Digital Commons Network^™

Health-Outcomes Related To Smartphone Use In The College Student Population: A Scoping Review, Gregory Deglomine

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Objective: A scoping review was employed to consolidate what is currently being studied and reported on concerning interactions with smartphone devices and correlated negative health-outcomes, specifically within the college student population. We are specifically concerned with this population due to the unique demands of technology use coupled with free time use of smartphone devices. Information such as study focus, study design, and summarized results are be provided within this compilation of available data. Results: The existing data findings are heavily skewed in favor of a positive correlation between smartphone use and negative health-outcomes. Sampling 17,069 total participants across 41 studies, …

The Impact Of Gestational Diabetes Mellitus And Maternal Oral Microbiome: A Scoping Review, Jaclyn P. Langan

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Background: Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is a common pregnancy-related metabolic disorder associated with adverse maternal and fetal outcomes. Recent research has highlighted the potential role of the oral microbiome in the pathophysiology of various systemic conditions, including diabetes mellitus. However, the impact of GDM on the maternal oral microbiome remains relatively understudied. Understanding alterations in the oral microbiome during pregnancy complicated by GDM could provide valuable insights into the mechanistic links between systemic metabolic disorders and oral health.

Objective: The objective of this scoping review was to comprehensively examine the existing literature on the relationship between GDM and maternal oral …

Breakfast Skipping In College Students And Its Association With Eating Behaviors, Rebekah E. May

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Background: Breakfast is important in maintaining optimal diet quality and decreasing preventable diet-related disease later in life. Breakfast skipping is highly prevalent in the college population, potentially decreasing self-regulation and diet quality and increasing habits of overeating. However, specific eating styles and diet quality have yet to be studied in breakfast skippers.

Objective: To explore and compare the characteristics of eating style, self-regulation, and diet quality among college students between a day when breakfast is skipped and a day when breakfast is consumed.

Methodology: Undergraduate students (n=103) participating in this observational crossover study completed demographics, the Self-regulation of Eating Behavior …

Bioarchaeological Study Of Patterns Of Juvenile Oral Health In Ancient Peru, Nidhi S. Patel

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Dental caries have been identified for several centuries as a common pathology within individuals’ mouths, more specifically in the posterior teeth surfaces (Jesudass, Prabhu, Rajajee, & Sudheer, 2014). Although there have been modern procedures and preventative methods developed to help treat dental caries, in ancient times this was not always the case. The persistence of anterior teeth dental caries in juveniles is a unique pathology observed in Túcume that has not been studied yet. Through the analysis of skeletal samples, this research aims to study the specific case of the formation of anterior deciduous dental caries in juveniles located at …

Examining The Relationship Between Physical Health Behaviors And Mental Health Outcomes In Female Hispanic College Students, Alexandra St. Laurent

Honors Undergraduate Theses

The current state of mental health in college students is a universal concern. Female college students are reporting more depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms than ever before. Physical activity and diet quality can positively influence mental health symptoms. Current research provides scarce evidence that examines the relationship of these health behaviors and outcomes in the Hispanic female population. The primary aim of this study is to examine the relationship between physical health behaviors and mental health outcomes in Hispanic female college students. This is a cross-sectional study using a self-report survey to collect data from approximately 109 Hispanic female college …

The Relationship Between Resistance Training On Depressive Symptoms, Coping Self-Efficacy, And Quality Of Life In Female College Students, Katherine B. Tran

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Background: Current studies have found a higher risk of depression, coping self-efficacy, and quality of life, specifically among female college students and predominantly pharmacotherapy or cognitive therapy intervention have been adopted to improve depression or depressive symptoms, however, current research suggests an alternative strategy, such as exercise, may be an effective approach. Understanding the relationship between exercise, such as resistance training (RT), and other psychosocial outcomes such as depressive symptoms, coping self-efficacy, and quality of life may show the potential of utilizing RT amongst this understudied population and can provide insight on alternative or supplemental treatment options for depression. Methods: …

The Efficacy Of Vitamin D Supplementation In The Treatment Of Polycystic Ovary Syndrome, Paola N. Delacerda

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a complex disorder commonly affecting women of reproductive age. Diagnostic criteria include abnormal menstrual cycles, elevated androgens, and cystic ovaries, although insulin resistance is also common. PCOS puts patients at an elevated risk for complications such as type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease, so proper management of this condition is essential. It has been found that vitamin D deficiency is prevalent among the PCOS patient population, therefore, this study aims to evaluate the efficacy of vitamin D supplementation as a treatment for PCOS. A meta-analysis was performed using six randomized, placebo-controlled trials that each examined …

Influencers Endorsement Advertising Methods On Different Social Media Platforms, Sophia R. Annaloro

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Social media marketing has opened a unique spot for Social Media Influencers. With their fame comes a lot of power over their follower's actions. Many things are at play when an influencer works with a brand to create promotional content for a product. Flow theory suggests that an abrupt advertisement does not match the pace or aesthetic of the content they are currently consuming. When one's viewing is abruptly interrupted by an advertisement, the consumers are now aggravated by the product. Distinctive characteristics of different platforms are likely to develop flow differently. This study analyzed how passive versus active product …

Paleodemographic Research In Ancient Túcume With A Focus On Infant Mortality, Tyler J. Pilarski

Honors Undergraduate Theses

This research analyzed bioarchaeological data from the Peruvian site of Túcume in an attempt to understand what the overall mortality profile may have been like, as well as what patterns may have been seen in juvenile and infant mortality. The primary data set, which consisted of estimated age-at-death values from previously excavated skeletal remains, was examined via three different models (Life Table, 5 Year Incremental, and Categorical), as well as compared to data from two other comparable sites (Pacatnamú and Farfán). It was found that individuals at Túcume were dying in unequal proportions across the age groups, ranging from newborn …

The Role Of Micrornas In Cellular Senescence, Inflammation, And Cancer Induced By Childhood Obesity, Sarah S. Siddiqi

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Childhood obesity has escalated into a major public health crisis with serious implications for long-term health. As obesity rates among children continue to rise globally, it is crucial to understand its effects on cellular aging and inflammation—key processes that underpin many metabolic diseases. Obesity not only directly contributes to various metabolic disorders but also disrupts fundamental cellular mechanisms, accelerating aging and fostering systemic inflammation. By examining the impact of obesity on cellular aging and chronic inflammation, as well as the regulatory role of microRNAs (miRNAs) in these pathways, we have been able to identify critical biomarkers and molecular mechanisms involved …

Factors Leading To Osteoporosis In Turner Syndrome, Daniella O. Aleshinloye

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Turner Syndrome (TS) is a chromosomal disorder from conception characterized by the partial or complete absence of the second X chromosome in females. Chromosomal abnormalities, both numerical and structural, contribute to a significantly higher prevalence of fractures (30.5-32.2%) compared to non-TS postmenopausal women (14.9%). This highlights the intrinsic bone abnormalities associated with TS and increased fracture risk. Peripheral quantitative computed tomography (pQCT) is commonly used to assess bone mineral density (BMD). However, its accuracy in individuals with TS is limited due to the partial volume effect, highlighting the need for further clinical research to understand bone density changes compared to …

The Effect Of Intermittent Fasting, Caloric Restriction And Exercise On Aging And Longevity: Systematic Review, Romi Hardin

Honors Undergraduate Theses

The purpose of this study was to gain a better understanding of the effects of caloric restriction, intermittent fasting, and exercise on human longevity and aging, and explore their practical applications and inclusions into a healthy lifestyle. By reviewing the existing research and studies, this literature review focuses on identifying and explaining the biological mechanism behind these practices and exploring whether combining practices can be advantageous in extending not only lifespan but health span. The results generally indicate that following either caloric restriction or intermittent fasting and participating in regular exercise have immense results on promoting healthy aging in an …

Health Equity Policy In Colombia: Improving Equal Access To Health Care Services For Individuals With Low-Income, Marian Marin

Honors Undergraduate Theses

In 1993, the last health reform “Law 100” was introduced in Colombia. It has been over 30 years since its implementation, and there have been many changes to the healthcare system in Colombia ever since. The policy increased health insurance coverage to almost 95% of the population, providing better and more affordable patient care. However, increasing the availability of resources does not necessarily make them accessible to all of Colombia’s residents. This study aims to analyze the outcomes of “Law 100” to the system and studies critical obstacles that halt healthcare equity in Colombia, particularly for those in rural and …

The Quest For Racial Equality After The Revolution: How Black Intellectuals Envision The Struggle For Equality After Jim Crow And Apartheid, Shelby Morgan

Honors Undergraduate Theses

This paper examines the ideas presented by Black public intellectuals from South Africa and the United States regarding their solutions on how to achieve real racial equality after the achievement of equality under the law. It will provide a historical comparative analysis of the two countries by examining the works of George Fredrickson, as well as some contextual background on the existence of racial disparities in the modern day. It will then present various publications by American intellectuals Ibram X. Kendi, Ta-Nehisi Coates, and Cornel West, and South African authors Sizwe Mpofu-Walsh, Songezo Zibi, and Tembeka Ngcukaitobi that discuss their …

Predictors Of International Students' Acculturation Processes In The United States, Somaya Eissa

Senior Honors Theses and Projects

International students have unique acculturation experiences. There are several factors that can play a role in their acculturation process. This topic has not been widely investigated in midwestern middle sized universities in the United States. This study had four specific hypotheses. The first was that the assimilation model is going to be correlated to a stricter upbringing of the individual. The second was that the separation model is going to be correlated with higher religiosity. The third was that the integration model will be correlated with higher

levels of outgoingness. Lastly, that marginalization will be correlated with lower levels of …

College Corps: Market Watch - Northcoast Growers Association, Fiona Connors, Robyn Stallman

IdeaFest 2024

No abstract provided.

Shifting The Paradigm From Weight To Health, Aubrey Lyn Flores

IdeaFest 2024

No abstract provided.

College Corps And Arcata House Partnership Combating Homelessness In Humboldt County, Annika Botha, Amanda Anderson

IdeaFest 2024

No abstract provided.

Weight Cycling And Rapid Weight Loss And Its Effect On Athletic Performance In Combat Sports, Jack Stewart

IdeaFest 2024

No abstract provided.

Improving Nutritional Delivery To Pediatric Patients On Continuous Renal Replacement Therapy, Jennifer Ruiz-Boada, Sarah Brunner, Tara Benton, Vimal Chadha

Presentations

INTRODUCTION: Continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT) is used in critically ill children with acute renal failure. CRRT can lead to malnutrition by removing essential proteins and micronutrients. Malnutrition is associated with worse outcomes, including increased length of stay and mortality. CRRT guidelines suggest the importance of early nutrition and ensuring high protein intake. After evaluating our CRRT patients, we found sub-optimal adherence to the guidelines. This Quality Improvement project aimed to increase the percentage of patients achieving 75% of their goal protein and caloric intake by day 5 of CRRT initiation by 15% by August 2023. METHODS: A multidisciplinary group …

Chairs Of Excellence Annual Report 2024, Tennessee. Higher Education Commission.

Academic Programs and Workforce Reports

No abstract provided.

Leading From The Middle: Arts Administrators' Beliefs About The Impact Of Arts Education On High-Needs Students, Sofia Fojas

Dissertations

Research on arts education notes the positive impact of arts education on educational outcomes for students, particularly students of color, students in poverty, and students needing additional academic support. Students living in low-income communities receive different educational opportunities than those in high-wealth districts. This disparity is especially true for highly mobile and high-needs students of color. Arts education has made positive differences in student outcomes. This qualitative study examined the beliefs of county arts leads, leaders in the middle, situated between the California Department of Education and their local school districts, and how they can be empowered to be change …

The Nature And Role Of Health Laws In The Writings Of Ellen G. White, Lehel Somogyi

Master's Theses

The Topic

Since the founding of their denomination, Seventh-day Adventists have advocated a particular concept of health based on the visions and writings of denominational co-founder Ellen G. White (1827–1915). According to her writings, certain natural laws are crucial for maintaining health. These laws are often called “the laws of health” or “the eight laws of health” and include principles such as diet, exercise, water, temperance, and hygiene. In Seventh-day Adventist circles, Ellen G. White is usually perceived as the originator of these health principles. Some scholars suggest that she simply borrowed her health principles from other contemporary health reformers. …

Eliciting The Effect Free Roaming Cats Have On Native Hawaiian Wildlife Using Stable Isotope Analysis, Erin Salano

Theses and Dissertations--Biology

This study measured the concentration of the stable isotopes Carbon and Nitrogen within the tissues of free-roaming and indoor cats on the Hawai’ian islands. This study aimed to determine whether cats are consuming more human provisioned or wild food sources and whether their diet is having a negative impact on endemic species; with a focus on assessing impacts on conserved bird populations. We hypothesized that human provisioned food sources have higher levels of carbon due to the amount of corn fillers within them, while wild food sources are more Nitrogen rich. We found that indoor and feral cats sampled from …

Co-Divergence Of Lemur Hosts And Gut Microbiomes Across Multiple Evolutionary Scales, Mariah E. Donohue

Theses and Dissertations--Biology

This dissertation bridges micro- and macroevolutionary approaches to understand the co-diversification of animal hosts and their gut microbiomes at different evolutionary timescales. I examined these dynamics using wild lemurs, a diverse Primate clade endemic to the island of Madagascar.

First, I tested the relative effects of host phylogenetic relationships, diet, and habitat in shaping the gut microbiome through deep evolutionary time and across distinct microbial kingdoms. I designed a natural experiment sampling feces from rainforest and dry forest lemur communities with similar phylogenetic assemblages and considerable variation in dietary strategy. Then, I amplified and sequenced two metabarcoding genes, the V4 …

Secretor Status And Anxiety Are Risk Factors For Getting Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Ola Amer Jasim, Khalid Mahdi Salih

Al-Esraa University College Journal for Medical Sciences

Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) is a functional disease of gastrointestinal tract (GIT) that affects 10-20% of the population worldwide and is distinguished by abdominal pain/discomfort and changes in bowel habits that is accompanied by diarrhea, constipation, or both. Control-based study was conducted on 50 Iraqi patients with IBS who were presented at private clinics for gastrointestinal diseases (GIDs), along with 20 healthy individuals matched in their age and gender to act as control group. The study lasted from November 2021 to May 2022 and aimed to determine the frequency of IBS subtypes among Iraqi patients, as well as the influence …

Rnf20 Contributes To Epigenetic Immunosuppression Through Cdk9- Dependent Lsd1 Stabilization, Bo Dong, Xinzhao Wang, Xiang Song, Jianlin Wang, Xia Liu, Zhiyong Yu, Yongkun Zhou, Jiong Deng, Yadi Wu

Markey Cancer Center Faculty Publications

Cyclin- dependent kinase 9 (CDK9) plays a critical role in transcription initiation and is essential for maintaining gene silencing at heterochromatic loci. Inhibition of CDK9 increases sensitivity to immunotherapy, but the underlying mechanism remains unclear. We now report that RNF20 stabilizes LSD1 via K29-mediated ubiquitination, which is dependent on CDK9- mediated phosphorylation. This CDK9- and RNF20- dependent LSD1 stabilization is necessary for the demethylation of histone H3K4, then subsequent repression of endogenous retrovirus, and an interferon response, leading to epigenetic immunosuppression. Moreover, we found that loss of RNF20 sensitizes cancer cells to the immune checkpoint inhibitor anti-PD- 1 in vivo …

Mechanisms Of Γδ T Cell Accumulation In Visceral Adipose Tissue With Aging, Sujata Mukherjee, Maria E. C. Bruno, Jason Oakes, Gregory S. Hawk, Arnold Stromberg, Donald A. Cohen, Marlene E. Starr

Markey Cancer Center Faculty Publications

γδ T cells are resident in visceral adipose tissue (VAT) where they show an age- associated increase in numbers and contribute to local and systemic chronic inflammation. However, regulation of this population and mechanisms for the age-dependent accumulation are not known. In this study, we identified a progressive trend of γδ T cell accumulation in VAT over the lifespan in mice and explored physiological mechanisms contributing to accumulation. Using isochronic parabiotic pairs of wild-type (WT) and T cell receptor delta knockout (TCRδ KO) mice at young and old age, we confirmed that VAT γδ T cells are predominately a tissue-resident …

Pai-1 As A Critical Factor In The Resolution Of Sepsis And Acute Kidney Injury In Old Age, Maria E. C. Bruno, Sujata Mukherjee, Jamie L. Sturgill, Virgilius Cornea, Peng Yeh, Gregory S. Hawk, Hiroshi Saito, Marlene E. Starr

Markey Cancer Center Faculty Publications

Elevated plasma levels of plasminogen activator inhibitor type 1 (PAI-1) are documented in patients with sepsis and levels positively correlate with disease severity and mortality. Our prior work demonstrated that PAI-1 in plasma is positively associated with acute kidney injury (AKI) in septic patients and mice. The objective of this study was to determine if PAI-1 is causally related to AKI and worse sepsis outcomes using a clinically-relevant and age-appropriate murine model of sepsis. Sepsis was induced by cecal slurry (CS)-injection to wild-type (WT, C57BL/6) and PAI-1 knockout (KO) mice at young (5–9 months) and old (18–22 months) age. Survival …

A Community-Engaged, Mixed-Methods Approach To Prioritizing Needs In A Statewide Assessment Of Community Cancer Needs, Jessica R. Thompson, Todd Burus, Caree R. Mcafee, Christine Stroebel, Madeline Brown, Keeghan Francis, Melinda Rogers, Jennifer Redmond Knight, Elaine Russell, Connie L. Sorrell, Elizabeth A. Westbrook, Pamela C. Hull

Markey Cancer Center Faculty Publications

Introduction Kentucky has the highest all-site cancer incidence and death rate in the US. In 2021, the University of Kentucky Markey Cancer Center convened a steering committee to conduct a statewide community cancer needs assessment (CNA). The goal of the final CNA phase was to gather community input on prioritizing Kentucky’s cancer-related needs and ways to address them. Methods In 2021, we recruited 162 people to participate in online concept mapping, a participatory mixed method, to explore connections and identify priority areas. Fifty-one community members and 111 organizational partners participated in survey-based activities to prioritize 80 items representing key CNA …