White supremacy's impact on Black bodies is well-known. Starting with the enslavement of millions of Africans and their descendants, to Reconstruction, Jim Crow laws, the race-based War on Drugs, mass incarceration, police murders--and now, through fat phobia. Fat phobia--the hatred of and discrimination against fatness--is problematic for all bodies because it limits basic opportunities and privileges. However, it becomes particularly dangerous at the intersection of structural racism and misogyny. Francis Beale argues that as both Black people and women+, Black women+ carry a "double strike" against them; consequently, they experience both racism and misogyny, termed "misogynoir" by Moya Bailey. Language in recent medical publications indicates the severity of fat phobia in America around the Black woman+'s body: fatness is something Black women+ have a "high recidivism rate" with after weight loss (Small). This rhetoric affirms the criminalization of the Black body; fatness is something a Black woman+ has "recidivism" with--a term used almost exclusively for incarcerated people. Thus, the medical community's discourse affirms the"legitimacy" of fat phobia and of fatness' adverse effects on health, inviting discrimination against Black fat bodies. Specifically, it suggests that Black women+ need supervision over their bodies--by white people. This thesis considers the work contemporary Black fat women+ (Sonya Renee Taylor, Sesali Bowen, and Tressie McMillan Cottom) are doing through essays and memoirs against fat phobia; that is, it seeks to amplify their voices as they name, critique, and suggest changes for the institutions that uniquely harm fat Black women+--namely medical racism, beauty, and capitalism. The naming, or making visible, of otherwise-invisible institutions affirms bell hooks' assertion that "groups of women who feel excluded from feminist discourse and praxis can make a place for themselves only if they first create, via critiques, an awareness of the factors that alienate them" (276). Fat phobia perpetuates the narrative that Black women+--especially in larger bodies--are undeserving of love. It posits that women+ are only as valuable as their bodies. But Taylor, Bowen, and Cottom literally rewrite that narrative; instead, these women+ write the fat Black body as inherently worthy and capable of bringing joy--deserving, as we all do, "radical self-love."

Adipose tissue, also known as fat tissue are the lipid filled cells with various functions such as, shock absorber, energy storage, and thermal insulation. In this study, the impact of compressive stress at the microstructural level on the porcine abdominal adipose tissue is analyzed under different strain rates of 0.1%, 1%, and 10%. The compressed tissues were fixed in formalin followed by hematoxylin and eosin staining, which were further analyzed at the cellular level using an optical microscope. The preliminary results showed a linear relationship between stress and strain up to 20% strain amplitude. Additionally, the stiffness of the fat tissue was observed to increase with the increase in loading rate. The non-linearity behavior of the adipose tissue and its effects on the cellular level will be studied to understand the mechanical response of fat tissue and its ability to mitigate and absorb energy from low to high strain rate.

People with cerebral palsy (CP) may develop muscle contractures, which are defined as a loss of joint range due to an increase in passive muscle stiffness [1]. Computer models suggest that intramuscular fat can increase muscle stiffness [2]. There is evidence that children with spastic CP have elevated intramuscular fat fractions, but quantitative estimations of the intramuscular fat fraction are variable [1]. Therefore, a reliable method for in vivo quantification of intramuscular fat is required. The aim of this thesis was to compare two- and three-point Dixon fat-water separation methods, as well as the IDEAL algorithm for intramuscular fat quantification of the gastrocnemius medialis, for both children with CP and typically developed peers. As a reference standard, the water- and fat-only maps resulting from the Philips mDIXONXD turbo-spin-echo sequence were used (Ingenia CX, Philips Healthcare, The Netherlands). It was found that neither of the methods can compare to the reference standard, which is probably due to poor performance of the phase unwrapping algorithm applied on this data. Further studies need to be done in order to better quantify the phase error in multi-echo Dixon MRI.

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Background and Purpose – The relationship between abdominal body fat and cardiovascular health is not completely understood. This study investigated the association between percent body fat, fat distribution and intima-media thickness (IMT) in healthy middle-aged women. Methods – 224 middle-aged (mean age = 43.1 years ± 3.0), nonsmoking women were included in this study. The women were assessed with a B-mode, high-resolution ultrasonograph to measure the intima-media thickness of the right common carotid artery (CCA). Measurements for percent body fat and fat distribution were assessed using Bod Pod and waist circumference (WC) measured at the umbilicus, respectively.Results – Data were separated into quartiles with the middle two groups combined in order to identify potential differences in IMT based on waist circumference and body fat percent groups. Mean IMT for the entire sample was .569 mm ± .06. Multiple regression with and without control for potential confounding factors yielded insignificant results for all analyses. Conclusions – In the present study, using a sample of healthy middle-aged women, there were no differences in IMT based on overall body fat percent or waist circumference measurements. This finding is somewhat unexpected, however, regional body fat and CCA-IMT have been shown in some, but not all studies to be positively associated with IMT. More research is needed in this area in order to more clearly identify and understand early risk for cardiovascular disease in women.

This thesis explores the intricate interplay of fatness and queerness, as navigated by Greek individuals. Employing a qualitative approach and thematic analysis, the study aims to unfold the experiences, challenges, and resilience. To do so it is informed by queer theory, as well as Michel Foucault’s concept of the Panopticon and Judith Butler’s concept of performativity. Ethical considerations, the application of queer phenomenology, and an awareness of positionality guide the study to ensure a compassionate and empathetic examination of these experiences. The findings reveal the pervasive societal narratives on fatness and queerness and the significant role of self-identification, aiming to contribute to the broader discourse on body image, self-identity, and societal expectations.

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No description available.

Excess of fat deposition is a negative factor for poultry production, which affects feed efficiency and consequently the costs of meat production. The incorporation of genomic tools in poultry breeding programs may help to accelerate the selection for increased production efficiency. In this context, we genotyped approximately 2,000 42 days-old chickens from two different populations (Brazilian F2 Chicken Resource population and TT broiler Reference Population) using a high-density SNP array (600K, Affymetrix) to estimate genomic heritability of fatness-related traits, to identify genomic regions and positional candidate genes (PCGs) associated with these traits. We performed genome-wide association (GWAS) analysis using GenSel software (Bayesian approach) to identify 1 Mb genomic windows associated with abdominal fat, skin and carcass fat content traits. The search for PCGs were made within each genomic windows associated considering their Gene Ontology (GO) terms and also the literature information. We also integrated into this study NGS-SNPs data from both populations and selection signature regions identified in Brazilian F2 Chicken Resource population to refine the list of PCGs. The genomic heritability values for fatness-related traits were from moderate to high (greater than 0.30). We identified quantitative trait loci (QTL) for abdominal fat, skin and carcass fat content traits harboring several PCGs involved in biological processes of fat deposition. We identified several NGS-SNPs annotated in potential functional regions in our PCGs and some of those were predicted as deleterious and high impact mutations. Besides that, some genes overlapped with selection signature regions in Brazilian F2 Chicken Resource population. Important candidate genes for fat deposition were identified, providing new insights to achieve a better understanding of the genetic control of fat deposition in chickens. / O excesso de deposição de gordura é um fator negativo para a produção de aves, o que afeta a eficiência alimentar e consequentemente os custos da produção de carne. A incorporação das ferramentas genômicas em programas de melhoramento de aves pode ajudar a acelerar a seleção para aumentar a eficiência da produção. Neste contexto, genotipamos cerca de 2.000 aves de 42 dias de duas populações diferentes (população F2 experimental brasileira e população de corte referência TT) usando um chip de SNPs de alta densidade (600K, Affymetrix) para estimar a herdabilidade genômica de características relacionadas à deposição de gordura, para identificar regiões genômicas e genes candidatos posicionais (PCGs) associados a essas características. Realizamos análises de associação genômica ampla (GWAS) usando o programa GenSel (abordagem Bayesiana) para identificar janelas genômicas de 1 Mb associadas com características de gordura abdominal, pele e conteúdo de gordura na carcaça. A busca por PCGs foi feita dentro de cada janela genômica associada, considerando os Gene Ontology (GO) terms e também a informação da literatura. Integramos neste estudo NGS-SNPs identificados em animais parentais de ambas as populações, e além disso, regiões de assinaturas de seleção identificadas na população F2 experimental brasileira para refinar a lista de PCGs. Os valores de herdabilidade genômica para as características relacionadas à gordura foram de moderado a alto (maior que 0,30). Identificamos QTL para características de gordura abdominal, pele e conteúdo de gordura na carcaça contendo PCGs envolvidos em processos biológicos de deposição de gordura. Identificamos vários NGS-SNPs anotados em regiões potencialmente funcionais em nossos PCGs e alguns desses foram preditos como mutações deletérias e de alto impacto. Além disso, alguns genes se sobrepuseram com regiões de assinatura de seleção na população F2 experimental brasileira. Foram identificados importantes genes candidatos para a deposição de gordura, fornecendo novos insights para alcançar uma melhor compreensão do controle genético da deposição de gordura em frangos.

O tecido adiposo já foi considerado um tecido metabolicamente pouco ativo, no entanto, os mais recentes avanços mostram que ele desempenha uma função importante no controle da homeostase energética. Baseado neste conceito, este trabalho objetivou caracterizar o perfil morfológico e metabólico de adipócitos isolados de três diferentes coxins adiposos, subcutâneo, peri-epididimal, retro-peritoneal (SC, PE e RP respectivamente). Os adipócitos dos diferentes coxins foram coletados e submetidos a análise morfológica, aos ensaios metabólicos e análise da expressão de enzimas envolvidas no metabolismo lipídico e glicídico. Os resultados mostraram diferença estatisticamente significativa no volume dos adipócitos das três regiões entre si (p<0,05), maior capacidade lipogênica dos adipócitos RP. Paralelamente, o tecido SC, mostrou maior expressão de enzimas envolvidas na via lipogênica (p< 0,05; SC vs PE e RP). / The adipose tissue was considered to be a little active metabolic tissue, however, the most recent advances show that it plays an important function in the control of the energy homostasis. Based on this concept, this work aimed to characterize the morphology and metabolism of isolated adipocytes of three different depots, like: subcutaneous, periepididymal, retroperitoneal (SC, PE and RP) . The adipocytes of the different depots had been collected and submitted to morphologic analysis, metabolic assays and to analysis of the enzymes expressions involved on lipids and glucose metabolism. The results showed statistical significant difference on volume of the adipocytes among the three different depots (p< 0, 05), high lipogenic capacity of RP adipocytes and higher expression of proteins involved in lipogenic patways of SC adipocytes (p<0, 05).