The purpose of this study is to gain a deeper understanding of the dynamic of perceived benefits and barriers associated with cooking meals at home. The findings will be used to design a social marketing campaign promoting healthy home-cooked meals. Participants included 64 SNAP-eligible mothers throughout the state of Kentucky aged 21-49 years with young children. Eight focus groups were conducted in four metro and four non-metro counties. A mixed methods approach was used to examine behaviors such as where families purchase foods, the types of foods purchased, family cooking skills and habits, and family time management. Results from this study show women regularly incorporate home-cooked meals into their lives. Three major themes evolved from analysis: learning more about preparing healthy, home-cooked family meals; the important relationship of families and cooking, and the dread of kitchen cleanup following a meal. Data from the written survey provided information regarding eating and cooking patterns in a week, important meal characteristics, relative confidence in cooking skills, and Internet and social media use.

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, previously ‘food stamps’), is the nation’s largest federal entitlement nutritional assistance program which assists individuals and households living below the federal poverty level in order to reduce the amount of money they spend on food. With the conversion of food stamps coupons to Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT), vendors at farmers markets are unable to accept SNAP benefits due to lack of necessary technology adoption. The number of farmers markets has increased 39 percent since 2010 yet only 21 percent of the nation’s farmers markets are equipped to accept EBT (USDA AMS, 2015a). The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to apply the theory of Diffusion of Innovations (DOI) to explain EBT technology adoption at mid-west farmers markets (Illinois, Michigan, and Wisconsin). This study intended to identify the socio-demographic characteristics and levels of communication of farmers market managers, market compatibilities, and perceived EBT attributes that might influence EBT adoption at farmers markets. A survey was administered electronically to market managers of three mid-west states to collect the necessary information to answer the research objectives. A total of 181 managers completed the survey. Logistic regression analyses were used to identify effects of several variables on EBT adoption. Analysis of Variance and Chi-square test were utilized to compare the states and adopter groups. Results of logistic regression showed significant effects of specific variables on EBT adoption. Market managers’ level of communication (Farmers Market Association membership and having partnerships with other organizations), market characteristics (availability of public transports to the market and number of SNAP recipients living in the area), and market managers’ perceptions of EBT attributes (perceived usefulness, ability to try-out, and acceptability) were statistically significant predictors of EBT adoption. For market managers and organizers who are seeking resources and considering EBT adoption assessment of compatibility and level of communication prior to adoption should be considered. In conclusion, the theory of DOI was able to explain effects of market characteristics, market managers’ level of communication, and perceived attributes of EBT on its adoption among the respondents of mid-west farmers markets. Findings of the study can be useful for policymakers in navigating through financial, human, organizational, and political constraints to develop a reachable goal in providing EBT to farmers markets across the nation. Improving the rate of EBT adoption will ultimately have a positive impact on the health of low-income population and sustainability of local agriculture.

No description available.

SNAP and TOF are two non-contrast enhanced intracranial magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) techniques. Both techniques rely on incoming blood to produce a signal, although they have different sensitivity to blood flow velocity. In human beings, SNAP-MRA and TOF-MRA were frequently observed to show discrepancy in visibility of distal intracranial arteries. Whether this signal feature difference is associated with the blood flow of intracranial arteries has not been validated in patients. White matter hyperintensity is frequently observed in elderly and neurodegenerative patients, and may be contributed by the impairment of intracranial arteries. Whether the discrepancy between TOF-MRA and SNAP-MRA can serve as an imaging biomarker of the health of intracranial arteries and is associated with white matter hyperintensity remains unclear. In this study, we aim to characterize the disagreement of vessel visibility in SNAP and TOF, and explore its associations with blood flow and white matter lesions in patients with carotid artery atherosclerosis. In this study, we found this disagreement to be due to velocity sensitivity. The disagreement in the distal branches of the middle cerebellar and anterior cerebellar arteries were shown to be associated with white matter lesion volume. / 2022-06-04T00:00:00Z

Globally, breast cancer is the leading cause of death in the female population aged 45 and below with a breast cancer incidence reaching 18.1 million in the year 2018. Triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) is part of a group of cancers that lack the expression of Progesterone receptor (PR), Estrogen receptor (ER) and Human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2). TNBC is commonly associated with early stage metastasis with low survival rates as well as a high frequency of recurrence and proves to be problematic in both the young and elderly female populations. Conventional diagnostic methods for TNBCs include mammography, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and ultrasound while therapeutic methods include mastectomy and breast conserving surgery (coupled with radiation therapy). The lack of effective therapeutic options, poor prognostic value and high rates of metastasis, has made treatment of TNBC difficult. The major focus of this work was on the following tumour associated antigens (TAAs): CSPG4 (a transmembrane protein found in 50% of TNBC cases), EGFR (which is overexpressed in 13-76% of TNBCs), and MSLN (which is overexpressed in 67% of TNBCs) as potential targets for monospecific therapy. The evolution of antibody-based immunotherapy strategies has led to applications of single chain variable fragment (scFv) & single domain/nanobody (VHH) antibody formats for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes. In this work, these recombinant antibody fragments have been combined with SNAP-tag, a modified version of the human DNA repair enzyme O6-alkylguanine-DNA-alkyltransferase (AGT), which autocatalytically binds benzyl-guanine modified substrates such as fluorophores or small molecule toxins covalently in a 1:1 stoichiometry. In this study, the primary aim was the comparison of different antibody formats fused to SNAPtag and the potential of these biopharmaceuticals towards immunodiagnosis and therapy of TNBCs. First functionalities of two scFv SNAP fusion proteins and one VHH SNAP fusion protein previously not having been described are provided through binding analyses on receptor positive tumour cell lines. This was achieved by in-silico design and molecular cloning of genetically fused antiCSPG4(scFv), -MSLN(scFv), -MSLN(VHH), -EGFR(scFv) & -EGFR(VHH) to SNAP-tag. The final constructs were confirmed by Sanger sequencing and subsequently transfected into a mammalian vector system (HEK293T) for transient expression of the engineered fusion proteins. Full length protein purified from cell culture supernatant was analysed for diagnostic/therapeutic activities dependant on the substrate attached in the form of a fluorophore or small molecule toxin resulting in recombinant antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs). The study shows promise in providing new immunodiagnostic and therapeutic agents that are specific and less harmful than the current state of the art procedure

Bakgrund: Ett personcentrerat förhållningssätt värnar om patientens självbestämmande, integritet och delaktighet genom att anpassa vården till dennes önskemål och värderingar. Ett globalt ökat behov av palliativ vård kräver en mer effektiv vård och ett resursutnyttjande där god kommunikation och validerade instrument är viktiga delar. The Support Needs Approach for Patients (SNAP) har skapats som ett hjälpmedel i kommunikationen för att identifiera patienternas stödbehov och skulle kunna bidra till ett mer strukturerat arbetssätt inom svensk specialiserad palliativ hemsjukvård. Syfte: Att utvärdera The Support Needs Approach for Patients angående innehållsvaliditet ur sjuksköterskors perspektiv inom avancerad sjukvård i hemmet (ASiH). Metod: I denna valideringsstudie utvärderades innehållsvaliditet av formuläret SNAP med fokusgruppsintervjuer för att undersöka sjuksköterskors förståelse för och reflektioner kring SNAP och dess användning. Resultat: Sjuksköterskorna hade olika åsikter om SNAPs relevans och användbarhet inom ASiH. Interventionen ansågs vara omfattande och kunna vara till stöd för en mer strukturerad kommunikation och identifiering av stödbehov för patienterna. För att kunna implementeras inom ASiH bör dess layout och språkkonstruktion ses över och anpassas. Slutsats: SNAP har potential att användas inom ASiH för att tillhandahålla en mer stödjande och personcentrerad kommunikation samt identifiering av patientens stödbehov. SNAPs layout och språkkonstruktion kan behöva modifieras så att den blir mer stödjande, personcentrerad och lämpad till den palliativa vården i stort. SNAP kan innebära en högre arbetsbelastning i en redan pressad miljö samtidigt som den kan bidra till ett mer effektivt arbetssätt och en mer kvalitetssäker palliativ vård.

The postbuckling load carrying capacity of composite plates offers immense potential to their applications for loads exceeding their primary buckling load. However, such an efficient and economical usage of these plates can be reliable only if the nonlinear postbuckling behavior of these plates, which includes a good understanding of secondary buckling, is understood thoroughly. The present investigation is an attempt to understand secondary buckling of almost square composite clamped-simply supported plates, both unstiffened as well as stiffened, in some detail. With the help of the finite element method, a large number of numerical studies have been conducted to understand the secondary buckling characteristics. The sensitivity of these characteristics to variations in boundary conditions, lamination sequence, imperfections, and stiffener geometry has been considered. It has been found that the occurrence of secondary buckling in clamped-simply supported plates under uniform end shortening critically depends on the intensity of restrictions imposed on the inplane normal displacements along the unloaded simply supported edges of the plate. These restrictions could be due to the actual boundary conditions at these edges, or due to the presence of stiffeners along these edges. It has also been found that the presence of imperfections significantly delays the event of secondary buckling. Finally, it has been found that changes in lamination sequence of the plate alter its secondary buckling characteristics in ways that are, in general, quantitative in nature. The numerical investigations were followed by a limited number of experiments involving the testing of unstiffened as well as stiffened composite plates with the intent of augmenting the confidence in the numerical predictions made. Three different lamination sequences were considered during the testing phase of this investigation. It was found that the agreement between experimental data and numerical predictions was quite good. The occurrence of secondary buckling followed the predictions closely. / Ph. D.

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program-Education (SNAP-Ed) includes programs and educational curricula that promote healthy behaviors for people receiving nutrition assistance benefits, or eligible for benefits. This study investigated whether information given to children through SNAP-Ed nutrition education programs implemented in schools was taken home to educate parents. After programs were delivered to students by Mississippi State University Extension Service Nutrition Educators, parents (N=302, response rate=43.1%) of elementary students in eight public schools in Jackson, Mississippi, reported changes they made in their households. These changes included eating more fruits and vegetables or trying different fruits and vegetables, and being more physically active (p<0.001). A majority (63.9%) of parents reported that after their children participated in nutrition education programs, their children talked to them about healthy foods, and 73.2% reported their children asked for more fruits, vegetables, milk, or yogurt. Teachers (N=19, response rate=38.0%) rated the SNAP-Ed education programs favorably.

Sandwich structures constitute basic components of advanced supersonic/hypersonic flight and launch vehicles. These advanced flight vehicles operate in hostile environments consisting of high temperature, moisture, and pressure fields. As a result, these structures are exposed to large lateral pressures, large compressive edge loads, and high temperature gradients which can create large stresses and strains within the structure and can produce the instability of the structure. This creates the need for a better understanding of the behavior of these structures under these complex loading conditions. Moreover, a better understanding of the load carrying capacity of sandwich structures constitutes an essential step towards a more rational design and exploitation of these constructions. In order to address these issues, a comprehensive geometrically non-linear theory of doubly curved sandwich structures constructed of anisotropic laminated face sheets with an orthotropic core under various loadings for simply supported edge conditions is developed. The effects of the radii of curvature, initial geometric imperfections, pressure, uniaxial compressive edge loads, biaxial edge loading consisting of compressive/tensile edge loads, and thermal loads will be analyzed. The effect of the structural tailoring of the facesheets upon the load carrying capacity of the structure under these various loading conditions are analyzed. In addition, the movability/immovability of the unloaded edges and the end-shortening are examined. To pursue this study, two different formulations of the theory are developed. One of these formulations is referred to as the mixed formulation, While the second formulation is referred to as the displacement formulation. Several results are presented encompassing buckling, postbuckling, and stress/strain analysis in conjunction with the application of the structural tailoring technique. The great effects of this technique are explored. Moreover, comparisons with the available theoretical and experimental results are presented and good agreements are reported. / Ph. D.

General unsymmetric laminates exhibit large natural curvatures at room temperature. Additionally, inherent to most unsymmetric laminates is the presence of two stable configurations. Multiple configurations and stability issues arise because of the geometric nonlinearities associated with the large curvatures. The laminate can be changed from one stable configuration to the other by a simple snap-through action. This situation offers the opportunity to use shape memory alloys (SMA) attached to the laminate to generate the snap-through forces and change the shape of the laminate on command. Presented is a model which can predict SMA-induced deformations in general unsymmetric laminates and, particularly, the occurrence of the snap through. First, a methodology is developed to predict the deformations of flat general unsymmetric epoxy-matrix composite laminates as they are cooled from their elevated cure temperature. Approximations to the strain fields are used in the expression for the total potential energy, and the Rayleigh-Ritz approach is used to study equilibrium. To further study the laminate deformations, finite-element analyses are performed. Experimental results are presented which confirm the predictions of the developed theory and the finite-element analyses regarding the existence of multiple solutions and the magnitude of the deformations. Results are compared with those of several other investigators. Next, the deformation behavior of general unsymmetric laminates subjected to applied forces is studied. The principle of virtual work is used to derive the equilibrium equations relating the laminate deformations to the applied forces. By solving the equilibrium equations as a function of the force level, relations between the laminate deformations and the applied force are derived, and the force level at which the laminate changes shape is determined. Finally, an existing SMA constitutive model is implemented into the developed theory to predict the deformations of simple structures to SMA-induced forces. Experiments on a narrow aluminium plate with an externally attached SMA actuator are conducted. The experimental results show good agreement with the predictions from the developed theory. Next, the deformation behavior of general unsymmetric laminates subjected to SMA actuators is predicted using the developed theory. Experiments using SMA actuators to generate the snap through of nsymmetric laminates are conducted. Good correlation with the developed theory is obtained. / Ph. D.