Alcohol is a widely consumed, nonessential, bioactive nutrient with end-organ effects on the skeleton. Moderate levels of alcohol consumption are generally associated with increased bone mineral density (BMD), whereas higher intake levels result in reduced bone formation, bone loss, and increased risk for osteoporotic fracture. Given the negative impact of...
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of mortality in the United States (US) and research suggests that CVD morbidity and mortality disproportionately impacts Asian American and Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (NHPI) older adults. However, the prevalence on CVD and underlying mechanisms for CVD disparities among disaggregated Asian American...
Research Objective: Nearly 60 million people in the United States reside in a rural area. Residents in rural areas have higher rates of chronic disease, risky health behaviors, disability, infant mortality, and age-adjusted mortality than their urban counterparts. Health insurance and access to care mitigate those risks, in part because...
While community ecologists have traditionally focused on local-scale processes, it has become apparent that a broader perspective, which explores the community-level ramifications of material fluxes within and between ecosystems, is necessary to effectively evaluate bottom-up influences on community structure and dynamics. In this dissertation, I employed ecosystem principles to understand...
With the neuromuscular performance deficit typically associated with aging, the maximum rate of response of the individual is diminished with advancing age. Physical activity has recently been examined as a possible factor delaying the aging process as it relates to neuromuscular performance. This investigation examined folk dancing as a potential...
Offshore wind and wave energy have the potential to be significant sources of future global electricity production, reduce carbon emissions, decrease dependence on energy importation, and stimulate economic growth in coastal and remote areas. Fixed-foundation and floating offshore wind and wave energy technologies are at different stages of development, but...
Concentrations of selenium (Se), manganese (Mn), zinc (Zn), cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb) and arsenic (As) were measured in the water column, sediment and biota, in conjunction with selected physicochemical data, from representative wetland types at a mining site within Salt Lake County, Utah, USA. The selected field sites included Oolitic...
Animals aggregate and interact in nonuniform and nonrandom patterns, which lead to group level characteristics that have important evolutionary and ecological consequences. Network analysis provides a useful conceptual framework for linking animal interactions at all scales from dyads to communities, to populations and ecosystems. Despite exciting theoretical and applied advances...