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Early Life Energy Balance: The Development Of Infant Energy Expenditure And Intake In The Context Of Obesity, Emily W. Flanagan, Leanne M. Redman

Clinical Research Faculty Publications

Purpose of Review: This review aims to provide a summary of the current knowledge on measurement tools and most recent evidence for prenatal and postnatal modulators of energy balance in young infants. Recent Findings: The prevention of pediatric obesity depends upon curating the perfect imbalance of energy intake to energy expenditure, taking into consideration the energy needs for healthy growth. We summarize the recent evidence for the programming of fetal and infant metabolism influenced by maternal preconception health, prenatal metabolic milieu, and physical activity behaviors. In the early postnatal environment, caregiver feeding behaviors shape the extent of energy imbalance through …

Precision Stratification Of Prognostic Risk Factors Associated With Outcomes In Gestational Diabetes Mellitus: A Systematic Review, Zhila Semnani-Azad, Romy Gaillard, Alice E. Hughes, Kristen E. Boyle, Kristen E. Boyle, Deirdre K. Tobias, Paul W. Franks, Stephen S. Rich, Robert Wagner, Tina Vilsbøll, Kimberly K. Vesco, Miriam S. Udler, Tiinamaija Tuomi, Arianne Sweeting, Emily K. Sims, Jennifer L. Sherr, Robert K. Semple, Rebecca M. Reynolds, Maria J. Redondo, Leanne M. Redman, Richard E. Pratley, Rodica Pop-Busui, Toni I. Pollin, Wei Perng, Ewan R. Pearson, Susan E. Ozanne, Katharine R. Owen, Richard Oram, Rinki Murphy, Viswanathan Mohan, Shivani Misra, James B. Meigs, Nestoras Mathioudakis, Chantal Mathieu

Clinical Research Faculty Publications

Background: The objective of this systematic review is to identify prognostic factors among women and their offspring affected by gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), focusing on endpoints of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and type 2 diabetes (T2D) for women, and cardiometabolic profile for offspring. Methods: This review included studies published in English language from January 1st, 1990, through September 30th, 2021, that focused on the above outcomes of interest with respect to sociodemographic factors, lifestyle and behavioral characteristics, traditional clinical traits, and ‘omics biomarkers in the mothers and offspring during the perinatal/postpartum periods and across the lifecourse. Studies that did not report …

Trajectories Of Offending Over 9 Years After Youths' First Arrest: What Predicts Who Desists And Who Continues To Offend?, Elizabeth Cauffman, Jordan Beardslee, Colleen Sbeglia, Paul J. Frick, Laurence Steinberg

Faculty Publications

Antisocial and illegal behavior generally declines as youth approach adulthood, but there is significant individual variation in the timing of the peak and decline of offending from adolescence to young adulthood. There are two primary research questions in the present study. First, are there subgroups of youth who follow similar patterns of offending over the nine years after their first arrest? Second, what baseline factors predict which youth will follow each pattern of offending? Data were drawn from the Crossroads study, which includes a sample of racially and ethnically diverse boys who were interviewed regularly for 9 years following their …

Shortened Sleep Duration Impairs Adipose Tissue Adrenergic Stimulation Of Lipolysis In Postmenopausal Women, Prachi Singh, Robbie A. Beyl, Jacqueline M. Stephens, Allison J. Richard, Anik Boudreau, R. Caitlin Hebert, Robert C. Noland, David H. Burk, Sujoy Ghosh, Jaroslaw Staszkiewicz, J. Michael Salbaum, Josiane L. Broussard, Marie Pierre St-Onge, Eric Ravussin, Kara L. Marlatt

Division of Basic Science Faculty Publications

Objective: The objective of this study was to examine the changes in adipose tissue lipolytic capacity and insulin signaling in response to shortened sleep duration (SSD) in postmenopausal women. Methods: Adipose tissue from a randomized crossover study of nine healthy postmenopausal women (mean [SD], age: 59 [4] years; BMI: 28.0 [2.6] kg/m2) exposed to four nights of habitual and SSD (60% of habitual sleep) while following a eucaloric diet was examined ex vivo. Tissue lipolytic capacity was determined by measurement of secreted glycerol. Cellular insulin signaling was determined by measuring insulin-mediated changes in Akt phosphorylation. RNA sequencing examined global transcriptional …

Gna13 Suppresses Proliferation Of Er+ Breast Cancer Cells Via Erα Dependent Upregulation Of The Myc Oncogene, Lalitha Vaishnavi Subramanyan, Suhail Ahmed Kabeer Rasheed, Lijin Wang, Sujoy Ghosh, Michelle Shi Ning Ong, Manikandan Lakshmanan, Mei Wang, Patrick J. Casey

Division of Basic Science Faculty Publications

GNA13 (Gα13) is one of two alpha subunit members of the G12/13 family of heterotrimeric G-proteins which mediate signaling downstream of GPCRs. It is known to be essential for embryonic development and vasculogenesis and has been increasingly shown to be involved in mediating several steps of cancer progression. Recent studies found that Gα13 can function as an oncogene and contributes to progression and metastasis of multiple tumor types, including ovarian, head and neck and prostate cancers. In most cases, Gα12 and Gα13, as closely related α-subunits in the subfamily, have similar cellular roles. However, in recent years their differences in …

Exercise Therapy Rescues Skeletal Muscle Dysfunction And Exercise Intolerance In Cardiometabolic Hfpef, Heather Quiriarte, Robert C. Noland, James E. Stampley, Gregory Davis, Zhen Li, Eunhan Cho, Youyoung Kim, Jake Doiron, Guillaume Spielmann, Sujoy Ghosh, Sanjiv J. Shah, Brian A. Irving, David J. Lefer, Timothy D. Allerton

Division of Basic Science Faculty Publications

Exercise intolerance, a hallmark of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) exacerbated by obesity, involves unclear mechanisms related to skeletal muscle metabolism. In a “2-hit” model of HFpEF, we investigated the ability of exercise therapy (voluntary wheel running) to reverse skeletal muscle dysfunction and exercise intolerance. Using state-of-the-art metabolic cages and a multiomic approach, we demonstrate exercise can rescue dysfunctional skeletal muscle lipid and branched-chain amino acid oxidation and restore exercise capacity in mice with cardiometabolic HFpEF. These results underscore the importance of skeletal muscle metabolism to improve exercise intolerance in HFpEF.

The Impact Of Exercise On Gene Regulation In Association With Complex Trait Genetics, Nikolai G. Vetr, Nicole R. Gay, Joshua N. Adkins, Brent G. Albertson, David Amar, Mary Anne S. Amper, Jose Juan Almagro Armenteros, Euan Ashley, Julian Avila-Pacheco, Dam Bae, Ali Tugrul Balci, Marcas Bamman, Nasim Bararpour, Elisabeth R. Barton, Pierre M. Jean Beltran, Bryan C. Bergman, Daniel H. Bessesen, Sue C. Bodine, Frank W. Booth, Brian Bouverat, Thomas W. Buford, Charles F. Burant, Tiziana Caputo, Steven Carr, Toby L. Chambers, Clarisa Chavez, Maria Chikina, Roxanne Chiu, Michael Cicha, Clary B. Clish, Paul M. Coen, Dan Cooper, Elaine Cornell, Gary Cutter

Clinical Research Faculty Publications

Endurance exercise training is known to reduce risk for a range of complex diseases. However, the molecular basis of this effect has been challenging to study and largely restricted to analyses of either few or easily biopsied tissues. Extensive transcriptome data collected across 15 tissues during exercise training in rats as part of the Molecular Transducers of Physical Activity Consortium has provided a unique opportunity to clarify how exercise can affect tissue-specific gene expression and further suggest how exercise adaptation may impact complex disease-associated genes. To build this map, we integrate this multi-tissue atlas of gene expression changes with gene-disease …

Children’S Individual Differences In The Responses To A New Method For Physical Education, Sara Pereira, Carla Santos, José Maia, Olga Vasconcelos, Eduardo Guimarães, Rui Garganta, Cláudio Farias, Tiago V. Barreira, Go Tani, Peter T. Katzmarzyk, Fernando Garbeloto

Population and Public Health Science Faculty Publications

Children’s fundamental movement skills (FMS) require planned and guided interventions to develop appropriately. We investigated the effect of a novel Physical Education (PE) method to develop children’s object control, locomotor skills, and motor competence. Further, we examined children’s trainability, i.e., their differential responses to the new method, and identified low and high responders to the intervention. The study lasted three months and included six to seven-year-old children in two groups: control (the current, official PE program; n = 38) and experimental (the new method; n = 52). Twelve FMS [object control (OC), locomotor (LO)] were reliably assessed using the Meu …

Correction To: Polygenic Effects On The Risk Of Alzheimer’S Disease In The Japanese Population (Alzheimer's Research & Therapy, (2024), 16, 1, (45), 10.1186/S13195-024-01414-X), Masataka Kikuchi, Akinori Miyashita, Norikazu Hara, Kensaku Kasuga, Yuko Saito, Shigeo Murayama, Akiyoshi Kakita, Hiroyasu Akatsu, Kouichi Ozaki, Shumpei Niida, Ryozo Kuwano, Takeshi Iwatsubo, Akihiro Nakaya, Takeshi Ikeuchi, Michael W. Weiner, Sara S. Mason, Colleen S. Albers, David Knopman, Kris Johnson, Paul Aisen, Ronald Petersen, Clifford R. Jack, William Jagust, John Q. Trojanowki, Arthur W. Toga, Lon S. Schneider, Sonia Pawluczyk, Mauricio Beccera, Liberty Teodoro, Bryan M. Spann, Laurel Beckett, Robert C. Green, John Morris, Leslie M. Shaw

Clinical Research Faculty Publications

Following publication of the original article [1], the authors corrected an error in Fig. 2. (Figure presented.) The PRS.noAPOE and PRS.adjLD correlated with CSF Tau/Aβ42 ratios in the MCI. CSF tTau/Aβ42 (A, C) and pTau/Aβ42 (B, D) ratios by decile of PRS are shown in each diagnostic group. The participants were divided into ten groups based on the PRS.noAPOE, ranging from the lowest group (1st decile) to the highest group (10th decile). CN = cognitively normal; MCI = mild cognitive impairment; ADD = Alzheimer’s disease dementia Error: Figs. 2C and D are the same figures as Figs. 2A and B …

Sex Differences In Interacting Genetic And Functional Connectivity Biomarkers In Alzheimer’S Disease, Jordan N. Williamson, Shirley A. James, Sean P. Mullen, Bradley P. Sutton, Tracey Wszalek, Beni Mulyana, Peter Mukli, Andriy Yabluchanskiy, Balebail Ashok Raj, Kristin Fargher, Amanda Smith, Lisa Raudin, Gloria Chaing, Norman Relkin, Karen Elizabeth Smith, Hyungsub Shim, Laura L.Boles Ponto, Susan K. Schultz, Antero Sarrael, Raymundo Hernando, Nunzio Pomara, Dick Drost, Andrew Kertesz, John Rogers, Irina Rachinsky, Stephen Pasternak, Elizabether Finger, David Bachman, Kenneth Spicer, Jacobo Mintzer, Bruce L. Miller, Howard J. Rosen, Stephen Correia, Paul Malloy

Clinical Research Faculty Publications

As of 2023, it is estimated that 6.7 million individuals in the United States live with Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Prior research indicates that AD disproportionality affects females; females have a greater incidence rate, perform worse on a variety of neuropsychological tasks, and have greater total brain atrophy. Recent research shows that hippocampal functional connectivity differs by sex and may be related to the observed sex differences in AD, and apolipoprotein E (ApoE) ε4 carriers have reduced hippocampal functional connectivity. The purpose of this study was to determine if the ApoE genotype plays a role in the observed sex differences in …

Cerebrovascular Markers Of Wmh And Infarcts In Adni: A Historical Perspective And Future Directions, Pauline Maillard, Evan Fletcher, Owen Carmichael, Christopher Schwarz, Stephan Seiler, Charles Decarli

Clinical Research Faculty Publications

White matter hyperintensities (WMH) and infarcts found on magnetic resonance imaging (MR infarcts) are common biomarkers of cerebrovascular disease. In this review, we summarize the methods, publications, and conclusions stemming from the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) related to these measures. We combine analysis of WMH and MR infarct data from across the three main ADNI cohorts with a review of existing literature discussing new methodologies and scientific findings derived from these data. Although ADNI inclusion criteria were designed to minimize vascular risk factors and disease, data across all the ADNI cohorts found consistent trends of increasing WMH volumes associated …

Blood And Mri Biomarkers Of Mild Traumatic Brain Injury In Non-Concussed Collegiate Football Players, Eunhan Cho, Joshua Granger, Bailey Theall, Nathan Lemoine, Derek Calvert, Jack Marucci, Shelly Mullenix, Hollis O’Neal, Tomas Jacome, Brian A. Irving, Neil M. Johannsen, Owen Carmichael, Guillaume Spielmann

Clinical Research Faculty Publications

Football has one of the highest incidence rates of mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) among contact sports; however, the effects of repeated sub-concussive head impacts on brain structure and function remain under-studied. We assessed the association between biomarkers of mTBI and structural and functional MRI scans over an entire season among non-concussed NCAA Division I linemen and non-linemen. Concentrations of S100B, GFAP, BDNF, NFL, and NSE were assessed in 48 collegiate football players (32 linemen; 16 non-linemen) before the start of pre-season training (pre-camp), at the end of pre-season training (pre-season), and at the end of the competitive season (post-season). …

Microrna (Mirna) Profiling Of Maize Genotypes With Differential Response To Aspergillus Flavus Implies Zma-Mir156–Squamosa Promoter Binding Protein (Sbp) And Zma-Mir398/Zma-Mir394–F -Box Combinations Involved In Resistance Mechanisms, Prasad Gandham, Kanniah Rajasekaran, Christine Sickler, Harikrishnan Mohan, Matthew Gilbert, Niranjan Baisakh

Faculty Publications

Maize (Zea mays), a major food crop worldwide, is susceptible to infection by the saprophytic fungus Aspergillus flavus that can produce the carcinogenic metabolite aflatoxin (AF) especially under climate change induced abiotic stressors that favor mold growth. Several studies have used “-omics” approaches to identify genetic elements with potential roles in AF resistance, but there is a lack of research identifying the involvement of small RNAs such as microRNAs (miRNAs) in maize-A. flavus interaction. In this study, we compared the miRNA profiles of three maize lines (resistant TZAR102, moderately resistant MI82, and susceptible Va35) at 8 h, 3 d, and …

Metabarcoding The Arctic Ocean Helps Reveal Its Hidden Microbial Community Composition, Rafet Çağrı Öztürk, Yahya Terzi, Sheila Rodríguez-Machado, Ersan Başar, Ali Muzaffer Feyzioğlu, Dilek Ustaoğlu, Ertuğrul Ağırbaş, Prosanta Chakrabarty

Faculty Publications

The Arctic Ocean supports a unique and dynamic microbial community, yet its composition, structure, and response to environmental shifts remain incompletely understood. In this study, 16S rRNA gene metabarcoding (targeting the V3-V4 and V4-V5 hypervariable regions) was used to assess surface water microbial diversity across 20 stations in the Barents Sea, focusing on latitudinal variations within two contrasting current systems: the West Spitsbergen Current (WSC) and the East Spitsbergen Current (ESC). Our results showed that the microbial community is dominated by three primary families—Pseudoalteromonadaceae, Moraxellaceae, and Flavobacteriaceae (14.20%). Comparative analysis of the V3-V4 and V4-V5 regions reveals that each region …

Identification And Expression Analysis Of Phosphate Transporter 1 (Pht1) Genes In The Highly Phosphorus-Use-Efficient Hakea Prostrata (Proteaceae), Benjamin J. Nestor, Toby Bird, Anita A. Severn-Ellis, Philipp E. Bayer, Kosala Ranathunge, M. Asaduzzaman Prodhan, Maheshi Dassanayake, Jacqueline Batley, David Edwards, Hans Lambers, Patrick M. Finnegan

Faculty Publications

Heavy and costly use of phosphorus (P) fertiliser is often needed to achieve high crop yields, but only a small amount of applied P fertiliser is available to most crop plants. Hakea prostrata (Proteaceae) is endemic to the P-impoverished landscape of southwest Australia and has several P-saving traits. We identified 16 members of the Phosphate Transporter 1 (PHT1) gene family (HpPHT1;1-HpPHT1;12d) in a long-read genome assembly of H. prostrata. Based on phylogenetics, sequence structure and expression patterns, we classified HpPHT1;1 as potentially involved in Pi uptake from soil and HpPHT1;8 and HpPHT1;9 as potentially involved in Pi uptake and root-to-shoot …

Creating A Bio-Based Circular Economy From Louisiana Sugarcane Byproducts, G. Aita, D. Bhatnagar, G. O. Bruni, M. Deliberto, G. Eggleston, A. Finger, K. Gravois, M. Isied, W. Judice, K. T. Klasson, I. M. Lima, J. L. Purswell, M. Souliman, E. Terrell, B. S. Tubaña, H. L. Waguespack, J. J. Wang, P. M. White

Faculty Publications

Abstract: Sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum) is Louisiana's number one row crop. Growing and processing sugarcane produces significant amounts of byproducts, including bagasse, crop residue, molasses, filter-press mud, and boiler fly ash. These products represent an important opportunity to generate value-added and specialty products and enhance sugarcane's sustainability by facilitating a circular economy, where agricultural by-products are reused instead of disposing them (linear economy), in order to reduce resource use and energy demand. Examples of value-added products range from biochar, construction materials, animal feed, biofuels, nanoparticles, and fertilizer. Paramount to the success of the bio-based circular economy is creating useful products that …

Rotaxanes With A Photoresponsive Macrocycle Modulate The Lipid Bilayers Of Large And Giant Unilamellar Vesicles, Udyogi N.K. Conthagamage, Rajitha Rajeshwar T, Stijn Van Der Ham, Nasim Akhtar, Macallister L. Davis, Senuri G. Jayawardana, Lilia Lopez, Hanumantha Rao Vutukuri, Jeremy C. Smith, Micholas Dean Smith, Víctor García-López

Faculty Publications

Rotaxanes equipped with actuators hold great potential for developing highly functional molecular machines. Such systems could significantly enhance our ability to study and manipulate biological and artificial membranes. Here, we introduce a rotaxane with a ring featuring two azobenzene photoswitches, which retain their photoreversibility and can be stochastically shuttled along the axle in solution. Studies in model bilayers, supported by molecular dynamics simulations, show how azobenzene photoswitching alters the interaction of rotaxanes with surrounding lipids, leading to changes in lipid packing. Such changes in the lipid bilayer were leveraged to induce the light-triggered release of sulforhodamine B from large unilamellar …

The Crystal Structure Of Acinetobacter Baumannii Bacterioferritin Reveals A Heteropolymer Of Bacterioferritin And Ferritin Subunits, Huili Yao, Suliat Alli, Lijun Liu, Anabel Soldano, Anne Cooper, Leo Fontenot, Dristen Verdin, Kevin P. Battaile, Scott Lovell, Mario Rivera

Faculty Publications

Iron storage proteins, e.g., vertebrate ferritin, and the ferritin-like bacterioferritin (Bfr) and bacterial ferritin (Ftn), are spherical, hollow proteins that catalyze the oxidation of Fe²⁺ at binuclear iron ferroxidase centers (FOC) and store the Fe³⁺ in their interior, thus protecting cells from unwanted Fe³⁺/Fe²⁺ redox cycling and storing iron at concentrations far above the solubility of Fe³⁺. Vertebrate ferritins are heteropolymers of H and L subunits with only the H subunits having FOC. Bfr and Ftn were thought to coexist in bacteria as homopolymers, but recent evidence indicates these molecules are heteropolymers assembled …

Substituent Effects On The Photophysical Properties Of A Series Of 8(Meso)-Pyridyl-Bodipys: A Computational Analysis Of The Experimental Data †, Petia Bobadova-Parvanova, Dylan Goliber, Elijuah Hernandez, Daniel Lamaster, Maria Da Graça H. Vicente

Faculty Publications

Recently, a series of 8(meso)-pyridyl-BODIPYs (2-pyridyl, 3-pyridyl, and 4-pyridyl) and their 2,6-substituted derivatives were synthesized and their structure and photophysical properties were studied both experimentally and computationally. One of the main observed trends was that the 2-pyridyl-BODIPYs were consistently less fluorescent than their 3-pyridyl and 4-pyridyl analogs, regardless of the 2,6-substituents. Herein, we extend our previous computational studies and model not only the ground but also the excited states of the entire series of previously synthesized meso-pyridyl-BODIPYs with the aim of explaining the observed differences in the emission quantum yields. To better understand the trends and the effect of 2- …

Rare Variants Of Dna Ligase 1 Show Distinct Mechanisms Of Deficiency, Jenna H. Veenstra, Alexandria Chabez, Terrance J. Haanen Iii, Austin Keranen, Charlotte Cunningham-Rundles, Patrick J. O'Brien

Faculty Work Comprehensive List

Human DNA ligase 1 (LIG1) performs the final step in DNA repair and recombination pathways by sealing DNA breaks, and it functions as the main replicative ligase. Hypomorphic LIG1 variants R771W and R641L cause immune deficiencies in LIG1 Syndrome patients. In vitro these LIG1 variants have decreased catalytic efficiency and increased abortive ligation and it is not known if either biochemical defect is sufficient on its own to cause immune deficiency. We investigated the enzymatic activity of several new candidate LIG1 Syndrome variants chosen based on their structural proximity to known clinical variants, low minor allele frequency (MAF), high level …

Spectrometric Detection Of Microplastics In The Environment: A Novel Approach Using Hyperspectral Imaging System, Mansurat Abdulmalik Ali

Theses and Dissertations

Microplastics (MPs), defined as plastic particles ranging from 1 μm to 5 mm, have emerged as one of the significant environmental contaminants due to their widespread presence in terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. MPs originate from primary sources, such as industrial pre-production pellets and microbeads in personal care products, or secondary sources, such as the breakdown of larger plastic particles. Their persistence in the environment is due to their resistance to degradation and capacity to transport toxic substances and pathogens. These characteristics raise concerns about their ecological impacts and potential entry into food chains, ultimately affecting human health. Despite extensive research …

Population Genetics Of Deer In The Northern Great Plains, Usa, Sarah Elizabeth Daman

Theses and Dissertations

Deer are currently under threat of chronic wasting disease (CWD) throughout North America. With CWD distribution increasing globally, understanding the spread of the disease is paramount for the effective management and conservation of deer populations. Conservation genomics has been shown as an effective method to study the behavior and movement of individuals on the landscape at a broad spatial scale. This approach allows for a multi-state evaluation of habitat and landscape features that may influence the dispersals and subsequent gene flow between populations. This study was designed to assess the genetic population structuring of deer within North Dakota and surrounding …

Personality Across Realities: Correlations Between Personality Profiles And Preferences Within Roleplaying Games, Brittany Lee Mancha

Theses and Dissertations

Clinically maladaptive behaviors and personality types have been studied within gamers, both those who play video games and those who roleplay in tabletop games. However, the connection between personality types and the preferences of the players themselves in what and how they roleplay is just barely being studied. Personality traits, such as extraversion/introversion and motivation by pain or pleasure, may be both influencing the gameplay decisions and preferences of players, and vice versa. A total of 500 respondents completed the Millon Index of Personality Styles, Revised (MIPS-R), followed by a demographics survey and finally a survey assessing Dungeons and Dragons', …

Handheld Multimodal Point Spectroscopy, Rgb Imaging, And Fusion Artificial Intelligence To Determine The Species And Freshness Of Fish Fillets, Mitchell Sueker

Theses and Dissertations

When fish species are mislabeled and the fish’s freshness is inaccurately represented, health, environmental, and economic problems can arise for both consumers and the fish industry. Fish are some of the easier foods to mislabel, as the processing of whole fish to fillets makes the visual identification of the species and freshness assessment more challenging. Due to the shortcomings of the current industry standards, confirmed by our interviews with over 20 professionals in all fish supply chain nodes, developing a system that can provide accurate and rapid on-site fraud detection is of necessity. In an attempt to meet these needs, …

Exploring The Role Of Mass Media In Enhancing Farmer-To-Farmer Extension Activities In Bosomtwe District, Ghana, Anthony Kwame Appiah, Enoch Kwame Tham-Agyekum, Fred Nimoh, John-Eudes Andivi Bakang, Fred Ankuyi

Journal of Human Sciences and Extension

Farmer-to-farmer extension has always existed among farmers. It helps to strengthen information flow, reduce extension costs, and empower farmers playing a crucial role in enhancing their livelihoods. Currently, scanty information exists on the role of mass media in enhancing farmer-farmer extension activities. It is against this background that this study was carried out. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyze data from 400 farmers who were selected using the multi-stage sampling technique. The results show that, compared to newspapers, books, TV, radio, computers, and social media, the mobile phone is the most accessible and most used mass media tool …

Synthesis Of Novel Chromenone Esters For Biochemical Assays, Andrew Dean Helmerich

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection

This project details the synthesis of a variety of novel chromenone esters to be used as enzymatic probes. A robust, initial library of 22 chromenone esters was successfully synthesized with differences in chain length, branching, and the incorporation of cyclic and heteroatomic moieties. These new chromenones were fully characterized by 1HNMR, 13CNMR, DEPT HRMS, 19FNMR, and HSQC. The utility of these compounds comes from the fact that they will fluoresce upon cleavage of the ester; thus, this property makes them ideal candidates to be used in the monitoring of enzymatic activity of esterases. Elucidating the enzyme-substrate structure activity relationship (SAR) …

Evaluating The Success Of A Relocated Mussel Community In The Lower Sulphur River, Texas, Rachel M. Leicher

Biology Theses

Conservation efforts to preserve freshwater mussel communities have become more common as these animals become increasingly threatened by their changing habitats. As humans continue to shape and change the world around them, aquatic species living in modified and disturbed water systems can be negatively impacted leading to decline of the ecosystem. During disturbance events involving a stream, river, or pond, the relocation of affected mussel beds is becoming more widespread. Although there are few of these studies, many of those that have been conducted are seen as successful in relocating and conserving their mussel communities. This study focuses on detection …

Integrating Sustainability And Food Safety Through Quantitative Microbial Risk Assessment And Life Cycle Assessment Of Low-Moisture Foods, Jessica Bain

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Food safety and sustainability are critical concerns in the food industry. However, these areas are often evaluated separately, leading to an incomplete understanding of the overall impact of food production on human health. This dissertation aims to integrate food safety with sustainability to provide a comprehensive assessment of the impact of low-moisture foods on human health, using the almond processing supply chain as a case study.

In addition to conducting life cycle assessments (LCA) of almond processing, wheat flour production, and dried apple processing, this dissertation aims to create a framework to bridge the gap between sustainability and food safety. …

Condition And Management Futures In A Quaking Aspen Recreation Area. Final Report To Snyderville Basin Special Recreation District, Paul C. Rogers, Georgie Corkery, Anna B. Miller

Aspen Bibliography

In partnership with Snyderville Basin Special Recreation District (SBSRD), we undertook a study of ecological conditions and user preferences within a quaking aspen recreational destination forest. The location, in two sections know as Run-A-Muk and Right Turn Sage (RAM/RTS), has experienced some forest die-off in the principally aspen dominated forest dissected by ski, bike, and hiking trails. Graduate student Georgie Corkery led the study and successfully completed a Master's degree, in addition to providing needed information to SBSRD regarding the status, uses, and preferred actions at this facility. Key outcomes regarding aspen conditions include assigning causal factors—ungulate browsing and elevated …

Blood Biomarkers In Down Syndrome: Facilitating Alzheimer's Disease Detection And Monitoring, Melissa Petersen, Lisi Flores-Aguilar, Elizabeth Head, Laia Montoliu-Gaya, Andre Strydom, Sarah Pape, Juan Fortea, Nicholas Ashton, Chinedu Momoh, Sid O'Bryant

Brain and Mind Institute

Blood-based biomarkers continue to be explored for disease detection, monitoring of progression, and therapeutic outcomes as the diagnostic determination of Alzheimer's Disease in Down Syndrome (DS-AD) remains challenging in clinical settings. This perspective highlights the current status of this effort. Overall, amyloid (A), tau (T), and neurodegeneration (AT[N]) blood-based biomarkers have been shown to increase with disease pathology for individuals with DS. Phosphorylated tau biomarkers (p-tau217, p-tau181) have been consistently shown to track disease progression for DS-AD and are likely good candidates for use in clinical settings. Biomarkers of inflammation (glial fibrillary acidic protein) also show promise; however, additional work …