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CIRCADIAN REGULATION OF PERIPHERAL SEROTONIN AND HEMOSTASIS
No full textCircadian rhythms are 24-hour cycles of biological processes that are ubiquitous
throughout nature and found across all taxa. These processes are entrainable to external factors called zeitgebers, such as light and food, which synchronize the oscillations. This study aimed to identify if rhythms in peripheral serotonin and hemostatic factors would preferentially entrain to food over light, as regulation of these specific circadian outputs by different zeitgebers has not been fully characterized. To do this, serotonin was assessed for rhythmicity in the gut under different feeding and lighting conditions, as well as gene expression of targets involved in serotonin biosynthesis and transport. Due to serotonin’s involvement in hemostasis, platelet abundance was assessed along with various parameters of hemostatic efficiency. The results show that, while total platelet number is entrainable to a restricted feeding schedule in constant darkness, this does not result in a correlated rhythm of hemostasis as measured by total bleeding time or volume. However, mice on a daytime restricted feeding schedule showed reduced blood loss when sampled during morning and evening. While the significant reduction in blood volume may simply reflect reduced body weight as a result of food restriction, it is also possible that more robust oscillations under food-entrained conditions could have a beneficial effect on hemostatic efficiency. Aside from this possibility, our observations suggest that circadian regulation of platelet numbers may not be important to hemostatic control, or else may be adaptive in other ways that are not understood. We further report that an apparent light and food entrainable rhythm of serotonin can be measured within the stools, whereas serotonin levels in the gut wall itself are not rhythmic under LD conditions with ad lib feeding conditions. This suggests differential regulation of serotonin may occur within these different tissue compartments, with variable coupling to the SCN or FEO for each
HerBusiness Story: Narrative of U.S. Women Business Leaders of the Texas Panhandle
Full text linkThe data collection methodology used as a primary/Cross-sectional using interview methods of business women in the Texas Panhandle.The gender gap amongst women in leadership in business continues to be an important problem in the U.S. In this study, the identities and social capital needs are investigated among 30 women leaders of the Texas Panhandle, U.S. The present paper examines the experiences of women in leadership positions drawing from the frameworks of social identity of leadership theory and social capital theory. Data from semi-structured interviews were analyzed using qualitative methods. Findings revealed the complexity of women's identity and provided insights on how the environment shaped their leadership identity. Findings also highlight varied social capital resources including accessibility to resources, educational attainment, networking skills and community involvement, and socio-environmental support. By understanding women leaders' gendered experiences and resource needs in rural communities of the U.S., community stakeholders may be better able to support their economic success
Implementation of Mental Health Services in Rural Schools
Full text linkThis final composite explores the problems associated with student access to mental health programs in rural public K-12 schools. The first scholarly deliverable is a case study article titled “Implementation of Mental Health Services in Rural Schools,” which could be used to teach future principals and superintendents how to mitigate the challenges posed when a student in a small rural school experiences a mental health crisis. This case study takes the reader through the experiences of rural school superintendents who must manage the after-effects of the suicide of a high school student in his rural school district. Ultimately, this case study asks the reader to analyze how the
resolution of the situation could have been approached differently, and asks the reader to investigate how access to school mental health programs could have prevented the student’s death. The second scholarly deliverable is an empirical article titled “Rural School Leadership, Counselor Duties, and Mental Health Programs in Rural Schools,” in which the purpose was to explore student access to mental health programs in a rural public school setting where the perceptions of the role of school counselors in implementing mental health programs were examined
Implementation of a Depression Toolkit
Full text linkA review of literature has been completed. A quasi-experimental design will be started to collect further data once IRB approval has been completed.An estimated 60 million adults in the United States experienced mental illness in the past year, with over 27 million of them unable to access treatment for their condition, highlighting a critical gap in mental health care (Access to Care, 2022). In 2021, approximately 14.5 million U.S. adults experienced at least one major depressive episode with significant impairment, accounting for 5.7% of the adult population in the United States (National Institute of Mental Health, 2023). An integrative systematic review of literature was conducted in CINAHL, Pub Med, and Google Scholar through the Mary and Jeff Bell Library online database portal. After applying eligibility criteria, eighteen articles regarding treatment of mental illness, specifically depression, were included in the review. Findings suggest depression not only affects quality of life but also has significant economic consequences, such as lost productivity and higher healthcare costs, making it crucial to address in primary care settings. Family Nurse Practitioners (FNPs) provide 72.6% of primary care services within the state of Texas (Texas Nurse Practitioners, 2022). However, many primary care providers (PCPs) are uncomfortable treating depression, which can hinder care. Screening for depression using the Patient Health Questionnaire - 9 (PHQ-9) in primary care settings can lead to the identification of patients with depression. Training PCPs on screening, educating, and treating depression by implementing a depression toolkit increases the likelihood that patients will receive efficient care decreasing demand on mental health providers and improving socioeconomic factors for patients and communities. Within the literature review, PCP's confidence improved after mental health training was conducted. The goal of this poster is to report on the proposed implementation of a depression toolkit to assist PCPs within the WTAMU Nursing Health and Wellness Clinic in screening, diagnosing, and educating depressed patients
Burnout in Collegiate Strength and Conditioning Coaches
Full text linkBurnout in sport adversely affects individual health as well as team health and performance (Altfeld et al., 2018; Goodger et al., 2007; Olusoga et al., 2019; NCAA Coach Well-being Study, 2023). Based on the job characteristics of collegiate strength and conditioning coaches (CSCC’s) and literature on burnout in athletic trainers (AT’s) and coaches (Bentzen et al., 2016; Oglesby et al., 2020; NCAA Coach Well-being Study, 2023), it is likely that CSCC’s experience burnout. Burnout in CSCC’s is concerning because of the vital role they play in the multidisciplinary sport staff and the adverse effects of burnout on team health and performance (Carson et el., 2022; NSCA, 2017). The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between burnout and proposed related factors (i.e., resiliency, perceived stress, sex, number of years spent working as a CSCC coach, age, total family income) in CSCC’s in a state in the Southwestern Region of the United States. Participants were invited to complete a survey comprised of five demographic questions, a 16-item burnout questionnaire (Maslach et al., 2018), the 10-item Conner Davidson Resilience Scale (Conner & Davidson, 2003), and a seven-item stress subscale of the Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-21, Lovibond & Lovibond, 1995). It was hypothesized that the number hours worked per week and stress would be positively related to burnout in CSCC’s. Correlation analyses indicated burnout was statistically significantly related to stress (r = .59; p < .01) and hours worked per week (r = .45; p < .01). Stress was statistically significantly related to age (r = -.45; p < .01), length of time working as a CSCC (r = -.37; p < .01), and hours worked per week (r
= .30; p < .05). These results indicate that athletic departments and CSCC’s aiming to reduce burnout levels could reduce their stress levels and hours worked per week
Fault Detection and Diagnostice Using Machine Learning
Full text linkThe reliability of wind turbines is critical to enhance the contribution of wind energy as a dependable source of Renewable Energy. Nevertheless, wind turbine gearboxes (WTGs) fail in the first half of the wind turbine's expected life, which is usually 20-25 years. The repair/replacement of WTGs is very expensive, and the downtime is extremely long. These failures of WTGs significantly diminish the reliability of these devices and in turn deteriorate the confidence of investing in renewable energy systems. The wind energy industry is approaching this issue in two ways: enhancing the reliability of WTGs or abandoning the use of gearboxes by using multi-pole permanent-magnet generators, i.e., a direct drive system. This current research is focused on enhancing the reliability of WTGs via the implementation of Prognostics and Health Management (PHM) to avoid unexpected early failures of WTGs
Personal Finance and Parental Financial Socialization: Predictors of College Students' Financial Behaviors
Full text linkData collection methodology was survey methods using Quantitative Methods - Logistic Regression.Prospect theory and family financial socialization theory were used to examine personal finance and parental financial socialization as predictors of college students' financial behaviors, including credit card ownership and student loan uptake. After the COVID-19 pandemic, we recruited 246 undergraduate students from the Texas Panhandle using a cross-sectional study design. Logistic regression analyses revealed the personal finance factors that predicted credit card ownership and student loan uptake. Additionally, parent financial socialization significantly influenced college students' financial behaviors. Our study provides implications for consumer sciences and financial professionals, parents, and policymakers who work with young consumers' financial decision-making processes
FEASIBILITY OF COTTON GIN WASTE (CGW) BIOCHAR PRODUCTION IN THE TEXAS PANHANDLE: LAB- TO PILOT-SCALE INVESTIGATIONS
Full text linkThe eight leading U.S. crops produce more than 500 million tons of residue each year. Cotton as a part of the eight-leading crops also generates millions of tons of residue once harvesting is complete. The National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) reported that 0.46 and 14 million bales pima and upland cotton were produced by the 17 southern United States respectively, and 2.32 million metric tons of Cotton Gin Waste (CGW) was generated from the production. Often regarded as trash and of little economic value, CGW has been applied in livestock feeding, building material and direct application to the soil for amendment. In recent years, CGW has been deployed as a feedstock for biochar production through gasification and pyrolysis. This study seeks to examine the benefit of using different types of pyrolysis reactors for CGW biochar production through pilot scale pyrolysis. Biochar has the potential of enhancing soil quality by acting as slow-release fertilizers, increasing soil water holding capacity (WHC), increasing long-term soil organic matter and sequestering carbon.
Three different technologies were developed to be used for biochar production at pilot scale within a temperature range of 350⁰C and 600⁰C. They are a rotary kiln reactor (continuous system), batch reactor (batch system) and a muffle furnace (lab-scale batch). The continuous rotary kiln reactor biochar exhibited higher nutrient retention and thermal efficiency, attributed to enhanced heat distribution and operational consistency. The batch reactor however produced biochar with higher average yield (43%) compared to the rotary kiln (25.8%) and the muffle furnace (39%). The muffle furnace served as a lab-scale model for optimizing reactor designs at pilot scale. Nutrient analysis revealed significant variations in primary, secondary and micronutrients with the rotary kiln reactor kiln reactor biochar containing higher levels phosphorus, calcium, iron, boron and copper. Porosity was seen to be higher (0.929) in the batch reactor system compared to the rotary kiln (0.747). Both batch and continuous reactors offer distinct strengths and limitations. The selection of an appropriate pyrolysis reactor system should be guided by specific objectives and end product needs of the farmer or stakeholder.
Scalability analysis indicate that CGW biochar production could be scaled to meet the needs of farmers and cotton ginning companies in the Texas Panhandle. Preliminary projections based on experimental data suggests that large-scale reactors could process tons of CGW efficiently and provide economic benefits. This work demonstrates the technical viability of CGW biochar production and offers a sustainable pathway to waste management
CHARACTERIZING THE FECAL MICROBIOME AND RESISTOME IN DAIRY CALVES AND FOALS
No full textChanges in gut microbiome development and composition can have lasting impacts on animal health and performance. However, the understanding of how animal microbiomes develop is still being investigated. While little is understood regarding the impacts of microbiome development on animal health outcomes, far less is understood regarding the collection of antimicrobial resistance genes (AMR) within a host (the resistome), and the role this may play in microbial community development. Therefore, three research trials were conducted to characterize the developing microbiome and resistome across two species. In Chapter 3, feces were collected from 50 Holstein calves belonging to five age groups raised on an organic dairy farm. Results demonstrate that even without antimicrobial drug (AMD) exposure, a diverse resistome is normal and develops alongside the microbiome. In Chapter 4, aggregate sampling methods were explored, as understanding the microbiome and resistome is becoming increasingly important and reducing sampling costs for large-scale analysis requires more understanding, thus improving accessibility across laboratories for microbial ecologists to produce more data. The same fecal samples from Chapter 3 were randomly assigned to composites of extracted DNA or feces and analyzed. Results from this study demonstrated that the compositing of extracted DNA is more effective in representing group-level microbiome composition. Further, composite style sampling for the resistome characterized major groups of antimicrobial resistance genes (ARGs), but maintaining individual sampling may be necessary. Finally, in Chapter 5, feces were collected longitudinally on 14 foal
and dam pairs up to 120 d-of-age. Results from this study showed that foal microbiomes become similar to their mares around 60 d of age. Concerning the resistome, there were still changes occurring at 60 d of age. Overall, this collection of work provides a comprehensive characterization of the developing microbiome and resistome of young dairy calves as well as foals and their correlating dams. Further, this body of work provides crucial foundational information for understanding the development of the microbiome and resistome in young animals, both with and without the administration of AMD
EXPLORING THE IMPACT OF POVERTY SIMULATIONS ON STUDENT EMPATHY THROUGH KOLB’S EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING THEORY
No full textThis scholarly deliverable is an empirical article titled “Exploring the Impact of Poverty Simulations on Student Empathy Through Kolb’s Experiential Learning Theory.” It explores how taking part in a poverty simulation influences undergraduate social work students' empathy levels. Since social workers frequently interact with populations and situations they might not have encountered before, this can pose both emotional and professional challenges. Being immersed in unfamiliar contexts requires both self-awareness and practical skills. Therefore, it is essential for educators to provide students with experiential learning opportunities and the necessary tools to navigate these challenges and enter the workforce prepared for effective and compassionate social work practice