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USING BODY MASS INDEX, BODY ROUNDNESS INDEX AND A-BODY SHAPE INDEX Z-SCORES IN ANTHROPOMETRIC PREDIABETES RISK ANALYSIS
No full textType 2 Diabetes (T2D) is mostly diagnosed in people over the age of 45, but younger ages are also at risk. Diagnosis of T2D is confirmed by taking an A1C test, measuring Fasting Plasma Glucose (FPG), Non-fasting Blood Glucose (NFBG) and/or the Oral Glucose Tolerance Test (OGTT). Difficulty exists in diagnosing diabetes in those underage and therefore an anthropometric study in relation to T2D risk was conducted in collegiate students at Brewton-Parker College, to help address this challenge. Height (H), weight (W), waist circumference (WC), hip circumference (HC), waist to hip ratio (WHtR), Sagittal Abdominal Diameter (SAD), Blood Pressure (BP) and Non-fasting Blood Glucose (NFBG) data were collected from 100 students (57 females and 44 males) ages 17-32 years. In addition, the Body Roundness Index (BRI), the A-Body Shape Index (ABSI), and Body Mass Index (BMI) were calculated. Students completed the Prediabetes Risk Test (PDRT) developed by the American Diabetes Association (ADA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The purpose of the study was to investigate whether traditional BMI measurements align with PDRT scores and to consider whether BRI or ABSI z- scores are better tools for predicting Prediabetes (PD) Risk than using BMI, WC or WHtR alone. Results: Twelve students scored ≧3 (10 males and 2 females) on the PDRT, indicative of elevated T2D risk. Of these, 75% had elevated BP and 17% had elevated NFBG levels. Of the 12 students, using the World Health Organization BMI categories: 8.3% normal (BMI 18.5-24.9), 41.6% overweight (BMI 25.0-29.9), 16.6% obese class I (BMI 30.0-34.9), and 33.3% obese class II (BMI 35.0-39.9), 0% in obese class III (BMI ≧40). For BRI, 30% were inside the healthy zone and 70% were outside the healthy zone. Females: 22.8% outside and 77.2% inside. Males: 51.2% outside and 48.8% inside. For ABSI-z scores the majority showed very low risk. For BRI, 2 of the 3 healthy zone participants had healthy BP and only 2 participants’ ABSI-z scores (average risk) aligned with BRI and BMI. The PDRT scores aligned with BRI and BP for 9 participants and aligned with BMI for 11. Only 1 student with a high PDRT score did not align with any of the anthropometric measurements. For NFBG: male average 102.37 mg/dL SD 63.27 (CV 61.8%); female average 92.84 mg/dL SD 18.37 (CV 19.8%). A coefficient of variation (CV) of 33% or lower is considered a marker of “stable” glucose levels, aiming for an SD that is less than one third of the mean glucose. Paired t-test result: (t = 0.28 \u3e p = 0.05) showed significant difference between sexes. In conclusion, BMI should not be used by itself as a PD risk indicator. Rather, in order to determine risk more accurately, it is recommended to also use the BRI and ABSI z-scores and study larger sample sizes
PRELIMINARY ANALYSIS OF TEMPORAL TRENDS IN MAMMALIAN ROADKILL ABUNDANCE IN CENTRAL GEORGIA**
No full textMitigating wildlife-vehicle collisions requires knowledge of spatiotemporal trends that can be revealed using roadkill data analysis. When examining seasonal roadkill abundance, the trends could be explained by seasonal changes in animal behavior, interactions between taxa, and relative species abundance. Furthermore, roadkill seasonality can be influenced by driver visibility due to changing day lengths. The current study documents the temporal distribution of mammalian roadkill from 2012 to 2022 on a 12.2-mile section of Highway 212 in Putnam and Baldwin Counties, GA. In this driving survey, roadkill were recorded to the nearest tenth of a mile using vehicle odometer readings. 1,910 roadkilled mammals representing 21 species were documented. The four most abundant species were Didelphis virginiana (Virginia opossum), Odocoileus virginianus (white-tailed deer), Dasypus novemcinctus (nine-banded armadillo), and Sciurus carolinensis (gray squirrel). Combined, these species account for 81% of the observed roadkill. The 10-year monthly average of mammalian roadkill shows seasonality with peaks during May and October. Temporal trends in the abundance of mammalian roadkill are likely heavily influenced by the breeding season and natal dispersal of medium and large mammals such as opossums and white-tailed deer
EXTRACTION OF FATTY ACIDS FROM SPENT COFFEE GROUNDS: DARK VERSUS MEDIUM ROAST**
No full textFatty acids are a useful resource and when recycled they can be used to make many products including skincare, biofuel, haircare, etc. Coffee grounds have been found to have an oil that contains fatty acids, which can be extracted and repurposed to make sustainable products. This research project was designed to determine the quantity of fatty acids that can be extracted from both medium and dark roast spent coffee grounds. The brand Community Coffee was used for both the medium and dark roast grounds as the cost was affordable for the common household and is frequently used by those families. The differences in the amounts of fatty acids extracted from dark and medium roast spent coffee grounds were determined and compared. Fatty acids were extracted from the spent coffee grounds then purified. A transesterification was performed to convert the fatty acids into esters and IR was used to characterize the resulting product. A look into using these fatty acids as a sustainable resource will be considered
COMPARISON OF VISUAL ACUITY IN COLLEGE ATHLETES AND THE GREATER COLLEGE POPULATION**
No full textCollege athletes are known to be extraordinary in their sports, which leads to the question of whether this is primarily due to years of hard work or if there are specific genetic predisposition s of certain athletes to be successful at their chosen sports. Previous research has found that eyesight superiority is more prevalent in certain professional sports, such as baseball, softball, or tennis. Using a Landolt-C eye chart, our research will record visual acuity readings from Division II student-athletes from a variety of sports (n\u3e50) and non-athlete students (n\u3e10). We will then compare these values between different groupings, including athletes versus non-athletes, ball-centered sports versus non-ball sports, and small-ball sports versus large-ball sports. A student t-test will be used to determine statistical significance between groups, and a one-way ANOVA will be used whenever more than two groups are compared
THE ROLE OF ADENOVIRUS PROTEIN E4 11K IN P BODY PROTEIN RELOCALIZATION
No full textAdenovirus serotype 5 (Ad5) is a double-stranded DNA virus that can cause upper respiratory infections and conjunctivitis. One of the viral proteins, E4 11k, supports early viral infection by promoting late gene expression. E4 11k has been shown to disrupt cellular function by relocalizing processing body (p body) proteins to cytoplasmic aggresomes. Aggresomes are perinuclear formations that are sites of misfolded protein storage and only arise when there is cellular stress. The scaffolding p body protein, Ddx6, has been shown to colocalize with E4 11k in aggresomes during a wild-type Ad5 infection. Ddx6, however, was not relocalized to chemically induced (cadmium chloride-treated) aggresomes. This suggests that E4 11k is necessary for the relocalization of Ddx6. We observed the localization of additional p body proteins (Lsm1, Edc3, and Pat1b) in human lung carcinoma cells (A549) following wild-type Ad5 infection and cadmium chloride (CdCl2) treatment. Lsm1 and Edc3 were relocalized to both infection and chemically induced aggresomes. Pat1b was not relocalized to either infection or chemically induced aggresomes, however, the number of cytoplasmic foci increased under both conditions. To further characterize the role of E4 11k in p body localization, we infected A549 cells with Ad5 E4 11k only, L103A mutant, and D105A-L106A mutant viruses. L103A and D105A-L106A are mutants that affect the multimerization of E4 11k and consequently its function. It is known that the L103A mutant cannot oligomerize but has the ability to dimerize. We then harvested the cells and used immunofluorescence staining to visualize the p body proteins with a confocal microscope. Preliminary results indicate that oligomerization is not required for infection induced aggresomal formation. E4 11k was found in aggresomes during an L103A infection, however, Ddx6 was not. The significance of this study is to understand better the dynamics of p body and aggresome formation in human lung cells
TRANSIENT NUCLEATION RATE IN OXIDE GLASSES
No full textNucleation is the formation of a mutation on which the crystal structure develops. Out of the two main types of nucleation, this study focuses on homogeneous nucleation. In the nucleation theory, nucleation is described as the spontaneous growth of the cluster where attachment and detachment occur simultaneously. Once the cluster has reached a size greater than the critical size, we call it a nuclei. Hence, this development of clutter is time-dependent until it reaches a steady state distribution. The time-dependent component is the transient nucleation, and the time-independent cluster formation rate is called steady state nucleation rate. In this study, we used differential thermal analysis to study the transient nucleation for longer times of cluster formation (nucleation times). Adding to the ongoing controversial discussions, our study indicates that the transient nucleation is longer than previously assumed
A TIME STUDY ANALYSIS OF FLUORIDE VARNISH APPLICATION DURING PEDIATRIC WELL VISITS IN GEORGIA
No full textDental decay is an important and ongoing public health concern and impacts children from low-income households and from racial and ethnic minorities at higher rates than the rest of the population. As young children are much more likely to visit a primary care provider than a dentist, including appropriate and effective preventive oral health services (POHS) at pediatric well-visits has the potential to dramatically improve children\u27s oral health. Fluoride varnish (FV) application is one such POHS for which insurance programs will reimburse for children in the primary care setting, yet only a small minority of physicians apply FV. The most common barrier cited is lack of time during a well visit. The goal of this research is to remove the primary process flow barrier (lack of time) currently dissuading physicians from providing FV during pediatric well-visits. Our research team conducted on-site visits at six pediatric clinics in Georgia to collect videos to determine both the total standard time for the overall fluoride varnish treatment process as well as the actual time to apply FV to children\u27s teeth. Regression analysis was employed to develop a predictive model for estimating total FV treatment time based on significant predictor variables, such as age, gender, provider, and clinic. Our results show that it takes just over 2 minutes, on average, for the overall FV treatment process (i.e., donning gloves, opening the FV packet, FV application method, apply FV, and wipe mouth) after obtaining parental consent, and less than 50 seconds, on average, to apply FV during a well-visit. Findings from thsi study support the inclusion of FV application during pediatric well-visits
GENERATING CHANNEL MORPHOLOGY DATA USING ArcGIS
No full textRiver cross sections are often extracted using field surveys at regular cross sections. This field-oriented approach allows for a tangible relationship to exist between the data and its collector but at the expense of finance, time, labor, and potentially the environment. With the advancement of geospatial tools, such data can be found online, be extracted, and even undergo analysis with contemporary Geographic Information Systems (GIS) in a completely virtual setting, transcending the need for field work in select project topics. We tested this approach with the help of ArcGIS Pro software on the Vishnu Springs headwater stream located in the Western Illinois region of the Upper Mississippi River Basin. The process first consisted of downloading a United States Geological Survey (USGS) digital elevation model (DEM) from the National Science Foundation\u27s OpenTopography online database of our target stream. The resulting Tag Image Format file (.tif) was imported into ArcGIS Pro for geoprocessing, where the Derive Stream As Line tool within their Hydrology toolset generated an aligned line of the stream. The aligned streamline was then split into reaches at a uniform interval of 5 meters in the downstream direction. At the upstream end of each reach, stream cross sections were drawn perpendicular to each interval in the stream with a dedicated polyline feature layer. The Interpolate Shape from the 3D Analyst toolset was then utilized to produce profile graphs of each cross section, and these graphs were exported as a Joint Photographic Experts Group (.jpg) file for extraction of the channel morphology data. Using the horizontal and elevation values across each cross section, morphology data was extracted on bank full width, average bank full depth, thalweg, cross-section area, bank full width and thalweg ratio, and bank slope. Our method provided consistent cross-section data of our target stream, Vishnu Springs, with a high-spatial resolution in a more efficient process. The large amount of data that was generated in this manner is highly effective for freshwater management and research applications such as channel morphology. Therefore, our method makes an intellectual and applied contribution to fluvial geomorphology, river/freshwater science, ecological science, and other related disciplines. Future work should focus on applying this method to rivers in different eco-regions at different stream orders to promote consistent and efficient data collection and analysis
MENTAL HEALTH PROMOTION BY RELIGIOUS LEADERS AND THE EFFECT ON CONGREGATIONS
No full textMinority populations are less likely to seek out professional services for their mental health (MH) compared to Caucasians. Religious leaders and clergy members are often sought out for guidance for these populations. The objective is to determine how to bridge the gap between minorities and mental health professionals utilizing religious leaders. This study hypothesizes that religious leaders who engage in MH-related activities experience more visits from congregation members about MH issues. Also hypothesized was that MH promotion activities and having congregation member visits will predict the likelihood of clergy referring people out to MH professionals. The National Survey of Religious Leaders, developed by Duke University Professor Mark Chavez and colleagues, surveyed 1600 religious leaders throughout the United States through online questionnaires. For this secondary analysis, variables representing MH training, promotion, congregation visits, and MH referrals were analyzed. A Pearson correlation test found that visits from congregation members was positively related to giving MH-related sermons (r=.29, n=1558, p\u3c.001), leading MH-focused prayer (r=.22, n=1558, p\u3c.001), and learning about MH (r=.25, n=1562, p\u3c.001). Multiple linear regression was used to test if MH training, speaking about MH (through ministry), and being visited by congregation members for guidance was significantly predictive of referrals to MH professionals (F(3,1480)= 235.85, p\u3c.001, R2 =0.32) These findings support both hypotheses and provide more context in support of ways clergy may help minorities in seeking mental health professionals. The implications of this study are important when seeing the role and importance of religious leaders in relation to mental health, especially being an initial person of support for individuals struggling with their mental health
PHYSIOLOGICAL AND FAMILIAL PREDICTORS OF SLEEP QUALITY IN AUTISTIC ADOLESCENTS
No full textAdolescents on the autism spectrum commonly experience sleep-related difficulties such as insomnia and nightmares, and prior studies have sought to understand whether physiological or family-level measures serve as better predictors for sleep quality in this population. The current study sought to conceptually replicate and extend to an autistic adolescent sample a prior study that had found respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA), a physiological measure of parasympathetic nervous system activity, to predict sleep quality in autistic children. Additionally, the current study examined potential family-level predictors of sleep quality in autistic adolescents. 107 adolescents on the autism spectrum who were verbal and their parents participated in the study. Parents were asked to participate in a discussion about a topic that caused disagreement in their relationship. Then, adolescents watched a nature video as their baseline RSA was measured and watched the recorded video of their parents’ conflict discussion as their reactivity RSA was measured. Parents completed questionnaires measuring marital conflict, and adolescents completed questionnaires measuring their sleep quality and family functioning. The current study did not conceptually replicate the findings of a prior study that had found RSA, a physiological measure, to be a significant predictor of sleep quality in autistic children. Rather, the current study found that measures of family context, especially those of marital conflict, were a significant predictor of children’s sleepiness above and beyond RSA levels. This failure to conceptually replicate the prior study could have occurred for several reasons, two of which being that the sample in the current study was older and that the current study relied on a child-report of sleep quality. Future directions may include studying child and adolescent samples who are nonverbal and/or have an IQ \u3c70, recruiting more girls on the autism spectrum, and studying child samples as opposed to only adolescents