bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Introducing teachers to emerging interdisciplinary STEM content through biomass and biofuels research (618.36)
Authors: Clase Kari , Adedokun Omolola , Ha Soo 
Published: June 2021

High school teachers from science, technology and math disciplines participated in a workshop to learn about the emerging research areas in bioenergy though a funded Department of Energy C3 Bio Biomass to Biofuels and National Science Foundation I3 Stem Goes Rural interdisciplinary research projects. In order to address feedback gathered from the teachers through daily reflections and focus groups during Year 1 of the project, we made changes to the content delivery in the workshop. Fundamental STEM concepts for the C3Bio research project were identified through an iterative process in collaboration with the faculty conducting the interdisciplinary research activities for the biomass to biofuels project. Learning outcomes, guest lectures and activities for the teacher workshop were subsequently aligned with the fundamental STEM concept framework. Teachers took a content exam pre and post the workshop to examine the impact of the workshop activities on their understanding of fundamental STEM concepts in bioenergy. Many of the questions from the content exam originated in projects housed at the Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center and Michigan State University (the BioDiscovery Question Cluster Project; www.biodqc.org). Overall, we did not find significant changes in teachers understanding of the content, pre and post the workshop, for both the pre‐service and in‐service teacher groups. However, when we examined individual items on the content exam by the McNemar Test, we found significant changes for specific content questions pre and post workshop. Overall, our results support the importance of responding to teacher feedback and working closely with STEM research faculty to design professional development workshops that effectively bring cutting‐edge research content to high school teachers and the students in their classrooms.Grant Funding Source: Supported by Department of Energy and National Science Foundation
A project‐based research experience for large undergraduate labs (618.5)
Authors: Johanson Kelly , Watt Terry , Thompson Marleesa 
Published: June 2021

Providing a research‐based laboratory experience in an undergraduate biochemistry laboratory can be difficult with large class sizes and limited resources. We have developed a seven‐week series in which students purify and characterize invertase and alkaline phosphatase from bakers yeast. This series can be organized in several different ways to reinforce and develop a combination of skills including the ability to interpret large sets of data, independently develop a laboratory protocol, and express data and analysis in a scientifically appropriate manner. The culmination of this project is a manuscript designed to reinforce scientific writing skills. This series has been used in 12 laboratory sections spread out over 3 semesters with more than 250 undergraduates. We present two different formats for the series. Each series places varying emphasis on particular skill development. Assessment data and anonymous survey results from each series show clear evidence of improved student performance in basic laboratory skills, scientific writing, and critical thinking skills.Grant Funding Source: Supported by Louisiana Board of Regents [LEQSF (2011‐12)ENH‐UG‐24]
Effects of iron status on attentional functioning in young Rwandan women (619.5)
Authors: Murray‐Kolb Laura , Wenger Michael , Scott Samuel , Rhoten Stephanie , Lunh’aho Mercy , Gahutu Jean‐Bosco , Haas Jere 
Published: June 2021

The relation between iron status and attentional functioning was explored in Rwandan university women who participated in a RCT assessing the efficacy of biofortified beans on improving iron status. A subsample of the subjects (n=157, 18‐27 y) underwent testing of perceptual and cognitive functioning at three time points. Here, we present cross‐sectional analyses of baseline performance on the 3 attentional tasks: 1) Simple Reaction Time (SRT): test of perceptual and processing speed; 2) Go/No‐Go (GNG): test of inhibitory control; 3) Attentional Network Task (ANT): test of 3 critical functions of attention: low‐level attentional capture (alerting), high‐level attentional selection (orienting), and volitional control under distraction (conflict). Women were categorized as: iron sufficient (IS), iron deficient (ID) or iron deficient anemic (IDA). SRT reaction times were longer in the IDA and ID grps vs. the IS grp (p<0.01 for both). ANT alerting and orienting reaction times were longer (better) in the IS vs. IDA grps (p=0.01 and <0.01, respectively) and the IS vs. ID grps for orienting (p=0.02). Further analyses of iron status, by quartile, revealed a relation between serum ferritin quartiles and reaction times for SRT (p<0.0001), GNG (p=0.02), ANT alerting (p<0.05), and ANT orienting (p=0.01). No differences in outcome variables were found for hemoglobin or transferrin receptor quartiles. We conclude that better iron status is associated with enhanced (faster) low‐ and high‐level attentional functioning in young women.Grant Funding Source: Supported by: HarvestPlus/IFPRI
Blog‐based nutrition education intervention for college students (626.10)
Authors: Yen Wan‐Ju , Ferng Shiaw‐Fen 
Published: June 2021

Transition between adolescence and adulthood, college students frequently experienced dramatic weight gain. A web‐based nutrition program could potentially be used to provide nutrition information and encourage college students to adopt healthy eating behaviors. The objective of this study was to assess the impact of a blog‐based nutrition education intervention on food groups and omega‐3 (n‐3) fatty acid consumption in college students at a southern university. Food frequency and self‐efficacy questionnaires were used to assessed the effectiveness of MyPlate and n‐3 fatty acid education to improve dietary intake and self‐efficacy after a 6‐week online nutrition education intervention. A recruiting email was sent to all students enrolled in the university and 322 participants were randomly assigned into the intervention (MyPlate and n‐3 fatty acids education) or control group (MyPlate only). Eighty‐six of them successfully completed both the nutrition education and questionnaires through the 6‐week time period. The results showed that participants in both control and intervention groups increased confidence at the end of the study to include n‐3 foods when eating out (p<.05). Using MyPlate and supplementary information about n‐3 fatty acids did not significantly affect participants' dietary consumption from the food groups or to increase n‐3 fatty acid consumption.Grant Funding Source: Supported by Western Kentucky University new faculty grant
Relationship between green eating stage of change and knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors of university students (626.11)
Authors: Nash Jessica , Greene Geoffrey 
Published: June 2021

Green Eating (GE) is defined as eating locally grown foods, limited amounts of processed/fast foods, meatless meals at least one day per week, choosing organic foods as much as possible, and only taking what you plan on eating. Students participating in an extra credit project at a northeastern university completed a survey assessing GE stage of change (SOC) using the above definition and behavior (B), decisional balance (DB Pro, DB Con), self‐efficacy (SE) and knowledge (K) related to GE using validated instruments. A total of 618 students completed the survey; the majority were female (77%), Caucasian (84%) and either freshmen (42%) or sophomores (43%). The proportion of students by stage was as follows: precontemplation (27.7%), contemplation (34.8%), preparation (12.7%), action (11.1%) and maintenance (13.7%). There was a significant multivariate effect of SOC (F= 19.09) as well as univariate effects for B (F=40.18), DB Pro (F=26.35), DB Con (F=9.5) and SE (F=45.67), all (p<.001). There was also a significant effect of SOC on knowledge (F=2.77, p<.001) with precontemplation being significantly different from maintenance (Tukey, p<.05). The breakdown of students by stage is similar to previous studies. With the majority of students in pre‐action stages, interventions should focus on increasing awareness, knowledge, and personal advantages of GE.Grant Funding Source: Supported by University of Rhode Island internal grant
“We can make a difference”: The Nourish Curriculum facilitates middle‐school students’ sustainable and healthy food choices (626.18)
Authors: Goto Keiko , Ramsey Emily , Wolff Cindy , Wylie Alyson , Bianco‐Simeral Stephanie , Riley Rachel , Frigaard Martin , Andre Joshua 
Published: June 2021

Nourish is an educational initiative designed to open a meaningful conversation about food and sustainability. Mixed methods of pre/post‐surveys and focus groups were used to evaluate the intervention among middle‐school students. Pre‐post changes were compared between intervention (n= 179) and control (n=390) students using independent t‐tests. Compared to control students, intervention students significantly increased farmers’ market attendance and increased their understanding of the benefits of eating locally grown food and the influence of food ads on dietary intake. Participants from three focus groups (n= 17) reported consuming more fruits and vegetables, asking parents for local food, and shopping at farmers’ markets more frequently as they perceived locally grown food as healthy, less expensive, high‐quality and fresh. Understanding the environmental impact of different food systems led them to read food labels. Upon the completion of the Nourish curriculum, middle‐school students collectively developed and implemented action projects such as teaching elementary‐school students about food systems, creating healthy meals with ingredients from farmers’ markets, and requesting healthy and local meals to be served at school. The Nourish curriculum appeared to have positive effects on individual and group actions regarding sustainable and healthy food choices.Grant Funding Source: Supported by USDA/Network for Healthy California
Chewing gum increases healthy restaurant choices (626.23)
Authors: Wansink Brian , Tal Aner , Miquel‐Kergoat Sophie 
Published: June 2021

The study aimed to examine whether chewing gum while choosing food at a restaurant increases the choice of less caloric options. Participant (N = 59) groups were randomly assigned to gum‐chewing or no gum‐chewing conditions. They were asked to choose options from an on‐line restaurant menu designed to include both lower‐calorie and higher‐calorie options. Each participant could pick several dishes (e.g., side‐dish, entrée). Less caloric options included steamed vegetables and chicken breast, and more caloric options included burgers and fries. Participants who chewed gum picked a higher percentage of less caloric items (76.97%) than did participants who did not chew gum (61.14%). The effects were significant at a .03 level: Mantel‐Haenszel Chi‐Squared = 4.77. Even brief gum chewing appears to increase less caloric choices when chewed while making restaurant choices.Grant Funding Source: Wrigley’s Science Institute
Effect of an education nutrition program in anthropometry, eating habits and physical activity in preschool children from Querétaro, México (626.9)
Authors: Ferrer Rocio , Arellano‐Jimenez M. Rocio , Rangel Diana , Hernandez Roxana , Caamaño Maria , Reyes Lourdes , Perez‐Tepayo Sandra 
Published: June 2021

Children obesity in Mexico has become a public health problem, 9.7% of preschool children are overweighed or obese. A nutrition program was developed in 7 sessions for children and 7 sessions for their parents, it included eating habits (EH) and physical activity (PA). To evaluate the impact of the education program 626 preschool children from 6 public schools in three different locations: rural, urban and semi‐urban participated in a controlled longitudinal study. The nutrition program was implemented in 3 schools, one of each location, the remaining schools were controls. Before and after 6 months of intervention, anthropometry measures (weight, height and waist) were taken and 2 validated questionnaires (EH and PA) were answered by one parent. Complete data was obtained from 491 preschoolers and 205 questionnaires were collected from parents. Anthropometry changes were similar between groups. Only children from the semi‐urban school had a smaller waist to height change [‐0.71(‐1.16,‐0.26)] than the children in control school [0.42(‐0.61,1.44)] (p<0.05). The EA and PA score was improved in children from the intervention schools compared with control schools [EH:0.59(0.16,1.44),‐0.27(‐0.81,0.27), respectively; PA:0.83(.34,1.33), ‐1.14(‐1.67,‐0.60),respectively] (p<0.05).Children from the urban intervention school improved PA more than the control school. Children from the rural intervention school improved their EH more than the control school. In conclusion the nutrition education program did not show clear effect in anthropometry after 6 months, however, there was an impact in EH and PA. Parents participation is required to have a better impact on such programs. . .Grant Funding Source: FOMIX‐CONACYT2012
Correlation between erythrocyte pentadecanoic acid, dairy intakes, and cognitive function in participants of the Cache County Study on Memory, Health and Aging (628.13)
Authors: Zhou Albert Lihong , Wengreen Heidi , Ward Robert 
Published: June 2021

Background Diet plays an important role in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Dietary fatty acids that are not synthesized in humans may serve as tissue markers for intakes of those source foods. A growing body of evidence supports that erythrocyte pentadecanoic acid (15:0) is a potential biomarker for dairy intake.Objective To investigate the associations between dairy intakes, erythrocyte 15:0, and cognitive function among elderly participants in the Cache County Study on Memory, Health and Aging.Design Erythrocyte fatty acids were profiled as a percentage of total fatty acids for 1987 nondemented subjects. Cognitive function was assessed with an adapted Modified Mini‐Mental State examination (3MS). Food intakes were surveyed with a 142‐item food frequency questionnaire and were adjusted by total energy using the residual method. Spearman partial correlations adjusted for age, gender and BMI were examined for erythrocyte 15:0, intake of individual dairy product, and 3MS score. Multivariable linear regression models were fit on dairy intakes with erythrocyte 15:0 as the outcome controlling for potential confounding factors.Results Erythrocyte 15:0 was positively associated with dietary intakes of 1‐2% milk (r = 0.12, p < 0.001), whole milk (r = 0.28, p = 0.001), butter (r = 0.16, p < 0.001), and cheese besides Cottage/Ricotta or cream cheese (r = 0.12, p < 0.001) but was not associated with the intakes of skim/chocolate milk, (frozen) yogurt, ice cream, and Cottage/Ricotta/cream cheese. In multivariable regression models each increase in servings of whole milk, butter, 1‐2% milk, and cheese besides Cottage/Ricotta or cream cheese was associated with a 0.30, 0.16, 0.13, and 0.12 points increase on the erythrocyte 15:0 (p < 0.001 for all). Erythrocyte 15:0 was not correlated with 3MS score.Conclusion Erythrocyte pentadecanoic acid is a biomarker for the consumption of less modified dairy products and is not correlated with 3MS score in elderly adults living in Northern Utah.Grant Funding Source: Supported by Dairy Research Institute
Higher antioxidant and B vitamins intake is associated with ischemic stroke and carotid atherosclerosis (628.3)
Authors: Choi Han Saem , Kim Yuri , Yun jina , Chang Nam soo , Kim Yong‐Jae , Song Taejin , Kim Eunjung , Kim Ji‐myung 
Published: June 2021

Strokes are the third leading cause of death in the Korea and cause long‐term disability. In particular, 80% of total strokes are ischemic strokes in Western countries. Although a high intake of fruits and vegetables which are rich in antioxidant nutrients and B vitamins may reduce atherosclerosis and strokes, the results remain inconclusive. The objective of the present study is to investigate the associations between fruits and vegetable intake, particularly antioxidants nutrients and B vitamins intake and ischemic strokes. We found that the stroke patient group consumed significantly lower intakes than the control group in fruits, vegetables, B vitamins (folate and vitamin B6), and antioxidants nutrients (vitamin C, vitamin E, and beta‐carotene). Furthermore, ischemic stroke patients with carotid atherosclerosis had lower antioxidants nutrients intake than those without. When the patients were divided into the TOAST classification of ischemic stroke, TOAST1 (large‐artery atherosclerosis origin) group and TOAST3 (lacunar origin) group showed similar dietary intake pattern. Our findings indicated that dietary recommendation of higher intake fruit and vegetable may be beneficial to prevent ischemic stroke, especially in patients with cardiovascular risk factors.Grant Funding Source: This research was supported by a grant (22A20130012143) from the Brain Korea 21 plus project
The influence of nutritional supplementation with epigallocatechin gallate and β‐alanine in combination with physical exercise on adult hippocampal neurogenesis and contextual fear conditioning in young adult BALB/cJ mice (629.4)
Authors: Ossyra Jessica , Mach Houston , Bhattacharya Tushar , Gibbons Trisha , Pence Brandt , Woods Jeffrey , Johnson Rodney , Rhodes Justin 
Published: June 2021

The influence of nutritional supplementation with Epigallacetechin gallate and β‐alanine in combination with physical exercise on adult hippocampal neurogenesis and contextual fear conditioning in young adult BALB/cJ mice.Nutritional supplementation and physical exercise can enhance cognitive function but the specific combinations of nutrients that maximize pro‐cognitive effects are not known nor are the contributing neurobiological mechanisms. Epigallacetechin gallate (EGCG) is a flavonoid constituent of green tea which has anti‐inflammatory and anti‐oxidant properties and is known to cross the the blood brain barrier and affect brain structure and function. β ‐alanine (B‐ALA) is a naturally occurring amino acid and could increase cognitive functioning by improving the exercise capacity of skeletal muscle. The objective of this study was to determine the effects of EGCG, B‐ALA, and their combination with physical exercise on adult hippocampal neurogenesis and performance on the contextual fear conditioning task in a mouse model. Young adult male BALB/cJ mice approximately 2 months old were divided into 8 groups varying the nutritional supplement in their diet and access to running wheels over a 30 day study period. Results indicated that exercise enhanced contextual fear conditioning; however the diets had no positive effect on performance. Additionally, running enhanced neurogenesis in the hippocampus, as well as BDNF and NOS2 gene expression. Dietary β‐alanine increased VEGF gene expression in the hippocampus, while the combination of β‐alanine and EGCG reduced CX3CL1 gene expression, which was recovered from exercise. EGCG combined with exercise enhanced NOS2 gene expression. These results suggest more work should be done to determine whether increased adult hippocampal neurogenesis from exercise directly contributed to the improved performance on the contextual fear conditioning task in the young BALB/cJ mice.
Sugars and health: applying evidence mapping techniques to assess the evidence (630.10)
Authors: Berger Samantha , Wang Deena , Sackey Joachim , Brown Carrie , Chung Mei 
Published: June 2021

Objective: Evidence mapping (EM) is a novel, systematic method for describing the volume and characteristics of research in a broad field. We applied EM to evaluate the empirical evidence of the state of science on the relationships between sugars and cardiometabolic health‐related outcomes.Methods: A pre‐defined, systematic study selection process was applied to a broad Medline search (through April 2013) of the existing literature on sugars. Studies reporting cardiometabolic risk factors and/or related clinical outcomes were selected for this study. Data from the studies were extracted and deposited to a data repository. Descriptive analyses were performed.Results: Our EM included 207 studies (196 intervention and 11 cohort studies). Of the intervention studies, the most common sugar interventions were sucrose (40%) and fructose (31%), and the top two controls were glucose (14%) and starch (13%). The most studied outcomes were glycemic profiles (27%), plasma lipids (11%), and anthropometrics (7%). Studies were generally short in duration (median 26 days, ranging from <1 to 730 days). 89% were in adults and 6% were in children. The 11 cohort studies investigated 3 different sugar exposures and 9 different hard clinical outcomes.Conclusions: An extensive but heterogeneous body of evidence exists in this broad field of research. EM is a useful method for identifying “hot” research areas and research gaps. Evidence‐based methods are effective to direct future research.Grant Funding Source: This study is in part supported by International Life Science Institute North America
Biomarkers of Nutrition for Development (BOND): the Query‐Based System presenting a new interactive resource for the community (630.7)
Authors: Raghavan Ramkripa , Raiten Daniel 
Published: June 2021

Objective: The aim of the BOND project is to provide service to the community via the presentation of evidence‐based advice developed via a process of harmonized decision making about best nutrient biomarkers for a range of uses. The session will present the Query‐Based System (QBS) developed as an interactive web‐based tool by which this advice can be provided to the BOND user communities.Statement of Methods: For each nutrient covered by the BOND project an Expert Panel was constituted and charged with the development of critical reviews covering relevant aspects of nutrient biology, available biomarkers and issues pertaining to the selection, use and interpretation of available biomarkers. The QBS was designed as a vehicle to present that information in an interactive manner to users irrespective of their level of expertise in nutrition. The QBS consists of a series of questions leading to a decision based on a user’s specific needs.Results: The BOND Expert Panels have concluded their reviews. The results and conclusions are in the process of being integrated into the BOND website and QBS. The first two nutrients that have been fully mounted on the website and QBS are iodine and folate.Conclusions: The QBS system is now going through a process of review and feedback from the community.