Digital Commons Network^™

A Brief Social Skills Intervention And Its Effect On Elementary Students’ Social Behaviors, Elizabeth A. Kleitz, Namuna Sunar, Darson Rhodes, Carol Cox

Undergraduate Research (Journal)

Student social skill improvement interventions are primarily conducted at the school site. Students also need social skills to navigate out-of-school time, and more focus on the elementary level is advised. Successful interventions are developmentally appropriate for the age group and focus on skill building. In this study, puppetry was the developmentally appropriate strategy used to teach a social skills-building curriculum. Trained volunteers presented four short, weekly lessons on positive social skill development to elementary students attending their district’s afterschool program. Pre-post intervention, student social skill knowledge scores significantly improved, and afterschool teachers reported significant decreases in student emotional problems and …

The Impact Of Acute Beetroot Juice Supplementation On Resting Cardiovascular Responses In Young Women, Manuel Munoz Ii, Robert L. Herron

Undergraduate Research (Journal)

Research has shown that acute supplementation with dietary nitrate will increase the amount of circulating nitrate, boosting NO bioavailability via the nitrate-nitrite-NO pathway, providing enhanced vasodilation. There are limited dietary nitrate studies including young, healthy female participants. The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of acute dietary nitrate, via beet root juice (BRJ) supplementation, on resting heart rate and blood pressure in young, healthy women. A total of 11 women (aged 18-22) performed a repeated-measures, placebo-controlled, counter-balanced, crossover design investigated the impact of dietary nitrate on the cardiovascular system’s resting measurements after one hour. All participants completed …

Associations Between Fruit And Vegetable Availability, Parental Feeding Practices, And Picky Eating During Toddlerhood, Naomi Popoolapade, Jennifer Barton

Undergraduate Research (Journal)

Picky eating has been associated with decreased diet quality among young children, thus exploring strategies that parents can use to decrease picky eating behaviors is crucial. In the present study, we sought to examine two objectives: whether 1) home availability of vegetables and fruit at 12 months is associated with picky eating at 36 months; and 2) parental feeding practices, particularly pressure to eat and restriction, at 12 months is associated with picky eating at 36 months. Longitudinal data were drawn from the [blinded for review] birth cohort (n = 468 families). At 12 months, research assistants and mothers completed …

Identifying Best Practices In Small Business Meetings: An Importance-Performance Gap Analysis, Ashley R. Euritt, Nick J. Johnston

Human Nutrition and Hospitality Management Undergraduate Honors Theses

Meetings are crucial for small businesses, yet many struggle to plan them effectively due to limited resources. This study examines the gap between the perceived importance and actual performance of 14 meeting planning attributes in small businesses. Through an online survey and Importance-Performance Analysis (IPA), the study finds that attributes such as setting SMART goals and having employees arrive on time and engage before meetings are highly valued but underperformed. The study also emphasizes the importance of leadership, communication, and technology skills for successful meeting planning. The 5 Ps framework (Purpose, Participants, Planning, Participation, Perspective) is studied to evaluate the …

Exploring The Dynamics Of Vibrio Parahaemolyticus Diversity In Developing Aquaculture Oyster Microbiomes, Benjamin John Wasson

Master's Theses and Capstones

Vibrio parahaemolyticus is a genetically diverse marine bacterium and the leading cause of seafood-borne bacterial illness in the United States. While most strains are harmless, some can cause illness. As oyster aquaculture grows in the Northeast, particularly in New Hampshire’s Great Bay Estuary (GBE), understanding the dynamics of V. parahaemolyticus population diversity and persistence is critical for public health and sustainable aquaculture production. This work investigates two major research questions: whether standard bacterial enumeration methods introduce bias when evaluating diversity of V. parahaemolyticus populations, and how environmental factors influence V. parahaemolyticus acquisition and microbiome development in juvenile oysters. We first …

Mitigating Nitrogen Losses: The Role Of Enhanced Efficiency Fertilizers In Sustainable Corn Production, Dipesh Giri

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Nitrogen (N) is essential for crop production, but its inefficient use often leads to environmental losses through nitrate leaching, ammonia volatilization, and nitrous oxide (N₂O) emissions. Enhanced efficiency fertilizers (EEFs), such as nitrification inhibitors (NIs) and urease inhibitors (UIs), have been developed to minimize these losses and improve nitrogen use efficiency (NUE). This research combined a multi-year field experiment and a controlled laboratory study to evaluate how dual-inhibitor fertilizers compare to conventional urea and single-inhibitor formulations in Nebraska cropping systems. The main objective was to understand how nitrogen inhibitors influence N availability, crop performance, and nitrogen losses across different environmental …

Reap What You Sow: Using Historic Enrollment Data To Strategically Recruit Students, Hayden Cherry

Honors Theses

As the higher education landscape continues to become more competitive, adapting our marketing strategies to affordably recruit students will be imperative to maintaining both relevance and financial stability. Research has predicted an increase in tension as institutions weather the enrollment cliff, a period characterized by a steep decline in the number of college-age students in the United States. While this research is useful in informing our outlook in the coming years, there is little research surrounding the most efficacious methods for recruiting college students. Using data from Mississippi State University's Office of Institutional Research and Effectiveness on student status and …

Elderly & Incarcerated In North Carolina, Juliana Whittington

North Carolina Law Review

No abstract provided.

Worldcuisines: A Massive-Scale Benchmark For Multilingual And Multicultural Visual Question Answering On Global Cuisines, Genta Indra Winata, Et. Al

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Vision Language Models (VLMs) often struggle with culture-specific knowledge, particularly in languages other than English and in underrepresented cultural contexts. To evaluate their understanding of such knowledge, we introduce WorldCuisines, a massive-scale benchmark for multilingual and multicultural, visually grounded language understanding. This benchmark includes a visual question answering (VQA) dataset with text-image pairs across 30 languages and dialects, spanning 9 language families and featuring over 1 million data points, making it the largest multicultural VQA benchmark to date. It includes tasks for identifying dish names and their origins. We provide evaluation datasets in two sizes (12k and 60k instances) alongside …

Characterizing Xylella Fastidiosa Pathogen Dynamics On Diverse Small Fruit Farms, Alexandra Ratay

All Theses

Global agriculture has been threatened for over a century due to the emergence of the plant pathogenic bacteria Xylella fastidiosa (Lysobacterales: Lysobacteraceae) (Xf). Xf comprises five main subspecies and induces severe physiological symptoms in a diverse set of host plant species by limiting xylem function. Xylem-feeding insect vectors can transmit Xf to host plants, spreading disease and reducing fruit yield. Here I studied Xf prevalence on small fruit farms to determine Xf host plant and vector infective status to the Xf subspecies level. I detected Xf in 28 host plants in South Carolina containing either Xf subspecies fastidiosa …

Healthy Dietary Patterns’ Impact On Depressive Symptoms: A Meta-Analysis Of Randomized Controlled Trials, Angela Encardone

All Theses

As the search for innovative mental health treatments expands, dietary interventions have emerged as a promising approach for alleviating depressive symptoms. This thesis presents a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) examining the efficacy of whole-of-diet nutritional interventions in reducing depression symptoms among adults. Grounded in Bronfenbrenner’s Bioecological Model and Engel’s Biopsychosocial Model, this study explores the intersection of biological, psychological, and social factors that influence mental health outcomes. A systematic review identified six eligible RCTs assessing the impact of healthy dietary patterns, including the Mediterranean diet and other plant-based interventions, on depression symptoms. A random-effects meta-analysis revealed a significant …

Effects Of Common Herbicides On Organismal Interactions, Robert Chamberlin

All Theses

Pesticides are applied to agricultural lands to prevent undesirable weeds, animal pests, and fungi from harming crops and reducing crop yields. Pesticides are used in croplands at increasing rates around the world and have become an essential component of farming in recent decades. Often, rain, wind, and soil permeation move pesticides from farmlands to natural environments. Such contamination of natural environments by pesticides may threaten species by altering their behaviors, bodily functions, and the ways in which individuals interact. Atrazine and glyphosate are among the most widely used herbicides around the world and are useful in eliminating weeds, primarily in …

Risky Genes: The Impact Of Social Determinants Of Health On Dna Methylation In Indigenous Communities, Ella Martin

Celebrating Scholarship and Creativity Day (2018-)

Epigenetics is the study of molecular modifications to DNA structure that do not impact the sequence of the DNA itself. This biological study works to link health outcomes later in life with environmental interactions that affect our genetic predispositions. These complex factors can greatly impact longevity and quality of life. DNA methylation is one type of epigenetic mark that happens through natural biological processes. However, this marking has been shown to be detrimental to the process of aging and can be accelerated by harmful exposures such as stress, substance-use, or chemicals in the environment. Exposure to these compounds is exasperated …

Changes In Adequacy Of Splanchnic Oxygen Delivery And Splanchnic Artery Doppler After Bolus Feedings In Infants: A Systematic Review And Meta-Analysis, Rohit S Loomba, Saloni P Sheth, Joshua Wong, Megan Davis, Juan S Farias, Enrique G Villarreal, Saul Flores

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Background: Current practice regarding timing of feed initiation and feed tolerance largely relies on anecdotal practice and protocols. This study aims to provide an objective measure to guide clinical practice by analyzing changes in splanchnic regional oxygen saturation and Doppler patterns with feeds.

Methods: A systematic review was performed. Inclusion criteria were: 1) patients under 1 year of age; 2) splanchnic regional oxygen saturation with near infrared spectroscopy before and after feeds or mesenteric Doppler findings before and after feeds; and 3) clinical parameters must have been presented as either mean and standard deviation or median and range. Endpoints of …

Prevalence Of And Risk Factors For Osteoporosis And Fragility Fracture In Adults With Cerebral Palsy: A Systematic Review, Anne Trinh, Ellen Fremion, Shayan Bhathena, Craig F Munns, Prue Morgan, Daniel G Whitney, Bernadette Gillick, Margaret Zacharin, Darcy Fehlings, Amanda J Vincent, Frances Milat

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Aim: To systematically review the prevalence and incidence of osteoporosis, osteopenia, low bone mass, and fragility fracture in adults with cerebral palsy (CP), and identify the risk factors for osteoporosis and fracture.

Method: A systematic literature search was performed in the MEDLINE, PubMed, CINAHL, AMED, Cochrane Reviews, EMBASE, and EBM database reviews from inception until May 2024. Search terms covered a combination of keywords for CP, fracture, osteoporosis, incidence and prevalence, and risk factors. Participants were adults with CP aged 18 years and older. JBI critical appraisal instruments were used to assess quality and risk of bias.

Results: Seventeen of …

Conversations With Friends: How Gender And Politics In The 2024 U.S Presidential Election Was Perceived By The People And By The Numbers, Hadley H. Burke

Political Science Undergraduate Honors Theses

The 2024 U.S. presidential election were largely unprecedented, with President Joe Biden withdrawing from the race and endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris as the Democratic Nominee mere months before election day. The events that followed were rife with opportunity to explore the intersection of gender and politics, a topic of increasing relevance as women have become more politically active over the past century. Going beyond the traditional gender gap research, which demonstrates the divergent voting patterns of women and men, this research seeks to understand how the gender of the candidate influences vote choice. Using empirical data on the gender …

Comparisons Between Traditional And Gluten-Free Cookies In Sensory Attributes, Acceptance, And Evoked Emotions, Eniola Ola

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The rise in food allergies and intolerances, notably conditions like Celiac disease, as well as a general shift of consumers to a more health-conscious lifestyle has significantly increased the demand for gluten-free products. Consumers increasingly seek gluten-free products, yet these alternatives often face challenges in replicating the sensory qualities of traditional gluten-containing foods. This study explores the sensory attributes, emotional responses, and labeling impacts on consumer perception of gluten-free and gluten-containing cookies. The main objective of this thesis was to address the gap in research on sensory evaluation of gluten free foods, specifically in terms of commercially available products. The …

Bile Acid And Microbiome Interactions In The Developing Child, Mary Elizabeth M Tessier, Benjamin L Shneider, Joseph F Petrosino, Geoffrey A Preidis

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Interactions between the gut microbiome and bile acids are complex and are linked to outcomes in pediatric liver disease by mechanisms that are incompletely understood. In adults, primary bile acids are synthesized in the liver and secreted into the intestine, where complex communities of gut microbes deconjugate, oxidize, epimerize, and 7α-dehydroxylate bile acids into a diverse array of unconjugated, secondary, allo-, iso-, and oxo-bile acids. In contrast, the infant gut microbiota contains a simple, Bifidobacterium-dominant community that transitions to a more diverse, adult-like community as additional microbes colonize the gut. This microbial succession gradually confers deconjugation, oxidation, epimerization, and 7α-dehydroxylation …

Screening Of A Diversity Of Legumes And Non-Legumes Forb Species At Five Strategic Locations Across Utah For The Development Of Smart Foodscapes, Surbhi Verma

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Grass-dominated rangelands in the Western United States often lack sufficient protein for pregnant cows after grasses mature in mid- summer, leading ranchers to rely on expensive feed supplements such as protein cubes or alfalfa hay. The goal of this study was to screen 27 perennial legume and forb species with the potential to remain green into late summer and provide sufficient protein to supplement cows on grass-dominated rangeland. Three experiments were carried out to understand germination of species, plant establishment and persistence at five Utah locations, and agronomic characteristics. The seed of five hard-to-germinate species were studied for the ability …

A Systematic Review Of Weight Loss Interventions Among Black Postpartum Women, Jhelma Velveder Perez

Honors Scholar Theses

Cardiovascular disease is a leading contributor to maternal mortality, which remains disproportionately high among Black women. Obesity and postpartum weight retention exacerbate cardiovascular disease risk and increase the likelihood of complications in future pregnancies. Weight loss during the postpartum period may reduce long-term chronic health risks and mortality for Black women. This systematic review aimed to understand the weight-related health needs of Black postpartum women by evaluating behavioral weight loss interventions within the first year after childbirth. A comprehensive search of the PubMed database identified 3 randomized controlled trials that met inclusion criteria. These studies evaluated home-based programs, mobile health …

The Price Of Health: Income Disparities, Chronic Disease And Nutritional Inequity., Joana Ortiz Atlixqueno

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Chronic disease has notably increased among children and adults. The alarming trend is especially pronounced in low-income communities. Everyone’s Harvest is a non-profit organization founded in 2002. They work to improve access to affordable fruits and vegetables through farmers' markets, targeting lower-income individuals. The primary purpose of this study was to evaluate one of Everyone’s Harvest’s community food programs, Fresh Rx. Fresh Rx is a collaboration with healthcare providers in which doctors prescribe $35 worth of fruits and vegetables weekly for 19 weeks to patients with chronic diet-related illnesses. It was essential to learn if patients coming to the market …

Small But Mighty: Strengthening The Value Of Local Pocket Parks, Makana Sm Higa

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

In Monterey County, youth obesity rates are climbing at an alarming rate. Ventana Wildlife Society, and Wellness Through Nature program seek to help lower these rates. Ventana looks to achieve this through outdoor education and family trips with migrant farm working families in the cities of Soledad and Salinas. These trips attempt to increase environmental stewardship and improve community health. The project aims to evaluate the effectiveness and community engagement in regards to pocket parks. The parks visited were Bataan Memorial Park, Harden Neighborhood Park, Cesar Chavez Park, Joe Ledesma Park and San Antonio Park. The research seeks to increase …

The Csumb Well-Being Compass: A Student Guide, Giselle Miller

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Food insecurity, stemming from a limited awareness of available resources, often challenges new domestic and international students navigating California State University, Monterey Bay (CSUMB). This can potentially hinder their academic and social integration. The CSUMB Basic Needs department addressed this critical issue through a resource development project, creating and evaluating a comprehensive digital resource guide designed to connect new students with essential food resources and other crucial support services for academic success. This evaluation involved a feedback survey of 32 student staff and faculty across campus. The findings indicated that an overwhelming majority found the guide very or extremely helpful, …

Bridging Gaps: Connecting Santa Cruz Seniors To Services, Elsa B. Tamayo Alvarez

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

This capstone project addresses the lack of awareness among the senior population in Santa Cruz County about available resources and services that support healthy aging. Nonprofit Connection Santa Cruz County is a county-wide nonprofit that provides a platform to connect people, ideas, and resources for the benefit of nonprofits across all sectors. It serves a diverse population of over 270,000 residents, including a significant older adult population (19.8%) and a large Hispanic/Latino community (35.2%), by supporting nonprofits that address health and social needs. The project aimed to increase awareness through the creation and distribution of an informational pamphlet and a …

Learning For Life College Field Trip, Omar Martinez

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

The high school dropout rates in Monterey County continue to challenge individuals, particularly Learning For Life Charter School students. Contributing factors to the high school dropout rates include academic underperformance, unmet basic needs, an agricultural economy, and migrant labor. This translates to significant consequences such as substance abuse, increased poverty, and low-paying jobs. The project consisted of a university field trip to UC Santa Cruz with 9 juniors and seniors. The field trip included a tour guide explaining various pathways and college perspectives. With many students experiencing their first on-site college field trip, this project was to create college awareness …

Empowering Parental Involvements In School Activites, Aracely Ramirez

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

The benefits of empowering parental involvement in school activities are many; however, due to parents' lack of time or school’s lack of resources, there are a lot of students that do not have parents involved in school activities. The purpose of this senior capstone research project is to empower parent involvement in school activities with different resources that schools or parents can use to help them get more involved in school activities. Through the use of literature review and survey of parents in five schools and interviews with five principals about parental involvement in their schools to impact their students’ …

Impact Of Private Early Childhood Education On Academic And Social Preparedness Of Preschoolers, Destiny E. Rizo

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Early childhood education plays a crucial role in shaping a child's academic and social development. This senior capstone examines how private preschool programs influence kindergarten readiness in both academic and social domains. Through a literature review and interviews with early childhood educators, this project explores the specific practices within private programs that contribute to children's preparedness. The result findings indicated that smaller class size, individualized instruction, and enriched learning environments are the key factors that could really support early learning success for children. As a future educator, this research highlights the value of incorporating these strategies into public school curriculum …

The Feast And The Furious? The Effects Of Diet On Opioid Tolerance, Withdrawal, And Stress, Nina Marie Beltran

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Introduction: Opioid drugs (e.g., morphine) are used medicinally for pain relief but can also lead to opioid use disorder (OUD). These medications are prescribed at a higher rate among individuals with obesity (who might consume high fat diets) than the general population. Further, previous work from our lab and others has demonstrated that eating a high fat diet enhances sensitivity of rats to other addictive substances, including stimulants. However, it is not known if dietary manipulations impact individual sensitivity to the effects of opioids. This dissertation systematically explored the effects of dietary manipulation on sensitivity to the effects of morphine. …

Effects Of Nsaids On Bone Healing Time In Orthopedic Patients, Alayne Brekke

Physician Assistant Scholarly Project Papers

Use of NSAIDs in adults recovering from orthopedic injury or surgery has been found to be largely inconclusive when it comes to determining significance in delay of bone healing. The purpose of this review is to determine whether use of NSAIDs is detrimental to bone healing after orthopedic injury or surgery. A literature review was performed using electronic databases PubMed and SportsDiscus from May to July of 2024. There were fifteen studies that met final inclusion criteria. Research overwhelmingly acknowledged that selective COX-2 inhibitors are not recommended in a post injury or post operative state. However, when it comes to …

Impact Of Altering Gut Microbiota With Multinutrient Supplementation On Neuropsychiatric Symptoms In Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, Benjamin Hinkle

Physician Assistant Scholarly Project Papers

Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a prevalent neuropsychiatric condition affecting children, often characterized by inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity. Recent evidence suggests a potential link between gut microbiota composition and neuropsychiatric disorders, including ADHD, through the gut-brain axis (GBA). A literature review of studies published between 2017 and 2024 explores the efficacy of multinutrient interventions on influencing gut microbiota to treat the core symptoms of ADHD in children ages 6-12 years old. Findings indicate that multinutrient supplementation may modulate gut microbiota and subsequently impact neuropsychiatric symptoms, offering a promising adjunctive treatment for ADHD. However, variability in study methodologies and small sample sizes …