Digital Commons Network^™

Chain Extension Of Blocked Isocyanates For The Creation Of Covalent Adaptable Networks, Catherine Sarantes

Dissertations

From mattresses to car coatings, polyurethanes and polyureas (PUs) are ubiquitous thermoset materials with tunable thermo-mechanical performance. This tunability is afforded through the extent of crosslinking or covalent linkages established by the formation of urea bonds. Traditionally, urea bonds are highly stable yet through the blocked isocyanate, hindered urea bond (HUB) mechanism this bond is thermally labile allowing for re-processing of normally non-recyclable PU materials. The overarching focus of my dissertation is the exploration synthetic pathways to access secondary diamines to enable re-processing of covalent adaptable networks (CANs) with tunable re-processing through the diamine moiety and the molecular weight of …

Toxic Narratives, Toxic Communities, And Enforcement Of Environmental (In)Justice, Alyse Bertenthal

Washington Law Review

The United States has committed to enforce environmental justice in ways it never has before. A spate of new policies aims to increase resources for environmental agencies’ enforcement sections, improve training for environmental enforcement staff, and ensure community engagement in environmental enforcement decision-making. Yet there exists mounting evidence that enforcement of environmental laws happens less frequently and less vigorously in low-income and minoritized communities.

We need to understand why that is happening. Many commentators, opining from a distance, point to insufficient resources for environmental enforcement and legal and political constraints on environmental agencies. While not discounting these reasons, this Article …

Detection Of Apiary Sites From Remote Imagery, Ning Li

Theses and Dissertations

Honey bees are essential for honey production and pollination services, but their colonies have been declining despite increasing demand. This decline may be due to various factors, including habitat loss, altered land use, climate shifts, and pesticide exposure. In order to assess the quantity and quality of habitats for honey bees and determine their availability and suitability for supporting bee colonies, it is crucial to identify the spatial location of registered apiary sites being used. However, such data is not available, which makes it a challenge for researchers in the field to further advance honey bee-related investigations. In my study, …

Guidelines For The Standardization Of Pre-Analytical Variables For Salivary Biomarker Studies In Alzheimer's Disease Research: An Updated Review And Consensus Of The Salivary Biomarkers For Dementia Research Working Group, Ted K. S. Ng, Chinedu Momoh, Mei-Ann Lim, Helena Sophia Gleerup, Wayne Leifert, Catherine Ajalo, Nicholas Ashton, Henrik Zetterberg, Robert A. Rissman, Charisse N. Winston

Brain and Mind Institute

There is a pressing need for accessible biomarkers with high diagnostic accuracy for Alzheimer's disease (AD) diagnosis to facilitate widespread screening, particularly in underserved groups. Saliva is an emerging specimen for measuring AD biomarkers, with distinct contexts of use that could complement blood and cerebrospinal fluid and detect various analytes. An interdisciplinary, international group of AD and related dementias (ADRD) researchers convened and performed a narrative review of published studies on salivary AD biomarkers. We critically appraised the current state of the literature, examining both consistencies and discrepancies in existing pre-analytical variables and methodologies. We discussed how various pre-analytical variables …

Black Lives Still Matter: Freedom Schools As An Embodiment Of Critical Literacy Through Reflection And Action, Elena M. Venegas, Lakia M. Scott

Bilingual and Literacy Studies Faculty Publications

The continuation of racial inequities in the United States has ignited the recent Black Lives Matter Movement, a protest of police brutality and gun violence. Black lives matter in public school classrooms, too—where students of color face barriers to equitable educational experiences. The Children's Defense Fund Freedom School program is a major component in developing critical literacy skills through critique, inquiry, and transformation through social justice and action. Critical literacy is enacted through identity—mainly as difference, self, consciousness, narrative, and positionality. Historical and contemporary relevance of Freedom Schools connects to the urgency of the Black Lives Matter Movement.

Predictive Model For Listeria Monocytogenes In Rte Meats Using Exclusive Food Matrix Data, N.A. Nanje Gowda, Manjari Singh, Gijs Lommerse, Saurabh Kumar, Eelco Heintz, Jeyamkondan Subbiah

Food Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

Post-processing contamination of Listeria monocytogenes has remained a major concern for the safety of ready-to-eat (RTE) meat products that are not reheated before consumption. Mathematical models are rapid and cost-effective tools to predict pathogen behavior, product shelf life, and safety. The objective of this study was to develop and validate a comprehensive model to predict the Listeria growth rate in RTE meat products as a function of temperature, pH, water activity, nitrite, acetic, lactic, and propionic acids. The Listeria growth data in RTE food matrices, including RTE beef, pork, and poultry products (731 data sets), were collected from the literature …

Measuring Palatability Of Pet Food Products: Sensory Components, Evaluations, Challenges, And Opportunities, Natalia Calderon, Brittany L. White, Han-Seok Seo

Food Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

The pet food industry is a growing business launching a variety of new products in the market. The acceptability or preference of pet food samples has traditionally been measured using either one-bowl or two-bowl tests. Academic researchers and professionals in the pet food industry have explored other methods, including the cognitive palatability assessment protocols and the ranking test, to evaluate more than two samples. A variety of approaches and perspectives were also utilized to predict palatability and key sensory attributes of pet foods, including descriptive sensory analysis by human-trained panelists and pet food caregivers’ perceptions of pet food. This review …

A Single Session Of Acceptance And Commitment Therapy In A Group Format To Promote Health-Related Behavior Change In Nutrition And Sleep: A Randomized Controlled Trial, Thi Anh Tran

Dissertations

Nutrition and sleep are important health-related behaviors for which only a small percentage of the population meet recommended guidelines. To impact population-health it is important to develop focused, flexible, efficient, and efficacious interventions. This study examined the efficacy of a 60-minute Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) intervention in a group presentation format to initiate change in nutrition and sleep related behaviors in college students. Thirty-two collegians (M age = 18.55 [.85], 66% female, 34% Hispanic, 25% white) were randomized to receive ACT focusing on nutrition (n = 18 participants across 4 groups) or sleep (n = 14 participants across 3 …

Body Positivity Via Costuming Performances In Grades Nine Through Twelve Dance, Kacey Valentine O'Keeffe

Master's Theses

This thesis explored the impact of body image and self-esteem on high school dancers and the pivotal role of dance educators in fostering a positive environment during concert preparations. The purpose of this research study was to determine if there was a correlation between promotion of health and wellness from dance educators and body positivity among high school dancers. The following research questions were addressed in this study:

Q1 What positively contributes to a dancers’ self-esteem and body image?

Q2 What is an effective solution for costume fitting methods to be used by dance educators while keeping their dancers’ safety …

A Proposed Instrument To Determine Mobility Eligibility Criteria And Levels For Mechanically Ventilated Patients In The Intensive Care Unit, Keira Gabrielle Miller

Doctoral Scholarly Projects & Capstones

Immobility is a problem among mechanically ventilated patients in the intensive care unit. Early mobility has been shown to benefit mechanically ventilated patient outcomes by minimizing hospital stays and costs, decreasing the risk of infection, and improving muscle strength to lead to a better quality of life. No inclusive checklists exist to evaluate patients progressing to varying levels of mobility based on specific criteria such as hemodynamics, neurological function, and disease acuity. This gap was identified after a current and comprehensive literature review on early mobilization among mechanically ventilated patients. The purpose of this project was to combine a comprehensive …

Assessing Impact Risk To Tropical Marine Ecosystems From Human Activities With A Southeast Asian Example, Fiona Culhane, Melanie C. Austen, Matthew Ashley, Jonson Javier, Sui Hyang Kuit, Nguyen Phuc Hung, Hau Duc Tran, Radisti A. Praptiwi, Sainal Sainal, Eva Justine, Prawesti Wulandari, Stefanie Broszeit, Jean Beth Jontila, Sofia Johari, Lota Creencia, Amy Yee Hui Then, Lea Janine Gajardo, Carya Maharja, Hong Ching Goh, Wan Mohd Syazwan, Yang Amri Affendi, Lê Ngọc Thảo, Jito Sugardjito, Tom Mullier, Olivia Langmead

School of Biological and Marine Sciences

Society relies on intact marine ecosystems for ecosystem services such as nutrition, livelihoods, health and well-being. Yet, to obtain these benefits, we carry out activities, introducing pressures to ecosystems, damaging and degrading habitats and reducing their capacity to optimally provide ecosystem services. Biodiversity and ecosystem services are consequently being lost globally but impact chains from these activities are poorly understood, especially in tropical marine ecosystems. We identified for the first time impact chains linking activities with pressures they introduce in five tropical coastal and marine habitats, specifically through application in four Southeast Asian case study sites. Using expert elicitation based …

Exploring The Relationship Between Nutrition-Related Attitudes And Use Of Scrappy’S Cupboard Among College Students At The University Of Tennessee At Chattanooga, Emma Rosenberger

Honors Theses

Introduction This thesis examines the relationship between nutrition-related attitudes and the use of Scrappy’s Cupboard, a campus food pantry, among undergraduate and graduate students at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga (UTC). This study aims to determine how students’ attitudes toward nutrition influence their likelihood of utilizing campus food resources, highlighting differences between users and non-users of Scrappy’s Cupboard. A correlation between nutrition-related attitudes and the use of Scrappy's Cupboard was expected, with pantry users reporting more positive attitudes towards nutrition compared to non-users. Methods A survey was administered to UTC students to assess their nutrition-related attitudes, food pantry usage, …

Victims Unknown: An Evaluation Of The Way Louisville, Kentucky Communicated About Aids At The End Of The 20th Century, Alexander M. Vernon

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This is thesis examines the way that printed news sources reported on AIDS during the height of the epidemic in Louisville, Kentucky. It compares between mainstream and grass-roots sources to work to identify shortcomings in reporting, and how reporting on a public health crisis can be improved upon in the future. It uses an intersectional framework to deconstruct why certain news sources reported on specific demographics of the population, across racialized and gendered lines. Chapter One analyzes the epidemic and then contextualizes the language that was used. Chapter Two focuses on mainstream local newspapers, while also defining demographics of AIDS …

Access To Health Care And Glycemic Control: The National Health And Nutrition Examinations Survey (Nhanes) 2005-2018., Mohamed M. Ali

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Background and Purpose: Diabetes mellitus is a chronic metabolic condition associated with numerous medical and financial sequences. In 2018, 34.1 million adults aged 18 years or older had diabetes in the U.S. Access to Care for diabetic Americans remains a public healthcare concern. This study aims to examine the relationship between access to healthcare and selected diabetes indicators. Methods: A quantitative, repeated cross-sectional study uses four of the National Health and Nutrition Examinations Survey's (NHANES) access measures (insurance, the number of times of annual healthcare visits, routine place for healthcare, and type of place) and four diabetes indicators (Hemoglobin A1C …

U-Glide Program Fall 2024, Unf Office Of Undergraduate Research, Unf Graduate School

Undergraduate – Graduate Learning, Inquiry, and Distinctive Experimentation (U-GLIDE) Symposium Programs

No abstract provided.

Spine Mobilization Vs Manipulation: Effects On Neck Pain, Alfredo Loreto

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Several studies have found an association between cervical spinal mobilization (CSMob) and cervical spinal manipulation (CSM) on pain perception, disability, and satisfaction. However, choosing the proper technique continues to be a challenge for many practitioners. The purpose of this study was to clarify the discrepant evidence regarding the efficacy of a CSMob versus a CSM intervention as compared to a control group – hands-off, and patient education (PE) in isolation. 36 subjects with acute and non-specific mechanical neck pain were randomly assigned to one of 3 groups (CSMob, CSM, or control). Outcome measures using the Neck Disability Index (NDI), Numeric …

Field Assessment Of Fertilization, Nursery, And Crop Management Practices Among Tomato (Solanum Lycopersicum L.) Growers In The Ilocos Provinces, Philippines, Annalissa Aquino, Sancho Bon, Angelica Guanlao, Ann Mylalulex Magnaye, Filomena Sta Cruz, Pompe C. Sta. Cruz

The Philippine Agricultural Scientist

Growth and yield of many economically important vegetables like tomatoes are heavily influenced by crop management practices, particularly fertilizer application, irrigation scheme, and pest management. To attain maximum tomato yields and increase farmers’ profits, these crop production components must be optimized in local farm levels. Before optimization measures can be conducted, baseline information on prevailing practices needs to be evaluated. To assess the nutrient management and other crop production practices of tomato farmers in the Ilocos provinces, Philippines, on-farm surveys were conducted in 16 and 18 barangays planting fresh-type and processing-type tomatoes, respectively. The study involved a total of 88 …

Toward An Urban Food Commons: Participatory Action Research On Food Apartheid And Community-Based Agrifood System Governance In Louisville, Ky., Mary Abigail Rudolph

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation investigates the structural inequities fueling food apartheid in Louisville, Kentucky’s agrifood system and explores community-based governance as a path toward food justice. Through a participatory action research (PAR) framework, this study combines participatory geographic information systems (PGIS), focus groups, and autoethnography to engage directly with affected community members and collaborate with the Food in Neighborhoods (FIN) coalition. By prioritizing the voices of those most impacted by food insecurity, this research offers contributions to the fields of food justice, participatory governance, and urban food commons. The study situates Louisville’s food access issues within the broader neoliberal global agrifood system, …

Cuisine As A Compass: Exploring The Therapeutic Benefits Of Community, Cooking, And More Within The Lgbtqia+ Population, Sera Shevchenko, Karen Park Otd, Otr/L, Bcp, Susan Macdermott Otd, Otr/L

Fall 2024 OTD Capstone Symposium

Background: The LGBTQIA+ population experiences unique barriers to occupation and well being. Anti-LGBTQ legislation encroaches on inclusive and affirming care affecting occupational access. Limited occupational participation and additional exhaustive adaptive strategies to engage in occupations safely have an emotional cost. This research study explores how food or mealtime occupations such as cooking, eating, and hosting can support LGBTQIA+ well-being. This research was made possible by LGBTQIA+ participants that are experts of their lived experience.

Methods: This mixed methods research used both qualitative and quantitative methods to gather data on the significance of food-based occupations, culture, mental health, and identity in …

Relation Of Skinfold Thickness With The Serum Lipids, Glucose And Blood Pressure Among Indian Sedentary Office Workers, Nikhil Gopal Naik, Baskaran Chandrasekaran, Rakshith N. Patil, Saritha U. Kamath

Open Access archive

Background: Serum glucose, cholesterol, triglycerides and high-density lipoproteins (HDL) are established cardiovascular disease (CVD) markers, however accessibility to these markers is less in individuals from low-middle income countries. The non-invasive CVD risk marker especially skinfold measured fat percentages are less explored for its relevance with established serum biochemistry markers. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in 70 sedentary office workers (aged 30–40 years) who were healthy. Peripheral fat percentages were estimated from four skinfold thickness measurements and biochemistry markers were measured and analysed using standard laboratory measurements. Blood pressure was also measured. Multivariate linear regression models were drawn to establish …

Protective Play: The Impact Of A Before-School Play Program On Sixth-Grade Students’ Social-Emotional Well-Being, Luleta Dardovski

Dissertations

This mixed-methods study explored the impact of a daily thirty-minute before-school play program on sixth-grade students' social and emotional well-being, using the five CASEL core competencies and S.A.F.E. (Sequenced, Active, Focused, Explicit) framework as guiding principles. The study addressed the central research question: How does unstructured play before school influence students’ social-emotional learning (SEL) skills and well-being? Data was collected through student surveys, interviews with teachers, and observations to explore how play fosters SEL skill development. Play was found to offer an authentic environment for sixth grade students to actively practice SEL skills, fostering benefits in self-esteem, social connectedness, emotional …

Sorgoleone (Lipophilic Benzoquinones) Levels In The Root Exudates Of Elite Sorghum [Sorghum Bicolor (L.) Moench] Cultivars, Suleica J. Lee

All Theses

Nitrogen loss from cropping systems is significant and is estimated at more than 50% of the amounts applied. Root exudates of certain plant species including sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench] contain sorgoleone which can reduce nitrification and nitrogen loss through biological nitrification inhibition (BNI). Therefore, the goal of this study was to screen selected elite sorghum germplasm comprising hybrids and parents to determine the best sorgoleone secreting cultivars. The hypothesis was that nitrogen loss from croplands could be curbed through exploring sorghum BNI traits. Screening of the cultivars selected was done using an established sorghum culture and extraction pipeline that …

The New Frontier Of Guidance Reviewability, Tomás Rios

Michigan Law Review

In the administrative context, agency actions must be “final” to trigger judicial review. The Supreme Court’s opinions in Sackett v. Environmental Protection Agency and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers v. Hawkes Co. marked an important shift in finality doctrine by emphasizing that the calculus of whether agency guidance is “final” may turn on its practical effects. For decades, agency guidance rarely warranted judicial review because it is not legally binding and, thus, not final. But the advent of the Sackett-Hawkes pragmatic analysis has changed the landscape, raising particular concerns for agencies relying on promulgating guidance documents to “softly” regulate. This …

Risk Factor Patterns For Elder Abuse Among United States Indigenous Peoples: Native Elder Maltreatment Survey Secondary Data Analysis, Maylynn Riding In

Theses and Dissertations

Elder abuse is a significant public health issue, with findings indicating that 9% to 10% of older adults in the United States experience abuse. This figure is likely mirrored among Indigenous Peoples residing within tribal boundaries, although specific data is scarce. This study aims to fill the gap in understanding the prevalence and risk factors associated with elder abuse among United States Indigenous Peoples (USIP) through a secondary data analysis of the Native Elder Maltreatment Survey (NEMS). The NEMS employs two key instruments: the Hwalek-Sengstock Elder Abuse Screening Test (HS EAST), which is validated for community use, and the Native …

Use Of Electrocardiogram To Evaluate Welfare Of Laying Hens And Chicks During Different Life Stages And Events, Ashley Elizabeth Bigge

Dissertations and Doctoral Documents, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2023–

Three separate studies were conducted to evaluate the welfare of laying hens and chicks during different life stages. The stress responses of mature laying hens in two different scenarios were also investigated. All three studies utilized the electrocardiogram (ECG) as the chosen tool for data collection. Study 1 examined the startle response, prompted by an acute stressor that created sudden movement and noise, in White and Brown Leghorn hens housed in either cages or aviaries. The presence of a chronic stressor, a 23-hour feed failure, was also assessed as a factor. These hens had been surgically implanted with wireless ECG …

Volunteering For Medically Underserved Children: Clinic With A Heart–Back-To-School Clinics, Isabella Marie Kerby Kessinger

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

Medically underserved children, often from low-income families or areas with limited healthcare resources, face significant barriers in accessing essential medical services and represent a fundamental challenge to equity and social justice. School physicals and back-to-school clinics play a crucial role in addressing these healthcare needs, serving as a gateway to educational and extracurricular opportunities.

Clinic With a Heart (CWH), a non-profit medical and dental clinic in Lincoln, Nebraska, serves as a model for addressing healthcare disparities. In 2023, CWH provided 3,109 visits to 1,846 unique patients, with 83% lacking health insurance and 63% having household incomes below $16,000 annually. The …

Examining Factors Of Variance In Energy Metabolism Of Dairy Cattle, Addison Lee Carroll

Dissertations and Doctoral Documents, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2023–

Variation is thought to occur in the use of dietary energy for production in dairy cattle. First, variance can be observed when new methane mitigation strategies are fed resulting in increased H₂ output potentially resulting in downstream effects on estimates heat production via the Brouwer (1965) equation. Therefore, in chapter 3 a review was created to systematically describe the mathematics and theory behind the Brouwer equation, and rederive a heat production equation to integrate H₂ production. Results indicate heat production using the classical Brouwer equation (1965) relative to the rederived equation resulted in an overestimation of heat production …

Microbiome Variation In Production Phenotypes And The Role Of Colonization History In Microbiome Establishment, Seidu Adams

Dissertations and Doctoral Documents, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2023–

Ruminant-based agriculture is expected to continue to be a major contributor to food security to feed the growing population. At the heart of nutrient degradation of complex organic matter within the rumen are its microbes. These microbes can convert otherwise unusable organic matter into usable protein and energy and can provide up to 50% of the animal’s protein needs and up to 70% of the energy needs. The microbial functional capacity within the rumen determines the nutrients utilized and the end products of fermentation. However, our understanding of microbial functional capacity within the rumen and factors that influence the rumen …

Heat Acclimated Algae Improves Heat Tolerance And Longevity In Daphnia, Ashit Dutta

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Xenohormesis suggests that consuming stressed food provides physiological adaptation to the consumer for similar stresses. To evaluate this, Daphnia magna was provided with heat-stressed Nannochloropsis limnetica grown at 25℃ whereas the control group was provided Nannochloropsis limnetica grown at 12℃. In the heat tolerance experiment, Daphnia kept at 28℃ and 20℃ while consuming 25℃ algae had significantly higher heat tolerance compared to the control. Additionally, in stressed conditions, Daphnia consuming 25℃-grown food had significantly higher lifespan compared to the control. Next, Daphnia consuming 25℃-grown algae had significantly higher levels of antioxidants which could explain the lifespan extension. Finally, in fatty …

Obesity: Influencing Behavioral Consumption Through Meal Kit Distribution, Alejandro Hernandez

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Founded in 2002, Everyone’s Harvest is a grassroots nonprofit dedicated to providing access to healthy, affordable fruits and vegetables through certified farmers markets and community food programs. Its key initiatives—Fresh Rx, Market Match, Edible Education and Farms Together —focus on alleviating nutrition insecurity and combating diet-related health conditions by providing vulnerable populations the resources to purchase, or receive, fresh produce and gain nutritional knowledge. This study explores a new intervention: the distribution of farmers' market meal kits as a complementary strategy to the current Edible Education program. These meal kits, which feature seasonally available produce and pre-measured ingredients, aim to …