Texas A&M International University: Research Information Online (RIO)
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Comparison of bioelectrical impedance analysis and dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry for estimating bone mineral content
No full textThe purpose of this study was to validate single-frequency hand-to-foot bioelectrical impedance analysis (HFBIA) for estimating bone mineral content (BMC) using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry as the criterion measure in healthy men and women aged 18-40 years. A total of 80 men and women participated in this study. BMC was estimated on the same day using HFBIA and dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. The HFBIA device provided higher mean BMC values in men and the entire sample, but not in women. A smaller standard error of estimate was observed in women (0.20, corresponding to 8% of the mean reference BMC values) compared with men (0.39, corresponding to 12% of the mean reference BMC values) and the combined sample (0.31). HFBIA provided a smaller constant error and individual estimation error indicated by the 95% limits of agreement in women (-0.05 ± 0.39) compared with men (-0.16 ± 0.78) and the entire sample (-0.10 ± 0.63). In conclusion, although BMC values were found to be more accurate in women, HFBIA overestimated BMC compared with dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry, especially in individuals with lower values. Given these results, using HFBIA to measure BMC would be inappropriate for diagnostic purposes
A novel method of utilizing skinfolds and bioimpedance for determining body fat percentage via a field-based three-compartment model
No full textBackground/objectives: The purpose was to determine if skinfolds (SF) and bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) could provide accurate estimates of body volume (BV) and total body water (TBW), respectively, for use in a 3-compartment (3-C) model to estimate percent body fat (BF%) when compared to laboratory derived measures. Subjects/methods: A sample of sixty-four men (age = 22.9 ± 5.4 years) and 59 women (age = 21.6 ± 4.3 years) participated in the study. Laboratory 3-C (3CLAB) model BF% was determined with underwater weighing for body volume (BV) and bioimpedance spectroscopy for total body water (TBW). The 3-C field (3CFIELD) estimates of BF% included BV from the 7-site SF technique and TBW from hand-to-foot BIA. Results: A significant difference in BF% (p \u3c 0.01) was found between the 3CLAB and 3CFIELD in the entire sample and within the men, but the effect sizes (ES) were small (0.09 and 0.17, respectively). The difference between means was not significant in the women (ES = 0.05, p = 0.332). Compared to the 3CLAB, the total error (TE) ranged 2.2–2.4% for 3CFIELD, 5.7–5.8% for SF, and 4.0–4.6% for BIA. Conclusions: The findings suggest that BV and TBW derived from SF and BIA, respectively, can be used in a 3CFIELD model to increase the accuracy of BF% estimates over SF and BIA alone
Age-Related Deterioration of Bone Toughness Is Related to Diminishing Amount of Matrix Glycosaminoglycans (GAGs)
No full textHydration status significantly affects the toughness of bone. In addition to the collagen phase, recent evidence shows that glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) of proteoglycans (PGs) in the extracellular matrix also play a pivotal role in regulating the tissue-level hydration status of bone, thereby affecting the tissue-level toughness of bone. In this study, we hypothesized that the amount of GAGs in bone matrix decreased with age and such changes would lead to reduction in bound water and subsequently result in a decrease in the tissue-level toughness of bone. To test the hypothesis, nanoscratch tests were conducted to measure the tissue-level toughness of human cadaveric bone specimens, which were procured only from male donors in three different age groups: young (aged 26 ± 6 years), mid-aged (aged 52 ± 5 years), and elderly (aged 73 ± 5 years), with 6 donors in each group. Biochemical and histochemical assays were performed to determine the amount and major subtypes of GAGs and proteoglycans in bone matrix. In addition, low-field nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) measurements were implemented to determine bound water content in bone matrix. The results demonstrated that aging resulted in a statistically significant reduction (17%) of GAGs in bone matrix. Concurrently, a significant deterioration (20%) of tissue-level toughness of bone with age was observed. Most importantly, the deteriorated tissue-level toughness of bone was associated significantly with the age-related reduction (40%) of bound water, which was partially induced by the decrease of GAGs in bone matrix. Furthermore, we identified that chondroitin sulfate (CS) was a major subtype of GAGs, and the amount of CS decreased with aging accompanied with a decrease of biglycan that is a major subtype of PGs in bone. The findings of this study suggest that reduction of GAGs in bone matrix is likely one of the molecular origins for age-related deterioration of bone quality. © 2017 The Authors. JBMR Plus is published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research
Three Essays On Gender Diversity
Get PDFRecently, there has been significant debate on the leadership role of women. This dissertation supplements this discussion by revisiting the impact of gender diversity on firms and investors. The first chapter tests the relationship between board gender diversity and bondholders. Using data from US corporate bonds, I examine the impact of board gender diversity on bond terms and bondholders’ returns. I find that firms with gender-diverse boards have better bonds terms. They have lower yields, higher ratings, larger issue size, and shorter maturity. I also find that bondholders require fewer returns from firms with gender-diverse boards. However, the effect is more pronounced when at least 29.67% of the firm\u27s board of directors is women. This paper supplements the findings that board gender diversity is essential for bondholders. The second chapter investigates the relationship between institutional investors and abnormal accruals and tests the moderating effect of board gender diversity on this relationship. I find that board gender diversity and independent institutional investors with long-term investment and concentrated ownership (ILTIS) increase earning quality. In fact, I find a significant negative relationship between board gender diversity and abnormal accruals. I also find a negative and significant relationship between independent institutional investors with long-term investment and concentrated ownership (ILTIS) and abnormal accruals. However, when I include the interactions between these strong governance mechanisms, there is a decrease in earnings quality. This result shows that the association of a gender diverse board with independent institutional investors with long-term investment and concentrated ownership (ILTIS) leads to overmonitoring, which leads to a reduction in the earnings quality. The third chapter tests the impact of gender diversity on socially conscious investors. I test if value-prone investors are also affected by gender stereotyping. I find that socially conscious investors invest less in socially conscious mutual funds with a gender-diverse management team. The reluctance of socially conscious investors to invest in these funds is not due to poor performance but to the reluctance to apply some of the social values, such as diversity and equal employment diversity
Legal Translation and Court Interpreting in Laredo, TX
Get PDFThe disciplines of translation and interpreting have long been testament of the power that the transfer of words can impart on a civilization. The disciplines are broken down into specialized fields that each have their own requirements to implement the use of interpreters and translators in various sections of life. Legal translation and court interpreting fall under one of these specialized fields. The implementation of interpreters and translators within the federal court setting can be found in United States’ code and requires an extensive and rigorous training and examination to fulfill the line of work. However, state and local, or municipal, courts do not require the same legal trainings and certifications. This thesis explains the requirements asked of translators and interpreters within court settings, providing history, detailed explanations of the disciplines, and the findings of interviews conducted in the Laredo, Texas area regarding legal translators and court interpreters. Four participants, a legal translator, a court interpreter, and two legal personnel were separately interviewed for this case study. The author’s first-hand observations of court proceedings are also documented to further illustrate the current state of legal translators and court interpreters within the area. The current status of Laredo legal translators and court interpreters has not been reported prior to this thesis. The findings of this thesis concluded that there are not enough qualified legal translators or court interpreters in the area. It also found that the contrast between legal systems, their procedures and terminology, cause little strain on qualified court interpreters or legal translators. The use of bailiffs, who are not certified as interpreters or translators, and readily available bilinguals around the court area is seen often in lower courts, while state-certified interpreters can be seen in working in federal court and state courts. In terms of perceptions of legal translators and court interpreters by legal personnel, it was discovered that different professions call for different interactions and views on legal translators and court interpreters
Breaking the Weak Commutative Property of Finite Boolean Subalgebra Triples
Get PDFHeindorf and Shapiro studied commuting pairs of Boolean subalgebras and showed that Boolean subalgebra pairs that commute retain their commutativity property after taking the exponential functor. Recently Milovich introduced the concept of commuting n-tuples and weakly commuting n-tuples of Boolean subalgebras. In particular, Milovich non-constructively proved that there exists a case where by applying the exponential functor to a triple, of finite Boolean subalgebras, the weakly commuting property is destroyed. The purpose of this paper is to find explicit examples of triples of finite subalgebras that weakly commute but when the exponential functor is applied, the weak commutativity property of this triple is destroyed. Using Python, a high level programming language, it was determined that the four atom finite Boolean Algebra has a triple of subalgebras whose weakly commuting property is destroyed when the exponential functor is applied. Furthermore, we show that the three atom finite Boolean Algebra has no triple of subalgebras whose weakly commuting property is destroyed when the exponential functor is applied
Trauma in Rudolfo Anaya\u27s Tortuga
Get PDFThe purpose of this research is to show the universality behind Rudolfo Anaya’s Tortuga and the characters’ individual responses to trauma. This includes their struggles with a manipulating darkness in the hopes to find light, which comes in various forms such as mentors, literature, oral storytelling, and the sun. Theories from Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung help explain certain characters’ actions. The protagonist is on a journey to escape from the hospital or unfamiliar purgatory to go back home, which sheds light on an important Chicano issue. Tortuga delves into both social realism and magical realism, but the concept of reality is still important to understand in this work. Enlightenment is the crucial weapon against the restricting darkness. In order for light to prevail, these characters need to allow light to shine within themselves. The overall message that Rudolfo Anaya is trying to get across to his audience is “love life and engage it.
El Poema de mio cid y el Cantar del cerco de Zamora: Una herramienta didáctica para la eseñanza del Español
Get PDFContribución de las redes sociales a la transmedialidad de las teleseries
No full textEl principal objetivo de este artículo es ofrecer los resultados de una primera exploración a la manera en que los contenidos de las teleseries se extienden a las redes sociales, contribuyendo con ello a la transmedialidad de sus contenidos. Se exploran también las manifestaciones intertextuales entre las teleseries y otro tipo de textos. Las reflexiones finales giran en torno a las repercusiones que esta oferta transmedial tienen en las audiencias, así como en las opciones para dar continuidad a este trabajo
Race and Representation on TV: The Influence of TV Status on Latino Identities
Get PDFIt has been observed that most American TV media has taken on a format that seems to concern itself primarily with White, middle to high-income family situations. Even though the United States of America has a Latino population that reaches 17% (approximately 55 million Latinos—with Mexican Americans making up 63% of that number) and growing (Krogstad 2016), we still see a tremendous lack of Latino characters in American television. This leaves millions of Americans with no substantial representations that they can relate to, or form an identity off of. Instead, Latinos are forced into believing they are not important enough to merit TV roles and perhaps not really be American at all. This research was a content analysis of 79 scripted shows that aired through 2011-2015 to determine how often Latinos came out and how they were portrayed. Results showed that they appeared an average of six minutes on screen and they were generally depicted as criminals. Additionally, four focus group interviews were conducted, and participants also responded that shows tend to stereotype minorities while they showed White characters as authority figures. Both content analysis and focus group interviews found that Latinos lack strong representation in American television