Nutrition Commons^™

A Comparative Analysis Of The Nutrient Composition And Digestibility Of California Perennial And Annual Grasses At Four Stages Of Growth, Elaina Cromer

Master's Theses

Beef products represent the fourth largest agricultural commodity in the state of California, valuing more than $3 billion from 2013 to 2015 (CDFA, 2016) and procure 90% of the income for the range livestock industry (FRAP, 2003). Forages found on California’s coastal, desert, foothill, and mountain ranges are the basis of the state’s beef cattle industry. Understanding their nutritional quality of these forages is important for their effective use (George et al., 2001a; Waterman et al., 2014). The objectives of this research were to investigate the nutritional characteristics, and in situ digestbilities in Angus beef cattle, of common California annual …

Adaptive Thermogenesis And Metabolic Changes Following Diet- And Exercise-Induced Weight Loss, Alexandra R. Martin

Department of Nutrition and Health Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

With more than two-thirds of adults in the United States considered as overweight or obese, a myriad of weight loss programs and products that promise quick results have infiltrated the market. While many individuals successfully lose weight over the short term, almost half of the initial weight lost is regained within one year, indicating a general predisposition for weight cycling and fat replenishment. As weight is lost, fat-free mass (FFM) also decreases, and resting metabolic rate (RMR) declines, decreasing energy expenditure. After accounting for decreases in FFM, there remains a greater-than- predicted decrease in RMR, referred to as adaptive thermogenesis …

Effects Of Curcumin And Ursolic Acid On The Mitochondrial Coupling Efficiency And Hydrogen Peroxide Emission Of Intact Skeletal Myoblasts, Daniel J. Tueller

Theses and Dissertations

Curcumin is a natural compound that improves blood glucose management. While some evidence from isolated mitochondria indicates that curcumin uncouples electron transport from oxidative phosphorylation, the effects of curcumin on mitochondrial respiration and hydrogen peroxide emission in intact skeletal muscle cells are not known. By assessing rates of oxygen consumption, we demonstrated for the first time that curcumin (40 µM) reduced the mitochondrial coupling efficiency (percentage of oxygen consumption that supports ATP synthesis) of intact skeletal muscle cells. A 30-minute incubation with curcumin decreased mitochondrial coupling efficiency by 17.0 ± 0.4% relative to vehicle (p < 0.008). Curcumin also decreased the rate of hydrogen peroxide emission by 43 ± 13% compared to vehicle (p < 0.05). Analysis of cell respiration in the presence of curcumin revealed a 40 ± 4% increase in the rate of oxygen consumption upon curcumin administration (p < 0.05 compared to vehicle). In additional experiments, no difference in mitochondrial coupling efficiency was observed between vehicle- and curcumin-pretreated cells after permeabilization of cell membranes (p > 0.7). The possibility of synergistic …

Formulation, Characterisation And Stability Assessment Of A Food Derived 1 Tripeptide, Leucine-Lysine-Proline Loaded Chitosan Nanoparticles, Minna Khalid Danish, Giuliana Vozza, Hugh Byrne, Jesus Maria Frias, Sinead Ryan

Articles

The chicken or fish derived tripeptide, Leucine-Lysine-Proline (LKP), inhibits the Angiotensin Converting Enzyme and may be used as an alternative treatment for pre-hypertension. However, it has low permeation across the small intestine. The formulation of LKP into a nanoparticle (NP) has the potential to address this issue. LKP-loaded NPs were produced using an ionotropic gelation technique, using chitosan (CL113). Following optimisation of unloaded NPs, a mixture amount design was constructed using variable concentration of CL113 and tripolyphosphate at a fixed LKP concentration. Resultant particle sizes ranged from 120-271 nm, zeta potential values from 29-37 mV and polydispersity values from 0.3-0.6. …

Dietary Red And Processed Meat Intake And Markers Of Adiposity And Inflammation: The Multiethnic Cohort Study, Weiwen Chai, Yukiko Morimoto, Robert V. Cooney, Adrian A. Franke, Yurii B. Shvetsov, Loïc Le Marchand, Christopher A. Haiman, Laurence N. Kolonel, Marc T. Goodman, Gertraud Maskarinec

Department of Nutrition and Health Sciences: Faculty Publications

Objective—The potential influence of dietary factors on inflammation is important for cancer prevention. Utilizing data from control participants (312 men, 911 women) in two nested case-control studies of cancer within the Multiethnic Cohort, we examined the associations of red and processed meat intake with serum levels of leptin, adiponectin, C-reactive protein (CRP), tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, and interleukin (IL)-6 and the mediator effect of body mass index (BMI) on the above associations (if present).

Methods—Multivariable linear models were applied to assess the association between red and processed meat intake at cohort entry and serum biomarker levels measured 9.1 …

Preserving Corn, Heidi Leblanc, Charlotte Brennand, Paige Wray

All Current Publications

Corn is not only a favorite vegetable, but it is also the source of corn starch, cornmeal, corn oil, corn syrup, bourbon, and laundry starch.

Establishment Of Innovative Shared Departments To Advance Interdisciplinary Education, Ronald S. Harichandran, Brian Kench, Summer Mcgee, Michael A. Collura, Jean Nocito-Gobel, Charles David Skipton

Engineering and Applied Science Education Faculty Publications

More and more universities are pursuing interdisciplinary academic activities that span across department and college boundaries. Administrative structures to facilitate such programs are difficult to establish within traditional university frameworks consisting of disciplinary departments and colleges. Often interdisciplinary programs are housed in a traditional disciplinary department or college, or in a standalone center reporting to a college dean or the provost. The difficulty of these structures is obtaining broad buy-in from faculty across departments and having disciplinary degree programs include interdisciplinary coursework.

To overcome the difficulties described above, an innovative shared department structure that fosters collaborations to advance interdisciplinary education …

The Role Of Nr4a1 In Β-Cell Glucose Stimulated Insulin Secretion And Cellular Survival, Kevin Garland, Jeffery Tessem

Journal of Undergraduate Research

In 2010, diabetes was the 7th leading cause of death in America, and as of 2014, 9% of the world’s adult population was affected by it. In both Type I (T1D) and Type II diabetes (T2D), a loss of β-cell mass and overall function is observed. β-cells essentially stop proliferating after adolescence, therefore developing mechanisms to increase function and/or induce proliferation in β-cells could serve as a powerful treatment and even a cure for both T1D and T2D. Overexpression of the β-cell transcription factor Nkx6.1 induces β-cell proliferation (1) and up-regulates expression of the nuclear receptor Nr4a1 (2). Nr4a1 has …

What Motivates Young Adults To Talk About Physical Activity On Social Network Sites?, Ni Zhang, Shelly Campo, Jingzhen Yang, Petya Eckler, Linda Snetselaar, Kathleen Janz, Emily Leary

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

Background:
Electronic word-of-mouth on social network sites has been used successfully in marketing. In social marketing, electronic word-of-mouth about products as health behaviors has the potential to be more effective and reach more young adults than health education through traditional mass media. However, little is known about what motivates people to actively initiate electronic word-of-mouth about health behaviors on their personal pages or profiles on social network sites, thus potentially reaching all their contacts on those sites.
Objective:
This study filled the gap by applying a marketing theoretical model to explore the factors associated with electronic word-of-mouth on social network …

Relationships Between Nutrition-Related Knowledge, Self-Efficacy, And Behavior For Fifth Grade Students Attending Title I And Non-Title I Schools, Elisha M. Hall, Weiwen Chai, Julie A. Albrecht

Department of Nutrition and Health Sciences: Faculty Publications

The Social Cognitive Theory (SCT) is a widely used theory for nutrition education programming. Better understanding the relationships between knowledge, self-efficacy, and behavior among children of various income levels can help to form and improve nutrition programs, particularly for socioeconomically disadvantaged youth. The purpose of this study was to determine the relationships between knowledge, self-efficacy, and behavior among fifth grade students attending Title I (≥ 40% of students receiving free or reduced school meals) and non-Title I schools (< 40% of students receiving free or reduced school meals). A validated survey was completed by 55 fifth grade students from Title I and 122 from non-Title I schools. Differences in knowledge, self-efficacy, and behavior scores between groups were assessed using t test and adjusted for variations between participating schools. Regression analysis was used to determine the relationships between knowledge, self-efficacy, and behavior. In adjusted models, the Title I group had significantly lower scores on several knowledge items and summary knowledge (P = 0.04). The Title I group had significantly lower scores on several behavior variables including intakes of fruits (P = 0.02), vegetables (P = 0.0005), whole grains (P = 0.0003), and lean protein (P = 0.047), physical activity (P = 0.002) and summary behavior (P = 0.001). However the Title I group scored higher on self-efficacy for meal planning (P = 0.04) and choosing healthy snacks (P = 0.036). Both self-efficacy (β = 0.70, P < 0.0001) and knowledge (β = 0.35, P = 0.002) strongly predicted behavior; however, only self-efficacy remained significant in the Title I group (self-efficacy, β = 0.82, P = 0.0003; knowledge, β = 0.11, P = 0.59). Results demonstrate disparities in nutrition knowledge and behavior outcomes between students surveyed from Title I and non-Title I schools, suggesting more resources may be necessary for lower income populations. Findings suggest that future nutrition interventions should focus on facilitating the improvement of children's self-efficacy

Cebp/Α Increases Functional Β-Cell Mass, Jason Ray, Jeffery Tessem

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes are major global health concerns. Diabetes is characterized by impaired management of glucose in the bloodstream, which is due to decreased pancreatic functional β-cell mass. Functional β-cell mass is determined from the insulin secretion rate and the number of β-cells, which is determined from cellular proliferation and death rates. Increasing functional β-cell mass could cure diabetes either by enhancing pancreatic islets prior to transplantation, or by strengthening endogenous cells. Although β-cells stop proliferating around adolescence, β-cell proliferation resumes during conditions such as pregnancy and obesity (1), demonstrating that the molecular pathways necessary for replication …

Defining Nkx6.1 Binding Partners In Young And Aged Pancreatic Islet, Sean Kang, Dr. Jeffery Tessem

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Diabetes is an increasing epidemic that deserves more attention. Those affected by diabetes are restricted to either strict diets or remedial insulin supplementation. Both Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes are directly related to a decrease in functional β-cell mass. Exciting research has revealed Nkx6.1 to be an influential transcription factor which induces β-cell proliferation, protects against apoptosis and enhances insulin secretion when overexpressed 1 . Our recent findings indicate significant β-cell proliferation is limited to β-cells from adolescent rats, with a severe decrease in proliferation as the animal ages. 2 Nkx6.1 expression is present in every stage of development, …

La Crisis Ignorada, Joseph Pokorski

Best Integrated Writing

Pokorski researched the food production practices of pre-Columbian civilizations. He uses his research to evaluate the current food production practices of transnational corporations and offers suggestions for best practices.

Best Integrated Writing 2017 - Complete Edition

Best Integrated Writing

Best Integrated Writing includes excellent student writing from Integrated Writing courses taught at Wright State University. The journal is published annually by the Wright State University Department of English Language and Literatures.

Tear Analysis: High-Speed Video Capture Of The Anterior Cruciate Ligament Tear, Devon Smith, Steven Cook

Journal of Undergraduate Research

The tearing of the ACL is among one of the most common sports injuries seen during this era. Research shows that annually there are more than 80,000 documented cases of ACL tears occurring with a 15x greater possibility of re-tearing after reconstruction.1 Currently, there is no digitally filmed data on how the fiber bundles unravel during an induced ACL tear. Published studies utilize a Porcine ACL as the highest anatomically comparative model to Human ACL. We are looking to create a grade 3 ACL tear in both human and porcine ACL’s, and film them at high-speed while it unravels. We …

Effects Of Nixtamalization On Maize Processing In Malawi, Annica Cooper, Frost Steele

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Malawi is a small country in southeastern Africa. The main crops that rural Malawians grow for food are maize, legumes, and dark, leafy greens. Due to this restrictive diet, many Malawians are at risk for several nutritional deficiencies. In a survey conducted of Malawian families at the School of Agriculture for Family Independence (SAFI), families reached an average of only 18.3% of their calcium needs. A calcium deficiency, especially early in life, can lead to low bone mass and low vitamin D levels, which leads to rickets or osteomalacia. An ancient Mesoamerican tradition called nixtamalization turns maize into a great …

Is Hdac1 Mediated Β-Cell Proliferation Dependent On Decreased P15 Expression?, Kyle Kener, Jeffery Tessem

Journal of Undergraduate Research

The body maintains normoglycemia through pancreatic β-cells which sense elevation in circulating glucose levels and secrete insulin to maintain the correct blood glucose concentration. A decrease in functional pancreatic β-cell mass leads to Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes. Each form has different initial causes, but both forms ultimately result in decreased functional β-cell mass. Functional β-cell mass is defined as the rate of glucose stimulated insulin secretion multiplied by the total β-cell mass. The total β-cell mass is a function of cellular proliferation and death rates. β-cells have a very low proliferation rate, therefore determining the mechanisms that induce …

Determining The Mechanism Of Cocoa-Derived Epicatechin Enhancement Of Glucose Stimulated Insulin Secretion, Benjamin Bitner, Jeffery Tessem

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Due to recent increases in incidence, diabetes is now classified as a global epidemic. Diabetes results from the eventual destruction of β-cell mass, which causes decreased insulin secretion. Increasing functional β-cell mass may provide a cure for diabetes. A previous study has shown that oligomeric procyanidins were effective in preventing weight gain, fat mass, impaired glucose tolerance, and insulin resistance in a mouse obesity model¹. This was the first long-term feeding study to examine the activities of cocoa constituents on diet-induced obesity and insulin resistance.

Pink And Dude Chefs: Efficacy Of An Online Train-The-Trainer Mechanism And Student Program Outcomes, Jacqueline Chen

Master's Theses

Background: The rate of overweight and obesity among adolescents aged 12-19 years has quadrupled since 1980. Reducing obesity is a key public health priority, as obesity is associated with individual and population-level health and economic consequences. Afterschool-based obesity prevention programs that aim to develop nutrition and culinary self-efficacy have shown promise. However, the level of aptitude among program instructors is directly correlated with student success, suggesting the importance of effective train-the-trainer (TTT) mechanisms for implementing and scaling up these strategies.

Pink and Dude Chefs (PDC) is an afterschool nutrition education and culinary skills program for middle-school adolescents aged between 11-14 …

Skeptics And “The White Stuff” : Promotion Of Cows’ Milk And Other Nonhuman Animal Products In The Skeptic Community As Normative Whiteness, Corey Lee Wrenn

Dietary Choice and Foods of Animal Origin Collection

This article discusses a dairy advertising campaign featuring skeptic Derren Brown. I explore the various health claims made in the ads as well as a report Brown featured on his website that claimed consumption of cow’s milk is linked to longevity. I discuss how dairy consumption is largely linked to race and ethnicity. It is a practice enjoyed primarily by European whites as most nonwhites are lactose intolerant. Lactose intolerance is a normal biological process associated with weaning, but it is medicalized and made deviant because it is not part of the white experience. I also mention comments made by …