Digital Commons Network^™

An Accurate Vo2max Non-Exercise Regression Model For 18 To 65 Year Old Adults, Danielle I. Bradshaw

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to develop a regression equation to predict VO2max based on non-exercise (N-EX) data. All participants (N = 100), aged 18-65 years old, successfully completed a maximal graded exercise test (GXT) to assess VO2max (mean ± SD; 39.96 mL∙kg-¹∙min&sup-1; ± 9.54 mL∙kg-¹∙min-¹). The N-EX data collected just before the maximal GXT included the participant's age, gender, body mass index (BMI), perceived functional ability (PFA) to walk, jog, or run given distances, and current physical activity (PA-R) level. Multiple linear regression generated the following N-EX prediction equation (R = .93, SEE = 3.45 mL∙kg-¹∙min-¹, %SEE = …

Analysis Of Weight-Related Advertisements And Nutrition Articles In Popular Women's Magazines, Jennifer Cardall Jacobson

Theses and Dissertations

Objective: The purpose of this study was to discover whether the weight-related messages and themes from food advertisements in women's magazines reinforce or contradict the messages communicated in nutrition-related articles focusing on weight control within the same magazines.

Design: Content analysis of 48 issues of weight-related content six popular women's magazines, 2001-2002. There were three magazines in each of two categories, "homemaking" and "health." All food and nutrition advertisements were analyzed (n=954), along with all nutrition articles (n=336). Advertisements and articles were identified as being either weight-related or non-weight-related. Type of food/product advertised, claims used to market the product, and …

Epidemiology Of Ustilago Bullata Berk. On Bromus Tectorum L. And Implication For Biological Control, Toupta Boguena

Theses and Dissertations

The seedling-infecting pathogen Ustilago bullata Berk. is a naturally occurring biological control agent for cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum L.). The effects of temperature and nutrients on pathogen teliospore germination behavior and the effects of temperature on host seed germination were examined. The effects of temperature on sporidial proliferation, host infection in a temperature-controlled environment and in a field setting for eight populations were investigated. The infection success of Ustilago bullata on Bromus tectorum in cultivated fields as a function of seeding date, inoculation method, inoculum density, supplemental watering, and litter was also investigated. Teliospores germinated faster on potato dextrose agar than …

Physical Activity And Changes In Abdominal Fat Over 18 Months: A Prospective Study Of Middle-Aged Women, Lance Eric Davidson

Theses and Dissertations

Objective: To investigate the extent to which changes in physical activity predict changes in abdominal fat in women over an 18-month period, while statistically controlling the effects of possible confounders, such as age, total body fat percent, and energy intake. Design: A prospective cohort design over 18 months. There was no intervention or treatment. Changes in objectively-measured physical activity were used to predict changes in abdominal fat over the study period. Subjects: 110 healthy, middle-aged women (mean: 41.3±3.3 yrs), primarily Caucasian, educated, and married. Measurements: An objective measure of physical activity (ACT) using CSA accelerometers, worn continuously for 7 consecutive …

An Analysis Of Microbial Contamination In Military Aviation Fuel Systems, Harold W. Graef

Theses and Dissertations

Military aviation fuel systems can be an ideal environment for microorganisms. Microbial growth in hydrocarbon fuel systems arises because of the impracticality of keeping fuel tanks sterile and the inevitable presence of water from condensation. Microbial contaminants in aviation fuel systems are a concern because of their potential to degrade the fuel, accelerate tank corrosion, and threaten flight safety. This research addresses the concern of using more environmentally friendly Fuel System Icing Inhibitors (FSII), which are also biocidal. Are significant levels of microorganisms growing in military aviation fuel systems, and if so, are there any common variables? Forty aviation fuel …

Stochastic Intra-Cellular Modeling, Thomas E. Hopkins

Theses and Dissertations

Air Force personnel may sometimes come into contact with potentially harmful chemicals while performing their duties. Of course the Air Force desires to keep any potential health risks to its members to a minimum. To this end the Air Force would like to identify which chemicals are toxic, their level of toxicity, and the processes by which these chemicals disrupt normal biological activities at the cellular level. The development of mathematical models can be of great benefit to toxicity studies. Because real world systems involve randomness, that is noise, and the desire is to create mathematical models to represent those …

Deterministic Intracellular Modeling, Jacqueline B. Young

Theses and Dissertations

The United States Air Force is interested in the potential side effects at the cellular level from exposure to mission-essential chemicals. Presently, Air Force toxicology studies are conducted to help shed light in identifying potential hazards to workers. However, it takes a considerable amount of money, resources, and time to obtain and analyze experimental results from toxicology studies. The necessity for innovative methods that enable researchers to more effectively generate and analyze data is apparent.

Implementation And Validation Of A Real-Time Wireless Non-Invasive Physiological Monitoring In A High-G Environment, H. Aydin Akcivi

Theses and Dissertations

The overall purpose of this research is to develop a system capable of real-time personal positioning and physiological monitoring. The system will be composed of a shirt having non-invasive physiological sensors, Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver, wireless data transceiver, and real-time PC-based control station. The specific purpose of this research phase was to determine the performance capabilities of a modified LifeShirt™ alone (without GPS) in a high gravitational force environment with the data being sent wirelessly in real-time. The LifeShirt™ was modified with a real time wireless transmission system.

A System Dynamics Investigation Of Genetic Drift And Translocation In The Red-Cockaded Woodpecker Metapopulation, Jason E. Yates

Theses and Dissertations

The red-cockaded woodpecker (Picoides borealis) is classified under the Endangered Species Act of 1973 as an endangered species As such, the red-cockaded woodpecker (RCW) is afforded strict protection in an effort to return the RCW population to a self-sustainable level. Endemic to southeastern United States mature pine forests, the presence of the RCW impacts the operations of many Department of Defense (DoD) installations. A particular challenge in sustaining what are often small populations of RCW at these locations is the loss of genetic variation due to genetic drift. The optimal method for mitigating such loss is through the artificial immigration, …

The Effectiveness Of Consuming Fortified Foods (Api) With Iron On The Anemia Ferropriva In Resident Students To Great Altitude Of The Rural Area Of The Departemento Of La Paz, Beatriz Julia Ramirez Copa

Theses and Dissertations

In many countries, the health and the development of a great number of people are compromised by the insufficient distribution of micro-nutrients. The deficiency of iron is one of the things that to a large extent contributes to the high rates of death and maternal and childhood mortality, affecting also a great percentage of school aged children. Bolivia, along with the majority of underdeveloped countries, presents high prevalence of anemia in the students. Recent studies confirm that anemia nutrients are a problem of public health of great magnitude to rural and urban level (Fernández et al, 1994). Before this situation …

Evaluation Of The Production Yield In Two Guinea Pig Populations Under Field Conditions And Project Mejocuy Cages, Elbert Alan Estevez Siles

Theses and Dissertations

The breeding of the guinea pig in Bolivia has always been important for the inhabitants of rural areas. Nevertheless, in recent years there has been broader acceptance for consumption of the guinea pig in the urban middle class, beginning to grow the market of the meat of guinea pig in the Departamentos of Bolivia, because the good flavor and high degree of nutrition of this meat, therefore offering a good option to improve nutrition in the diet of Bolivians. Currently the type of breeding found of the valleys of Bolivia in the great majority of the communities is family-based, with …

Costs Of Feeding Guinea Pigs In Two Meat-Producing Populations In The Field And Experimental Station, Sara Taborga Galindo

Theses and Dissertations

The cost of feeding has been pointed out as the most trascendet investment inside a guinea-pig production. The present work carries out with the purpose to determine and to quantify feeding costs, total costs of production and profitability of Tamborada and MEJOCUY guinea-pig populations. In the stage of suckling period, breed and gestation, experimental station and field. The result of feeding cost was 0.05 and 0.03 $US in suckling period (14 days) for Tamborada and MEJOCUY population, in breeding (42 days) it was 0.14 $US in both populations and in gestation (67 days), it was 0.42 and 0.40 $US. In …

Vascular Cell Dysfunction And Transendothelial Migration Of Neutrophils In Preeclampsia, Courtney Elizabeth Leik

Theses and Dissertations

Oxidative stress, hyperlipidemia, neutrophil activation and endothelial cell dysfunction are characteristic of women with preeclampsia. We used in vitro experiments to test if a combination of oxidative stress and linoleic acid favors a mechanism for neutrophil transendothelial migration. We used linoleic acid because it is one of the fatty acids elevated in preeclampsia and the precursor for arachidonic acid and its inflammatory metabolites. For these studies, we developed a methodology for isolating and Culturing human vascular smooth muscle cells from placental chorionic plate arteries. Treatment of these cells with an oxidizing solution enriched with linoleic acid, but neither component alone, …

Evaluation Of Quinoa (Chenopodium Quinoa Willd) At Different Spacings Between Furrows And Plants In The Mamani Community, José Ferrufino Miranda

Theses and Dissertations

This study addressed spacing between furrows and plants in the cultivation of the quinoa variety Patacamaya. This study took place from 1999 to 2000 in the Mamani community, Ingavi, La Paz, Bolivia. The Patacamaya variety is a cross between Samaranti (sweet) and Kaslala (bitter), with a vegetative cycle of 145 days (semi-early). It has large grains, is sweet, and has a high grain yield. The spaces between furrows were 40, 60, and 80 cm in an experimental design of randomly divided plots with four repetitions. The spaces between furrows were implemented in large plots and the plant spaces as sub-treatments …

The Effect Of Aposematic Coloration On The Food Preference Of Aphelocoma Coerulescens, The Florida Scrub Jay, Mary Elizabeth Hill

Theses and Dissertations

Aposematic coloration, commonly observed in noxious organisms, serves as a warning to predators to avoid attacking specific prey. This coloration is conspicuous in nature, with one of the most common examples being a red and black pattern. The plant Abrus precatorius exhibits this warning signal in its seeds, which resemble lady beetles and contain the concentrated toxin abrin. Aphelocoma coerulescens, an endemic and federally threatened bird in the state of Florida, shares a similar distribution with Abrus precatorius, making interaction between the two species possible. Using an edible model of the Abrus seed, this potential interaction was tested in Martin …

Control Of Tomato Late Blight (Phytophthora Infestans) With Biocides On Tomatoes (Lycopersicum Sculentum) In The Community Of Carmen Pampa, Belonging To Coroico Municipality (Nor Yungas, La Paz), Rosemary Gutiérrez Coarite

Theses and Dissertations

In Bolivia, tomato acreage is 6717 and has a yield of 12005 kg/ha and the total production is 80,636 TM. Departments that harvest tomato are Santa Cruz, Cochabamba and La Paz, Santa Cruz being the department that shows the highest rates of production with 40653 TM in comparison with La Paz which has a production of 3109 TM and Cochabamba of 2420 TM. The principle factors in affect are, the best climatic conditions in Santa Cruz, while Cochabamba and La Paz have differences in seasonal changes (National Institute of Statistics, 1998). The importance of the tomato harvest lies in consumption …

Influence Of Three Soil Types On The Physical, Chemical, And Organoleptic Characteristics Of Two Varieties Of Kidney Tomato Hydroponically Cultivated Under A Panqar Huyu System, Carlos Fernando Yepez Vallejo

Theses and Dissertations

One of the largest problems that face communities located high in the Andres Mountain range is the lack of crop diversity due to the climate characteristics of this zone. Because of this, the Benson Institute created a small subterranean greenhouse called a "panqar-huyu," which in Aymara means "flower garden," that allows cultivation of small and medium-sized crops. This study's objective is to modify and adapt this system to cultivate table (kidney) tomatoes, for which one was enlarged, a drip irrigation system was installed, channels were dug to drain groundwater from the interior, etc. This study was done in the community …

In Situ Degradability Of Native Pastures In Llamas (Lama Glama) In The Rainy Season In The Community Of Pujrata, Pacajes Province, Mario Acho Nina

Theses and Dissertations

The llama (lama glama) in the Bolivian Highlands region is a most important potential resource from the socio-economic point of view for the dedicated producer to the management and exploitation of these Andean camelids, considered as national heritage of our country. The llama is completely adapted to the high plateau system, being considered a three purposed animal in this environment: producer of fiber, meat and work (load). However, due to the expansion of sheep and cattle, they have been marginalized to the poor areas, where they prosper well because they are rustic, sober and greatly efficient in the conversion of …

Digestibility Of Legumes And Grassy Forages In Guinea Pig Feeding, Javier Americo Campos Villarroel

Theses and Dissertations

With the objective to determine guinea pig digestibility of the nutritive components of Vicia villosa, red clover, and Lolium multiflorum in relation to alfalfa, the digestibility coefficients were evaluated for fiber, protein, dry matter, energy, and dry matter consumption in these three species in a completely random block design with four repetitions. The results showed that for alfalfa digestibility coefficients of 85.7% of the protein and 2806.6 kcal/kg of digestible energy, plus an economic substitution value (ESV) of fiber, protein, and energy of US$0.41 and $0.38/kg and US$0.009/1000 kcal, respectively. Lolium multiflorum had the highest tendency toward digestibility with 60.7% …

Determination Of The Botanical And Chemical Composition Of The Pasture Diet Selected By Llamas (Lama Glama) During The Rainy Season In The Community Of Pujrata, Cristóbal Achu Nina

Theses and Dissertations

Llamas (Lama glama) take advantage of poor natural forage (grasses and others) due to their efficient digestive physiology that is adapted for this type of forage. The problem now faced is the gradual exhaustion of the native grassland (low phytomass production). The vegetation does not cover the dry matter consumption requirements, and less so the nutrient requirements, of these animals. Because of this there is the necessity of determining the botanical composition, pasture selection by plant parts, and chemical composition of what llamas ingest in order to improve these animals' nutrition in the pasture. This study occurred at the Larqa …

Implementacion And Strengthening Of Family Orchards For The Diversification Of The Diet And To Improve The Consumption Of Vegetables And Available Fruits In The Communities Of The Rinconada And Cuambo In The Period 2001-2002, Guido Arellano

Theses and Dissertations

The general objective of this investigation was to implement and strengthen family orchards for the diversification of the diet and improvement of the consumption of vegetables and fruits available in the communities of the Rinconada and Cuambo. They collaborated in the implementation and strengthening of the family orchards and by means of focal group techniques determined the readiness, seasonal variance, and alimentary habits of the available vegetables and fruits. They made 10 nutritive preparations in each community in participating shops with the foods that were harvested in the orchards and with the help of consistent educational material as 2 three-page …

Determination Of Home Techniques For Storing And Conserving Food In The Homes Of Cuambo And La Rinconada In Imbabura Province, 2001-2002, Marisol Caicedo Barrios

Theses and Dissertations

In Ecuador, there is a grave socioeconomic nutritional problem, and it is seen clearest in Imbabura province in the communities of Cuambo and La Rinconada. One of the biggest problems is inadequate food, due principally to the poor food storage and conservation habits. Considering this problem, it is necessary to deepen the knowledge of improved traditional techniques for storing and conserving food, through which families can store and manage their product better, controlling and avoiding losses due to insects, rodents, and climate, and guaranteeing conservation of the same. The investigation was oriented to implement alternative, improved storage and conservation technologies …

Determination Of Seric Retinol Levels In Relation To Consumed Diet And The Prevalence Of Anemia In Preschool- And School-Aged Children In The Communities Of Cuambo And La Rinconada, Imbabura Province, Verónica Chávez

Theses and Dissertations

In this investigation the seric retinol levels were determined in order to relate them with consumed diets by preschool- and school-aged children and the prevalence of anemia in the communities of Cuambo and La Rinconada, Imbabura province, in order to later compare them with reference values. Blood samples were taken from 74 children from the two communities, 30 in La Rinconada and 44 in Cuambo, beneficiaries of the Benson Institute, to determine retinol, ferritin, hemoglobin, and hematocrit. Also, a 24-hour record with frequency of food consumption survey was given to the studied children's parents, making a sample of 56 families. …

Design And Application Of A Nutrition Education Program Based On A Test Of Improved Practices For Pregnant Women And Women Of Childbearing Age In La Rinconada And Cuambo, Odila Nicaragua

Theses and Dissertations

This study was done with the objective of designing and applying a nutrition education program based on a test of improved practices for pregnant women and women of childbearing age in the rural communities of Ibarra canton: La Riconada and Cuambo. For this, information was collected on knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) regarding the eating habits of pregnant women. These results were used to identify content and recommendations to reinforce and/or instruct about eating during pregnancy. Nutrition education was based on the methodology of the improved practices test, which consisted of testing the recommendations in families' homes before recommending them …

Red Series Reference Values In Healthy People From 15 To 60 Years Old Who Live Between 1700 And 1850 Meters Above Sea Level (Coroico - Nor Yungas - La Paz, 2001), Maria Eugenia Quispe Nina

Theses and Dissertations

This study occurred in the area of Coroico at 1700 meters above sea level and in the community of Carmen Pampa, situated at 1850 meters above sea level. Coroico is the capital of Nor Yungas province, department of La Paz. This study hopes to contribute information on reference values for erythrocyte numbers, hemoglobin values, and hematocrits for people between 15 and 60 years old that live between 1700 and 1850 meters above sea level, with the goal of facilitating precise diagnosing of anemia. The study used samples of healthy people, residents with more than two months in Coroico, of middle …