Intersection of agriculture, Latinas/os, and higher education in the land grant system: a mixed methods study, The

Includes bibliographical references.2015 Fall.From government reports and academic journals to popular media there is a call for more educated agriculturalists. Latinas/os have long been instrumental in United States' agriculture and yet similar numbers of Latinas/os are not studying agricultural sciences at land grant universities. The mission of land grant universities is to provide access to education, especially agricultural education. Given the changing demographics of the United States, if land grant universities are to address our nation's need for educated agriculturalists, Latinas/os must be included as part of the solution. This study provides universities, particularly land grant institutions, a portion of the data and analyses necessary to identity how to both recruit and successfully graduate people prepared to lead as professional agriculturalists. This study deconstructs the intersection of agriculture, Latinas/os, and higher education. This transformative convergent parallel mixed methods study examines the learning environment of agricultural higher education from a Critical perspective. This examination is conducted through three distinct studies and is organized in a manner similar to the chronological order an undergraduate student would encounter a College of Agricultural Sciences. That is, what do students first encounter in terms of physical artifacts, what are the lived experiences for students, and finally what are the student success outcomes in the College of Agricultural Sciences. The first segment of this dissertation focuses on what a student first encounters upon entering a College of Agricultural Sciences. Physical artifacts present in educational settings make visible the values of the institution. Such messages signal the institution's desire for a culturally inclusive and supportive environment. Given the land grant mission of inclusive education, the labor heritage of agriculture, and the saliency of stereotype threat in creating an inclusive learning environment, critically assessing the equity climate of departments of animal sciences in land grant universities is overdue. This study utilizes Banning et al.'s 2008 taxonomy based on visual ethnography methodology to interpret the equity climate of three departments of animal sciences at land grant institutions to answer the critical question: who is welcome? The systematic coding and thematic analysis reveal exclusive learning environments clearly communicated by the physical artifacts present. The second portion of this dissertation addresses the lived experiences of students. While there has been a focus on recruiting Latinas/os and others to study agricultural sciences, there has not been an examination of the lived experience of Latinas/os currently studying agricultural sciences in college. The purpose of this narrative study was to describe the lived experience of six Latina undergraduate students studying in a College of Agricultural Sciences at a Predominantly White Land Grant Institution. The thematic analysis of the transcribed interviews yielded three distinct themes, namely, Overt Exclusion, Nepantlera, and Intersectionality through the saliency of agricultural identity. Recommendations for inclusive agricultural education environments were voiced by the participants, providing us a path forward to fully include and support Latina students in the agricultural academy. The third segment of this dissertation study focused on undergraduate student success. Given the financial constraints of most institutions, it is important that we are strategic in our programming to support an ever more diverse undergraduate population. This study offers a rigorous and systematic approach to quantitatively assess programmatic needs in three segments: an analysis of the demographic representation of the state, an analysis of historic opportunity gaps (1990 through 2014), and an analysis of recent undergraduate student success utilizing predictive logistic regression models. Using Colorado State University (CSU) as a case study for this systematic assessment, CSU was found to not represent the state it serves, Colorado. Further, statistically significant opportunity gaps were found for gender, Pell eligibility, first generation status, residency, and minority students. Finally, the first year retention, four year graduation rate, and six year graduation rate predictive models provided evidence for program investment to support first generation, minority, and resident students. Of note, non-minority students were found to be 1.78 times more likely to graduate in four years than were minority students. Minority students were 53 percent less likely to graduate then majority students in six years. First generation students were less likely than non-first generation students to graduate in six years and non-residents were more likely to graduate than residents of the state within the six year time frame

Low-Income Pennsylvanian Parents of 10-14 Year Olds Reveal Stressors that Challenge Obesity Prevention Efforts

Low-income Pennsylvanian parents of 10-14 year olds reveal stressors that challenge obesity prevention efforts. J Nutri Educ Behav. 2015;47(4S):S68. Objective: To describe the psychographics of a lower income, parent/caregiver population recruited to evaluate My Child’s Weight, a program that addresses parent/caregiver concerns about their child’s body size, development, and weight changes. Study Design, Settings, Participants: Cross-sectional online survey (Qualtrics Pro, Provo, UT). Participants were parents/caregivers of children 10 – 14 y, recruited from low-income venues. Measurable Outcome/Analyses: Participants completed items from the SNAP-Education and Administration Reporting System, Satter Eating Competence Inventory, Three Factor Eating Questionnaire (TFEQ-R18), Sense of Coherence (3-item), Parent Modeling Behavior and Fruit and Vegetable Availability questionnaires along with items on weight perception and satisfaction, self-described eating disorders, food security, and the program evaluation. Data were analyzed using SPSS 22.0. Summary of Results: Participants (n=30) were white, mostly female (93%), lower income (90%), 28 – 63 y; SNAP participants (67%) with a profile of weight issues: Mean BMI was 34.7; 22 (73%) were overweight/obese; 53% were dissatisfied with their current weight, 30% perceived current or previous eating disorder issues; only 27% were eating competent; 60% reported feeling stressed. Nearly all (87%) were concerned about the weight of their 10 – 14 y old children, but more so for parents dissatisfied with their own weight (P=0.011). Conclusions and Implications: Findings suggest that developing successful childhood obesity prevention programs will need to address challenges presented by the high prevalence of parents/caregivers who are stressed, eating disordered and not eating competent. Consider parent vulnerabilities and weight-centered psychographics when developing and testing childhood obesity prevention interventions

Qualitative Measures of Equity in Small Groups

We investigate the utility of two qualitative measures of equity. Our data are videos of groups of first-generation and Deaf or hard-of-hearing students in a pre-matriculation university program designed to help them persist in STEM fields by developing their metacognitive practices. We analyze video data of students in small groups trying to accomplish various tasks. We analyze how groups engage with proposed ideas (inchargeness) and create a space of open sharing (civility). By capturing different aspects of each group, these measures combine to help our understanding of what an equitable group could look like.Comment: Accepted to International Conference of the Learning Sciences (ICLS) 201

Finishing diets with elevated levels of alpha-linolenic acid increase feed efficiency and adipose lipogenesis but do not alter beef carcass quality.

Forty-five Angus steers (358 kg BW) were utilized in a completely randomized block design with a 3 x 3 factorial arrangement of treatments to evaluate the hypothesis that differing dietary linolenic acid (from corn, flaxseed plus corn, or milo) and whole cottonseed (WCS) inclusion (0, 5, or 15% DM) would interact to alter fatty acid metabolism and deposition of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) in subcutaneous (s.c.) and interfasicular (i.f.) adipose tissues, and thereby decrease carcass quality score. During the feeding period (135 d), steers receiving flaxseed or corn diets had a greater gain:feed ratio (0.119 and 0.108, respectively) than steers receiving the milo diet (0.093). Following transportation to a local abattoir and overnight starvation, there was less decrease in weight in flaxseed-fed steers (1.51%) than in steers fed the corn (2.89%) or milo diets (3.11%). Ribeye area of steers fed milo was less than that of steers fed the corn or flaxseed diets. Lipogenesis from acetate in s.c. adipose tissue was greater in steers fed flaxseed (5.42 nmol h-1 105 cells-1) than in the corn (3.10 nmol h-1 105 cells-1) or milo (1.92 nmol h-1 105 cells-1) groups. Stearoyl-CoA desaturase (SCD) activity in s.c. adipose tissue was unchanged between the 0% WCS group (88.1 nmol mg protein-1 7 min-1) and the 15% WCS group (20 nmol mg protein-1 7 min-1). The i.f. saturated fatty acid percentages increased with increasing levels of WCS. The i.f. cis-9, trans-11 CLA percentage increased with increasing WCS in the steers fed the corn diet, whereas it remained unchanged or even decreased slightly in the steers fed the flaxseed or milo-based diets. Steers fed flaxseed had a greater s.c. adipose concentration of vaccenic acid (18:1trans-11) than the steers fed milo. Steers fed flaxseed also had greater s.c. and i.f. percentages of linolenic acid (18:3, n-3) than steers fed either of the other grain sources. Increased dietary linolenic acid from flaxseed may have increased s.c. adipocyte volume by stimulating lipogenesis. These data indicate that rations formulated to provide increased levels of linolenic acid (i.e., flaxseed) will increase feed efficiency and lipogenesis from acetate without altering either the quality or composition of the beef carcasses

Erythropoietin receptor transcription is neither elevated nor predictive of surface expression in human tumour cells

Erythropoietin receptor (EpoR) has been reported to be overexpressed in tumours and has raised safety concerns regarding the use of erythropoiesis-stimulating agents (ESAs) to treat anaemia in cancer patients. To investigate the potential for EpoR to be overexpressed in tumours, we have evaluated human tumours for amplification of the EPOR locus, levels of EPOR transcripts, and expression of surface EpoR protein. Gene amplification analysis of 1083 solid tumours found that amplification of the EPOR locus was rare with frequencies similar to other non-oncogenes. EPOR transcript levels in tumours and tumour cell lines were low in comparison with bone marrow and were equivalent to, or lower than, levels in normal tissues of tumour origin. Although EpoR mRNA was detected in some tumour lines, no EpoR could be detected on the cell surface using 125I-Epo binding studies. This may be due to the lack of EpoR protein expression or lack of cell-surface-trafficking factors, such as Jak2. Taken together, we have found no evidence that EpoR is overexpressed in tumours or gets to the surface of tumour cells. This suggests that there is no selective advantage for tumours to overexpress EpoR and questions the functional relevance of EpoR gene transcription in tumours

Secondary analysis of teaching methods in introductory physics: A 50 k-student study

Citation: Von Korff, J., Archibeque, B., Gomez, K. A., Heckendorf, T., McKagan, S. B., Sayre, E. C., . . . Sorell, L. (2016). Secondary analysis of teaching methods in introductory physics: A 50 k-student study. American Journal of Physics, 84(12), 969-974. doi:10.1119/1.4964354Physics education researchers have developed many evidence-based instructional strategies to enhance conceptual learning of students in introductory physics courses. These strategies have historically been tested using assessments such as the Force Concept Inventory (FCI) and the Force and Motion Conceptual Evaluation (FMCE). We have performed a review and analysis of FCI and FMCE data published between 1995 and 2014. We confirm previous findings that interactive engagement teaching techniques are significantly more likely to produce high student learning gains than traditional lecture-based instruction. We also establish that interactive engagement instruction works in many settings, including those with students having a high and low level of prior knowledge, at liberal arts and research universities, and enrolled in both small and large classes. (C) 2016 Author(s)

Effect of dietary fatty acids on expression of lipogenic enzymes and fatty acid profile in tissues of bulls

This study investigated the effects of dietary linolenic acid (C18:3n-3) v. linoleic acid (C18:2n-6) on fatty acid composition and protein expression of key lipogenic enzymes, acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACC), stearoyl-CoA desaturase (SCD) and delta 6 desaturase (6d) in longissimus muscle and subcutaneous adipose tissue of bulls. Supplementation of the diet with C18:3n-3 was accompanied by an increased level of n-3 fatty acids in muscle which resulted in decrease of n-6/n-3 ratio. The diet enriched with n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) significantly inhibited SCD protein expression in muscle and subcutaneous adipose tissue, and reduced the 6d expression in muscle. There was no significant effect of the diet on ACC protein expression. Inhibition of the 6d expression was associated with a decrease in n-6 PUFA level in muscles, whereas repression of SCD protein was related to a lower oleic acid (C18:1 cis-9) content in the adipose tissue. Expression of ACC, SCD and 6d proteins was found to be relatively higher in subcutaneous adipose tissue when compared with longissimus muscle. It is suggested that dietary manipulation of fatty acid composition in ruminants is mediated, at least partially, through the regulation of lipogenic enzymes expression and that regulation of the bovine lipogenic enzymes expression is tissue specific. © 2010 The Animal Consortium

Estrogenic microenvironment generated by organochlorine residues in adipose mammary tissue modulates biomarker expression in ERα-positive breast carcinomas

INTRODUCTION: Breast cancer is the most frequent malignant disease in women. Exposure to estrogens throughout a woman's life is a risk factor for the development of breast cancer. Organochlorine compounds (OCCs), such as pesticides and polychlorinated biphenyls, are persistent lipophilic chemicals identified as endocrine disruptors, mainly with estrogenic effects. To test the hypothesis that the amount and quality of organochlorine residues in adipose tissue adjacent to breast carcinoma affect the biological behavior of the tumor, we studied biomarker expression in breast carcinoma and the OCC body burden in patients from an urban area adjacent to Paraná fluvial system, Argentina. METHODS: The studied patients were 55 women who had undergone excision biopsies of a breast lesion diagnosed as invasive breast carcinoma. Analysis of OCC residues in breast adipose tissue was conducted by electron-capture gas–liquid chromatography. Estrogen receptor alpha (ERα), progesterone receptor (PR) and proliferative activity (Ki-67) levels were measured in paraffin-embedded biopsies of breast tumors by immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: All patients had high levels of organochlorine pesticides in their breast adipose tissue. The most frequently detected compounds were p,p'-dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene, hexachlorobenzene and β-hexachlorocyclohexane. When the whole sample was analyzed, no correlation between ERα or PR expression and OCC levels were found. In the subgroup of ERα-positive breast carcinoma patients, however, there was a positive correlation between PR expression (an estrogen-induced protein) in the neoplastic cells and OCC levels in adipose tissue surrounding the tumor. More significantly, all the ERα-positive breast carcinomas from postmenopausal women exhibited high proliferation when organochlorine levels in the surrounding adipose tissue reached levels higher than 2600 ppb. No associations were found between the organochlorine body burden and any other marker of tumor aggressiveness, such as node involvement or tumor size. CONCLUSION: The present results support the hypothesis that organochlorine residues in adipose tissue adjacent to breast carcinoma generate an estrogenic microenvironment that may influence the biological behavior of the tumor through ERα activation and ERα-dependent proliferation. These findings may have therapeutic implications, since interference between organochlorine compounds and hormonal therapy could be expected to occur

Adipose tissue concentrations of persistent organic pollutants and total cancer risk in an adult cohort from Southern Spain: Preliminary data from year 9 of the follow-up

There is an increasing trend in the incidence of cancer worldwide, and it has been accepted that environmental factors account for an important proportion of the global burden. The present paper reports preliminary findings on the influence of the historical exposure to a group of persistent organic pollutants on total cancer risk, at year 9 in the follow-up of a cohort from Southern Spain. A cohort of 368 participants (median age 51 years) was recruited in 2003. Their historical exposure was estimated by analyzing residues of persistent organic pollutants in adipose tissue. Estimation of cancer incidence was based on data from a population-based cancer registry. Statistical analyses were performed using multivariable Cox-regression models. In males, PCB 153 concentrations were positively associated with total cancer risk, with an adjusted hazard ratio (95% confidence interval) of 1.20 (1.01–1.41) for an increment of 100 ng/g lipid. Our preliminary findings suggest a potential relationship between the historical exposure to persistent organic pollutants and the risk of cancer in men. However, these results should be interpreted with caution and require verification during the future follow-up of this cohort.This study was supported in part by research grants from the Spanish Ministry of Health (FIS 02/974, EUS2008-03574), CIBER de Epidemiología; Junta de Andalucía (01/264, P09-CTS-5488 Project of Excellence, PI-0675-2010, and PI-0513-2012), and the Instituto de Salud Carlos III (FIS PI11/0610)