Faith-based Lifestyle Intervention Approach Impacts Gut Microbial Metastasis in the Reduction of Metabolic Syndrome Risk in US Double Jeopardy African-American Population

DAVIS CROMER RONDA ROSE 삼육대학교 일반대학원 2023 국내박사

The purpose of this study is to delineate the effectiveness of a short-term faith-based lifestyle intervention approach (SLIA) that reduced risk factors contributing to gut dysbiosis, metabolic syndrome (MetS), and obesity in a high-risk U.S. ethnic population. According to rigorously reviewed public health literature, the concept of “double jeopardy” describes a high-risk population (often applied to African Americans) based on two characteristics; ethnicity and age. This two-week residential medically supervised intervention approach incorporated a natural environment with spiritual motivation, plant-based nutrition, customized physical activity, cognitive awareness strategies (CBT) and health education. Methods: The demographic population included twenty-one aged and middle-aged participants of African-American or Afro-Caribbean/Other descent, considered as “high-risk” for cardiometabolic morbidity and mortality enrolled in the short-term (12-day) Lifestyle Retreat for two weeks. Based on the stratified analysis, 59.5% and 40.5% were of African-American and Afro-Caribbean/Other Afro-descent, respectively, with a mean age of 59.23 ± 11.24 years. As an addendum to the traditional assessments, a fecal stool analysis was added to determine pre-and post- gut microbiota profiles. Results: Post intervention results revealed that the Paired t-test, Kolmogorov-Smirnova/ Shapiro-Wilkinson test for normality and the Wilcoxon ranked sum test indicated positive outcomes in terms of metabolic and anthropometric measures. Concomitant favorable results were also observed with fecal analysis showing an increase in Akkermansia genera simultaneously with decreases observed in Prevotella species. Conclusion: This research suggests that a short-term faith-based intervention approach is not only effective in reducing cardiovascular risks associated with metabolic syndrome, but confirms the current evidence that gut microbiota modulation may contribute to risk reductions associated with morbidity and mortality in this high-risk population.

Disenchanted georgics: The aesthetics of labor in American poetry

Ronda, Margaret Inkpen University of California, Berkeley 2009 해외박사(DDOD)

소속기관이 구독 중이 아닌 경우 오후 4시부터 익일 오전 9시까지 원문보기가 가능합니다.

Disenchanted Georgics examines a little-known poetic genre in American critical traditions. One of the predominant forms of poetry in eighteenth-century Britain, the georgic is generally assumed to have fallen into desuetude with the emergence of Romanticism and historical transformations such as urbanization and the rise of industrial capital. On the American scene, the georgic's absence appears even more complete. My study begins not with an attempt to recover this genre as a central organizing principle in American poetry, but instead with an investigation of the recalcitrance of the georgic to post-Romantic literary classification. The genre's preoccupations---its didactic rather than lyrical disposition and its charting of the material processes of labor---are difficult to assimilate into an American poetic canon principally composed of examinations of lyric subjectivity. Yet the georgic's resistance to taxonomy is also a result of the internal shifts this genre, which centers on the phenomenological experience and social value of agrarian labor, undergoes in its encounter with capitalist accumulation in nineteenth- and twentieth-century America. I borrow Weber's term (via Adorno) of "disenchantment" to describe the ways these poems respond to these changes in labor's forms and meanings. My first chapter examines Whitman's project, in Leaves of Grass , of tallying labor's value in light of its changing composition, and his employment of georgic form as a means for resolving newfound social contradictions generated by these developments. I then turn to African-American poets Paul Laurence Dunbar and Jean Toomer, who write georgic poems that expose the persistence of racial divisions engendered in slavery, focusing on agrarian labor as a tool of continuing inequality in postbellum America. My third chapter investigates the "residual georgics" of Robert Frost and Lorine Niedecker, exploring forms of outmoded labor that remain peripheral to the dominant productive sphere. By contrast, Muriel Rukeyser's 1938 The Book of the Dead, the subject of my final chapter, returns to the realm of industrial production that Whitman navigates, documenting the antagonism between labor and capital as the foundation of social life, and arguing for the uniquely unalienated status of poetic labor in contrast to the "death-work" of industry.

Governance and Comprehensive Community Initiatives: A Case Study of the PRYSE Coalition In Far Rockaway, New York, 2000-2004

Ronda, Michelle Ann City University of New York 2011 해외박사(DDOD)

소속기관이 구독 중이 아닌 경우 오후 4시부터 익일 오전 9시까지 원문보기가 가능합니다.

The US response to urban poverty has shifted from a welfare-state model to market-based solutions---toward governance as arrangement of service partnerships among different federal and local agencies, contractors, philanthropies, community facilities, residents and businesses. Economic, political and fiscal pressures and shifting views of poverty, race, crime, health, and service have seen increased federal adoption of comprehensive community initiatives (CCIs). Originally devised by philanthropies, CCIs are cross-sectoral or cross-agency, multi-actor partnerships relying constitutively on social science-crafted, measurable evaluations of strategies and results; modern CCIs adopt an apolitical focus on best practices and forego explicit treatment of race, class or gender. One federal inter-agency program started in 1999, the Safe Schools/Healthy Students (SS/HS) initiative of the Justice, Education and Health departments, targets school violence and youth health by requiring schools, health facilities, and local law and justice authorities to enter CCI-type coalitions as a condition of grant funding; these partnerships are expected to solicit community participation. This ethnographic case study of an SS/HS-funded CCI in the Rockaway peninsula of Queens, in which the author served as a program evaluator, finds mixed effects of federal requirements; obstacles in engaging community participation; and difficulties in leveraging one-time grant funding into sustainable structures. Roles of police, prosecutors, social workers, educators, mediators, evaluators and community groups are examined, illuminating divides of organizational mission and philosophy, profession, class, race, turf and residency. This gives rise to critiques of national trends in governance; community policing and justice; and evaluation politics. Two critical extremes are considered: Does implementation of community governance extend state authority by calling upon a community to condition itself, generating remote-control government, or do partnership models merely cover for abandonment of public ideals and obligations? Included are a sociology of Rockaway; a quantitative demographic survey of class and racial disparities and resident assessments of neighborhood issues; and findings of focus groups in which targeted Rockaway high school youths reflect on the meaning of safety and health in their lives and neighborhoods.

Microstructure and defects of electrooptically active bithiazoles and bisoxazoles

Gonzalez-Ronda, Lebzylisbeth The University of Michigan 2000 해외박사(DDOD)

소속기관이 구독 중이 아닌 경우 오후 4시부터 익일 오전 9시까지 원문보기가 가능합니다.

The solid-state structure and defects of π-conjugated nonylbithiazoles (NBTs) and nonylbisoxazoles (NBOs) has been studied with the aim of understanding their electrical, optical, and mechanical properties. X-ray diffraction patterns of NBT and NBO molecular weight series were consistent with an oblique, π-stacked structure. The side-to-side and π-π stacking molecular spacings varied with increasing chain length so as to maintain a near constant density. Models were proposed for PNBT and PNBO in which the chain axes stagger with respect to one another. The electronic structure of PNBT was found to be sensitive to processing conditions. The effective conjugation length of the samples varied with their degree of crystallinity; yellow samples were found to be only weakly ordered, while red and green samples were semicrystalline. Red and green specimens had similar crystal structures, although green samples had a higher degree of order. PNBT solutions were found to exhibit liquid crystalline order. Examination of a solution concentration gradient showed that the isotropic and liquid crystalline regions appeared yellow, while the solidified regions appeared red. Bending of the (100) lattice fringes, corresponding to the side-to-side molecular spacing, was observed in both PNBT (d = 2.4 nm) and PNBO (d = 2.7 nm) using high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM). A quantitative method for generating two-dimensional maps of the local lattice curvature at the nanometer level was developed. Despite similarities in their chemical structure, the two polymers accommodate the deformation very differently. PNBT undergoes continuous deformation mediated by [001] dislocations, while PNBO undergoes discontinuous deformation mediated by the presence of grain boundaries. The bending constants and persistence lengths of PNBT, PNBO, and other semi-rigid polymers were calculated using a molecular mechanics approach. The calculated bending constants (390 to 940 kJ*m/mol) and persistence lengths (16 to 38 nm) are consistent with experimental values for semi-rigid polymers (20 to 60 nm). The rigidity of the simulated oligomers was anisotropic; bending about the π-π stacking direction was found to be energetically unfavorable.

Working masculinities in early modern English drama (William Shakespeare)

Arab, Ronda Ann Columbia University 2002 해외박사(DDOD)

소속기관이 구독 중이 아닌 경우 오후 4시부터 익일 오전 9시까지 원문보기가 가능합니다.

This dissertation examines representations of working men in late sixteenth- and early seventeenth-century English stage plays. I focus particularly on dramatic representations of the working male body and the discourses of masculinity that are deployed by these representations. An introductory chapter reviews discourses of work and working men available in early modern England and explains the appropriateness of the early modern English theatre as a focus for a study of the masculine identities of working men. Each of the four chapters that follow examines working men as they appear in a specific dramatic genre. Studies of lower class working men have tended to focus on representations of the male working body as grotesque and socially “low” within a high/low binary of cultural value. I argue that the theatre, as a site of breakdown of traditional forms of social hierarchy, provided a fertile venue for both subtle and explicit reworkings of this equation. In the four chapters of my dissertation, I show that working men of low social estate represented on the stage could and often did exemplify attractive English vitality—working men could and did stand as exemplars of English masculinity.

Spanish-speaking parents' negotiation of language and culture with their children's schools

Bickmore, Ronda L Utah State University 2013 해외박사(DDOD)

소속기관이 구독 중이 아닌 경우 오후 4시부터 익일 오전 9시까지 원문보기가 가능합니다.

Latinos are now the largest public school minority population in the U.S. Because of a shift in the states, cities, and counties where Latinos are choosing to live, many schools that did not previously serve substantial numbers of Latinos are doing so now. Additionally, many of the Latinos in these new settlement areas are recent immigrants who speak little or no English. This qualitative study examined how immigrant Latino parents who speak little or no English supported their children in the English-speaking school system of the U.S. It specifically examined how 12 Spanish-speaking parents negotiated language and culture with their children's school in a new settlement area in the state of Utah. From the interviews I conducted with the Latino parents and school staff members, along with school observations and the collection of other data such as forms and notices, I examined how the parents negotiated language and culture with the school. I then analyzed the themes that emerged from this collection of data using a theoretical framework consisting of postcolonial theory, social and cultural capital, and the concept of social discourses. Major themes that emerged included the concern the parents had for their children's education, the parents' limited participation in the school discourse, children serving as language brokers, the maintenance and growth of their children's heritage language, the hegemony of the English language, and issues involving social and cultural capital, linking capital, and racism. Recommendations include assuring availability of interpreters, increasing bridging and linking capital, supporting children's heritage language, and being culturally sensitive and proactive to reduce racism. Hopefully, this research will add to the literature that will help educators better serve the growing Latino school population.

A test of strictness and marketing upon church growth and health

Oosterhoff, Ronda Northwestern University 2006 해외박사(DDOD)

소속기관이 구독 중이 아닌 경우 오후 4시부터 익일 오전 9시까지 원문보기가 가능합니다.

While the rumors of "worship wars" dividing North American Protestantism are not news, ongoing questions remain concerning the effectiveness of trading in traditional organs for electric guitars and hymnals for PowerPoint. The recent availability of the largest, inter-faith-group, congregational-level data set (n=14,021) and theory development concerning the evolving attractive power of "incarnational" worship experiences (Wuthnow, 2004) allow for a new test of "strictness" vs. "marketing" in predicting church growth and health. Strictness remains a stronger predictor of church growth and health than control variables such as suburban growth, income and education levels in the zip code area surrounding a church, and pastoral characteristics such as age and ministerial education. But the contemporary worship service---a relatively recent innovation in church marketing---is a stronger predictor of church growth and health than strictness. General marketing and interpersonal recruitment are stronger predictors than the contemporary worship service, however, and a hypothesized interaction between strictness and the contemporary worship service was significant only for predicting church health. The positive effect upon health of the contemporary worship was stronger in churches that were less strict than in churches that were more strict, contrary to a hypothesized relationship between "soteriological angst" and religious communication innovation.

The darker side of sound: Conflicts over the use of soundscapes for musical performances

Sewald, Ronda L Indiana University 2009 해외박사(DDOD)

소속기관이 구독 중이 아닌 경우 오후 4시부터 익일 오전 9시까지 원문보기가 가능합니다.

Musical performances have been a source of complaint and conflict throughout human history. Drawing on Irving Goffman's theory of frame breaks and Mary Douglas' idea of "dirt as matter out of place" (i.e., "noise as sound out of place"), the author proposes that these conflicts often arise when a sonic performance deemed appropriate for one social or cultural context crosses over into another where it is perceived as disruptive, or even harmful. Sonic characteristics, cultural constructs, and physical and/or psychological conditions that are likely to exacerbate these conflicts are also examined. After exploring how scholars and laymen have defined music and noise, the author presents previous research on the beneficial and detrimental effects of sound on human psychology and physiology, including Victorian beliefs regarding neurasthenia and noise as a cause of illness. The author then examines the unfolding of social conflicts over the use of private and public soundscapes for musical performances in the United States and England from approximately the 1840s through the 1940s. Four types of performance practice are explored, namely street music, amateur music-making, musical advertising, and political and religious campaigning. Although these categories share commonalities, legislative and judicial bodies have often distinguished between them when crafting regulations or resolving disputes, which in turn has shaped the nature and intensity of the resulting conflicts. The associated musical traditions examined include the use of barrel-organs by street musicians, pianos and cornets by amateur musicians, radios in storefront windows and public transportation for advertising, sound trucks for political campaigning, and Salvation Army bands for proselytizing. One outcome of this research is an expansion of Attali's model of noise regulation as a form of repression carried out by an empowered hegemony against marginalized populations. Rather than accepting Attali's model, which rests specifically on musicians as representing the disempowered, the new model takes into account conflicts between individuals from similar demographic backgrounds and cases where music is used as either a form of aggression or a means of forcing the attention of unwilling listeners. The author also discusses the value of historical ethnomusicology to understanding human musical behavior.

Catalytic inhibition of topoisomerase II alpha by benzene metabolites and the napthodianthrone hypericin

Baker, Ronda Kay University of Colorado Health Sciences Center 2002 해외박사(DDOD)

소속기관이 구독 중이 아닌 경우 오후 4시부터 익일 오전 9시까지 원문보기가 가능합니다.

Cells face many challenges, due to the extraordinary length of DNA and its double helical nature. Topoisomerases are enzymes that modify the topologic state of DNA. Many compounds currently used in the treatment of cancer target topoisomerase IIα (topo IIα). Compounds that stabilize the enzyme in the cleavable complex are termed “poisons”. The clinical utility of epipodophyllotoxins is limited by their risk in predisposing a subset of patients (5–12%) to secondary acute myelogenous leukemia (AML). Hypericin, a napthodianthrone component of St. John's wort, and benzene metabolites were suspect topo IIα poisoning compounds. Preliminary studies we determined that hypericin was able to inhibit topo IIα. On the other hand, benzene is a known human leukemogen. Biomolecular analysis has demonstrated that benzene metabolites inhibit the overall DNA decatenation activity of topo IIα. This observation led to the hypothesis that the mechanism underlying benzene's clastogenic effects involves the inhibition of topo II. Concern over the safety of St. John's wort was stimulated by the wide spread use of this unregulated herbal supplement and the fact that other natural product dihydroxyanthraquinones have also been shown to poison topo IIα and therefore may also induce AML. We sought to determine if benzene induced AML could be a result of topo IIα poisoning via benzene metabolites and if St. John's wort usage could predispose users to AML. With the studies described herein, it is demonstrated that benzene metabolites indeed inhibit topo IIα. Our studies show that benzene metabolites antagonize etoposide-stabilized cleavable complex formation and should be described as catalytic inhibitors of topo IIα. This inhibition occurs at the step of DNA binding. Therefore, given that benzene metabolites inhibit topo IIα-DNA interaction, a step essential for topo IIα-mediated DNA cleavage, inhibition of topo IIα is not the clastogenic target of benzene and benzene metabolites causing AML. It is also conclude that although benzene metabolites are catalytic inhibitors of topo IIα, they do not induce topo IIα transcription in the same manner as seen with ICRF-187, a known catalytic inhibitor of topo IIα that induces topo IIα transcription. Finally, it has been determined that hypericin inhibits the DNA decatenation and relaxation activity of human topo IIα and antagonizes etoposide-stabilized cleavable complexes. This inhibition was determined to be caused by the inability of enzyme DNA binding.

Effectiveness in the delivery of services to a Medicaid population

Hughes, Ronda G The Johns Hopkins University 2001 해외박사(DDOD)

소속기관이 구독 중이 아닌 경우 오후 4시부터 익일 오전 9시까지 원문보기가 가능합니다.

<italic>Objective</italic>. To examine the differences in the quality of care for a selected Medicaid population, by evaluating the performance of different types of regular sources of care. <italic>Methods</italic>. A multifaceted analysis on 187,206 continuously enrolled, non-elderly and non-institutionalized AFDC and SSI Medicaid beneficiaries in Tennessee (pre-TennCare) was conducted using HCFA's State Medicaid Research Files for 1992. Patients, with at least one ambulatory visits, were assigned to one of following three categories of regular sources of care (RSOC) according to where they received the majority of ambulatory care visits: (1) primary care providers, (2) specialists and hospital-based providers, and (3) a broad group of Other Providers. Each RSOC was evaluated using a series of three claims-based performance measures, adjusting for case-mix using ambulatory care groups (ACGs): (1) rate of hospitalization for ambulatory care sensitive conditions (ACSC); (2) primary and preventive care performance measures for women and children; and (3) clinical performance measures specific for patients with diabetes and asthma. <italic>Results</italic>. Case-mix adjustment explained more of the utilization than did other patient characteristics. Without case-mix adjustment, differences in the assessed performance between primary care and specialists and hospital-based providers were significant. By using case-mix adjustment, there were no statistically significant differences in performance between primary care and specialists and hospital-based providers. A significant proportion of patients used Other Providers as their RSOC, had significantly greater morbidity and mental health diagnoses, and had more ambulatory visits and hospitalizations. The performance of all RSOC was below the expected performance goals for the preventive care and chronic care performance measures. <italic>Implications</italic>. There is a major need to improve the quality of Medicaid claims data. Data quality issues, particularly the high frequency of missing and miscoded procedure and pharmaceutical codes, limit the scope of performance assessment and breadth of uses of claims data. Performance measures need to be used with caution as they have different sensitivities and different units of analysis, but can be an initial starting point from which states and health care providers can detect areas needing targeted quality improvement efforts. Without case-mix adjustment, the performance of providers cannot be accurately assessed.