyze the impacts in one community to prepare for future national emergencies across different communities. The study was conducted with clients of a non-profit organization that offers services through their early development center for ages six weeks to five years old. Data was obtained through survey responses from participants to analyze their experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic. Responses were analyzed through statistical analysis using SPSS. The …

Adverse Effects For Siblings Who Witness Child Abuse, Leslie Chaires

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

This research explores the adverse effects on the mental health of children who have witnessed child abuse on siblings or relatives and interventions that can help mitigate adverse effects. The adverse effects of being abused have continued to be studied by different fields, such as child development and social work, but the children not directly abused are the missing voice in the literature on child abuse and mental and behavioral health. Social workers frequently have contact with children who have been victims of abuse or have witnessed child abuse. Social workers and other mental health providers can bring further insight …

Reconstructive Surgery For The Neglected Tropical Diseases: Global Gaps And Future Directions, Kala T Pham, Peter J Hotez, Kristy L Hamilton

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

BACKGROUND: Several neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) are highly disfiguring, particularly those in resource-poor countries that lack access to basic surgery. There has been a push to integrate surgery into treatment programs for NTDs. In this article, we provide an overview of the major disfiguring NTDs and discuss the processes and barriers that impede access to reconstructive surgical treatments or their integration into health systems.

METHODS: A review of the literature was conducted using the online database PubMed, from 2008 to 2021 with the specific diseases listed as NTDs either on the World Health Organization or the

RESULT: Success in the …

Identification Of Dietary Supplements Associated With Blood Metabolites In The Hispanic Community Health Study/Study Of Latinos Cohort Study, Robert C Kaplan, Jessica S Williams-Nguyen, Yuhan Huang, Yasmin Mossavar-Rahmani, Bing Yu, Eric Boerwinkle, Marc D Gellman, Martha Daviglus, Aisha Chilcoat, Linda Van Horn, Kim Faurot, Qibin Qi, Heather Greenlee

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: Metabolomics approaches have been widely used to define the consumption of foods but have less often been used to study exposure to dietary supplements.

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to identify dietary supplements associated with metabolite levels and to examine whether these metabolites predicted incident diabetes risk.

METHODS: We studied 3972 participants from a prospective cohort study of 18-74-y-old Hispanic/Latino adults. At a baseline examination, we ascertained use of dietary supplements using recall methods and concurrently, a serum metabolomic panel. After adjustment for potential confounders, we identified dietary supplements associated with metabolites. We then examined the association of these metabolites …

Investigating Gene-Diet Interactions Impacting The Association Between Macronutrient Intake And Glycemic Traits, Kenneth E Westerman, Maura E Walker, Sheila M Gaynor, Jennifer Wessel, Daniel Dicorpo, Jiantao Ma, Alvaro Alonso, Stella Aslibekyan, Abigail S Baldridge, Alain G Bertoni, Mary L Biggs, Jennifer A Brody, Yii-Der Ida Chen, Joseé Dupuis, Mark O Goodarzi, Xiuqing Guo, Natalie R Hasbani, Adam Heath, Bertha Hidalgo, Marguerite R Irvin, W Craig Johnson, Rita R Kalyani, Leslie Lange, Rozenn N Lemaitre, Ching-Ti Liu, Simin Liu, Jee-Young Moon, Rami Nassir, James S Pankow, Mary Pettinger, Laura M Raffield, Laura J Rasmussen-Torvik, Elizabeth Selvin, Mackenzie K Senn, Aladdin H Shadyab, Albert V Smith, Nicholas L Smith, Lyn Steffen, Sameera Talegakwar, Kent D Taylor, Paul S De Vries, James G Wilson, Alexis C Wood, Lisa R Yanek, Jie Yao, Yinan Zheng, Eric Boerwinkle, Alanna C Morrison, Miriam Fornage, Tracy P Russell, Bruce M Psaty, Daniel Levy, Nancy L Heard-Costa, Vasan S Ramachandran, Rasika A Mathias, Donna K Arnett, Robert Kaplan, Kari E North, Adolfo Correa, April Carson, Jerome I Rotter, Stephen S Rich, Joann E Manson, Alexander P Reiner, Charles Kooperberg, Jose C Florez, James B Meigs, Jordi Merino, Deirdre K Tobias, Han Chen, Alisa K Manning

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Few studies have demonstrated reproducible gene-diet interactions (GDIs) impacting metabolic disease risk factors, likely due in part to measurement error in dietary intake estimation and insufficient capture of rare genetic variation. We aimed to identify GDIs across the genetic frequency spectrum impacting the macronutrient-glycemia relationship in genetically and culturally diverse cohorts. We analyzed 33,187 participants free of diabetes from 10 National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Trans-Omics for Precision Medicine program cohorts with whole-genome sequencing, self-reported diet, and glycemic trait data. We fit cohort-specific, multivariable-adjusted linear mixed models for the effect of diet, modeled as an isocaloric substitution of carbohydrate …

Perceived Financial Strain And Its Effects On College Students’ Welfare, Monica Contreras, Clarissa Adrianna Martinez

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

This study examined the relationship between perceived financial strain and the physical, mental/emotional, and social well-being of students in college. The quantitative study used online surveys to gather data from ninety-eight college participants. The data gathered from the surveys suggests there is a relationship between perceived financial strain and student well-being. Students reported an impact on their friend, peer, and familial relationships and reported higher levels of worry, sadness, and frustration. In addition, all three categories of student well-being were associated with overall perceived financial strain, indicating as financial stress increased, it affected physical, mental/emotional, and social well-being. Results indicate …

The Creation Of An Innovative Oral Health Assessment Survey, Purna Patel

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Background Oral health is an important factor to maintain overall health and well-being, such as students’ knowledge, attitude, and practice. Currently, there is a limited amount of research related to oral health awareness in college students.

Objective The purpose of the study was to define the importance of oral health and investigate college students’ understanding related to oral health. Moreover, research shows how students are protecting their oral hygiene.

Results: The outcomes revealed the college student's awareness and understanding of oral health. According to the survey questions, students believe that dental health is a significant aspect of overall health management. …

Does The Use Of Social Media Have An Impact On Young Adults Body Identification?, Glycell Robledo Felix, Ashley Olmedo

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

The present study investigated how social media use has an impact on Body Identification among Young Adults. Both female and male participants (N=104) from the ages 18-30 were randomly sent a link that would take them directly to a survey. The survey took approximately five minutes for the participants to complete. Participants were asked a set of questions regarding what they saw on social media that made them feel insecure about their body image. Many of the participants responded that the main content that would make them feel dissatisfied with their body on social media was about fitness, cosmetic surgery, …

Supporting Reentry At The Egocentric Level: Investigating The Role Social Networks Play Post Incarceration, Jennifer Perretti

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Reentry is an important subject matter to investigate. With high incarceration and recidivism rates it is essential to highlight ways to reduce the flow of offenders into the criminal justice system and understand how to foster desistance. Borrowing from social capital theory, this study investigates the barriers reentrants face, their ability to overcome these obstacles and the role supportive and non-supportive relationships play in reintegration. Exploring how offenders’ networks constrain or support community reentry, this study found that structural characteristics indicative of higher social capital covaried with successful reentry. Thematic coding of open-ended survey responses revealed that quality of social …

The Investigation Of Knowledge And Practice Of Child Welfare Workers Providing Case Management To Children With Disabilities, Giselle Cruz

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

This study examined the knowledge and practice of child welfare workers providing case management to children with disabilities. The study explores three areas of interest with regard to child welfare workers’ knowledge and practice: identification of disabilities, identification of proper services and resources for children with disabilities, and collaboration among multidisciplinary team members. Past literature has focused on the challenges child welfare workers experience when providing case management services to children with disabilities. This study used an exploratory quantitative design, using a cross-sectional survey to collect data from participants from two Children and Family Service Agencies. The results of this …

Meat Quality Prediction Using Machine Learning, Rohit Buddiga

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Meat quality is an essential aspect of the food industry. However, traditional methods of meat quality prediction have limitations in terms of accuracy, cost, and time efficiency. This project focused on utilizing advanced Deep learning and Machine learning algorithms to develop- machine learning models that could predict the freshness (or spoilage) of meat with a 100% accuracy, based on image data. In addition to accuracy, this study emphasizes the significance of speed and time in selecting the optimal machine learning model. The research questions are: Q1. What hybrid neural networks should be used to predict freshness? Q2. How do hybrid …

Evaluating The Accuracy And Quality Of The Information On Pulmonary Rehabilitation Videos Shared On Youtube Amidst The Covid-19 Pandemic, Payaum Fotovat-Ahmadi, Bilal M. Ali, Bhavinkumar Dalal

Posters

YouTube is a visual library that is growing at incredible pace, especially with the rise of COVID-19 pandemic. Pulmonary rehabilitation refers to the rehabilitation treatment of patients with chronic pulmonary diseases. YouTube has made it possible to practice remote rehabilitation, the effectiveness of which have been proven non-inferior to traditional approaches.

Effects Of Maternal Disease History On Provisioning, Brooding, And Offspring Outcomes, Sakura Roberts

Biological Sciences Undergraduate Honors Theses

Disease within a population has the ability to shape the development, evolution, and general performance of a species. Pathogen exposure to hosts can influence their physiology and behavioral patterns to further shape offspring immunity. Parental conditions experienced by offspring during early development can benefit survival and fitness (e.g. increasing provisioning rates), as well as help deter against similar diseases experienced by parents. By testing if parental behavior changes can better prepare offspring outcomes for disease exposure, such as disease severity or duration of infection, we can see the beneficial impacts it has on disease dynamics and host-pathogen processes. Incubation temperature, …

Community And Network Responses For Assisting Mobile Vulnerable Populations, Teresa C. Kulig, Allison V. Schlosser, Morgan A. Vanslyke, Laura E. Alexander, Cristián Doña-Reveco

Latino/Latin American Studies Reports

The COVID-19 crisis highlighted the increasing vulnerability of individuals, households, and communities. It has almost certainly been even more devastating for those who rely on community networks and organizations for aid but are less able to access aid networks in conditions of reduced mobility. This is the case for “mobile vulnerable populations,” among which include persons experiencing homelessness, victims of human trafficking,immigrants, refugees, and Latinos/as. This report summarizes our research with local Omaha service providers about what they need to serve mobile vulnerable populations in the community, how the pandemic has affected their ability to do so, and whether there …