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Comparing Gait Patterns of Individuals With and Without Cancer
Full text linkThis study investigates the effects that cancer has on gait variables focusing on gait speed, step length, and stride width, and compares participants with cancer to participants without known disease.https://scholarworks.uark.edu/coesym25/1007/thumbnail.jp
Influence of Gossypol from Cottonseed Meal Fed to Pregnant Sows on Seminiferous Tubule Diameters in Male Offspring
Full text linkFeral swine were first brought to the United States in the 1500s as a source of food and have been reported as an invasive species since then without an efficient method of population control. Ongoing research indicates that the total cost of the damage this species has caused estimates to around 1.5 billion dollars each year (USDA, 2023). Gossypol is a phenolic compound found in the cotton plant and can be administered in the form of cottonseed meal (CSM). Gossypol has been associated with reduced fertility in various species (Randel et al., 1992). Pregnant sows were fed cottonseed meal to reach 0.04% or 0.08% gossypol in the diet or were maintained as controls (fed corn and soybean meal base diet) between day 56 and 86 of gestation. Seminiferous tubule diameters were evaluated in boars (n = 11) born to sows (n = 5) from each treatment. At 300 ± 2 days of age, boars were euthanized and testis tissue was collected and fixed for histological analysis. Average seminiferous tubule diameter was analyzed using MIXED procedures of SAS (SAS, Inc., Cary, NC) with treatment of fixed effect. Although no differences were observed among treatments, boars whose dams consumed CSM diets with 0.08% gossypol during gestation exhibited numerically smaller seminiferous tubule diameters relative to controls. Although CSM did not reduce seminiferous tubule diameter in this study, numerical differences warrant future evaluation with increased animal numbers
The Effects of Anorexia Nervosa on Muscular Force Production and Metabolic Function in Rats.
No full textBackground: Anorexia Nervosa is a psychological disorder characterized by the intentional refusal of food in the pursuit of being thin or skinny because of a fear of being overweight. These actions result in drastic loss in fat and skeletal muscle mass for the individual with the disorder which can cause a multitude of health complications that affect all areas of the body and account for over half of the deaths in patients with AN. This loss in skeletal muscle mass causes a decrease in the amount of force the skeletal muscle can produce which is one of the things this study is interested in. Previous rodent models have sought to observe and understand skeletal muscle loss during simulated AN as well as muscle recovery after AN, but no study has looked to understand how the metabolic functions within the muscle are affected during AN and how these functions related to the loss in skeletal muscle force production observed in patients with AN.
Purpose: The purpose of this study it to observe the metabolic processes in the skeletal muscle of AN simulated rats and how these processes related to the skeletal muscle’s loss of strength.
Methods: A total of 18 female Sprague Dawley (age =8 weeks) rats were used in this study. Half the rats served as the control group (CON, n=9), while the other half (AN, n=9) will underwent 30 days of food restriction to simulate AN where food supply was limited by ~50-60%. Electric stimulation was used to assess force production of gastrocnemius and tibialis anterior muscles. The rats were then euthanized and samples of muscle tissue from the gastrocnemius of each rat were assessed for oxygen consumption and various metabolic processes within the muscle.
Results: Directly after simulated AN, the AN group had lower measurements of muscular force max derivative for both plantarflexion (AN – 103396.73 mN*sec, CON- 126815.0 mN*sec, p\u3c 0.05) and dorsiflexion (AN- 72414.47.66 mN*sec, CON- 10905.93 mN*sec, p\u3c 0.05). However, the metabolic data retrieved from the Ouroboros yielded no significant difference between the AN and CON groups on measurements of oxygen consumption (p\u3e0.05)
Discussion: With regard to the findings of the muscular force production tests, the results were consistent with our expectations, as well as previous AN research, in that the AN simulated rats demonstrated significantly lower measurements of force production immediately after the 30 day food restriction period. However, these force productions did not appear to relate to muscle mitochondrial oxygen consumption
Effects of anorexia nervosa and long term recovery on muscle area, bone density, and fat area in rats
No full textBackground: Anorexia nervosa (AN) is a physiological and psychological disorder characterized by a decrease in nutrient intake leading to decreased muscle area, decreased bone density, and decreased fat area. There have been minimal studies on the long-term effects of AN, but there is reason to believe that AN can significantly alter muscle area, bone density, and fat area for an extended period after recovery. In this research we will look at the long-term effects of AN on muscle area, bone density, and fat area in rats. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of AN on muscle area, bone density, and fat area following a long term recovery period. We hypothesize that after long-term recovery from induced anorexia, bone, and muscle density of the AN rats will not match the muscle and bone density of the CON rats. Methods: We induced 15 female rats with AN beginning at 8 weeks of age for 30 days by decreasing their food consumption. We had another 15 female rats as control (CON) where we did not restrict food consumption. Before and after the 30 days we used peripheral quantitative computed tomography (pQCT) to image muscle area, bone density, and fat area data for both AN and CON rats. We continued to image muscle, bone, and fat data using the pQCT machine every month post recovery for 5 months total. Results: Directly after food restriction, AN rats had smaller muscular cross sectional area (CSA) compared to controls (~0.622 cm2 at p\u3c 0.05). 1 and 2 months after recovery, AN rats had smaller CSA compared to control (~0.162 cm2 at p\u3c 0.05 and ~0.226 cm2 at p\u3c 0.05, respectively). 3 months after recovery, AN rats no longer had a significantly different CSA compared to controls. Directly after food restriction, AN rats had lower bone density compared to controls (~94.51 g/cm2 at p\u3c 0.05). 1 and 2 months after recovery, AN rats had smaller CSA compared to control (~83.72 g/cm2 at p\u3c 0.05 and ~56.55 g/cm2 at p\u3c 0.05, respectively). 3 months after recovery, AN rats no longer had a significantly different bone density compared to controls. Directly following food restriction, AN rats had significantly smaller fat CSA compared to controls (~0.169 cm2 at p\u3c 0.05). After 5 months of recovery fat area still does not fully recover following AN (~0.077 cm2 at p\u3c 0.05). Discussion: The results of the study are consistent with past finding that individuals with AN show a decrease in both muscle area, bone density, and fat area directly following simulated AN. The data suggest that individuals with AN do not fully recover muscle area or bone density until 3 months following AN, meaning recovery is 3 times the AN period. The data also suggests that fat area does not fully recover following a 5-month recovery period, meaning fat area recovery is at least 5 times the AN period. Overall, the findings in this study showed that AN has a long-lasting effect even post recovery. More studies may be needed to investigate how AN history affects natural muscle atrophy associated with aging
Knockin’ on Music’s Door: A Cross-Generational Study of the Formation of Tastes, Roles, and Affinities for Music
Full text linkThe music we love is a direct reflection of who we are. It shapes our identity, fuels our emotions, and connects us to the world around us. Whether it\u27s the anthems of our youth, the lyrics that put our feelings into words, or the melodies that bring back memories, music is woven into every stage of life. It influences the way we dress, the communities we belong to, and the way we see ourselves. Our playlists may evolve, but the connection remains the same. Music is more than just something we listen to; it’s a part of us
Automated Solar PV Analysis with Machine Learning and Computer Vision: Dataset and Methodology
Full text linkSolar power is a vital resource in a world being threatened with the ever-evolving impacts of climate change. A combination of new and developing technologies have allowed solar photovoltaic installation to increase at an exponential rate. With this rapid and unprecedented growth comes the task of maintaining tens of thousands of square miles of solar photovoltaic panels. Manually observing and testing solar PV panels for defects or obstructions is costly and time-consuming, distracting valuable resources from the continued installation of new units. This research aims to (i) firstly, introduce a novel dataset on solar PV obstruction, named De-Solar dataset; (ii) secondly, develop a machine learning and computer vision system, SolarFormer++, which is an improvement of SolarFormer [1]; and (iii) finally, we present a multimodal dataset, De-Solar v2.0, which incorporates multispectral imagery from remote sensing and environmental factors
The Effect of Parental Behavior on the Ontogeny of the Immune System in the Eastern Bluebird (\u3ci\u3eSialia sialis\u3c/i\u3e)
Full text linkPrevious research has explored the trade-offs between growth and immune endpoints in offspring since early development is critical in shaping adult responses to disease. However, an unexplored aspect of immune development is the influence of parental behavior on immune outcomes. I observed parental behavior during early development and its influence on offspring immune condition. To analyze parental behavior during incubation in the Eastern Bluebird, I quantified incubation constancy (percentage of time spent on the nest) and its impact on white blood cell ratios throughout development. Incubation constancy is useful in defining general trends in adult incubation behavior. Here, I have used it to examine how it influences aspects of immune condition critical to adult disease outcomes.
I used an established nest box system (208 boxes) managed for Eastern Bluebirds by the DuRant Lab in Fayetteville, AR. To examine parental behavior, I used data gathered from two-channel temperature loggers, in which one logger is placed inside and one outside the nest box. Using NestIQ (Hawkins and DuRant 2020), a program developed by the DuRant lab that uses machine learning to detect changes in parental behavior in relation to environmental temperature and nest temperature, my work has capitalized on recent advances in computer programming to quantify changes in animal behavior as it relates to environmental conditions. Blood samples were taken from Eastern Bluebird nestlings on day 5 and 10 of incubation. The samples had been previously collected and stained by William Kirkpatrick. The white blood cell count for a slide was completed by counting 100 white blood cells within the stained blood smear on a slide. Each blood cell that was counted was classified as a lymphocyte, heterophil, monocyte, eosinophil, or basophil. To calculate white blood cell ratios, I divided the number of heterophils and eosinophils by total lymphocyte numbers.
When examining the results for my project, I first compared Heterophil-to-Lymphocyte ratio and eosinophil count between days 5 and 10 for each individual bluebird. We found a significant change in both Heterophil-to-Lymphocyte ratio and eosinophil count from day 5 to day 10. From these results, it is evident that much more immune system development occurs between day 5 and day 10 rather than before day 5. This tells us that immune system development is not prioritized within the first 5 days post hatch. When looking at findings for constancy, there were no significant relationships between white blood cell count and parental behavior, except for monocyte count. Monocyte numbers were significantly predicted by adult constancy. There was not clear evidence to know if parental behavior influences the development of the immune system as a whole. These results can be used to understand more about the timeline of immune system development in the eastern bluebird. Additionally, these findings could be used to do further research into why parental behavior seems to only effect monocyte numbers and no other aspects of the immune system.https://scholarworks.uark.edu/hnrcsturpc25/1017/thumbnail.jp
Differences in cellular and humoral immune responses to a primary and secondary immunization with herpesvirus of turkey (HVT) vaccine in layer pullets
Full text linkIn poultry production, chickens are routinely vaccinated with live herpesvirus vaccines for protection from lymphoma causing Marek’s disease virus. However, information on the immune responses to these vaccines is limited. This study examined cellular and antibody responses to primary and secondary vaccinations with herpesvirus of turkey (HVT). Six unvaccinated 9-wk-old, and six HVT-vaccinated (s.c. at hatch) 19-wk-old, layer pullets received a first (V1) or a second (V2) HVT vaccination, respectively, by intradermal injection of HVT-vaccine into the pulp of growing feathers (GFs; 10 µL/GF; 16 GFs/bird). GFs were collected before (0h), and at 0.25, 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, and 10d post-pulp-injection (p.i.) and, blood, at 0, 3, 5, 7, 10, 14, 21, and 28d p.i. To assess leukocyte profiles in GF-pulps, cell suspensions were prepared for immunofluorescent staining and leukocyte population analysis by FACS. ELISA was used to measure plasma levels of HVT-specific IgM and IgG. GF and blood data were analyzed by 2-way ANOVA and 2-way repeated measures ANOVA, respectively, to test effects of vaccine, time, and their interactions, followed by Tukey’s HSD tests when appropriate (P≤0.05 for all tests). Both V1 and V2 recruited leukocytes, primarily lymphocytes, by 1d p.i. (P≤0.05) with peak levels (% pulp cells) observed by 3d that were higher (P≤0.001) with V1 (54%) than with V2 (24%) and declined gradually to near 0h levels by 10d. Heterophils and macrophages peaked (4% each; P≤0.05) at 0.25d with both V1 and V2. However, V1 and V2 differed greatly in recruitment of T- and B-cells, with V1 recruiting much higher levels at 3, 5, and 7d (P≤0.05). While CD4+ T cells dominated the T cell response to V1, with elevated levels from 3 to 10d, CD8+ T cells were the most abundant T cells responding to V2, with peak levels on 1 to 3d p.i. (P≤0.05). Plasma HVT-IgM levels were elevated (P≤0.05) on 10 and 28d post V1 but did not change post V2. Similarly, HVT-IgG levels increased steadily post V1 (P≤0.05), reaching near maximal levels by 14d, while V2 did not stimulate a further increase. The temporal, qualitative, and quantitative differences in leukocyte presence at the site of HVT injection post V1 versus V2, suggest development of cell mediated immunity in response to HVT vaccination.https://scholarworks.uark.edu/hnrcsturpc25/1018/thumbnail.jp
Global Perspectives in Nursing Education: The Impact of Study Abroad Programs on Nursing Students
Full text linkStudying abroad as a nursing student is an under-researched topic that has many perceived and identified beneficial outcomes for students who participate. This expanded literature review utilizes 20 studies and one literature review to explore the facets of an immersive and international study abroad program on nursing and healthcare students. There are many benefits to professional, personal, and cultural growth that come from the experience of international study abroad. Such programs have shown to positively impact students\u27 perceptions of their own cultural competence, abilities to overcome barriers, expand their perspectives, and grow in confidence. There are also many precipitating and prohibiting factors that nursing students consider when deciding to study abroad or not. The ability or desire to participate in a study abroad program can be negatively impacted by students\u27 financial abilities, personal commitments, and language differences. Positive precipitating factors that influence students to choose to participate in a study abroad program include the opportunity for cultural growth, added potential value to personal life, and location of the program. There is future research that needs to be conducted to identify long-term impacts such as nurses\u27 clinical outcomes, continuing cultural sensitivity, and growth in professional and personal life. To create a global minded and well-rounded healthcare professional, the evidence suggests that studying abroad as a student is an impactful way to cultivate culturally competent and confident individuals
Food Inspections: Searching for Contamination (and Solutions) in a Haystack
Full text linkFood recalls in the United States often reveal serious mismanagement and structural issues in both government and private industry, yet they have become unremarkable and even expected in our modern world. The procedure employed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”) to monitor food manufacturing is a valuable process which protects every person who lives in the United States. However, the effects of monitoring as a tool for oversight is limited if there is no efficient response when problems arise. FDA inspects pharmaceutical, cosmetic, and food manufacturing facilities both domestically and abroad. When those inspections reveal the presence of contaminants, poor hygiene practices, or problematic record keeping, FDA is empowered to use certain tools to encourage the manufacturer to get back in compliance, including filing and publishing an FDA Form 483, sending warning letters, and requesting voluntary recalls. In certain circumstances, FDA is also empowered to force the manufacturer to change their behavior by forcing a recall, issuing an administrative detention order, or seeking an injunction—although FDA has used these methods sparingly. In order to ensure the safety of the American food supply, FDA must use its current powers with more speed and rigor. FDA and Congress should also consider some new solutions that could allow the agency to respond more effectively when contamination is identified and correct or prevent shortages that might occur when critical foods must be removed from the market. In order to illustrate the need for such policy changes, it will be useful to examine two recent crises: the 2024 Boar’s Head deli meat recall and the 2022 Abbott Nutrition infant formula recall and resulting shortage. Unlike deli meat, infant formula is in a category described by FDA as “critical foods,” which are medical foods provided to patients with certain diseases as a part of disease management. Viewing FDA inspections through the lens of these recent recalls will provide a framework for suggested policy changes