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Waist–Calf Circumference Ratio Is Associated with Body Composition, Physical Performance, and Muscle Strength in Older Women
No full textBackground: The waist–calf circumference ratio (WCR) is an index that combines waist and calf circumference measurements, offering a potentially effective method for evaluating the imbalance between abdominal fat and leg muscle mass in older adults. Objective: To assess the association between WCR and indicators of body composition, muscle strength, and physical performance in community-dwelling older women. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study involving 133 older women (≥65 years) from an urban-marginal community in Guayaquil, Ecuador. The WCR was categorized into quartiles (Q1: 2.07–2.57; Q2: 2.58–2.75; Q3: 2.76–3.05; Q4: 3.06–4.76). Body indicators included fat-free mass (FFM), skeletal muscle mass (SMM), appendicular muscle mass (ASM), appendicular muscle mass index (ASMI), visceral fat (VF), fat mass (FM), and fat mass index (FMI). Handgrip strength (HGS) and the Short Physical Performance Battery test (SPPB) score were used to assess muscle strength and function, respectively. Results: The median age of the participants was 75 [IQR: 65–82] years. The mean WCR was 2.92 ± 0.93. Statistically significant associations were found between WCR and VF (p < 0.001), WCR and SMM (p = 0.039), and WCR and ASM (p = 0.016). Regarding muscle function, WCR was associated with HGS (p = 0.025) and SPPB score (p = 0.029). Conclusions: A significant association was observed between WCR and body composition, and muscle strength and function in older women.Division of Researc
Loggerhead Ruse: An Immersive and Devised Theatrical Piece Using Audience Agency Within a Theatrical Story to Increase Theatre Engagement in America
No full textIs it possible to increase audience attendance in theatres across America by implementing immersion and agency to the audience? Loggerhead Ruse intends to explore that. Loggerhead Ruse is an immersive, devised theatrical experience set in a post-apocalyptic world, where trust is a dangerous gamble. As a devised piece, the story is built collaboratively by the ensemble, guided by the director’s vision and thematic specificity. As an immersive production, the audience is fully surrounded by the world—set, lighting, and actors drawing them into the same space as the story unfolds. At its core, Loggerhead Ruse explores self-interest, paranoia, and the unknown. Misunderstandings can spiral into chaos, and at worst—murder. Blending thriller and horror elements, the story unfolds across three distinct timelines, each dictated by audience choices at pivotal moments. Each timeline uses the interplay between scripted scenes and improvisation. This experience is like a live-action video game, shifting course in real-time, making audience members think on their choices. With a limited audience size, the intimacy heightens the tension, amplifying both fear and excitement as participants navigate who to trust. Loggerhead Ruse is designed to keep its audience on edge—immersed in a world where every decision matters and survival is never guaranteed.Theatre, Dance, and Fil
Cell Cycle Regulation and Cancer: The Emerging Role of KIAA1143
No full textProper regulation of the cell cycle checkpoints is essential for ensuring the accurate progression of each phase. When abnormalities occur in the proteins governing these checkpoints, diseases such as cancer frequently arise. These checkpoints include the G1/S transition, where cancer-associated mutations are most prevalent, the G2/M transition, and the spindle checkpoints. In this study, we characterize the novel gene KIAA1143 and explore its potential implications in cancer through its role in cell cycle checkpoints. Our study demonstrates that the KIAA1143 protein localizes to the nucleoplasm, specifically at the cytokinetic bridge, and exhibits peak expression during the S/G2 phase of the cell cycle. Many of KIAA1143’s identified transcription factors are associated with functions in the cell cycle. Data also reveals differential expression of KIAA1143 across cancer tissue types including Panc1 and HT29 cancer cell lines. Prognostic summary data highlights the overexpression of KIAA1143 posing favorable for patient survival in both renal and colon cancer. In conclusion, KIAA1143 is highly likely to play a role in the cell cycle, which is crucial in cancer development and diseases. However, additional data will be needed to confirm this. While KIAA contains multiple transcription factors that regulate other cell cycle proteins, our findings also highlight protein-protein interactions linked to cell cycle regulation. To gain a deeper understanding of the mechanisms of KIAA1143 and assess whether it functions as a cytokinetic checkpoint, CRISPR knockouts will be utilized to examine its mechanism within the same cancer cell types.Biolog
Strengthening Democratic Foundations: The Obligation of Political Officials to Public Justification
No full textThis project was originally intended to be an example of political discourse between citizens with opposing political preferences and demonstrate the civility which I believe should be returned to the forefront of political discussion. It was inspired by the increasingly dangerous divisiveness present in contemporary political rhetoric, especially in American politics, which has obscured the importance of civil public discourse within a well-functioning democracy. The project has since shifted to an essay in favor of holding our political officials accountable to what I believe is an inherent obligation of their role in government, that of justifying their political decisions to their constituents in order to ensure constituents are consenting to political decisions made—or can understand the reasons behind why certain political decisions are made—and thus ensuring the opportunity for citizen political participation.
The past decade of ‘election politics in particular has witnessed an oversaturation of uncivil and divisive rhetoric resulting in an increasingly polarized electorate who can find no common ground with those across the aisle. It is rare that any attempt at civil discourse on controversial political topics will evade devolution into fallacious arguments that undermine the importance of discussions on substantive questions of political theory. Political officials should not be permitted to engage in such uncivil conduct and should instead seek to fulfill their obligation to public justification of their political decisions. The duty inherent to the role of public officials in a liberal democracy is an obligation to justify their political decisions with good and decisive reasons that, if not supported, can be understood by all adult citizens. This project will be devoted to arguing for this obligation based on the foundations of past democratic regimes and contemporary scholarship on opposing interpretations regarding the obligations of public officials in a liberal democracy.Political Scienc
A World Apart: Christianity as it was Interpreted by and for Slaves
No full textThis paper details the variations in Christianity between how it was observed by enslaved people in the southern United States and how, at other times, it was prescribed to them by their masters in a differing manner from the exact teachings of the Bible. The research comes from firsthand accounts of former slaves, collected by the Works Progress Administration in the 1930s in the effort to catalog the slave experience, as well as transcripts of the music that was often used in religious proceedings by slaves on their own time from Slave Songs of the United States. There was a clear disparity between these two modes, as religion as weaponized by slave masters often referred to teachings from the Bible about minding one's master and not stealing livestock lest the wrath of God be incurred. Conversely, much of the accounts of worship services carried about by slaves for themselves tell of life-affirming music and teachings, deviating from how the ritual of slavery transformed a person into property and instead insisting on one’s own personhood. Additional research came from the works of authors and historians like Albert J. Raboteau, who wrote of the religious practices of enslaved people in the pre-Civil War South and how these underlying concepts of freedom provided a reprieve from the innate horrors of the institution of slavery. Ultimately, the conclusion synthesizes these primary sources with historiographical research to document and understand the complicated, and often troubled, triangular relationship between slave, master, and God.Histor
Molecular Variability in Protoplanetary Disks with Inner Dust Cavities Observed with the James Webb Space Telescope and ALMA
Get PDFA subset of protoplanetary disks in which the inner dust is carved out are known as “cavity” disks. Using the MIRI (Mid Infrared Instrument) spectrograph on the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST, Gardner et al. 2023) in combination with spectra obtained with IRTF- iSHELL (Infrared Telescope Facility), we are studying the chemistry in these disks. We studied molecular luminosities extracted from the MIRI spectra as a function of system parameters. The chemistry in these disks with cavities is expected to change with the clearing of dust grains due to gas removal along with different irradiation and heating conditions. Using data obtained by the JDISCS Collaboration as well as other public data, the following disks have been included in this work: SR4, Sz 129, RY Lup, SY Cha, TW Cha, TW Hya, T Cha, HD1430006, GM Aur, and PDS70. They were chosen based on the availability of ALMA images that show resolved inner disk cavities of millimeter-sized dust grains and their spectral energy distribution infrared index, which is sensitive to the presence of a sub-micron-sized dust grain cavity. Certain disks lack only millimeter dust emission, while others lack both millimeter and sub-micron dust emission. Because of this dichotomy, we take a more careful approach to the distinction. A key focus of this analysis is the depletion of hot water lines, which serve as an indicator of cavity presence. By examining these trends, I aim to compare the behavior of cavity disks to the broader JDISCS sample, identifying fundamental observational differences between disks with cavities and those without.Physic
Suppression of Renal Pro-Inflammatory Cytokines by Fructooligosaccharides is Associated with Renal Vitamin D Signaling in High-Fat-Diet-Induced Obese C57BL/6 Mice
No full textLow vitamin D (VD) levels are often observed in individuals with obesity and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Studies indicate that 24-34% of kidney diseases are linked to obesity, a frequent cause of mortality in SLE patients. Prebiotic fiber has been shown to be effective against progression to diabetic kidney dysfunction, yet its effect on obesity-related kidney complications remains unclear. Here, we hypothesized that fructooligosaccharide (FOS) could normalize kidney dysfunction by restoring VD status in obese mice. Male and female C57BL/6J mice were randomized into four groups (n = 10/group) to receive 1) AIN-93G control diet (CON), 2) high-fat diet (60% kcal from fat; HFD), 3) CON + 5% FOS (CON-FOS), or 4) HFD + 5% FOS (HFD-FOS) for 10 weeks. We demonstrated that VD levels were significantly lower in HFD mice compared to CON mice and that FOS did not improve VD status among the HFD mice. Impaired kidney function, indicated by increased urinary protein and decreased urinary creatinine, was also unaffected by FOS interventions. However, the mRNA expression of renal Vdr was downregulated in HFD mice compared to CON mice. FOS further reduced the renal Vdr expression in HFD mice by 50% compared to those on HFD alone (P<0.01). Further, FOS reduced the expressions of Il-1b and Tnfa by 2-fold (P < 0.01) and 1.4-fold (P < 0.01), respectively, in HFD mice (HFD-FOS) compared to those on HFD alone. A positive correlation was noted between the renal Vdr and Il-1b (r = 0.73; P < 0.01), Il-6 (r = 0.69; P < 0.01), and Tnfa (r = 0.88; P < 0.01). Overall, FOS may suppress kidney inflammation in HFD-fed mice, likely through mechanisms regulated by VD. FOS may offer a novel approach to optimize VD status for preventing kidney complications commonly observed in SLE, particularly among individuals with obesity, a common SLE comorbidity.Family and Consumer Science
Oral history interview: Guadalupe Torres
Get PDFTranscript file (.pdf) and closed captioning available.Interview with Guadalupe Torres' daughter, Thelma Torres. Thelma shares about her fathers brief stint in Vietnam and his dedication to God
A Novel Approach for Estimating Above Ground Biomass using RGB-D Cameras and SLAM
Get PDFForest inventory is essential for estimating timber volume, assessing ecosystem health, and modeling aboveground biomass (AGB). However, traditional field-based methods for measuring tree diameter at breast height (DBH) are labor-intensive, time-consuming, and often impractical at scale. This dissertation evaluates the use of RGB-D sensors combined with Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM) techniques as a low-cost, efficient alternative for forest inventory across different vegetation types and canopy structures. The first study compares DBH measurements collected from an Intel RealSense D455 RGB-D sensor with traditional tape-based methods in a pine plantation. Using RTAB-Map for SLAM-based point cloud generation, the study finds that RGB-D measurements achieved a root mean square error (RMSE) within acceptable tolerance ranges, with optimal accuracy observed when trees were scanned from multiple angles. Statistical analyses show a strong correlation between sensor-derived and field-measured DBH values. The second study explores how forest composition and structure influence the accuracy and variability of SLAM-derived inventory data. Data were collected in three distinct forest types: pine plantation, mixed native East Texas forest, and semi-arid woodland. Results indicate that measurement error varies by vegetation density and structural complexity, with homogeneous stands yielding more consistent results. This chapter highlights the limitations and strengths of RGB-D SLAM systems across diverse environments. The final study integrates RGB-D-derived DBH and UAV-based canopy height models to estimate spatially continuous AGB. Multiple interpolation methods, including Inverse Distance Weighting (IDW) and Ordinary Kriging, were compared to field-based plot estimates. The combined sensor approach improves spatial resolution and reveals that interpolation performance varies with forest heterogeneity. Collectively, this research demonstrates that RGB-D SLAM-based inventory methods are capable of producing accurate forest metrics and are scalable for use in both operational forestry and ecological monitoring. The integration of portable sensors and geospatial modeling represents a significant advancement in modern forest inventory techniques.Geography and Environmental Studie
The Power of Perception: Addressing Body Image Issues through Reasons to be Pretty
No full textThis Honors capstone project, a production of Reasons to Be Pretty by Neil LaBute, examines the impact of societal beauty standards on self-worth and interpersonal relationships. The production engages the Texas State University community in critical discussions surrounding body image, verbal harassment, and the pressures of conforming to idealized appearances.
With rising concerns about self-image among young adults, this project highlights the urgency of these conversations. On September 27, 2023, The University Star released an article with alarming statistics from the 2023 Annual Security Fire and Safety Report. The report claimed a 135% increase in reported rapes and a 200% increase in hate crimes. These realities, combined with the increasing pressures surrounding body image and self-worth, highlight the need to address these concerns through impactful storytelling (Leschber).
By using theatre as a tool for reflection and discourse, this production encourages audiences to examine harmful societal norms and consider the value of individual identity beyond physical appearance.Theatre, Dance, and Fil