Digital Commons Network^™

New Green Revolution In Ghana: Perceived Benefits, Challenges, And Implications For The Environment, Daniel Kpienbaareh, Abubakari Ahmed

Faculty Publications - Geography, Geology, and the Environment

This paper reflects on Africa's new green revolution (NGR) movement by drawing data from Ghana as an illustrative case to assess the benefits and challenges of NGR and discuss the long-term environmental implications of NGR interventions. We draw insights from agrarian change theory to understand the complexity of local, national, and international factors that interact to produce changes in agricultural systems that affect smallholder farmers in poor settings. Data were collected using qualitative methods based on the lived experiences of farmers and analyzed to understand farmers’ perspectives. We identified increased yield and income levels as crucial benefits of the NGR. …

A Geospatial Approach To Assessing The Impact Of Agroecological Knowledge And Practice On Crop Health In A Smallholder Agricultural Context, Daniel Kpienbaareh, Jinfei Wang, Isaac Luginaah, Rachel Bezner Kerr, Esther Lupafya, Laifolo Dakishoni

Faculty Publications - Geography, Geology, and the Environment

In the context of food insecurity in resource-poor settings, agroecology (AE) has emerged as an important approach promoted for improving crop productivity, yet few studies have demonstrated how a combination of agroecological methods can improve crop health and thereby crop productivity. Using a geospatial approach, this study investigated whether agroecological practices can improve crop health in smallholder contexts. We compared leaf area indexes (LAIs) of crops on AE and non-AE farms and prospectively predicted the impact of AE using vegetation indexes (VIs). We found that crops on AE farms produced higher average growing season LAIs for maize and pigeon peas …

Food Fan Academy: Boosting Informal Educators Abilities To Use Food As A Teaching Tool, Kelly Furr

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Introduction: Food, fitness, and nutrition (FAN) professional development (PD) for informal educators can serve to impact science, technology, engineering, art, mathematics, and medicine (STEAM+M) learning environments. Using food as a teaching tool in shaping the development of informal educators and education of students offers a unique opportunity for the acquisition of scientific knowledge and essential skills. The purpose of this study was to develop a Food FAN Academy for informal educators and evaluate the effectiveness of the PD. Methods: Case study method was utilized for the research study and the Food FAN Academy PD was a two-hour session designed in …

Effectiveness Of The Catch (Coordinated Approach To Child’S Health) Rainbow Program In Elementary Schools For Change In Fruit And Vegetable Intake, Ashley M. Valinskas

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Background: There is currently a lack of nutrition education programs that effectively increase fruit and vegetable (FV) intake among children. Not meeting the recommendations for fruits and vegetables increases the risk for poor academic achievement, obesity, and chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease, type II diabetes, asthma, and more. Nutrition, cooking, and gardening lessons individually and together have shown to increase fruit and vegetable (FV) consumption in school-aged children.Methods: Two-Hundred Twenty-five 4th and 5th graders participated in six cooking and six gardening lessons between September 2021 and May 2022 at Genoa Elementary school. Each nutrition education session was 25-minutes long, …

The Relationship Between Attributes Of Mhealth App Acceptability And The Likelihood Of Mhealth App Adoption In The 18–19-Year-Old College Freshman, Celeste Rochelle

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Achieving the recommended amount of physical activity (PA) is linked to improved cognitive function, overall physical health, and protection against non-communicable diseases. However, most people surveyed in the United States do not meet the recommendations for PA; especially adolescents between the ages of 17-19. Evidence suggests that interventions for increasing PA must be considered acceptable before the individual will use them. This study explored the relationships between the attributes of acceptability of mHealth apps and adoption intention of mHealth apps in a sample of adolescents (n = 287). Participants completed a survey with 24 total items: 19 from the Acceptability …

National Emissaries For Preventive Healthcare. Visiting Nurses In Interwar Bulgaria And Yugoslavia, Evguenia Davidova

History Faculty Publications and Presentations

In the interwar period, as part of a wholesale reorganization of public healthcare, Bulgaria and Yugoslavia saw the emergence of a new healthcare protagonist: the visiting nurse. Grounded in archival materials, by means of an analysis that intertwines gender and class, this article argues that the visiting nurse became a crucial (and cheaper) link between the hospital and the home in the fight against social diseases and reducing child mortality. These social interactions were often mediated by international humanitarian organizations. In this context, the visiting nurse serves as another bridge—this time between national and international public health policies. Visiting nurses …

Transformational Discipleship : Creating A Model For Effective Discipleship At The Church Of The Cross, Nathan L. Weaver

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

The Effect Of Fish Oil Supplementation On Resistance Training-Induced Adaptations, Jeffery L. Heileson, Steven B. Machek, Dillon R. Harris, Sara Tomek, Leticia C. De Souza, Adam J. Kieffer, Nicholas D. Barringer, Andrew Gallucci, Jeffrey S. Forsse, Leslee K. Funderburk

Kinesiology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Background: Resistance exercise training (RET) is a common and well-established method to induce hypertrophy and improvement in strength. Interestingly, fish oil supplementation (FOS) may aug-ment RET-induced adaptations. However, few studies have been conducted on young, healthy adults.

Methods: A randomized, placebo-controlled design was used to determine the effect of FOS, a concentrated source of eicosapen-taenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), compared to placebo (PL) on RET-induced adaptations following a 10-week RET program (3 days·week−1). Body composition was measured by dual- energy x-ray absorptiometry (LBM, fat mass [FM], percent body fat [%BF]) and strength was measured by 1-repetition maximum bar-bell …

Impacts Of Varying Blood Flow Restriction Cuff Size And Material On Arterial, Venous And Calf Muscle Pump-Mediated Blood Flow, Steven B. Machek, Dillon R. Harris, Jeffery L. Heileson, Dylan T. Wilburn, Jeffrey S. Forsse, Darryn S. Willoughby

Kinesiology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Blood flow restriction (BFR) may become ineffective or potentially dangerous without sufficient standardization. The purpose of this investigation was therefore to (1) assess the viability of multiple sizes of a novel BFR cuff to determine arterial occlusion pressure (AOP) and (2) compare resting arterial, venous and calf muscle pump (cMP)-mediated blood flow between the aforementioned conditions and a commonly employed wide-rigid, tourniquet-style cuff. In randomized, counter-balanced, and crossover fashion, 20 apparently healthy males (18–40 years) donned a widely employed wide-rigid (WR) cuff, along with the largest (NE) and manufacturer-recommended sizes (NER) of a novel narrow-elastic cuff. Participants subsequently assessed AOP, …

Are Threats To Impose Financial Sanctions An Effective Approach For The United States To Protect Lgbtq Rights In Africa?, Ryan J. Mcelhose

Emory International Law Review Recent Developments

No abstract provided.

Physiological Responses Between Collegiate Female Athletes Versus Collegiate Female Non-Athletes To Body Image, Nutrition, And Mental Health Inquiries., Molly Mcchesney, Jenna Holloway

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Participation in college athletics poses numerous demands on young adults. Not only are there academic demands to remain eligible for competition, but there are physical and mental demands that often go unnoticed. With all these demands, it is understandable how one's nutrition, body image, and mental health may go on the back burner, resulting in insufficiencies in all three categories. The results from this study suggest that athletes displayed stronger physiological responses with respect to heart rate and blood pressure when responding to the surveys surrounding the topics of mental health, body image, and nutrition as compared to non-athletes. The …

Effects That The Methylenetetrahydrofolate Gene Mutation (Both The C677t And A1298c Polymorphisms) Have On Both Men And Women’S Fertility Abilities And Subsequent Fetal Development, As Well As What Nutritional Changes Can Possibly Do To Aid In Reversing These Supposed Negative Effects., Elizabeth Simkanin

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

This study discusses the perceived negative effects of variants (C677T and A1298C) of the methylenetetrahydrofolate (MTHFR) gene on male and female fertility and fetal development, as well as the potential for nutrition changes to aid in reversing these negative effects. This research project was completed in order to discuss the possible association with and connection between nutrition and fertility in both male and female individuals who have either of the two most common MTHFR gene polymorphisms, 677C>T and 1298A>C. These two polymorphisms are of particular interest because they are associated with the most decreased activity of the MTHFR …

Benchmarks For Reducing Civilian Harm In Armed Conflict: Learning Feasible Lessons About Systemic Change, Peter Marguiles

Minnesota Journal of International Law, Vols. 28:2 onward (2019-present)

No abstract provided.

2023 Research Fronts: 128 Research Fronts Revealed

Double Helix Methodology

November 28, the Institutes of Science and Development,Chinese Academy of Sciences (CASISD), the National Science Library of Chinese Academy of Sciences, and Clarivate released two reports, namely “2023 Research Fronts” and “Research Front 2023: Active Fields, Leading Countries/Regions”, at a joint forum in Beijing.

Assessing Lanes For Change: The Role Of Occupational Therapy In Water Safety And Swimming Programs, Avery Adams Fornaciari

OTD DEx Reports - College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences

"Drowning is the number one cause of death for children ages 1 to 4 years, and the second leading cause of unintentional death in children ages 5 to 14 years old in the United States (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2022). Globally, drowning remains a public health crisis, as it is the third most common cause of intentional death (World Health Organization, 2021). On the topic of water-related injuries and fatalities, the literature has displayed the influence of socioeconomic disadvantage and geographic location as being associated with an increased drowning risk (Willcox-Pidgeon et al., 2021). In addition, a cyclic …

Perceptions Of Individuals Participating In Bear Paw Center Life Skills Program: Persons With Health And Wellness Goals, Isabella Lagos

OTD DEx Reports - College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences

"Data shows that the state population of Massachusetts was 6,915,688, with 11.7% of these individuals, or 808,474 people, identified as having a disability in 2021. Among those individuals, 56.5% had both self-care and independent living disabilities (Paul et al., 2021). In Springfield, Massachusetts, 15.7% of individuals under the age of 65 years old were identified to have a disability in 2022, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Numerous life skills programs are accessible during high school; however, these opportunities often become scarce for individuals beyond their graduation. Due to the lack of life skills programs provided to individuals with disabilities, …

Implementation Of Pediatric Services At A Pro Bono University Ot Center, Deanna Padilla

OTD DEx Reports - College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences

"With a focus on bringing equity, accessibility, and rehabilitation to all people, and achieving wellness in the Greater Springfield area, a student-run Occupational Therapy (OT) center should serve all populations. The completion of this Doctoral Experiential (DEx) capstone project allowed the BEAR PAW OT Center (BPC) at Western New England University (WNE) to officially provide services to all populations within the community. The process of implementing pediatric services at the BPC included redesigning and organizing the designated pediatric space, which meant designing the space to be appealing for the pediatric population, ordering supplies and equipment, and ensuring the space is …

Advancements In Glycogen Detection And Spatial Profiling Reveals A New Therapeutic Path For Ewing Sarcoma: A Non-Traditional Glycogen Storage Disease, Lyndsay E. A. Young

Theses and Dissertations--Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry

Glycogen is the primary glucose storage carbohydrate in mammals, and it is synthesized in most tissues. As glycogen architecture modulates its role in metabolism, it is essential to accurately evaluate and quantify glycogen, glycogen phosphate, and chain length of glucose monomers. Simultaneous quantitation of glycogen architecture is challenging. This work describes a highly-sensitive method for the detection of both glycogen-derived glucose and glucose-phosphate esters utilizing gas-chromatography coupled mass spectrometry (GCMS). We then integrated this glycogen quantitation workflow into a routinely utilized metabolomics-based assay. The work presented describes a workflow for the normalization of polar metabolites utilizing amino acids derived from …

Health Administration Major, Public Health

Program Revisions/Additions

No abstract provided.

Public Health Community Health, Public Health

Program Revisions/Additions

No abstract provided.

Premature Senescence And Cardiovascular Disease Following Cancer Treatments: Mechanistic Insights, Ashita Jain, Diego Casanova, Alejandra Valdivia Padilla, Angelica Paniagua Bojorges, Sivareddy Kotla, Kyung Ae Ko, Venkata S K Samanthapudi, Khanh Chau, Minh T H Nguyen, Jake Wen, Selina L Hernandez Gonzalez, Shaefali P Rodgers, Elizabeth A Olmsted-Davis, Dale J Hamilton, Cielito Reyes-Gibby, Sai-Ching J Yeung, John P Cooke, Joerg Herrmann, Eduardo N Chini, Xiaolei Xu, Syed Wamique Yusuf, Momoko Yoshimoto, Philip L Lorenzi, Brain Hobbs, Sunil Krishnan, Efstratios Koutroumpakis, Nicolas L Palaskas, Guangyu Wang, Anita Deswal, Steven H Lin, Jun-Ichi Abe, Nhat-Tu Le

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality, especially among the aging population. The "response-to-injury" model proposed by Dr. Russell Ross in 1999 emphasizes inflammation as a critical factor in atherosclerosis development, with atherosclerotic plaques forming due to endothelial cell (EC) injury, followed by myeloid cell adhesion and invasion into the blood vessel walls. Recent evidence indicates that cancer and its treatments can lead to long-term complications, including CVD. Cellular senescence, a hallmark of aging, is implicated in CVD pathogenesis, particularly in cancer survivors. However, the precise mechanisms linking premature senescence to CVD in cancer survivors remain …

The Effect Of Pomegranate Consumption On The Gut Microbiome, Brant Bandow

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

Pomegranate is known to have antioxidant and prebiotic qualities that have been shown to promote the growth of beneficial bacteria while reducing inflammation in the gut. Inflammation in the gut is an issue that results in many health problems including obesity and colon cancer. In this study, an experimental group received a daily pomegranate supplement for three weeks where a control group did not receive any supplement. After sequencing gDNA isolated from fecal samples from both before and after the trial period there was a significant difference between the two groups. The largest amount of variability is attributed to the …

Characterization Of Atr Kinase Function In Quiescent Human Keratinocytes When Exposed To Solar Simulating Uv Radiation, Hrishikesh Tryambak Kadam

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

Cell cycle control, DNA repair, and cell survival have all been linked to the ataxia-telangiectasia and Rad3-related (ATR) kinase, a vital part of the DNA damage response system. In this work, we looked at the role of ATR kinase in human keratinocytes that were dormant and exposed to solar simulating light (SSL). Our findings demonstrated that SSL activates the ATR kinase, phosphorylating downstream substrates such as KAP1, Chk2, and H2AX. In addition, we noticed that quiescent keratinocytes exposed to SSL experienced a decrease in viability when ATR kinase activity was inhibited. Our research indicates that in quiescent keratinocytes exposed to …

An Exploration Of The Occupational Needs Of College Students, Christian D. Gabon, Jennifer Brady, Kaela Jules Antonio, Kayla Twite Lehnen, Beatriz Go

Occupational Therapy | MSOT Capstone Projects

This paper analyzes the barriers and supports for Dominican University of California students in meeting their occupational needs and what services might be beneficial to them. To be able to answer this question, we conducted a survey using convenience sampling with twenty-seven Dominican undergraduate students, interviewed staff, and conducted a focus group with the students who participated in the survey. Our results indicated four main themes which include: occupational needs, barriers to meeting occupational needs, supports to meeting occupational needs, and services recommended. For the implications for occupational therapy, we found that OTs are beneficial in several aspects of students’ …

Journal Of Communication Pedagogy, Complete Volume, 2023

Journal of Communication Pedagogy

No abstract provided.

Feeding Our Local Communities-The Benefits Of Food Assistance Programs At Local Farmers Markets, Courtney A. Archambeau

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Living in a rural area can make finding food that is good and affordable difficult, especially for those who rely on assistance from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or SNAP. Federal incentive programs assist those with SNAP benefits to purchase fresh produce. I studied three farmers markets in Houghton County in Michigan’s western Upper Peninsula to identify how rural farmers markets are integrating these programs to increase access to fresh produce. Specifically, I asked: 1) How might farmers markets work to be more inviting and make their food more accessible to those of lower socioeconomic status?; 2) By studying these …

Processing And Application Of Mxene (Ti3c2) For Plant Nutritional Stress Sensing, Sampada Koirala

Biomedical Engineering

Environmental stresses cause nutritional stresses which in turn lower crop yields, so understanding this complex relationship can improve crop growth and enable new precision farming methods. The aim of this study is to develop a new nanomaterial MXene-based sensing technology for the detection of the soybean plant nutritional stress released by the plant leaves in order to help plants early diagnosis and disease prevention. When terpenes were applied to MXene material using MILD method, the sensor had a significant response towards alpha-pinene and alpha-humulene with a minimal response showed for linalool terpene. Conversely, terpenes applied to MXene prepared using hydrothermal …

Leukocytic Platelet Rich Fibrin (L-Prf) Versus Subepithelial Connective Tissue Graft (Sctg) Using Tunneling Technique In Treatment Of Gingival Recession: Randomized Controlled Clinical Study, Joulia Jouni, Ahmed Bader, Nayer Aboelsaad

International Arab Journal of Dentistry

Introduction: Gingival recession is a problem encountered daily in clinical practice, its etiology is often a multifactorial one. Surgical treatment is the only method to reverse this condition.

Objective: to evaluate the effectiveness of leukocytic platelet rich fibrins (L-PRF) versus subepithelial connective tissue graft (SCTG) in the management of recession defects Miller’s class I or II (RT1) using the tunnel technique (TUN). Methods: 20 systemically healthy patients were allocated randomly to TUN with L-PRF (group A), and TUN with SCTG (group B). Probing depth, clinical attachment level, recession depth, width of keratinized tissue, gingival thickness, and recession esthetic …

Effect Of Supportive Periodontal Therapy On Tooth Loss In Regular And Irregular Compliant Smokers And Non-Smokers: A Systematic Review, Roudy Khayat, Jean-Marie Megarbane, Abdel Rahman Kassir, Nadim Mokbel

International Arab Journal of Dentistry

Aim: The aim of this systematic review is to analyze and compare tooth loss (TL) rates between regular and irregular compliant patients having different smoking habits.

Materials and Methods: Electronic and manual literature searches were conducted by one author in several databases, including Medline (PubMed), Embase, Google Scholar. A total of 156 publications were screened. Three reviewers analyzed the articles and extracted the data. A total of 33 studies met the inclusion criteria.

Results: A total of 30 articles were eligible for qualitative analysis, and only 3 for quantitative analysis. Compliance and smoking case definition as well as …

Public Health Implications: A Scoping Review Of Opioid Prevention Programs Among Adolescents, Joseph Donnelly, Elena Saldutti, Lisa Ellis Gavin, Michael Hecht

Department of Public Health Scholarship and Creative Works

This article presents a comprehensive review of the pressing issue of adolescent opioid and fentanyl deaths and overdoses, highlighting the urgent need for effective prevention strategies and educational interventions. The escalating crisis of opioid abuse among adolescents necessitates immediate attention from drug educators, concerned parents, and society as a whole. We examine the alarming rise in adolescent opioid and fentanyl-related fatalities, emphasizing the unique challenges posed by fentanyl's potency and the dangerous allure it holds for young individuals. By analyzing existing harm reduction strategies, we underscore the crucial role they play in mitigating the devastating consequences of opioid use. Moreover, …