Molecular, Genetic, and Biochemical Nutrition Commons^™

The Paradox Of Child Poverty And Welfare, Tirna Purkait

Department of Nutrition and Health Sciences: Faculty Publications

The United States confronts persistent child welfare issues rooted in poverty. The age-old debate vacillates between advocating personal responsibility and bolstering social safety nets. Current welfare programs, aiming to mitigate child poverty, often fall short given the deep nexus of poverty and child maltreatment. This paper probes the intricate ties between child poverty and welfare, emphasizing state legislative variances, inherent system paradoxes, and potential policy enhancements. Exploring historical contexts, existing societal frameworks, and future reforms, this research emphasizes the urgency for all-encompassing solutions. These should tackle poverty’s core while fortifying child welfare, safeguarding the well-being of forthcoming American generations.

Covid-19 Contagion Among Communities With Limited English Proficiency: Lesson From Volunteerism, Falah N. Rashoka M.S

Department of Nutrition and Health Sciences: Faculty Publications

The COVID-19 affects all communities in the United States, but its impact differs from one community to another. Undoubtedly, the vulnerable populations are more impacted than others, especially refugees and immigrants. This study seeks to understand the impact of COVID-19 on marginalized communities and the need to communicate health-related information equally. A lesson learned from observation during an ongoing pandemic, including what I learned through my volunteer work between mid-March and August 2020. The study finds that neighbors with limited English Proficiency (LEP) and limited education could quickly transfer the COVID-19 virus to another neighbor with high income and well-educated. …

Using A Model To Design Activity-Based Educational Experiences To Improve Cultural Competency Among Graduate Students, Yeon Bai, Kathleen D. Bauer

Department of Nutrition and Food Studies Scholarship and Creative Works

To improve the cultural competency of 34 students participating in graduate nutrition counseling classes, the Campinha-Bacote Model of Cultural Competence in the Delivery of Health Care Services was used to design, implement, and evaluate counseling classes. Each assignment and activity addressed one or more of the five constructs of the model, i.e., knowledge, skill, desire, encounters, and awareness. A repeated measure ANOVA evaluated pre- and post-test cultural competence scores (Inventory for Assessing the Process of Cultural Competence among Healthcare Professionals). The overall cultural competence score significantly improved (p < 0.001) from “culturally aware” (68.7 at pre-test) to “culturally competent” (78.7 at post-test). Students significantly improved (p < 0.001) in four constructs of the model including awareness, knowledge, skill, and encounter. Factor analysis indicated that course activities accounted for 83.2% and course assignments accounted for 74.6% of the total variance of cultural competence. An activity-based counseling course encouraging self-evaluation and reflection and addressing Model constructs significantly improved the cultural competence of students. As class activities and assignments aligned well with the Campinha-Bacote Model constructs, the findings of this study can help guide health educators to design effective cultural competence training and education programs.

The International Scientific Association For Probiotics And Prebiotics (Isapp) Consensus Statement On The Definition And Scope Of Prebiotics, Glenn R. Gibson, Robert W. Hutkins, Mary Ellen Sanders, Susan L. Prescott, Raylene A. Reimer, Seppo J. Salminen, Karen Scott, Catherine Stanton, Kelly S. Swanson, Patrice D. Cani, Kristin Verbeke, Gregor Reid

Department of Food Science and Technology: Faculty Publications

In December 2016, a panel of experts in microbiology, nutrition and clinical research was convened by the International Scientific Association for Probiotics and Prebiotics to review the definition and scope of prebiotics. Consistent with the original embodiment of prebiotics, but aware of the latest scientific and clinical developments, the panel updated the definition of a prebiotic: a substrate that is selectively utilized by host microorganisms conferring a health benefit. This definition expands the concept of prebiotics to possibly include non-carbohydrate substances, applications to body sites other than the gastrointestinal tract, and diverse categories other than food. The requirement for selective …

Nonprofit Pay In A Competitive Market: Wage Penalty Or Premium?, Christian King, Gregory B. Lewis

Department of Nutrition and Health Sciences: Faculty Publications

Two competing theories argue that the nonprofit sector pays differently: Nonprofit employees may accept lower pay to be able to do meaningful work for a good cause, or they may earn higher pay due to nonprofit organizations’ tax exemptions and weaker incentives to hold down wages. To test these opposing expectations, we use the 2005-2013 American Community Surveys to examine pay differences among registered nurses working for nonprofit, for-profit, and public hospitals. We also test hypotheses that public and nonprofit hospitals have smaller pay disparities by gender, race, and relationship status. We find that pay is highest in nonprofit hospitals, …

Steroids: A Growing Dilemma In Athletics, Seara Ontiveros

Nebraska College Preparatory Academy: Senior Capstone Projects

A comprehensive and straight forward description of what exactly steroids are and what they do to the body is described by Gary Wadler, a health major at the New York University School of Medicine, he comments: “When the receptor sites in their bodies, which don’t have much testosterone in them, suddenly are presented with a lot of testosterone, they get activated…The unbalance of hormones increases the red blood cell formations... They’ll get more muscular, more defined. They’ll lose some fat, and increase their lean body mass, [they’ll] get stronger”. Although anabolic steroids and other hormones are consumed by many athletes …

Food Insecurity And Housing Instability In Vulnerable Families, Christian King

Department of Nutrition and Health Sciences: Faculty Publications

Reducing the prevalence of household food insecurity has been a long-standing objective of the federal government. Previous research has found many negative consequences of food insecurity for families and households but has not examined its relationship with housing instability. Using longitudinal data from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study, difference-in-difference models show that food insecurity is associated with housing instability. The association remains statistically significant after accounting for potential selection and unobserved heterogeneity using propensity score matching and excluding households that experienced prior housing instability from the sample. Examining potential mediating factors, I find that material hardship explains about …

A Qualitative Phenomenological Exploration Of Teachers’ Experience With Nutrition Education, Elisha M. Hall, Weiwen Chai, Julie A. Albrecht

Department of Nutrition and Health Sciences: Faculty Publications

Background:

Nutrition education delivered by classroom teachers has become a popular intervention designed to combat childhood obesity. However, few qualitative studies have explored nutrition education with teachers.

Purpose:

The purpose of this study was to explore how elementary teachers describe their experience with nutrition education.

Methods:

A qualitative phenomenological approach was used. Semistructured interviews, observations, and document analysis were conducted with 10 teachers who delivered nutrition education in their classrooms. Inductive coding was used to determine invariant constituents, reduce constituents to categories, and cluster categories into themes. Reliability and validity were accomplished through intercoder agreement, audio recording, triangulation, bracketing, and …

The Benefits Of Breastfeeding, Avery Kordus

Senior Honors Theses

Breastfeeding research is plentiful, and the majority of the literature shows that breast milk is the superior form of infant nutrition except in the rare circumstances of infant metabolic disorders, maternal drug use, or positive HIV status. In comparison to formula, breast milk provides improved cognition, development, behavior, bonding, nutrition, digestion, immunity, and long-term health with fewer diseases and conditions in infants. Mothers are benefited by breastfeeding through bonding, faster weight loss, and reduction in certain cancers and conditions. Breast milk contains the proper amount of carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, and minerals, and is also specialized for each infant and …

Comparison Of Recycling Outcomes In Three Types Of Recycling Collection Units, Ashley Andrews, Mary Gregoire, Heather Rasmussen, Gretchen Witowich

Department of Nutrition and Health Sciences: Faculty Publications

Commercial institutions have many factors to consider when implementing an effective recycling program. This study examined the effectiveness of three different types of recycling bins on recycling accuracy by determining the percent weight of recyclable material placed in the recycling bins, comparing the percent weight of recyclable material by type of container used, and examining whether a change in signage increased recycling accuracy. Data were collected over 6 weeks totaling 30 days from 3 different recycling bin types at a Midwest university medical center. Five bin locations for each bin type were used. Bags from these bins were collected, sorted …

Eating Behaviors Of Older Adults Participating In Government-Sponsored Programs With Different Demographic Backgrounds, Yeon Bai, Shahla M. Wunderlich, Joseph Brusca, Johnson-Austin Marti, Michelle O'Malley

Department of Nutrition and Food Studies Scholarship and Creative Works

The purpose of this study was to determine the food behaviors of nutritionally high-risk seniors as a function of their racial background, gender, marital status, and education level. A total of 69 seniors were identified to be at high nutritional risk using the Nutrition Screening Initiative (NSI) checklist. A supplemental questionnaire (SQ) was created to examine the risk factors in relation to the participant’s demographic background. Key results indicated that Asians practiced healthy food behaviors and women were more likely to eat alone (p≤0.05). Married participants (90.9%) were most likely to consume 2 meals or more each day. College educated …

Desulfovibrio Desulfuricans G20 Tetraheme Cytochrome Structure At 1.5 A˚ And Cytochrome Interaction With Metal Complexes, Mrunalini Pattarkine, J J. Tanner, C A. Bottoms, Y H. Lee, Judy D. Wall

Faculty Works

The structure of the type I tetraheme cytochrome c3 from Desulfovibrio desulfuricans G20 was determined to 1.5 A˚ by X-ray crystallography. In addition to the oxidized form, the structure of the molybdate-bound form of the protein was determined from oxidized crystals soaked in sodium molybdate. Only small structural shifts were obtained with metal binding, consistent with the remarkable structural stability of this protein. In vitro experiments with pure cytochrome showed that molybdate could oxidize the reduced cytochrome, although not as rapidly as U(VI) present as uranyl acetate. Alterations in the overall conformation and thermostability of the metal-oxidized protein were investigated …

Studies On The Formation Of Dna-Cationic Lipid Composite Films And Dna Hybridization In The Composites, Murali Sastry, Vidya Ramakrishnan, Mrunalini Pattarkine, Krishna N. Ganesh

Faculty Works

The formation of composite films of double-stranded DNA and cationic lipid molecules (octadecylamine, ODA) and the hybridization of complementary single-stranded DNA molecules in such composite films are demonstrated. The immobilization of DNA is accomplished by simple immersion of a thermally evaporated ODA film in the DNA solution at close to physiological pH. The entrapment of the DNA molecules in the cationic lipid film is dominated by attractive electrostatic interaction between the negatively charged phosphate backbone of the DNA molecules and the protonated amine molecules in the thermally evaporated film and has been quantified using quartz crystal microgravimetry (QCM). Fluorescence studies …

Cationic Surfactant Mediated Hybridization And Hydrophobization Of Dna Molecules At The Liquid/Liquid Interface And Their Phase Transfer, Murali Sastry, Ashavani Kumar, Mrunalini Pattarkine, Vidya Ramakrishnan, Krishna N. Ganesh

Faculty Works

Hybridization of complementary oligonucleotides mediated by a cationic surfactant at the water/hexane interface leads to hydrophobic, double-helical DNA which may be readily phase transferred to the organic phase and cast into thin films on solid substrates.

Hybridization Of Dna By Sequential Immobilization Of Oligonucleotides At The Air-Water Interface, Murali Sastry, Vidya Ramakrishnan, Mrunalini Pattarkine, Anand Gole, K. N. Ganesh

Faculty Works

The hybridization of DNA by sequential electrostatic and hydrogen-bonding immobilization of single-stranded complementary oligonucleotides at the air-water interface with cationic Langmuir monolayers is demonstrated. The complexation of the single-stranded DNA molecules with octadecylamine (ODA) Langmuir monolayers was followed in time by monitoring the pressure-area isotherms. A large (and slow) expansion of the ODA monolayer was observed during each stage of complexation in the following sequence: primary single-stranded DNA followed by complementary single-stranded DNA followed by the intercalator, ethidium bromide. Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) films of the ODA-DNA complex were formed on different substrates and characterized using quartz-crystal microgravimetry (QCM), Fourier transform infrared …

Anion Induced Blue To Purple Transition In Bacteriorhodopsin, Mrunalini Pattarkine, Anil K. Singh

Faculty Works

Purple membrane (PM, λ" role="presentation">λmax" role="presentation">max 570 nm) of H. halobium on treatment with sulphuric acid changes its colour to blue (λ" role="presentation">λmax" role="presentation">max 608 nm). The purple chromophore can be regenerated from the blue chromophore by exogeneous addition of anions such as CI−" role="presentation">− and HPO42−" role="presentation">2−4. Chloride ion is found to be more effective than the dibasic phosphate ion in regenerating the purple chromophore. Nevertheless, one thing common to the anion regeneration is that both CI−" role="presentation">− and HPO42−" role="presentation">2−4 show marked pH effect. At pH 1.0 the efficiency of …