Digital Commons Network^™

Across The Pond, Across The Waistline: A Comparative Look At The Childhood Obesity Crisis In The United States And United Kingdom, Samantha N. Eales

Honors College Theses

Childhood obesity is no longer just a local concern; it’s a global epidemic shaping the health of future generations. This paper compares how two similar nations with drastically different healthcare systems, the United States and the United Kingdom, tackle this growing crisis. Although both countries struggle with fast food culture, sedentary lifestyles, and targeted marketing, their health policy strategies differ dramatically. The U.S. leans on community programs and education, while the U.K. enforces stronger national regulations and advertising restrictions. By examining nutrition, physical activity, and policy, this thesis explores what each country does well and where they fall short. It …

A Novel Maturation Equation For Hepatic Clearance Across Preterm, Term Neonates, Children, And Adults: Application To Paracetamol And Its Metabolite, Yunjiao Wu, Swantje Völler, Sebastiaan C. Goulooze, Karel Allegaert, Catherine M.T. Sherwin, Anne Van Rongen, Daniëlla W. E. Roofthooft, Sinno H.P. Simons, Dick Tibboel, Robert B. Flint, John N. Van Den Anker, Catherijne A.J. Knibbe

Pediatrics Faculty Publications

A preterm and term neonate to adult (PTNA) maturation equation was introduced recently to describe the glomerular filtration rate maturation from birth to adulthood for neonates of varying gestational age. This study aims to evaluate the newly developed PTNA equation against common maturation approaches like allometric scaling (AS0.75), the AS0.75 plus postmenstrual age (PMA)-based Emax (AS0.75 + PMA) equation, and the bodyweight dependent exponent equation (BDE) for the maturation of three hepatic pathways of paracetamol (PCM) from preterm and term neonates up to adults. A population pharmacokinetic analysis was conducted with pooled plasma and urine data of PCM, PCM-glucuronide (PCM-GLU), …

Assessing Neurocognitive Functioning Among Adults Ageing With And Without Hiv At The Kenyan Coast: Measurement Issues And Correlates, Patrick Nzivo Mwangala, Carophine Nasambu, Ryan Wagner, Mihaela Duta, Gaia Scerif, Charles Newton, Amina Abubakar

Institute for Human Development, East Africa

Background: Cognitive impairment is one of the most prevalent complications of HIV infection, with significant medical and functional impacts. However, valid, and reliable assessment tools are lacking for the newly emergent ageing population of people living with HIV (PLWH) in many parts of sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), including Kenya. Without these tools, critical intervention opportunities, e.g., psychoeducation, treatment and additional support, are missed. To bridge this gap in Kenya, we adapted the Oxford Cognitive Screen Plus (OCSPlus), a tablet-based cognitive assessment tool designed for low-literacy settings, with adults ageing with HIV ≥ 50 years and their uninfected peers. This study examines …

Understanding Landowner Perceptions: Enhancing Conservation Easement Adoption In Missouri's Priority Landscapes, Mckenna N. Thompson, Jennah I. Klein, Robin M. Rotman, Sonja A. Wilhelm Stanis, Gus C. Raeker, Michele D. Baumer

Faculty Publications

Conservation of private lands is essential for protecting open space, supporting ecosystems and species, preserving resources, and facilitating outdoor recreation. One tool for private land conservation is a conservation easement – a voluntary legal agreement where a landowner surrenders certain rights to use or develop their property. This study explores landowner perceptions of perpetual conservation easements in areas of high conservation value in Missouri, focusing on landowners without existing easements. Through interviews, four themes emerge containing both motivations and constraints: prior knowledge, land protection, regulations, and finance. Many landowners were unfamiliar with conservation easements or had misconceptions or misunderstandings. The …

Behavioral Strategies And Neural Mechanisms Underlying Short-Range Navigation In Teleost Fish, Adelaide Sibeaux, Theresa Burt De Perera, Thomas Mueller, Ronen Segev

Department of Biology Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Studies of spatial cognition in teleosts have uncovered a remarkable array of behavioral strategies and neural mechanisms. While there is compelling evidence that short-range navigation in teleost fish is connected to the telencephalon, the rostral part of the forebrain, little is known about the telencephalic regions mediating this behavior. On the cellular level, several neuron types have been identified in specific regions of the telencephalon that respond to different aspects of the fish’s individual position within a given space. To comprehensively understand spatial representation in fish, we must bridge behavioral and neurophysiological studies. Here, we review the behavioral strategies used …

Maternal-Infant Mortality In West Michigan: A Comparative Literature Review, Mia Cichowlas, Riley Bourlier

Honors Projects

This literature review aimed to examine and analyze data to identify causes of disparities in infant mortality rates across West Michigan’s four counties, assess demographic factors influencing infant mortality, and explore cultural practices impacting infant outcomes. A comprehensive review of existing literature, public health data, and community health reports from Allegan, Kent, Muskegon, and Ottawa counties was conducted. Key variables examined included race, maternal age, culture, health literacy, education level, income, insurance coverage, employment status, and marital status. Findings indicate that infant mortality rates vary significantly between counties and are higher among certain racial and socioeconomic groups compared to state …

Mi Cuerpo, Mi Salud: A Brief Sexual Health Pilot Intervention For The Promotion Of Latina Sti Testing, Ariana Cervantes-Borges

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Disparate rates of sexually transmitted infection (STI) contraction among Latinas and emerging adults highlight glaring public health issues that warrant brief and digital STI testing interventions to promote service acquisition. Latinas may experience a greater negative impact of STIs compared to men, indicating a need to target this population group. Prior studies have noted STI testing intentions and acquisition in Latina populations to be largely impacted by four components: education, stigma, social support, and self-efficacy. Given recent funding cuts for STI research, a brief and digital intervention may circumvent costs associated with traditional intervention implementation. The current study aimed to …

The Mayfly Newsletter, Donna Giberson

The Mayfly Newsletter

The Mayfly Newsletter is the official newsletter of the Permanent Committee of the International Conferences on Ephemeroptera.

Neurogenesis And Functional Recovery Of Murine Retinal Ganglion Cells After Glaucoma Induction Following Treatment With Pnu-282987, Samantha Luzadre

Masters Theses

Experiments were performed to demonstrate electrical recovery in glaucoma-induced adult mice after neurogenesis of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs). Newly derived RGCs were induced following eye drop treatment with a selective alpha7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor agonist, PNU-282987. Both sexes of transgenic (RlbpCre-ER (CRE⁺) and Rosa-tdTomato (tdTomato⁺)) adult mice were utilized to trace newly generated RGCs originating from Müller glia (MG). Experimental mice were injected with hypertonic saline into the episcleral vein of anesthetized mice to significantly increase intraocular pressure (IOP) and induce glaucoma-like conditions. One month after the injection and after significant death of RGCs occurred, mice …

Predicting Cryptocurrency Prices Using Stochastic Modeling, Reem Hani Al Omari

Theses

Cryptocurrencies are digital currencies that operate independently of central banks and governments. They were designed to overcome the limitations of traditional financial systems through a decentralized, peer-to-peer electronic cash mechanism. Trading in cryptocurrencies offers several advantages, including decentralized and efficient transactions, reduced costs through the elimination of intermediaries, investment opportunities across exchanges, and seamless cross-border remittances. Modeling cryptocurrency prices is therefore essential, not only due to these advantages but also because of the substantial market capitalization of cryptocurrencies, estimated to exceed 900 billion dollars according to CoinMarketCap [6]. The main objective of this thesis is to propose a predictive framework …

Soil Organic Carbon Depth Profiles And Centennial And Millennial Decay Rates In Tidal Marsh, Mangrove And Seagrass Blue Carbon Ecosystems, Nerea Piñeiro-Juncal, Miguel Ángel Mateo, Carmen Leiva-Dueñas, Eduard Serrano, Karina Inostroza, Montserrat Soler, Eugenia T. Apostolaki, Paul Lavery, Carlos M. Duarte, Anna Lafratta, Oscar Serrano

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

The management of coastal blue carbon ecosystems can contribute to mitigate anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions. However, limited information on soil organic carbon (OC) decay rates in tidal marsh, mangrove, and seagrass soils hinders their inclusion in climate strategies and carbon-crediting schemes. Here, we analyzed downcore OC trends in 3761 soil cores from blue carbon ecosystems worldwide. A decrease in OC content with soil depth was measured in 63% of the cores, whereas stable and increasing trends were observed in 22% and 15% of the cores, respectively. Based on 85 profiles where OC decay could be modelled, the OC decay rate …

Sertraline To Reduce Recidivism In Impulsive Violent Offenders (Reinvest): A Randomised Double Blind Clinical Trial, Tony Butler, Emaediong I. Akpanekpo, Lee Knight, Kristy Robledo, David Greenberg, Andrew Ellis, Stephen Allnutt, Kay Wilhelm, Alison Jones, Rodney Scott, Bianca Ton, Luke Grant, Philip Mitchell, Ross Tynan, Jocelyn Jones, Dominic Villa, Duncan Chappell, Carolynn Dixon, Alison Churchill, Val Gebski, Tony Keech, Peter W. Schofield

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Background: Biological studies suggest serotonin modulation via selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) might reduce impulsive violence, however, robust evidence in offender populations is limited. We aimed to determine whether sertraline reduces violent reoffending compared with placebo in highly impulsive men with recurrent violent offending.

Methods: We conducted a double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomised clinical trial in community settings in New South Wales, Australia. Eligible participants were men aged 18 years or older with ≥2 prior violent convictions and a Barratt Impulsiveness Scale score ≥70. Following a 4-week single-blind active run-in phase with sertraline, participants were randomly assigned (1:1, minimization stratified by key …

Language Learner Literature: A Mixed Methods Study, Esmeralda Mora

Dissertations

This dissertation, Language Learner Literature: A Mixed Methods Study, by Esmeralda Mora, Ed.D., of National Louis University, specializing in Curriculum, Advocacy, and Policy, investigated the impact of shifting a Midwest high school world language department from a traditional, grammar-focused model to a proficiency-based approach centered on Language Learner Literature (LLL). Employing a Modified Explanatory Sequential Mixed Methods Design, the study first analyzed longitudinal AAPPL proficiency scores from 1,134 high school students (2020–2025) using T-tests and Multiple Linear Regressions to establish measurable outcomes (the "what"). This quantitative phase demonstrated significant and consistent gains in expressive skills (Writing and Speaking) post-LLL implementation, …

Bone Void Filler Materials For Augmentation In Comminuted Fractures: A Comprehensive Review, S. Sina Mohammadi, Sunjeev S. Phull, B. Sonny Bal, Mark R. Towler

Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Comminuted fractures, characterized by multiple bone fragments, present significant challenges in orthopedic surgery. Effective treatment often requires augmentation techniques to enhance fixation stability and promote bone regeneration. This review explores the application of bone void filler materials, including autografts, allografts, polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), and synthetic bone substitutes such as calcium phosphate ceramics and bioactive glass, in managing comminuted fractures. Autografts are the gold standard due to their superior osteogenic potential but are limited by donor site morbidity and availability. Allografts mitigate these issues but face concerns regarding immunogenicity and reduced biological activity. PMMA, widely used for structural augmentation, provides immediate …

Salinity Adaption And Toxicity Of Harmful Algal Blooms In Three Bays Of Great Salt Lake (Usa), W. A. Wurtsbaugh, Malin Olofsson, Gregory L. Boyer, Amy Marcarelli

Michigan Tech Publications

Cyanobacterial blooms can be harmful to animals and humans exposed to their toxins; however, their environmental drivers and boundaries still need to be elucidated. Salinity has been demonstrated to be an important driver of community composition that sets boundaries of species migration and survival. The filamentous cyanobacteria Nodularia spumigena forms dense blooms in estuaries around the world, produces the hepatotoxin nodularin, and has been thought to not survive or fix nitrogen (N) in high salinities. From 2005–2009 we studied three bays of Great Salt Lake (USA), two of which are estuaries with salinities ranging from 0 to >90 g L …

Integration Of Oral Health Assessment In Medicare Visits: A Survey Of Primary Care Physicians In Montana And Their Role In Patients Aged 65+, Cheyenne R. Smith

Dental Hygiene ETDs

The integration of oral health assessments into primary care settings has been strongly advocated to enhance access to care for elderly individuals. Medical and dental professionals recognize the critical connection between oral health and systemic health. Physicians can play a key role in enhancing oral health care by incorporating an oral health assessment into routine general health appointments, such as the Medicare Annual Wellness Visit (AWV). Physicians in Montana were invited to participate in an anonymous study to gather their opinions on conducting oral health assessments in primary care settings, identify barriers to providing these assessments, and evaluate their knowledge …

Diagnostic Accuracy Of Nanopore Sequencing For Detecting Mycobacterium Tuberculosis And Drug-Resistant Strains: A Systematic Review And Meta-Analysis, Timothy Hudson David Culasino Carandang, Dianne Jaula Cunanan, Gail S. Co, John David Pilapil, Juan Ignacio Garcia, Blanca I. Restrepo, Marcel Yotebieng, Jordi B. Torrelles, Kin Israel Notarte

Ateneo School of Medicine and Public Health Publications

Tuberculosis (TB), caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) infection, remains a significant public health threat. The timeliness, portability, and capacity of nanopore sequencing for diagnostics can aid in early detection and drug susceptibility testing (DST), which is crucial for effective TB control. This study synthesized current evidence on the diagnostic accuracy of the nanopore sequencing technology in detecting MTB and its DST profile. A comprehensive literature search in PubMed, Scopus, MEDLINE, Cochrane, EMBASE, Web of Science, AIM, IMEMR, IMSEAR, LILACS, WPRO, HERDIN Plus, MedRxiv, and BioRxiv was performed. Quality was assessed using the Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies-2 tool. Pooled …

Twim #261: Overwhelming Microbial Greatness, Jenny Stoval, Briana Lanzarotta, Luke Boseman, Nicole L. Podnecky, Angela Wilson

School of Medical Diagnostics & Translational Sciences Publications

Podcast annotation TWiM #261: Overwhelming Microbial Greatness from the weekly podcast series "This Week in Microbiology" (TWiM), a podcast where experts in microbiology discuss academic papers in their field in an informal way.

Impacts Of Nutrient Addition And Disturbance On Coastal Dune Arthropod Communities And Trophic Interactions, Kayla Beitzel

Graduate Theses and Dissertations (2019 - present)

Coastal dune ecosystems face ongoing threats from human-mediated disturbance and altered resource availability. Because these dunes provide critical habitat for many organisms, including shorebirds, beach mice, and arthropods, changes in disturbance regimes or resource availability can impact plant communities and higher trophic levels by altering plant richness and productivity, which in turn influence arthropod abundance and diversity. To examine how disturbance and nutrient addition affect arthropod communities, we established twenty 5×5 m plots on Dauphin Island, crossing mechanical disturbance with a 10 g m⁻² addition of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, replicated across five experimental blocks. Arthropods were sampled using three …

Climate Science And Natural Resource Litigation, Jessica A. Wentz

Sabin Center for Climate Change Law

Climate change has major implications for sustainable use and conservation of natural resources. Many natural systems are already under severe stress and may be unable to sustain historical use patterns; resource management decisions can also exacerbate or mitigate climate change by affecting the balance of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. This Article describes the legal and scientific basis for recognizing agencies’ obligations to assess and respond to climate change, drawing insights from a survey of U.S. litigation involving forests, fisheries, rangelands, and freshwater resources. The cases suggest litigants have been somewhat successful in driving more rigorous assessments of climate change. …

Performance Enhancement For Rufa: Rapid Urban Forest Assessment, Nicholas Tan

Master's Theses

Urban forests are crucial to the livability and resilience of cities, offering critical ecosystem benefits such as air quality enhancement, temperature regulation, and biodiversity. Managing said urban forests is essential to ensure their sustainability and adaptability to rapidly changing environmental and climate conditions. The Rapid Urban Forest Assessment (RUFA) tool was developed to address the need for a standardized approach to evaluating and comparing urban and community forestry programs. By analyzing and aggregating tree-specific data across California, such as canopy cover, tree counts, and diversity scores, RUFA assigns a comprehensive urban forestry score for each city. This score allows for …

Flower Color Variation And Its Maintenance: Experimental Ecology Of Serpentine-Adapted Leptosiphon Parviflorus Benth. (Polemoniaceae), Magdalene S. Lo

Master's Theses

Environmental heterogeneity can impose fluctuating selection pressures on species across space and time. If variations of a trait provide fitness benefits in certain environmental conditions but not others, these fitness tradeoffs under fluctuating selection could be a means of maintaining intraspecific variation. A common type of intraspecific variation is the production of anthocyanins, pigments responsible for red, pink, and blue colors in plants and that can also provide protection from abiotic stressors, such as water limitation and heavy metals. Leptosiphon parviflorus Benth. (Polemoniaceae, variable linanthus) is an annual wildflower whose individuals produce either pink or white flowers, and both flower …

An Analysis Of Neuroidal Memory Formation Within D. Melanogaster, Jerry Chang

Master's Theses

The Neuroidal model poses a neurobiologically plausible theory for modeling the brain. This symbolic network has been shown to capture realistic memorization behaviors using the JOIN algorithm. The model has also been recently improved by incorporating Watts-Strogatz small-worlds within its base structure. From the efforts of neuroscience researchers, we have access to the Drosophila melanogaster (D. melanogaster) fruit fly’s connectome, which has been found to also contain small-worlds in this thesis. By synthesizing the Ocellar Ganglion (OCG) region of Drosophila, we compare a digitized version of a real-world brain with an instance of the Neuroidal model. In this thesis, we …

Reverse Design Of Solid Rocket Grain Geometry, Yechan Kang

Master's Theses

The reverse design of solid rocket motors remains a challenging process due to the nonlinear relationship between the grain geometry and the internal ballistics. The reverse design process involves obtaining an optimal grain geometry given a target performance curve set by mission requirements, which is the inverse problem of the forward design. The purpose of this study is to assess the validity and implementation of neural network and simulated annealing algorithms to perform the reverse design process. A modified phase field model of the eikonal equation is derived to simulate the evolution of combustion surfaces over time, enabling burn back …

Abiotic Stress Impacts On Macrophomina Root Rot And Nano-Encapsulated Citrus Oils To Control Fruit And Foliar Pathogens Of Strawberry, Marina J. Gutierrez

Master's Theses

Disease remains one of the major constraints to the productivity and economic success of the California strawberry industry. The most important soilborne pathogen is Macrophomina phaseolina, causing Macrophomina root rot (MRR). The most economically significant airborne pathogens include Botrytis cinerea, causing Botrytis fruit rot (BFR), and Podosphaera aphanis, causing powdery mildew (PM).

Disease severity of MRR is highly dependent on environmental factors. Therefore, understanding which abiotic stressors contribute most to disease development is crucial for effective management. A two-year field experiment at Cal Poly, SLO (2024 and 2025) evaluated the effects of drought stress, two elevated chloride …

Multi-Ancestry Genome-Wide Meta-Analysis Of 56,241 Individuals Identifies Known And Novel Cross-Population And Ancestry-Specific Associations As Novel Risk Loci For Alzheimer’S Disease, Farid Rajabli, Penelope Benchek, Giuseppe Tosto, Nicholas Kushch, Jin Sha, Katrina Bazemore, Congcong Zhu, Wan Ping Lee, Jacob Haut, Kara L. Hamilton-Nelson, Nicholas R. Wheeler, Yi Zhao, John J. Farrell, Michelle A. Grunin, Yuk Yee Leung, Pavel P. Kuksa, Donghe Li, Eder Lucio Da Fonseca, Jesse B. Mez, Ellen L. Palmer, Jagan Pillai, Richard M. Sherva, Yeunjoo E. Song, Xiaoling Zhang, Takeshi Ikeuchi, Taha Iqbal, Omkar Pathak

Epidemiology and Environmental Health Faculty Publications

Background : Limited ancestral diversity has impaired our ability to detect risk variants more prevalent in ancestry groups of predominantly non-European ancestral background in genome-wide association studies (GWAS). We construct and analyze a multi-ancestry GWAS dataset in the Alzheimer’s Disease Genetics Consortium (ADGC) to test for novel shared and population-specific late-onset Alzheimer’s disease (LOAD) susceptibility loci and evaluate underlying genetic architecture in 37,382 non-Hispanic White (NHW), 6728 African American, 8899 Hispanic (HIS), and 3232 East Asian individuals, performing within ancestry fixed-effects meta-analysis followed by a cross-ancestry random-effects meta-analysis. Results: We identify 13 loci with cross-population associations including known loci at/near …

Probing Tau Citrullination In Alzheimer’S Disease Brains And Mouse Models Of Tauopathy, Huimin Liang, Jerry B. Hunt, Chao Ma, Andrii Kovalenko, John Calahatian, Cecelie Pedersen, Haiying Liu, Junyan Li, Malina Serrano, Danielle Blazier, Mallory Watler, Patricia Rocha-Rangel, Christopher Saunders, Laura J. Blair, Leonid Breydo, Kevin Nash, Zainuddin Quadri, Brian Kraemer, Peter Nelson, Christopher Norris, Erin L. Abner, Vladimir N. Uversky, Dale Chaput, Maj Linda B. Selenica, Daniel C. Lee

Epidemiology and Environmental Health Faculty Publications

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) includes a defining hallmark that correlates most closely to cognitive decline, namely misfolded tau protein. However, the “upstream” etiology and downstream clinical manifestations of tauopathies are quite diverse. Tau deposition elicits different pathological phenotypes and outcomes depending on the tau strain, proteoforms, and regional susceptibility. Posttranslational modifications (PTM) can alter tau structure, function, networks, and its pathological sequelae. We uncovered tau citrullination on multiple epitopes caused by peptidyl arginine deiminase (PAD) enzymes. PAD-induced citrullination irreversibly converts arginine residues to citrulline, producing a net loss of positive charge, elimination of pi–pi interactions, and increased hydrophobicity. We observed increased …

Sexual Assault, Fault And The Charter, Isabel Grant, Janine Benedet

All Faculty Publications

The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and the criminal law of sexual assault have in many ways grown up together over the last four decades. In this article we examine the impact of the Charter on the fault requirement for sexual assault and sexual offences against children. We argue that the Charter has been used repeatedly to undermine the early gains of feminist law reform and that courts have gone out of their way to avoid the reasonable steps provisions of the Criminal Code. Courts are consistently reluctant to expect men to desist from sexual activity until they have …

Translational Research On Color Vision: From Mechanisms To Performance Enhancement In Diverse Settings, Jewearly Lundby

Theses & Dissertations

This dissertation investigated the mechanisms and applications for optimizing color vision performance across diverse contexts. In a world where color cues augment critical decisions to optimize performance and safety in transportation (e.g., aviation, railway), military, law enforcement, medical diagnostics, and myriad occupational tasks, deficiencies in color perception pose significant challenges. By uniting four interrelated studies, this work explored intrinsic retinal processes, assistive technologies for deficiencies, and novel pathways that challenge conventional understandings of vision. The research bridged fundamental vision science with applications in occupational settings, low vision rehabilitation, and clinical diagnostics, ultimately aiming to optimize color performance.

The first study …

Drivers Of Ecosystem Respiration In The Middle Rio Grande Floodplain Aquifer, Eva Tipps

Biology ETDs

Little is known about carbon flux and ecosystem metabolism in river floodplains, despite their potentially large and dynamic contributions to carbon storage and loss. We hypothesized that the region of intermittent saturation (ROIS), which is the subsurface interface between terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, is a biogeochemical ‘hotspot’ for ecosystem respiration and carbon transformation. Groundwater depth and variability in the ROIS facilitate interactions between aquatic and terrestrial processes, but their role in carbon fluxes is poorly understood. We developed a novel method utilizing high-frequency sensors in groundwater wells to capture biogeochemical ‘hot moments’ of ecosystem respiration in the ROIS of the …