Digital Commons Network^™

Circulating Lipocalin-2 And Features Of Metabolic Syndrome In Community-Dwelling Older Women: A Cross-Sectional Study, Carlie Bauer, Marc Sim, Richard L. Prince, Kun Zhu, Ee M. Lim, Elizabeth Byrnes, Nathan Pavlos, Wai H. Lim, Germaine Wong, Joshua R. Lewis, Itamar Levinger

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Lipocalin-2 (LCN2) is released by several cell types including osteoblasts and adipocytes and has been suggested as a marker of renal dysfunction, metabolic syndrome (MetS) and type 2 diabetes (T2D). Whether LCN2 is linked to these diseases in older women remains unknown. This study investigated whether LCN2 is related to features of MetS and T2D in older women. This cross-sectional study included 705 non-diabetic women (mean age 75.1 ± 2.6 years) for MetS analysis and 76 women (mean age 75.4 ± 2.8 years) with T2D. Total circulating LCN2 levels were analysed using a two-step chemiluminescent microparticle monoclonal immunoassay. MetS was …

Child Studies Multiple – Collaborative Play For Thinking Through Theories And Methods, Anna Sparrman, Yelyzaveta Hrechaniuk, Olga A. Smith, Klara Andersson, Deniz Arzuk, Johanna Annerbäck, Linnea Bodén, Mindy Blaise, Claudia Castañeda, Rebecca Coleman, Florian Eßer, Matt Finn, Daniel Gustafsson, Peter Holmqvist, Jonathan Josefsson, Peter Kraftl, Nick Lee, Karín Lesnik-Oberstein, Sarah Mitchell, Karin Murris, Alex Orrmalm, David Oswell, Alan Prout, Rachel Rosen, Katherine Runswick-Cole, Johanna Sjöberg, Karen Smith, Spyros Spyrou, Kathryn B. Stockton, Affrica Taylor, Ohad Zehavi, Emilia Zotevska, Sonja Arndt, David Cardell

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

This text is an exploration of collaborative thinking and writing through theories, methods, and experiences on the topic of the child, children, and childhood. It is a collaborative written text (with 32 authors) that sprang out of the experimental workshop Child Studies Multiple. The workshop and this text are about daring to stay with mess, “un-closure” , and uncertainty in order to investigate the (e)motions and complexities of being either a child or a researcher. The theoretical and methodological processes presented here offer an opportunity to shake the ground on which individual researchers stand by raising questions about scientific inspiration, …

Cyber-Aidd: A Novel Approach To Implementing Improved Cyber Security Resilience For Large Australian Healthcare Providers Using A Unified Modelling Language Ontology, Martin Dart, Mohiuddin Ahmed

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Purpose: This paper proposes a novel cyber security risk governance framework and ontology for large Australian healthcare providers, using the structure and simplicity of the Unified Modelling Language (UML). This framework is intended to mitigate impacts from the risk areas of: (1) cyber-attacks, (2) incidents, (3) data breaches, and (4) data disclosures. Methods Using a mixed-methods approach comprised of empirical evidence discovery and phenomenological review, existing literature is sourced to confirm baseline ontological definitions. These are supplemented with Australian government reports, professional standards publications and legislation covering cyber security, data breach reporting and healthcare governance. Historical examples of healthcare cyber …

Experimental Assessment Of Hole Quality And Tool Condition In The Machining Of An Aerospace Alloy, Muhammad Aamir, Aamer Sharif, Muhammad Z. Zahir, Khaled Giasin, Majid Tolouei-Rad

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

This paper deals with an experimental investigation of hole quality in Al2024-T3, which is one of the aerospace alloys used in aircraft fuselage skin due to its high level of resistance to fatigue crack propagation. The experiments are conducted with 6 mm uncoated carbide and HSS drill bits using a CNC machine under dry conditions and different drilling parameters. The characteristics of the hole quality are investigated in terms of its perpendicularity, cylindricity, circularity and hole size. An ANOVA (analysis of variance) and Pareto charts are used to analyze the effects of the drilling parameters on the hole quality. The …

Methane Emissions In Seagrass Meadows As A Small Offset To Carbon Sequestration, Yvonne Y. Y. Yau, Gloria Reithmaier, Caludia Majtényi-Hill, Oscar Serrano, Nerea Piñeiro-Juncal, Martin Dahl, Miguel A. Mateo, Stefano Bonaglia, Isaac R. Santos

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Seagrass meadows are effective carbon sinks due to high primary production and sequestration in sediments. However, methane (CH4) emissions can partially counteract their carbon sink capacity. Here, we measured diffusive sediment-water and sea-air CO2 and CH4 fluxes in a coastal embayment dominated by Posidonia oceanica in the Mediterranean Sea. High-resolution timeseries observations revealed large spatial and temporal variability in CH4 concentrations (2–36 nM). Lower sea-air CH4 emissions were observed in an area with dense seagrass meadows compared to patchy seagrass. A 6%−40% decrease of CH4 concentration in the surface water around noon indicates that photosynthesis likely limits CH4 fluxes. Sediments …

Seagrass Posidonia Escarpments Support High Diversity And Biomass Of Rocky Reef Fishes, Oscar Serrano Gras, Karina Inostroza, Glenn Hyndes, Alan M. Friedlander, Eduard Serrano, Caitlin Rae, Enric Ballesteros

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Although seagrass meadows form a relatively homogenous habitat, escarpments, which form three-dimensional structures and originate from the erosion of seagrass peat, can provide important habitat for reef fishes. Here, we compare fish assemblages and habitat structural complexity among seagrass Posidonia australis escarpments and canopies, as well as limestone reef habitats, to understand the role of seagrass escarpments as reef fish habitat in Shark Bay, Western Australia. The total number of fish species, fish biomass, and top predator biomass were significantly higher in seagrass escarpments and reef habitats than in seagrass canopies due to lower habitat structural complexity and thus becoming …

“I Tell My Brothers That It Can Be Done”: Indigenous Males Navigating Elite Australian Higher Education, Garth Stahl, James A. Smith, Andrew Harvey, Braden Hill, Himanshu Gupta, Sam Moore, Jianing Wang

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

As Australian higher education grapples with its colonial history, there has been significant attention to recruiting Indigenous students. However, while we have seen increases in Indigenous participation, males lag significantly behind. Very few Indigenous males enter university and even fewer enter the upper echelons of the stratified higher education sector. In this paper, we investigate the experiences of four Indigenous young men who attended an elite Australian higher education institution. Central to our analysis is how their identities are realised in relation to their sense of Indigeneity and Western ways of knowing, being and doing. In capturing the complex identity …

A Potential Role For Sirtuin-1 In Alzheimer's Disease: Reviewing The Biological And Environmental Evidence, Mehrane Mehramiz, Tenielle Porter, Eleanor K. O'Brien, Stephanie R. Rainey-Smith, Simon M. Laws

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Sirtuin-1 (Sirt1), encoded by the SIRT1 gene, is a conserved Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+) dependent deacetylase enzyme, considered as the master regulator of metabolism in humans. Sirt1 contributes to a wide range of biological pathways via several mechanisms influenced by lifestyle, such as diet and exercise. The importance of a healthy lifestyle is of relevance to highly prevalent modern chronic diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease (AD). There is growing evidence at multiple levels for a role of Sirt1/SIRT1 in AD pathological mechanisms. As such, this review will explore the relevance of Sirt1 to AD pathological mechanisms, by describing the involvement …

Exploring The Re-Legitimisation Of Messages For Health And Physical Education Within Contemporary English And Welsh Curricula Reform, J. Stirrup, David Aldous, S. Gray, R. Sandford, O. Hooper, S. Hardley, A. S. Bryant, N. R. Carse

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

This paper explores how messages for health and PE ([H]PE) within English and Welsh curricula are being re-legitimised through distinct performance and competence pedagogic models. Drawing upon Bernstein’s sociology of knowledge (Bernstein, 1996. Pedagogy, symbolic control and identity: Theory, research, critique. Taylor and Francis; 2000. Pedagogy, symbolic control and identity: Theory, research and critique (revised ed.). Rowman and Littlefield) data was generated through a deductive content analysis of the contemporary statutory English National Curriculum for Physical Education (NCPE) and the new Curriculum for Wales (CfW), Health and Well-Being Area of Learning and Experience (HWB-AoLE). Findings illustrate how the current English …

Feeling And Hearing Country As Research Method, Anne Poelina, Marlikka Perdrisat, Sandra Wooltorton, Edwin L. Mulligan

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

This paper explains Feeling and Hearing Country as an Australian Indigenous practice whereby water is life, Country is responsive, and Elders generate wisdom for a communicative order of things. The authors ask, as a society of Indigenous people and those no longer Indigenous to place, can we walk together in the task of collectively healing Country? The research method uses experiential, creative, propositional, and practical ways of knowing and being in and with local places. Evidence may take many forms based upon engagement with an animate, sentient world. The research method can generate new meanings, implications and insights, and regenerate …

Ranunculus Cut Flower Production Budget, One Field, Northern Utah, 2022, Shannon Rauter, Melanie Stock, Ruby Ward

All Current Publications

This budget contains costs (preplant and site preparation, establishment and maintenance, and harvest and processing) and returns for the production and sale of ranunculus cut flowers that were grown in a field (14 feet by 40 feet). Production methods, yield, costs, and pricing were determined from Utah State University (USU) research trials, as well as feedback from Northern Utah producers. Typical production in Northern Utah is highly variable, with net returns influenced by labor costs, management practices, yield, stem length, and marketing success. Based on USU research trials, ranunculus results in an economic loss of $0.95 per square foot when …

Anemone Cut Flower Production Budget, One Field, Northern Utah, 2022, Shannon Rauter, Melanie Stock, Ruby Ward

All Current Publications

This budget contains costs (preplant and site preparation, establishment and maintenance, and harvest and processing) and returns for the production and sale of anemone cut flowers that were grown in a field (14 feet by 40 feet). Production methods, yield, costs, and pricing were determined from Utah State University (USU) research trials, as well as feedback from Northern Utah producers. Typical production in Northern Utah is highly variable, with net returns influenced by labor costs, management practices, yield, stem length, and marketing success. Based on USU research trials, anemone has a low profit potential ($0.50 per square foot) when grown …

Moab Local Food Guide 2023, Roslynn Mccann, Shiree Duncan

All Current Publications

Thank you for picking up this Moab Utah Local Food Guide, last updated in May 2023. Those growing and producing food within a 100 mile radius from Moab have been included in this guide to help YOU make locally sourced purchasing decisions!

Obicetrapib Plus Ezetimibe As An Adjunct To High-Intensity Statin Therapy: A Randomized Phase 2 Trial, Christie M Ballantyne, Marc Ditmarsch, John Jp Kastelein, Adam J Nelson, Douglas Kling, Andrew Hsieh, Danielle L Curcio, Kevin C Maki, Michael H Davidson, Stephen J Nicholls

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Background: Obicetrapib, a selective cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP) inhibitor, reduces low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (non-HDL-C), lipoprotein particles, and apolipoproteins, when added to high-intensity statin in patients with dyslipidemia.

Objective: To evaluate the safety and lipid-altering efficacy of obicetrapib plus ezetimibe combination therapy as an adjunct to high-intensity statin therapy.

Methods: This double-blind, randomized, phase 2 trial administered 10 mg obicetrapib plus 10 mg ezetimibe (n = 40), 10 mg obicetrapib (n = 39), or placebo (n = 40) for 12 weeks to patients with LDL-C >70 mg/dL and triglycerides (TG) < 400 mg/dL, on stable high-intensity statin. Endpoints included concentrations of lipids, apolipoproteins, lipoprotein particles, and proprotein convertase subtilisin kexin type 9 (PCSK9), safety, and tolerability.

Results: Ninety-seven patients were included in …

The Major Questions Doctrine: Right Diagnosis, Wrong Remedy, Thomas W. Merrill

Faculty Scholarship

The Supreme Court’s “major questions” doctrine has been attacked as an attempt to revive the nondelegation doctrine. The better view is that this statutory interpretation responds to perceived failings of the Chevron doctrine, which has governed court-agency relations since 1984. This article criticizes the major question doctrine and proposes modifications to the Chevron doctrine that would partially correct its failings while preserving the traditional interpretive role of courts.

Biology, Genetic Diversity, And Conservation Of Wild Bees In Tree Fruit Orchards, Olivia Mae Kline, Ngoc T. Phan, Mitzy F. Porras, Joshua Chavana, Coleman Z. Little, Lilia Stemet, Roshani S. Acharya, David J. Biddinger, Gadi V.P. Reddy, Edwin G. Rajotte, Neelendra K. Joshi

Entomology and Plant Pathology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Honey bees (Apis mellifera) are the most economically important agricultural pollinator in North America, as well as being the most frequently studied bee species. Many agricultural systems, such as fruit tree orchards, benefit from having a diversity of bee species present. In this article, we present information about the types of bees that can be found in orchards and explore their mating behaviors, life cycles, genetic differences, flower preferences, and foraging activities. Many orchard-pollinating bees, including bumble bees (Bombus spp.), mason bees (Osmia spp.), and mining bees (Andrena spp.), are often less studied than honey …

Chevron'S Ghost Rides Again, Thomas W. Merrill

Faculty Scholarship

Professor Gary Lawson has offered a remarkable account of the fate of the Chevron doctrine during a recent year in the Supreme Court, from August 2021 to June 2022. When one examines lower court decisions, petitions seeking review of those decisions, briefs filed by the parties, and transcripts of oral arguments, Chevron made frequent appearances during the year. But when one reads the published opinions of the Court, one finds virtually no reference to Chevron. Based on the published opinions of the Court, it was as if the Chevron decision did not exist.

The status of Chevron as a …

Characterizing Genetic Diversity And Testing For Fisheries Induced Evolution In Southeastern Kansas Populations Of Bluegill (Lepomis Macrochirus), Morganne C. Borsh

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Bluegill (Lepomis macrochirus) is a popular and versatile sport fish with wide distribution. Fisheries management of the species is generally nebulous due to the additive role of environmental factors, genetics, social interactions, and alternative reproductive tactics in determining bluegill growth. Size structure could be further influenced by angling pressure: large parental males are more susceptible to harvest than smaller cuckolders. The systematic removal of large individuals through angling can result in stunted populations via fisheries induced evolution (FIE). In southeastern Kansas, bluegill from popularly fished impoundments are projected to have smaller sizes compared to isolated or inaccessible impoundments from the …

Can White Nationalist Rhetoric Increase Prejudice Toward Mexican Immigrants?, Nathan Lewey

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The Western populism wave of ethno-nationalism (i.e., exclusionary resistance to egalitarianism: exclusionist belief in the superiority of ingroup goals over superordinate goals that are inclusive of all cultures) may increase prejudice toward minorities (Schmuck & Matthes, 2017). Integrated threat theory (ITT; Stephan & Stephan, 1996) states that prejudiced attitudes are mediated by four types of threat, which are affected by quantity and quality of intergroup contact (Stephan et al., 2000). These threats include realistic threat (e.g., fear of losing one’s job to an immigrant), symbolic threat (e.g., fear of losing one’s societal values/norms to a foreign culture), intergroup anxiety, and …

The Flow Experience Of Adults Age 50 And Older In Recreational Doubles Pickleball, Glynis Worthington

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Pickleball, often described as a combination of tennis, badminton, and ping-pong, is America’s fastest-growing sport. An estimated 4.8 million players enjoyed the game in 2021, 40% greater than in 2019 (Sports & Fitness Industry [SFIA], 2022). The game is especially popular with older players when played recreationally (for fun rather than prepare for or participate in competitions) in a doubles format (four players per court) (USA Pickleball Association [USAPA], 2022). This study identifies the degree adults age 50 and older experience flow (Csikszentmihalyi, 1990) while playing recreational doubles pickleball.

The Long Dispositional Flow Scale – Physical (DFS-2) was used to …

Assessment Of Conservation Reserve Program Enhancements At Contract Renewal: Impact On Monarch Butterfly (Danaus Plexippus) Habitat, Tristan L. Murphy

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus) is a migratory species whose primary breeding range is the upper Midwestern United States. In 2022, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature listed the monarch as endangered due to milkweed and migratory habitat loss. One of the most promising opportunities for monarch recovery is to enhance habitat quality on private land currently enrolled in the USDA Conservation Reserve Program (CRP). In order to qualify for re-enrollment in the program and continuation of annual government payments, farmers must show adequate habitat quality or enhance their site by overseeding after burning, herbicide application, …

No Need To Set The Alarm, I’Ve Been Up Since 2:30am! Why My Teaching Job Keeps Me Up At Night: A Phenomenological Research Study On Empathic Strain Of Iowa Educators, Lindsey Cornwell

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Empathic strain describes a stressor on individuals in professions in which one cares for others who have endured their own trauma or stress (Mathieu, 2021). While previous studies have looked mainly at medical, social work and law enforcement fields as being some of the most impacted by empathic strain, more recently educators have been identified as those challenged with this phenomenon.

Through a phenomenological qualitative study, which included a Facebook marketed Qualtrics survey on empathic strain, four individual interviews and a metaphorical data analysis focus group experience, the lived experiences of educators with empathic strain were collected. Each of the …

“I Can’T Do This Anymore, But I Have 1000 More Kids To Serve”: A Qualitative Study Of Full-Time Residential Summer Camp Staff Burnout, Sarah Cohen

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Early pioneers of burnout defined it as “to fail, wear out, or become exhausted by making excessive demands on energy, strength, or resources'' (Freudenberger, 1974, p. 159; Freudenberger, 1977; Schaufeli & Enzmann, 1998). The traditional structures and activities of summer camps play a large role in creating experiences for staff and campers alike, but can lead to full-time staff working long hours with little time off and a culture of being overworked as a symbol of dedication to the program. While burnout research has become more popular over the past few decades, little is known about how burnout is experienced …

Principals’ Knowledge Of Trauma-Informed School Practices, Elsa Leyhe

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Trauma has become a larger issue in schools, and it is necessary for school administrators, specifically principals, to be fully aware of and equipped to deal with trauma in the student body. There is limited quantitative research on what principals currently know about trauma and trauma-informed practices. To help fill this need for more quantitative data, this research study surveyed principals in two Midwest states to address the following questions: To what extent do principals know about traumainformed care in schools? Did the principals receive any training on trauma-informed care in their graduate/certification programs? Did they seek training on their …

The Pandemic-Uncanny: Self-Estrangement And Environment In Out There And Bliss Montage, Kersten Khaley

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

COVID-19 was declared a pandemic by the WHO on March 11, 2020. The COVID-19 Public Health Emergency lasted from January 30, 2020, to May 11, 2023. During this time, abundant literature across disciplines began appearing, assessing the pandemic experience and aftermath. However, there needs to be more investigation and application of the term uncanny in the pandemic experience and literature.

Two short story collections, Out There by Kate Folk and Bliss Montage by Ling Ma, both published in 2022, are works of pandemic literature demonstrating the pandemic's inherent uncanniness and the human experience. The term pandemic-uncanny represents an inherent attachment …

Graduate Recital Yuxiao Sun, Piano, Yuxiao Sun

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Yuxiao Sun presented a solo piano recital on November 2, 2023 at 8:00 p.m. in Davis Hall of the Gallagher-Bluedorn Performing Arts Center at the University of Northern Iowa. This recital marked a partial completion of her Master of Music degree in Piano Performance. The program included the following works: Piano Sonata No. 23 in F minor, Op. 57 “Appassionata” by Ludwig van Beethoven, Partita No.1 in B flat Major, BWV 825 by Johann Sebastian Bach, and Pour le Piano, L. 95 by Claude Debussy.

Piano Sonata No. 23 in F minor, Op. 57 “Appassionata” by Ludwig van Beethoven

Ludwig …

Briggs V. Southwestern Energy Production: Hydraulic Fracturing And Subsurface Trespass, Thomas W. Merrill, Henry E. Smith

Faculty Scholarship

The tort of trespass to land has proven to be controversial as applied to airplane overflights (and more recently to drones) as well as to oil and gas production using hydraulic fracking technology. The key to applying trespass to intrusions above and below the surface of land is to distinguish between possession of land and the right to possess land. Surface owners have the right to possess the column of space above and below the surface (a kind of option value), but only to the extent that this space is subject to possible effective possession. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court in …

Editorial: Overcoming The Cell Membrane To Target Intracellular Oncoproteins, Christopher J Brown, Yong Li, Kanaga Sabapathy

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

No abstract provided.

Exploring A 'Fishy' Solution: Unveiling Human Norovirus With Zebrafish Larvae (2023), Sahaana Chandran

Three-Minute Thesis Research Posters

Exploring a 'Fishy' Solution: Unveiling Human Norovirus with Zebrafish Larvae

The 3MT (Three Minute Thesis) is a research communication competition that challenges students to communicate the significance of their projects without the use of props or industry jargon in just three minutes. The winner of the 3MT competition moves on to the Council of Southern Graduate School’s Regional Conference in March 2024.

Australian Churches During Coronatide: Lessons & Opportunities, Pieter-Jan Bezemer, Sten Langmann

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Christian churches have played a pivotal role in the social and economic fabric of many Western countries over centuries. However, in many of these countries national censuses have revealed significant declines in the number of people that associate themselves with Christianity. For example, the latest census of the Australian Bureau of Statistics revealed that in 2021 less than half of the population was still affiliated with Christianity. This gradual but steady decline has had a significant impact on churches, as it has become more challenging to maintain church communities and church buildings, and serve the wider community. Early in 2020, …