This study explores how a platform enables social media influencers to promulgate a consumption ideology. We show how gun influencers, or “gunfluencers,” use Instagram to link products, activities, and meanings to Second Amendment ideology—a gun-centric belief system in the United States colloquially known as “2A ideology.” Through a qualitative study...
Whey protein isolate (WPI) and glycomacropeptide (GMP) have shown potential immunomodulatory properties. In this study, we investigated their effects on pro-inflammatory cytokine secretion using both in vitro and in vivo models. In LPS-stimulated THP-1-derived macrophages, digested WPI and GMP reduced cytokine expression, while whole GMP increased secretion. The in human...
Whey protein’s potential for bioactivity is well documented, but there is disagreement on the extent to which it may modulate the immune system towards decreased inflammation. Decreased inflammation is generally perceived as a beneficial bioactivity in foods as excessive chronic inflammation is linked to morbidity and mortality.
This thesis first...
Over time, Open Source Software (OSS) has become indispensable in the creation and upkeep of software products, serving as the fundamental building block for widely used solutions in our daily lives, including applications that enable communication, entertainment, and productivity. A sustainable OSS ecosystem is one that attracts and retains a...
Pre-spawning mortality (PSM) presents a major problem for population recovery of spring Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) in the Willamette River basin. In certain reaches and years, PSM has exceeded 90%. Histology has been used as the primary diagnostic method to investigate PSM in the Chinook Salmon, and a collection of...
Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative pathology currently affecting nearly 44 million individuals worldwide, yet there are not currently any effective treatments or preventions for AD despite the rapid development in our understanding of the disease over the last four decades. The medical and sanitary innovations of the last century...
As life expectancy continues to rise, adults over 65 are one of the fastest-growing age groups in the United States. As we have made significant strides in mitigating disease, we now have to consider health states that lead to disablement and the inability to age-in-place, including falls, frailty, functional mobility,...
Otoferlin is a C2-domain, transmembrane protein whose mutated form is responsible for the DFNB9 subtype of prelingual hearing impairment. Mutations in otoferlin cause an autosomal recessive, non-syndromic form of deafness that is characterized by auditory neuropathy/ auditory dissynchrony (AN/AD), meaning that the outer hair cells (OHCs) are normal, and the...
Ample research has demonstrated the largely untapped potential of bioactive peptides (BAPs) for treating systematic chronic inflammation (SCI). Protein hydrolysates are the mixture of peptides resulting from the hydrolytic breakdown of a protein. Numerous hydrolysates contain BAPs and exert beneficial effects in both in vitro and in vivo models. In...
Falls in older adults are an important concern due to the potential injuries associated with falling. Decreases in muscle strength as a result of natural aging could impair the ability of older adults to prevent either a backward or forward fall. Two musculoskeletal models were used to predict the effect...