Life Sciences Commons^™

Obesity And Obesity Shape Markedly Influence Spine Biomechanics: A Subject-Specific Risk Assessment Model, Farshid Ghezelbash, Aboulfazl Shirazi-Adl, André Plamondon, Navid Arjmand, Mohammad Parnianpour

Études primaires

Underlying mechanisms of obesity-related back pain remain unexplored. Thus, we aim to determine the effect of obesity and its shapes on the spinal loads and the associated risks of injury. Obesity shapes were initially constructed by principal component analysis based on datasets on 5852 obese individuals. Spinal loads, cycles to vertebral failure and trunk stability margin were estimated in a subject-specific trunk model taking account of personalized musculature, passive ligamentous spine, obesity shapes, segmental weights, spine kinematics and bone mineral density. Three obesity shapes (mean and extreme abdominal circumferences) at three body weights (BWs) of 86, 98 and 109 kg …

Accuracy And Repeatability Of Single-Pose Calibration Of Inertial Measurement Units For Whole-Body Motion Analysis, Xavier Robert-Lachaine, Hakim Mecheri, Christian Larue, André Plamondon

Études primaires

Portable inertial measurement units (IMUs) are suitable for motion analysis outside the laboratory. However, IMUs depend on the calibration of each body segment to measure human movement. Different calibration approaches have been developed for simplicity of use or similarity to laboratory motion analysis, but they have not been extensively examined. The main objective of the study was to determine the accuracy and repeatability of two common single-pose calibrations (N-pose and T-pose) under different conditions of placement (self-placement and passive placement), as well as their similarity to laboratory analysis based on anatomical landmarks. A further aim of the study was to …

The Effect Of An 8-Week Stabilization Exercise Program On The Lumbopelvic Rhythm And Flexion-Relaxation Phenomenon, Ali Shahvarpour, Sharon M. Henry, Richard Preuss, Hakim Mecheri, Christian Larivière

Études primaires

Background

Lumbar stabilization exercise programs should normalize the aberrant movements patterns often observed in patients with low back pain. This study aimed to determine the effect of an 8-week lumbar stabilization program on EMG/kinematics measures of the aberrant movement patterns in such patients. A secondary goal was to assess the 8-week test-retest reliability of these measures.

Methods

The patients followed an 8-week lumbar stabilization program while no intervention was carried out on the controls. Before and after this period, kinematics of the spine along with the EMG of paraspinal muscles were recorded during trunk maximal flexion-extension. ANOVAs tested the effect …

Validation Of Inertial Measurement Units With An Optoelectronic System For Whole-Body Motion Analysis, Xavier Robert-Lachaine, Hakim Mecheri, Christian Larue, André Plamondon

Études primaires

The potential of inertial measurement units (IMUs) for ergonomics applications appears promising. However, previous IMUs validation studies have been incomplete regarding aspects of joints analysed, complexity of movements and duration of trials. The objective was to determine the technological error and biomechanical model differences between IMUs and an optoelectronic system and evaluate the effect of task complexity and duration. Whole-body kinematics from 12 participants was recorded simultaneously with a full-body Xsens system where an Optotrak cluster was fixed on every IMU. Short functional movements and long manual material handling tasks were performed and joint angles were compared between the two …

On The Origin Of Superoxide Dismutase: An Evolutionary Perspective Of Superoxide-Mediated Redox Signaling., Adam J. Case

Journal Articles: Cellular & Integrative Physiology

The field of free radical biology originated with the discovery of superoxide dismutase (SOD) in 1969. Over the last 5 decades, a plethora of research has been performed in species ranging from bacteria to mammals that has elucidated the molecular reaction, subcellular location, and specific isoforms of SOD. However, while humans have only begun to study this class of enzymes over the past 50 years, it has been estimated that these enzymes have existed for billions of years, and may be some of the original enzymes found in primitive life. As life evolved over this expanse of time, these enzymes …

Effects Of Nonaerated Circulation Water Velocity On Nutrient Release From Aquaculture Pond Sediments, Xiangju Cheng, Dantong Zhu, Xixi Wang, Deguang Yu, Jun Xie

Civil & Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

Sustaining good water quality in aquaculture ponds is vital. Without an aerator, the dissolved oxygen in ponds comes primarily from mass transfer at the water-ambient atmosphere interface. As sediment can seriously affect water quality, this study used indoor experiments to examine the nutrient (nitrogen and phosphorus) release mechanisms and fluxes from sediment in aquaculture ponds with moving water but no aeration. The results showed that the ammonia nitrogen (NH₃-N) concentration in the overlying water was inversely proportional to flow velocity and that a higher flow velocity tended to result in a lower concentration in the overlying water, a …

Upscaling Stem To Community-Level Transpiration For Two Sand-Fixing Plants: Salix Gordejevii And Caragana Microphylla, Limin Duan, Yang Li, Xue Yan, Tingxi Liu, Xixi Wang

Civil & Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

The information on transpiration is vital for sustaining fragile ecosystem in arid/semiarid environment, including the Horqin Sandy Land (HSL) located in northeast China. However, such information is scarce in existing literature. The objectives of this study were to: (1) measure sap flow of selected individual stems of two sand-fixing plants, namely Salix gordejevii and Caragana microphylla, in HSL; and (2) upscale the measured stem-level sap flow for estimating the community-level transpiration. The measurements were done from 1 May to 30 September 2015 (i.e., during the growing season). The upscaling function was developed to have one dependent variable, namely sap …

Effects Of Silvopasture Establishment On Aqueous And Gaseous Soil N Losses At The University Of New Hampshire Organic Dairy Research Farm, Kathryn Ann Slebodnik

Honors Theses and Capstones

The expansion of local agriculture in the New England region is putting increased pressure on farmers to expand their arable land base. While clear-cutting is a traditional method of converting forested land to agriculture, it is known for having adverse ecological impacts. To minimize these impacts, farmers can create a silvopasture which incorporates a portion of the original forest canopy into pastures or crop fields. This study evaluates the impact of land-use changes for agriculture on soil nitrogen (N) retention. In particular, this study investigates the differences in soil N turnover, gaseous loss, and aqueous loss among an established forest, …

The Relationship Of Life Stage To Daily Social Patterns Of Captive African Elephants (Loxodonta Africana) And The Correlation Of Handler Perceptions Of Elephant Personality To Demonstrated Social Behaviors, Alison Jeffrey

Honors Theses and Capstones

Elephants typically have very strong social bonds, and social interactions can include affiliative, agonistic, or ambiguous behaviors. The social interactions and dominance hierarchy between individuals of a herd depend upon many factors, including maternal lineage, age, and sex. This study was designed to determine how social behaviors among a herd of captive African elephants varied throughout the day and to establish if the frequency of social interactions and age class were correlated. The study also aimed to determine if handler perceptions of elephant personality were an accurate predictor of the type and frequency of social behaviors observed, in addition to …

Characterizing Food Insecurity At A Northeast Land-Grant University, Alana Ruth Davidson

Honors Theses and Capstones

In 2015, 15.8 million U.S. households were food insecure. While nationally food insecurity is assessed at the household and childhood level, university students are not explicitly monitored. The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of food insecurity at a northeast land grant university and characterize the contributing factors. A pilot study (n=211) was conducted in fall 2014 among a general nutrition class and found that 12.4% of students were food insecure, with another 5.7% reported marginal food security. A larger, university wide survey among graduate and undergraduate students was conducted in fall 2015 (n=943) and found that …

More Than Food: An Analysis Of Multidimensional Relationships In Our Food System, Jessica Erin Newnan

Honors Theses and Capstones

Food is an integral part of everyday life for human beings, thus meriting particular attention from research and education. Looking further in depth at the factors that influence food, it becomes apparent that this is a complex topic that is related to several systems within the constructs of society. Here, the food system is approached with the understanding that several systems influence food consumption options and decisions including the agricultural, economic, education, energy, health, and political systems. To identify the relationships more closely, a three-dimensional model was built to represent the food system and depict several key factors, their relationships, …

Daily Distance Moved And Home Range Analysis Of Female Cheetahs On Namibia's Commercial Farmland, Elisabeth Nicole Wise

Honors Theses and Capstones

Fewer then 10,000 cheetahs remain in Sub-Saharan Africa. Namibia has the largest population, estimated to be 4,000. Habitat fragmentation and prey depletion from human expansion for agriculture has pushed 90% of cheetahs to reside on commercial farmland where there is an absence of larger predators. Radio telemetry was used to investigate the seasonal variation in home range size among nine female cheetahs on commercial farmlands on or near the Cheetah Conservation Fund in Otjiwarongo, Namibia. ArcGIS 10.3 and Geospatial Modeling Environment were used to calculate the overall and core home range size. This was estimated for the overall, annual, monthly, …

A Changing Gulf Of Maine: Investigating The Role Of Benthic Water Temperature In Determining The Timing Of Spiny Dogfish (Squalus Acanthias) Arrival And Departure In The Gulf Of Maine, Benjamin Donald Gallo

Honors Theses and Capstones

Spiny Dogfish (Squalus acanthias) is a highly migratory elasmobranch that undergoes annual migrations along the East Coast of the United States. Spiny dogfish have been studied extensively on the West Coast, but little information currently exists on the life history of this species in the Gulf of Maine (GOM). In the last few years, commercial gillnet fishermen in the GOM have been reporting unusual catch patterns while fishing offshore, perhaps indicating an increased abundance in dogfish and an extension of the length of time that dogfish occupy the GOM in a given year. Concurrent with these changes, rising …

Characterizing Food Selectivity In Children With Autism, Samantha H. Wohlmacher

Honors Theses and Capstones

Food selectivity or “picky eating” affects a large percentage of children on the autism spectrum and as a result can have negative impacts on a child’s health and nutritional status (Cermak, Curtin, & Bandini, 2010). Few studies compare food selectivity in children on the autism spectrum to children with other developmental issues. Such a comparison may reveal how food selectivity presents itself uniquely in children on the autism spectrum. This study examined data from past health records collected from the Seacoast Childhood Development Center (SCDC). Thirty-eight children whose parents were concerned about their diets were taken from a larger sample …

Effects Of Equine Assisted Activities And Therapies On Equine Stress And Welfare, Sarah Jean Reega

Honors Theses and Capstones

Equine assisted activities and therapies (EAATs) are becoming an increasingly popular approach for therapy, therapeutic recreation, and learning for a broad range of human clients and participants. In the EAAT field, most research has been human-centric, focusing primarily on benefits of EAATs for participants and clients. Relatively little research has been conducted on the effects of EAATs on equine stress and welfare for equines engaged in EAAT sessions.

The effects of equine assisted activities and therapies on equine stress and welfare were studied by way of exploring current EAAT professionals’ experiences and views related to equine stress and welfare in …

The Influence Of Dietary Factors On Child Food Allergies, Jessica A. Shaw

Honors Theses and Capstones

Solid food introduction guidelines were recently amended to suggest that earlier introduction of peanuts is associated with a decreased prevalence of peanut allergies in high-risk children. This study aimed to determine whether there is a relationship between timing of introduction to the eight most common food allergens and the development of a food allergy. A total of 177 biological mothers of school-aged New Hampshire children completed the survey, but some were excluded due to answering <50% of the survey or not consenting to participate in the study. This left data on 101 participants, and the number of participants then varied between the various food allergens. Out of the 22 children with a milk allergy, 10 children were introduced to milk when they were less than 12 months old and 12 children were introduced at or after one year old. Fifty-nine percent of those introduced before 12 months of age developed a milk allergy, while only 17% of those introduced at or past 12 months developed a milk allergy (p = 0.00). Out of the 55 participants that developed a peanut/tree nut allergy, 12 were introduced to peanuts/tree nuts before the age of 12 months, and 43 introduced after. This means that 63% of those introduced before a year developed an allergy, while only 33% introduced later developed an allergy (p = 0.01). Although not significant, the results for egg, wheat, and peanut also demonstrated that earlier introduction may be associated with an increased risk of an allergy to that food. When only one child per family was considered, to exclude genetic confounders, the only significant value was for a milk allergy, in which 64% of children introduced before 12 months developed a food allergy, while only 18% of children introduced at or after 12 months developed one (p = 0.00). Results were similar even after the exclusion of child one and two. The results of this study concur with the recommendation of introducing milk after one year, but do not support earlier introduction to other food allergens in the general population.

Assessment Of The Intake And Knowledge Of Folate/Folic Acid Among Unh Students, Jessica Lee Pelletier, Ruth Reilly, Sherman Bigornia

Honors Theses and Capstones

There are 3,000 U.S. pregnancies affected by spina bifida and anencephaly annually. If women consume adequate amounts of folic acid (400 mcg/day) one month before pregnancy and through the first trimester, then the risk of their infant developing a neural tube defect (NTD) is reduced by 50-70%. However, approximately 50% of pregnancies are unplanned, with some of the highest rates among 18-24 year olds. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the knowledge source, knowledge level, and intake of folic acid among college-aged students. Qualtrics surveys from 96 subjects (87.5% female, aged 18-24) were used for analysis. In the …

The Human Mitochondrial Chaperonin: It Takes Two Single-Rings To Tango, Adrian Sergio Enriquez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The human mitochondrial chaperonin is a macromolecular machine that catalyzes the proper folding and assembly of newly imported mitochondrial proteins into their biologically active state. It is composed of two proteins from the highly conserved heat shock protein family, hsp10 and hsp60, that assemble into large oligomeric complexes responsible for mediating the folding of non-native polypeptides in an ATP dependent manner. In addition to its innate role in protein folding, human mitochondrial hsp60 has been implicated in numerous moonlighting cellular activities that have been linked to diseases conditions such as cancer and neurodegeneracy. In light of its cellular importance, the …

The Prohibitin Protein Complex Promotes Mitochondrial Stabilization And Cell Survival In Hematologic Malignancies, Elisa Robles Escajeda

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Lymphocyte proliferation and differentiation is coordinated with high precision in healthy humans and is vital to maintaining a normal immune system. Imbalance of these events can result in the development of autoimmune diseases, immunodeficiencies and hematopoietic malignancies. These pathologies, specifically leukemia and lymphoma have a high incidence of relapse and mortality due to limited treatment options. Therefore, there is a critical need to characterize the signal transduction pathways and understand molecular hallmarks that mediate T cell activation in order to develop new strategies for diagnosis and treatments of these diseases.

Prohibitins (PHB1 and PHB2) have been proposed to play important …

Evaluation Of A Nutrition Education Program Targeting Home-Based Child Care Centers, Cassandra Nicole Urrutia

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Background: The development of a highly obesogenic culture promoting sedentary behavior and the consumption of calorie-dense foods has led to increased levels of overweight and obesity globally. While children and adults are both at increased risk of developing obesity, the risk is even higher in minority and low socioeconomic populations. Changes in familial structure and an increase in mothers of younger children (below the age of 6) entering the workforce have created a new demand for child care services. Although some studies have researched the effectiveness of nutrition programs to increase healthy eating within the child care setting, few have …

The Effect Of Yoga Practice On Glucose Control, Physiological Stress, And Well-Being In Type 2 Diabetes: Exploring A Mechanism Of Action, Maricarmen Vizcaino

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Multiple studies have found yoga practice to be effective in improving glucose control and other health markers of adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). However, current findings cannot reach a consensus given multiple methodological inconsistencies. The primary purpose of this Dissertation work was to investigate the impact of yoga practice on the glucose control of participants with T2DM through two different approaches in two separate exploratory studies. The first study, a quasi-experimental design, examined the effect of eight weeks of yoga practice on glucose control taking into account previous limitations in the literature. The second study, a single-subject design, …

Biological Research On Burnout-Depression Overlap: Long-Standing Limitations And On-Going Reflections, Renzo Bianchi, Irvin Sam Schonfeld, Eric Laurent

Publications and Research

In this commentary, we discuss seldom-noticed methodological problems affecting biological research on burnout and depression and make recommendations to overcome the limitations of past studies conducted in this area. First, we suggest that identified subtypes of depression (e.g., depression with melancholic features and depression with atypical features) should be taken into account in future biological research on burnout and depression, given that different subtypes of depression have been associated with distinct autonomic and neuroendocrine profiles. Second, we underline that research on burnout-depression overlap is made difficult by the absence of a consensual conceptualization and operationalization of burnout. In order to …

Prevalence Of Feral Swine Disturbance At Important Archaeological Sites Over A Large Landscape In Florida, Richard M. Engeman, Joseph S. Meyer, John B. Allen

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Feral swine are globally known as one of the most destructive invasive vertebrates, damaging native habitats, native plants and animals, agriculture, infrastructure, spreading diseases. There has been little quantification on their disturbance to archaeological sites across a broad landscape. Over 6 years we inspected 293 significant archaeological sites for swine disturbance across a vast area. We found a 42% prevalence of swine disturbance among all sites, with prevalence not distinguishable among prehistoric sites, historic sites, and sites with both components. The areas of disturbance mapped within three historic homestead sites showed 5–26% of total site surface area rooted. Disturbance was …

Novel And Current Rodenticides For Pocket Gopher Thomomys Spp. Management In Vineyards: What Works?, Roger A. Baldwin, Ryan Meinerz, Gary W. Witmer

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

BACKGROUND: Rodenticides are often included as part of an integrated pest management approach for managing pocket gophers (Thomomys spp.) given that they are relatively quick and inexpensive to apply. Strychnine has historically been the most effective toxicant for pocket gophers, but its use is currently limited in the United States; alternative registered toxicants have not proven effective. Recent research with baits containing cholecalciferol plus anticoagulant toxicants proved effective against pocket gophers in a lab setting. Therefore, we established a field study to compare cholecalciferol plus anticoagulant combinations [0.03% cholecalciferol plus 0.005% diphacinone (C+D), 0.015% cholecalciferol plus 0.0025% brodifacoum (C+B1), …

Using Species Distribution Models To Define Nesting Habitat Of The Eastern Metapopulation Of Double-Crested Cormorants, Kate L. Sheehan, Samuel T. Esswein, Brian S. Dorr, Greg K. Yarrow, Ron J. Johnson

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

When organisms with similar phenotypes have conflicting management and conservation initiatives, approaches are needed to differentiate among subpopulations or discrete groups. For example, the eastern metapopulation of the double-crested cormorant (Phalacrocorax auritus) has a migratory phenotype that is culled because they are viewed as a threat to commercial and natural resources, whereas resident birds are targeted for conservation. Understanding the distinct breeding habitats of resident versus migratory cormorants would aid in identification and management decisions. Here, we use species distribution models (SDM: Maxent) of cormorant nesting habitat to examine the eastern P. auritus metapopulation and the predicted breeding …

Inferring Infection Hazard In Wildlife Populations By Linking Data Across Individual And Population Scales, Kim M. Pepin, Shannon L. Kay, Ben D. Golas, Susan A. Shriner, Amy T. Gilbert, Ryan S. Miller, Andrea L. Graham, Steven Riley, Paul C. Cross, Michael D. Samuel, Mevin B. Hooten, Jennifer A. Hoeting, James O. Lloyd-Smith, Colleen T. Webb, Michael G. Buhnerkempe

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Our ability to infer unobservable disease-dynamic processes such as force of infection (infection hazard for susceptible hosts) has transformed our understanding of disease transmission mechanisms and capacity to predict disease dynamics. Conventional methods for inferring FOI estimate a time-averaged value and are based on population-level processes. Because many pathogens exhibit epidemic cycling and FOI is the result of processes acting across the scales of individuals and populations, a flexible framework that extends to epidemic dynamics and links within-host processes to FOI is needed. Specifically, within-host antibody kinetics in wildlife hosts can be short-lived and produce patterns that are repeatable across …

Field-Based Evaluation Of A Male-Specific (F+) Rna Coliphage Concentration Method, J. C. Chandler, A. Pérez-Méndez, J. Paar Iii, M. M. Doolittle, B. Bisha, L. D. Goodridge

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Fecal contamination of water poses a significant risk to public health due to the potential presence of pathogens, including enteric viruses. Therefore, sensitive, reliable and easy to use methods for the concentration, detection and quantification of microorganisms associated with the safety and quality of water are needed. In this study, we performed a field evaluation of an anion exchange resin-based method to concentrate male-specific (F + ) RNA coliphages (FRNA), fecal indicator organisms, from diverse environmental waters that were suspected to be contaminated with feces. In this system, FRNA coliphages are adsorbed to anion exchange resin and direct nucleic acid …

Advances And Environmental Conditions Of Spring Migration Phenology Of American White Pelicans, D. Tommy King, Guiming Wang, Zhiqiang Yang, Justin W. Fischer

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Spring migration phenology of birds has advanced under warming climate. Migration timing of shortdistance migrants is believed to be responsive to environmental changes primarily under exogenous control. However, understanding the ecological causes of the advancement in avian spring migration phenology is still a challenge due to the lack of long-term precise location data. We used 11 years of Global Positioning System relocation data to determine four different migration dates of the annual migration cycle of the American white pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos), a short-distance migrant. We also tested the hypothesis that increases in winter temperature and precipitation on the …

Field-Based Evaluation Of A Male-Specific (F+) Rna Coliphage Concentration Method, J. C. Chandler, A. Pérez-Méndez, J. Paar Iii, M. M. Doolittle, B. Bisha, L. D. Goodridge

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Fecal contamination of water poses a significant risk to public health due to the potential presence of pathogens, including enteric viruses. Therefore, sensitive, reliable and easy to use methods for the concentration, detection and quantification of microorganisms associated with the safety and quality of water are needed. In this study, we performed a field evaluation of an anion exchange resin-based method to concentrate male-specific (F + ) RNA coliphages (FRNA), fecal indicator organisms, from diverse environmental waters that were suspected to be contaminated with feces. In this system, FRNA coliphages are adsorbed to anion exchange resin and direct nucleic acid …

Comment On: ‘Blood Does Not Buy Goodwill: Allowing Culling Increases Poaching Of A Large Carnivore’, Kim M. Pepin, Shannon L. Kay, Amy J. Davis

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Chapron & Treves [1] present a framework for examining effects of wolf culling policies on wolf population growth rate. They develop a population growth model that estimates an effect of the amount of time per year legal culling is allowed (‘policy effect’) on wolf population growth rates, separate from an effect of culling. They infer that there is substantial evidence for a negative relationship between the proportion of the year that the culling policy is in effect and the population growth rate because 83% of the posterior distribution for the policy effect parameter was negative. They conclude that when it …