Digital Commons Network^™

Navigating Trust: The Impact Of Social Media Influencers On Gen Z Health Behaviors, Abigail Stelling

Honors Thesis

Social media plays a defining role in the daily lives of Gen Z, influencing how people communicate, access information, and make decisions. More than a form of entertainment, social media is a powerful source that shapes identity, perceptions, and behaviors. As the first generation to grow up fully immersed in a digital world, Gen Z is uniquely impacted by the content and interactions that occur on social media platforms. Within this digital landscape, social media influencers have emerged as powerful figures. These individuals use large online platforms to promote lifestyles, products, and behaviors. Influencers often have the ability to shape …

Rural-Urban Differences In Hypertension Prevalence And Control In A Large Regional Health System Cohort, Yordanos M Tiruneh, Susan Mcbride, Huaxin Song, Matthew Decaro, Alaa Rihan, Theresa Byrd, Alex Baham, Jared W Magnani, Elmer V Bernstam, Jarett D Berry

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: Rural US populations bear a high burden of cardiovascular disease, with hypertension contributing to the rural-urban gap. We examined hypertension prevalence and control across the rural-urban continuum among patients in a large healthcare system in Northeast Texas.

Methods: We analyzed the electronic health record data from 363,539 patients with at least one outpatient encounter between September 2021 and April 2025. We defined hypertension using ICD-10-CM codes, antihypertensive prescriptions, or a blood pressure ≥ 130/80 mm Hg. We classified rurality using the Rural-Urban Commuting Area categories. Multivariable logistic regression models were adjusted for age, sex, race, ethnicity, insurance, and level …

Clinician Perspectives On Fistula Mental Health, Victoria K. Leonard

Doctoral Dissertations

Background – Obstetric fistula is a childbirth injury caused by prolonged labor that leads to stillbirth and incontinence, spurring social exclusion and isolation. These layers of trauma put women with fistula at great risk for psychological suffering, which has profound negative socioeconomic impacts on them, their families, and communities. This study captured treatment as usual at Comprehensive Community Based Rehabilitation in Tanzania (CCBRT), the country’s largest provider of fistula care.

Method – Improving holistic fistula treatment requires engaging the clinicians who care for women with fistula. This study aimed to investigate the training, beliefs, and treatment approaches of nurses and …

Choline Counteracts Pregnancy Undernutrition-Associated Colitis In Sheep By Restoring Microbiota Driven Bile Acid Metabolism, Weibin Wu, Peng Jiao, Yamei Gu, Huizhen Lu, Caiyun Fan, Zheng Sun, Lizhuang Hao, Shengyong Mao, Jianbo Cheng, Yanfeng Xue

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

High-fertility sheep experience undernutrition during late gestation, which induces body metabolic disruption and intestinal inflammation. Crucially, the gut microbiota-bile acid axis is a promising intestinal inflammation target, but how choline modulates this axis in livestock enteritis is unknown. This study investigated choline's protective mechanisms against undernutrition-induced intestinal inflammation in sheep, focusing on gut microbiota and bile acid regulation. Choline consistently alleviates colitis severity, restores epithelial barrier integrity, and suppresses intestinal inflammation. These protective effects are accompanied by pronounced remodeling of the colonic microbial ecosystem, characterized by the enrichment of Clostridiales bacterium to elevate bile salt hydrolase activity and regulate bile …

Assessing Growth Faltering Status After Implementation Of A Standardized Advancement Of Home Feeding Regimens Of Infants With Gastrostomy Tubes: A Quality Improvement Initiative, Michael Evers Md

Quality Improvement & Patient Safety Forum

No abstract provided.

Fractured: Improving Screening For Metabolic Bone Disease Of Prematurity In A Level Iv Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Victoria Aguilar Md

Quality Improvement & Patient Safety Forum

No abstract provided.

Improving Routine Ggt Monitoring In Pediatric Inflammatory Bowel Disease, Scarlett Flaz Md

Quality Improvement & Patient Safety Forum

No abstract provided.

Truth That Lies: How Literal Falsity Lost The Consumer And How To Restore It, Porter Alexander Tynes, Iii

Journal of Intellectual Property Law

The more deceptive the claim, the safer it becomes. Recent false advertising decisions hold that a categorical marketing promise is not literally false so long as it works for someone—even if it fails for ordinary consumers in ordinary use. Under this logic, technical accuracy immunizes practical deception, and truth is measured by theoretical possibility rather than communicative meaning.

This Note argues that this “truth for some” doctrine represents a sharp break from the Lanham Act’s consumer-protection purpose. Decisions such as BPI Sports v. ThermoLife invert the doctrine of literal falsity, transforming it from the Act’s strongest safeguard into a liability …

Using The Uniform For Views: How The Department Of Defense Can Better Protect Its Brand And Image, Maddox Rose

Journal of Intellectual Property Law

Today, the vast majority of American military servicemembers have active personal social media accounts. By creating and posting content online—particularly when in uniform—they run the risk of reflecting poorly on the image of the Department of Defense and their respective branches. Yet, the statutory and regulatory restrictions on content creation are loose and ambiguous. To combat this problem, either the Department and its branches should clarify their regulations, or Congress should amend its statutory protections. There is scholarly disagreement as to whether an entity’s right of publicity is violated when social media content is created that reflects poorly upon that …

Effects Of Water Stress On Herbage Quality, J R. Wilson

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Uncertainty exists about whether drought is detrimental to the nutritive quality of herbage. This paper tries to resolve this uncertainty by examining the influence of soil moisture on some herbage-quality characteristics. Unpublished data from my own work and review of published literature are presented. Field plots of three tropical grasses, green panic (Panicum maximum var. trichoglume), buffelgrass (Cenchrus ciliaris), and speargrass (Heteropogon contortus), were subjected to perioqs of controlled drought, and herbage from these plots was compared with that from well-watered plots. Leaf and stem dry-matter ?igestibility of water-stressed herbage was either similar to or higher than that of unstressed …

A Descriptive Scheme For Stages Of Development In Perennial Forage Grasses, U Simon, B H. Park

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

A descriptive scheme of morphological stages of development in forage grasses is urgently needed for scientific investigations as well as for practical purposes. It could be used for precise timing of management measures, such as application of fertilizers and herbicides, and in harvesting with respect to a certain level of forage yield and/or quality. Existing schemes, like the Feekes scale and its modifications, were devised for cereals. They do not adequately consider the peculiar stages of development of perennial grasses grown for forage. We propose a scheme that consists of consecutive stages of the following phases of plant development: number …

Pasture Evaluation In The Desertic Zone Of Venezuela For The Development Of Goat Production, A Gallardo, A Leone

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

The desertic zone of Venezuela is an area of approximately 4.1 million ha that represents 4.8 % of the total national territory, on which there are two million goats. Goats represent the main, if not the only, income source for 60,000 rural families. According to UNESCO (1973), the desertic zone of the country comprises two vegetation types, evergreen scrub and deciduous scrub. In each of these zones the plant species consumed by goats were collected and, for those plant parts consumed by the animals, chemically analyzed to determine nutritive value. Forage plants from other tropical countries were also in­troduced and …

Nutritional Quality Of Leaf Proteins Prepared From Crops Containing Phenolic Compounds And Polyphenolase, T Horigome, S Uchida

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Many studies have indicated that leaf protein prepared by green crop fractionation affords good potential as a protein supple­ment. It has been noted, however, that there were some marked differences between crops in the nutritional quality ofleaf pro­tein in spite of a similarity in amino-acid composition between leaf proteins made from different crops. We previously showed that brown casein, which was produced by the interaction of milk casein with phenolics undergoing enzymic oxidation, had lower nutritional value than original casein. In addition, it has been suggested that leaf proteins prepared from crops containing phenolics and polyphenolase were brown after extraction …

Physiological And Morphological Advances For Forage Improvement, J P. Cooper

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Forage production basically involves the conversion of environmental inputs to provide digestible energy and other nutrients for ruminant livestock. The plant breeder needs to consider the seasonal inputs or constraints in his particular environment, the efficiency of the crop in responding to these factors, those features of the plant that contribute to this efficiency, and the degree to which those features can be modified by selection and breeding. Forage production basically involves the conversion of environmental inputs to provide digestible energy and other nutrients for ruminant livestock. The plant breeder needs to consider the seasonal inputs or constraints in his …

Potential Productivity Of Temperate And Tropical Grassland Systems, G O. Mott

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Grasses of temperate regions of the world belong primarily to the subfamily Festucoideae, whereas tropical regions are populated by tribes of the Panicoideae subfamily. Temperate grasses have a C3 biochemical pathway of photosynthesis in con­trast to tropical grasses, which have a C4 photosynthetic mechan-ism. Both tropical and temperate legumes are C3 plants. Com­patible mixtures of legumes and grasses have long been successful in many temperate regions, but combining C4 grasses and C3 legumes as mixtures in the tropics has been only moderately successful. Maximum net primary productions of temperate and tropical grasslands are in the order of 25 and 80 …

Forage Quality: Assessing The Plant-Animal Complex, D J. Minson

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

At the VI International Grassland Congress held at Pennsylvania State College in 1952, the late Dr. C.P. McMeekan re­viewed the many problems associated with the plant-animal complex. Great stress was placed on the need to measure forage in­take accurately as a prerequisite to an under-standing of the plant-animal complex. Progress in the development of more accurate :methods of estimating the forage intake of grazing animals is reviewed, in­cluding the introduction of different methods of administering chromic oxide, the esophageal fistula for obtaining samples of selectively grazed material, the in-vitro technique for estimating the digestibility of the forage eaten, and the …

Gastrointestinal Symptoms After Sport-Related Concussion: Prevalence And Patterns In A Multi-Cohort Analysis, Emma Finnegan, Ed Daly, Katherine J. Hunzinger, Lisa Ryan

Department of Exercise Science Faculty Papers

Background/Objectives: Concussions occur across all sports globally; however, inconsistent symptom recognition continues to challenge diagnosis, management, and recovery. Although concussion effects extend beyond neurological dysfunction, gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms remain insufficiently captured within current assessment frameworks and may influence athletes’ fuelling choices and food tolerance during recovery. This study aimed to describe the prevalence and patterns of GI symptoms reported among athletes with a history of concussion and to explore whether symptom prevalence and burden differed by sex and country. Methods: A total of 401 adult athletes (225 males; mean age 32.4 ± 11.3 years) with a history of concussion were …

Assessing Impact Of Heat Waves On Pregnancy And Lactation Amidst Climate Change: A Scoping Review., Susan Anyango, Grace Nakate

School of Nursing & Midwifery, East Africa

Background: The escalation of heat waves, attributed to climate change, represents a global public health concern, with pregnant
and lactating women identified as particularly vulnerable due to Physiological and hormonal changes.

Aim: To review the existing research on the effects of heat waves on pregnancy and lactation, identifying potential health risks and outcomes.

Methods: A structured search across PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar was conducted using terms related
to heat waves, pregnancy, lactation, and climate change. Inclusion criteria focused on peer-reviewed empirical
studies in English.

Results: Heat waves are linked to increased risks of preterm labor, low …

Determination Of Pb(Ii) Ion With A Novel, Highly Efficient Immobilized Arsenazo Iii In A Polymer Matrix, Kholboeva Muyassar, Smanova Zulayho, Madatov O`Tkir, Yusupov Boburjon, Abror Nomozov, Sobirova Fotima, Jalilov Fazliddin, Daminov Oybek

Baghdad Science Journal

In this study, a novel analytical reagent based on arsenazo III immobilized on a polymer matrix composed of polyacrylonitrile, polyethylene polyamine, and dichloroethane (PPD) was developed and applied for the spectrophotometric determination of Pb(II) ions. The proposed method demonstrated standard analytical and metrological characteristics for the highly accurate determination of Pb(II) ions, as evidenced by a relative standard deviation (Sr) of 0.06 and a minimum detectable concentration (C_min) of 0.24 μ g/L. The accuracy and reproducibility of the method were evaluated using Student's t-test and Fisher's F-test. Comparison of the experimental and tabulated values (experiment=1.09; t …

Associations Among Pork Intake, Weight-Loss, And Diet Quality Outcomes In A Commercial Weight-Management Program, Ana M Palacios, Grace Anderson, Beate Henschel, Alexandra M Lee, Kelli M Richardson, Chelsie Parker, Stephanie L Dickinson, Jing X Kersey, David B Allison, Gary D Foster, Michelle I Cardel

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Background: Pork is a common source of high-quality protein. However, it is typically recommended in moderation due to its saturated fat content, especially as its role in weight management, weight-loss (WL) programs, and overall diet quality is not well understood. This study aimed to identify associations among pork intake, WL, and diet quality among adults with overweight or obesity participating in a weight management program (WMP).

Methods: This secondary analysis used data from a 6-month randomized controlled trial (NCT05648344) evaluating the effectiveness of a WMP on diet quality. Data were collected through online surveys and the Automated Self-Administered …

Conservation Of Construction Materials For Climate Change Adaption: Strategies To Unlock African Potentials, Kolawole Adisa Olonade, Adewumi J. Babafemi, Murtadha A. Tijani, Akindehinde A. Akindahunsi, Yetunde O. Abiodun, Akinropo M. Olajumoke

CSU Journal of Sustainability and Climate Change

Scarce natural resources are utilized substantially to provide the needed global infrastructure requirements. There seems to be a dilemma between development and a carbon-free environment, as the exploration of these resources contributes immensely to climate change due to the emission of greenhouse gases and disruption of the ecosystem. In this paper, an attempt is made to identify various scarce natural resources that are being consumed by the construction industry and their attendant negative impact on climate change is highlighted. Various approaches to conserve construction materials are discussed and the needed infrastructure to be provided is identified. This paper shows that …

Growth And Development Of Two Echinochloa Millet Species In A Warm Temperate Climate, D K. Muldoon

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Most summer forage crops fall into either the sorghum or the millet species group. Included in the millet group are two species, Echinochloa utilis and Echinochloa frumentacea, commonly known as Japanese barnyard millet and Indian barnyard millet, respectively. These species have a negligible HCN potential and higher nutritive value than Sorghum species. However, they generally flower early, yield less than forage sorghum , and lack vigor in regrowth. In this study the pattern of growth and development of two Echinochloa millets was examined as part of a larger program of improving the production of these forage species. E. utilis …

Test Adaptation And Evaluation Trials Of Forage Plants In Major Ecological Regions Of Ethiopia And Kenya, K M. Ibrahim, A Orodho

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Kenyan and Ethiopian natural grazing Ian.cl. support more than 20% of the cattle population of the African continent. Many of the natural pastures of these countries are severely overgrazed, as unfavorable grazing conditions prevail for over half the year. Objectives of adaptation trials were to evaluate and identify introduced or indigenous forage and fodder species or ecotypes having genetic potential for high production of digestible dry matter for direct pasture and range improvement and for future use in breeding programs. Over 4,000 indigenous and 3,000 introduced ecotypes were evaluated for 24 vegetative characters in six ecological regions between 1971 and …

Neutral Detergent Fiber And Protein Levels In Diploid And Tetraploid Ryegrass Forage, L R. Nelson, F M. Rouquette Jr

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Nutritive value of 18 ryegrass (Lolium multifloriumLam.) cultivars was studied at Overton, Te1

0.42-mm screen. Plots were harvested four times during each of the first 2 years and five times in the third year. In 1977-1978 and 1978-1979, NDF and protein analyses were run on samples from 2 replications. All forage samples were analyzed for pro­tein via the micro-Kjeldahl technique. Percentages of NDF were obtained via Van Soest extraction procedures. A seasonal increase in neutral detergent fiber (NDF) content and a decrease in protein percentage was observed. Differences in NDF were observed among cultivars and were most apparent during …

Forage Quality Of Barley Straw As Influenced By Genotype, D W. Meyer, D O. Erickson, A E. Foster

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Cereal straw is an untapped carbohydrate source for ruminant animal feeds, but little information is available on genotypic differences in the feeding value of barleys (Hordeum vulgare L.) commonly grown in the northern Great Plains of the U.S.A. Our objective was to determine if barley genotypes differ in straw forage quality and if straw-quality parameters are associated with agronomic characters. Straw from 37 and 31 barley genotypes was sampled in 1977 and 1978, respectively. Straw from 10 barley genotypes grown at four locations was sampled in 1979. Standard laboratory procedures were used to determine the quality parameters measured. Correlations …

Evolution Of Selection Techniques In Breeding For Bloat-Safe Alfalfa, B P. Goplen, R E. Howarth, G L. Lees, W Majak, J P. Fay, K J. Cheng

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

This report summarizes the Canadian breeding program to develop a bloat-safe alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.). This program has experienced an evolution of selection methods in attempting to identify bloat-safe alfalfa genotypes. In chronological order, the methods involved selection for fraction I (18S) protein, soluble proteins, foam volume, tannins (flavolans), saponins, initial rate of digestion (IRD), sonication, purified enzymes, gas production, and leaching. Although soluble herbage protein is correlated with the occurrence of pasture bloat, we have experienced slow progress in a selection program to reduce soluble-protein concentration in alfalfa. We have found that foam volume is not correlated with …

Value Of White Sweet Lupin In Production Of Protein Fodder And Feeding Of Animals, O Saric, I Ramosevac

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

The potential of white sweet lupin (Lupinus albus L.) as a grain or forage feed for livestock was investigated in a series of ex­periments. Grain yield of lupin was greater than or equal to that of soybeans (Glycine max [L.] Merrill) in most evaluations. The quality of lupin seed compared favorably with that of soybean meal and fishmeal. Lupin is capable of producing large amounts of forage in a short period, making it a good prospect for forage production in regions that have a short growing season.

Hedysarum Mongolicum Turcz.: An Important Protein Resource Legume On Dry Sandy Land, Li Min, A W. Hovin

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

In searching for plants that can both increase the protein production and improve the sandy-soil conservation of the grassland in the arid, windy regions of North China, so far, from among many native plants, we have identified Hedysarum mongolicum Turcz. as the best species to fulfill our dual purposes. We investigated its distribution, planted its native seeds in the Maowusu desert, and studied it under its native and cultivated growing conditions from 1957 to 1964. Chinese farmers call this perennial subbrush legume of the sweetvetcb genus "Yang Cai," meaning "sheep like to eat." It can thrive in the stable or …

Preliminary Evaluation Of Legume Germ Plasm In The Cerrados Of Brazil, D Thomas, R P. De Andrade

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

In 1978 an evaluation program was initiated to select legumes that (1) grow and produce seed on acid soils under aluminum and water stress, (2) persist under grazing, and (3) tolerate pests and diseases. The work is being conducted at the Cerrados Agricultural Research Center, near Brasilia, at lat 15°S and altitude 1,000 to 1, 100 m . Annual rainfall is 1,500 mm, mostly distributed in a 6-month wet season, and mean annual temperature is 21°C. Nine hundred legume accessions from thirteen genera have now been established as spaced plants on the 2 major soil types of the region. The …

Integrated Methane And Co₂ Emissions Reduction Framework Via Agricultural Transformation, Industrial Methane Valorization, And Profitable Waste-To-Resource Conversion, Amey Krishna Solkar

Defensive Publications Series

This defensive publication describes an integrated framework designed to reduce global anthropogenic methane emissions by over 50% and achieve significant net CO_{2} drawdown. The system shifts climate remediation from reliance on subsidies to self-sustaining, profit-generating operations by embedding commodity production within three core sectors. * **Agricultural Transformation**: Replaces high-methane cattle and paddy farming with integrated aquaculture, agroforestry, and vertical farming. It features a self-regulating nitrogen cycle using co-cultivated *Azolla* and *Lemna* (duckweed) to fix nitrogen and sequester carbon. * **Fossil Fuel Valorization**: Targets oil and gas methane emissions by capturing vented gas for onsite catalytic conversion into high-value commodities, including …