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Understanding The Environmental And Genetic Influence On Fluctuating Asymmetry And Developmental Instability In Primates, Ashly N. Romero

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation explored the impact of environmental factors on the development and perpetuation of fluctuating asymmetry (FA) and sought to understand the role evolution may play in the FA exhibited in two primate populations: the free-ranging Cayo Santiago rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta) and the Southwest National Primate Research Center olive baboons (Papio hamadryas anubis). Demographic, ontogenetic, secular, external, and genetic factors were examined. Specifically, this dissertation investigated FA over all ontogenetic stages, across decades, between sexes, in association with ecological catastrophes, and with tooth pathology to try and tease apart factors that may influence FA and developmental instability. This dissertation …

Does A Single Night Of Mindfulness Meditation Improve Sleep And Stress In Female College Students?, Koushik Thudi

Psychological Science Undergraduate Honors Theses

Several recent studies have shown that mindfulness-based practices have been effective in treating sleep problems. However, these studies have primarily looked at multi-component interventions that take place over several weeks or months. No studies have evaluated the efficacy of short-term mindfulness-based practices on sleep the same night. This study aims to do just that. The sample consisted of 10 students attending the University of Arkansas. All participants slept in a sleep laboratory on two consecutive weekday nights. During one night, they completed a mindfulness-based exercise. The other night, they completed a similar control task (counterbalanced). Polysomnography-based sleep data were collected …

Examining The Effects Of A Zoom Interview On Cortisol, Bennett Perkins

Psychological Science Undergraduate Honors Theses

The stress response is an essential physiological process that facilitates survival in threatening conditions. Stress impacts numerous bodily systems, and prior work has focused on cortisol, a steroid derived from cholesterol, as a key biomarker for assessing biological stress reactivity in humans. Social stressors are known to contribute to marked increased in cortisol levels, but to date little work has examined whether social situations known to be stressful in person can influence cortisol when those situations occur remotely. In this study, I investigated the effects of a Zoom-based social stressor on salivary cortisol. Participants were randomly assigned to the Zoom-stress …

Patterns Of Evolutionary Conservation And Divergence In The Short-Term Hyposalinity Stress Response Of A Euryhaline Diatom, Skeletonema Marinoi, Kathryn Judy

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Survival under fluctuating environmental conditions, such as those increasing in frequency and magnitude under environmental change, requires a successful response to stress. Interspecific differences in stress responses may result in differential survival of species, even within a lineage. Diatoms may constitute one such lineage, as salinity tolerance among extant species is diverse, and the observation of frequent historic habitat transitions between marine and freshwater environments indicates that diatoms successfully mitigated (low) salinity stress in the past, followed by adaptation and diversification over evolutionary time scales. To understand to what extent the diatom hypoosmotic stress response consists of conserved and variable …

Examining Difference In Social Perceptions Between Women Using Hormonal Contraceptives And Naturally Cycling Women, Caroline B. Johnson

Biological Sciences Undergraduate Honors Theses

The term “stress” refers to a person’s psychological and physiological response to the demands and pressures of the world around them (Farlex, 2021). Past research has shown that stress can have negative side effects on a person’s well-being (Aneshensel et al., 1991; Wunsch et al., 2017; Michie, 2002). Although people experience stress, some people perceive more stress than others. Perceptions are important because the way one understands certain conditions can elicit distinct emotional and physiological responses (Kemeny, 2003). An important factor that has not received a lot of attention is women’s use of hormonal contraceptives. In the United States, 24.4% …

Stress Among Ncaa Division Ii Head Coaches, Dee Gerlach

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this quantitative study was to identify factors that create stress among head coaches at the National Association Athletic Association Division II level. Data was collected through a demographic questionnaire and the Coaching Issues Survey (CIS), a tool used to measure specific factors that may create stress among coaches. The factors of the CIS include four subscales: Athlete-Concerns, Time-Role, Program-Success, and Win-Loss. Participants (N=416) consisted of head coaches representing the following sports: baseball, men’s basketball, women’s basketball, men’s golf, women’s golf, men’s and women’s golf, softball, women’s tennis, and men’s and women’s tennis. The independent variables for this …

Stress As A Contributing Factor For Pediatric Obesity: Literature Review And Internship Experience, Jessica Handley

The Eleanor Mann School of Nursing Undergraduate Honors Theses

This article is an examination of how stress drives diet and physical activity behaviors that contribute to pediatric obesity in the United States. An increasing rate of childhood obesity is being reported in the United States and therefore a multitude of studies and reviews have been conducted on the topic. This review of the literature systematically analyzes how stress, diet, and physical activity behaviors contribute to this rising rate of pediatric obesity. An analysis of the chosen articles for review indicates that stress and its counterpart (resilience) tend to be driving forces in how American children and adolescents participate in …

What Role Does Stress Play In Overall Health?, Jamie Baum

Diet, Food, Exercise, and Nutrition (D-FEND)

What is Stress?

Alternative names for stress.

Types of stress.

Causes of stress.

Learning to recognize stress.

How The Covid-19 Pandemic Has Affected Physical Activity, Sleep And Mental Health In University Students, Faculty And Staff And To Examine The Relationship Between These Variables, Zachary Parisi

Health, Human Performance and Recreation Undergraduate Honors Theses

Background: Increased physical activity has been shown to be beneficial in decreasing stress. This project will expand on this knowledge while also studying college students, a demographic that has been less studied. This study will also examine the impact of COVID-19 on these variables. COVID-19 changed many peoples’ activities of daily life, and possibly physically activity levels, due to public health measures such as lockdowns and remote learning. Purpose: The purpose of this study is to examine how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected physical activity, sleep, and mental health in university students, faculty and staff and to examine the relationship …

How Acetylation Regulates Metabolic Enzyme Function During Environmental Shifts, Jared Canonigo

Biological Sciences Undergraduate Honors Theses

Organisms such as Saccharomyces cerevisiae can regulate the mechanisms of proteins through post-translational modification. These modifications play a vital role in functional proteomic activity because they can regulate protein activity, localization, and interaction with other cellular molecules. Such modifications include phosphorylation, methylation, and acetylation. The metabolic mechanisms of yeast became of keen interest to our lab because our lab noticed many stress defense proteins were being acetylated during stress heat shock. Notably, Adh1p and Adh2p showed both an increase and a decrease in acetylation at two lysine residues (K315 and K314) overtime during heat shock respectively, though the exact function …

The Efficacy Of A Communication Guide On Stress Experienced By Family Members Of Patients Admitted In The Intensive Care Unit With Covid-19, Kandace Williams

The Eleanor Mann School of Nursing Student Works

Coronavirus disease (COVID-19), first introduced in the United States on January 20, 2020, has created worldwide panic due insufficient research and understanding of the nature of this new disease. Patients suffering from COVID-19 often require intensive care unit (ICU) admissions, resulting in stress and confusion amongst patients and their families. The high transmissibility of the disease has caused hospitals to adopt firm visitor restrictions to protect the public from exposure and spread. Families experience increased anxiety and stress due to ineffective communication with staff and restricted access to their hospitalized loved ones. A needs assessment revealed a gap in care …

Exploring The Mental Health Needs Of Intensive Care Unit Nurses Facing The Pandemic Of Covid-19, Bushra Salamah

The Eleanor Mann School of Nursing Student Works

Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has spread domestically and internationally, with approximately 134 billion confirmed cases worldwide and over 2 million deaths attributed to the virus. Frontline healthcare workers are at a substantially higher risk of infection and death due to excessive COVID-19 exposure while also facing mental health challenges. Epidemiological data on the mental health statuses of frontline nurses is still limited. The aim of this study was to examine mental health (burnout, stress, emotional exhaustion, disengagement) and associated factors among Intensive Care Unit (ICU) Nurses who are caring for COVID-19 patients to support and maintain their psychological well-being.

Effectiveness Of Ashtanga And Vinyasa Yoga: Combating Anxiety, Depression, Stress And Sleep Quality., Kati Street

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Purpose: This lack of rigor in yoga research methodology hinders the understanding of yoga components and best practices. This study implements two yoga interventions with recommended adequate structure, one more physically demanding (Ashtanga Vinyasa) and a less physically demanding (slow flow vinyasa). The instructor, who is also the lead researcher, developed a slow flow vinyasa sequence and modified the set sequence of Ashtanga Vinyasa for beginners. Both yoga interventions cover domains suggested by Sherman (2012) for meticulous methods in yoga research.

Methods: This study implements two styles of yoga with university students over the course of eight weeks, meeting twice …

Sex, Stress, And The Supreme Court: Verbal And Vocalic Analysis Of Brett Kavanaugh’S Senate Confirmation Hearings To The Supreme Court, Alexandra Johnson

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study analyzed the relationship between verbal and nonverbal vocalic communication patterns exhibited by Brett Kavanaugh, now a sitting Justice on the U.S. Supreme Court, during his Senate confirmation hearings in 2018. Additionally, the relationship between verbal statement types: attempt to define reality, personal narrative, policy positions, attacks, acclaims, and defenses, and the nonverbal vocalics of sighs, sharp intakes of breath, and sniffs were evaluated together to see which statement types would elicit higher physiological stress responses during both the 16-minute speech given at the end of the Day One hearing and the 45-minute testimony during the sexual assault hearing. …

Teen Stress And The High School Experience: Fostering The Adaptive Abilities To Survive And Advance, William P. Dewitt

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose if this study is to examine the stress experience of teenagers during their high school years. The study uses existing research to identify causes of stress and stress- management techniques and then gathers students’ perceptions through surveys and a group interview to provide student voice on the issue of stress.

Recent nation-wide efforts have been made in schools to provide more supports for the social and emotional well-being of students, but despite these efforts, stress levels of high school students remain elevated. Understanding the ways in which students identify stress and the adaptive abilities they use to manage …

Effect Of Dietary Spirulina Platensis On Stress Levels And Growth Of Female Broiler Chickens, Victoria Tarkington

Animal Science Undergraduate Honors Theses

This study measured the effects of dietary Spirulina platensis supplementation on heterophil to lymphocyte ratio, footpad lesions, and growth performance parameters. One hundred and eighty Ross 708 broiler females were randomly divided evenly into fifteen pens with three dietary treatments for a total of five replications per treatment (twelve birds per replicate) for five weeks. The different treatments were a control diet of 20% crude protein, a diet of 17% crude protein, and a diet of 17% crude protein with 10% S. platensis added to the feed. Body weight, feed intake, and mortality rate was not significantly different between treatments …

The Impact Of Stress On The Menstrual Cycle, Katherine Iris Gilbrech

The Eleanor Mann School of Nursing Undergraduate Honors Theses

Background/Purpose

Reproductive health is an important indicator of a woman’s overall health; however, menstruation is often viewed negatively in modern society. Across the nation, women are suffering with issues related to hormones and menstruation. Evidence continues to surface linking high levels of stress to negative health outcomes. The purpose of this literature review is to assess the effects of stress and stress reduction of the menstrual cycle in naturally-cycling women of reproductive age.

Methods

Peer-reviewed research within the past five years was selected for this review using the U.S. National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health. A variety of …

Lesioning Of The Nucleus Of The Hippocampal Commissure Followed By Food Deprivation Stress In Birds Demonstrates Simultaneous Involvement In Both The Hypothalamo-Pituitary-Adrenal Axis And The Hypothalamo-Pituitary-Thyroid Axis, Michael Thomas Kidd Jr.

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis is the regulatory system for the neuroendocrine stress response within vertebrates. Within the HPA axis corticotropin releasing hormone (CRH) is a major regulator and driving hormone. A structure named the nucleus of the hippocampal commissure (NHpC) has been found to contain CRH neurons and also these neurons respond to early food deprivation stress significantly prior to the paraventricular nucleus (PVN), the major driving nucleus of the classic neuroendocrine HPA axis. The objective of this study was to perform a knock down of the NHpC via electrolytic lesioning, thus eliminating a significant portion of its population of …

Global Acetylation Dynamics In The Heat Shock Response Of Saccharomyces Cerevisiae, Rebecca E. Hardman

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

All organisms face a constant barrage of environmental stresses. Single-cell organisms such as Saccharomyces cerevisiae, or common Baker’s yeast, must rely solely on cellular responses in order to survive. This response must occur in a rapid and highly coordinated manner to quickly inhibit all unnecessary processes and shuttle all available resources to those necessary for survival. One method that cells utilize for rapid protein regulation is the use of post-translational modifications. Enzymes within the cell add or remove a variety of chemical modifications, thus altering the local chemical environment of a protein. This creates a conformational change in the protein …

Natural Variation In Yeast Stress Signaling Reveals Multiple Paths To Similar Phenotypes, Amanda N. Scholes

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Natural environments are dynamic, and organisms must sense and respond to changing conditions. One common way organisms deal with stressful environments is through gene expression changes, allowing for stress acclimation and resistance. Variation in stress sensing and signaling can potentially play a large role in how individuals with different genetic backgrounds are more or less resilient to stress. However, the mechanisms underlying how gene expression variation affects organismal fitness is often obscure.

To understand connections between gene expression variation and stress defense phenotypes, we have been exploiting natural variation in Saccharomyces cerevisiae stress responses using a unique phenotype called acquired …

Components Of Mindfulness Training: Impacts On Attention And Affect, Maximilian Fey

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The literature on mindfulness supports a distinction between two components of non-judgmental acceptance and directed attention. The present research analyzed whether there are distinct differences in attentional capabilities or affect between mindfulness inductions which differed in either including only directed attention or directed attention and non-judgmental acceptance. I hypothesized that the acceptance component of mindfulness would increase participants sustained attentional capabilities relative to a control condition; furthermore, I hypothesized that the non-judgmental acceptance component of mindfulness would lead to significant increases in positive affect and decreases in negative affect relative to control. Lastly, I hypothesized that an individual difference measure …

Development Of A Text Message Stress Management Intervention And Its Impact On Perceived Stress And Coping Self-Efficacy Among Student Nurses, Kristin Jaye Henderson

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of the two studies was to develop a text message intervention and examine its effects on lowering perceived stress and increasing coping self-efficacy among nursing students. We also explored stress perceptions and investigated student satisfaction with the text message stress management program. Methods: For the first study, twenty three students participated in the focus groups for intervention development. Sample messages were presented to participants and feedback was requested. The messages were modified based on student feedback. The second study utilized an experimental pre/post design with a convenience sample (N=101) to examine the effects of the text message …

Study Of Three Potential Variables That May Impact The Maximum Shear Force And Shear Variation During The Growth And Transport Of Mixed Sex Broilers Grown In Commercial Poultry Houses, Mark Christie

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Temperature conditions during the transportation to the processing facility of commercial broilers have a direct impact on the meat texture, specifically maximum shear force and shear variation of cooked breast meat. Analysis of a calendar year of flock data (N=346), reveals that the largest impact of transport conditions, specifically temperature, is on the standard deviation of the flocks range of cooked shear values. The optimal transport temperature that yields broiler breast meat with average flock minimum shear and standard deviation values is approximately 60°F. The shear values for flocks at or near 60°F are on average 1 kg less than …

The Influence Of Family Cohesion And Relationship Maintenance Strategies On Stress During Students’ Adjustment To College, Claire C. Strutzenberg

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the effects of family cohesion and relationship maintenance behaviors on students’ experience of stress during the adjustment to college. One hundred and ninety-eight first-year college students completed measures assessing family cohesion; relationship maintenance behaviors expressed within their family systems; and academic, social, and personal-emotional stress. Results indicated that family cohesion is significantly and negatively related to students’ experiences of academic, social, and personal-emotional stress. Further, hierarchical regression and structural equation modeling provided insight to the additive influence of relationship maintenance behaviors on student stress. Analyses provided limited support for a mediation model, however, results demonstrated the importance …

The Impact Of A Learning Community On The Perceived Wellness Of First Year Doctor Of Physical Therapy Students, Angela Mae Holland

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Healthcare education guides students in obtaining skills to promote health in others. In working towards this goal, graduate students in healthcare programs potentially suffer from increased stress while undergoing the rigor of a medically based academic program. The purpose of this study was to determine if the addition of a learning community program had an effect on the perceived wellness of first year doctor of physical therapy students. A repeated measures quasi-experimental design was used to answer the three research questions, which guided the investigation. Three groups of participants completed the study, one serving as the experimental group with the …

Genomic Approaches To Identify Important Traits In Avian Species, Bhuwan Khatri

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation focusses on identifying different molecular markers that have impact on overall poultry production. Chapter one reviews microRNA (miRNA), copy number variation (CNV) and single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) as markers suggested in different avian species by various studies. It reviews modern genomic approaches that are employed for next generation sequencing data analysis and verification.

Chapter two seeks to identify and validate the muscle specific miRNAs in the breast muscle of modern broilers and its foundational chicken line. Small RNA sequencing was performed to identify differentially expressed mature miRNAs in the breast muscles of these two chicken lines. Results showed …

The Effect Of Interaction With Therapy Horses On University Students' Perceived Stress Level, Alexa Chapman

The Eleanor Mann School of Nursing Undergraduate Honors Theses

This research project investigates how university students are affected by interacting with therapy horses. Stress is the factor that will be evaluated in this particular study. The self-rated stress scores will be acquired from University of Arkansas students both before and after interacting with specially trained therapy horses during an Equine Assisted Activity and Therapy (EAAT) class offered at the University. Stress will be evaluated by students taking a survey inquiring about daily stressors including finances, school, work and relationships. The data collected will be compared by pre- and post- interactions with the horses. We expect that the pre- and …

Noninvasive Measures Of Stress And Lameness In Broilers, Shawna L. Weimer

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The concept of broiler chicken welfare has evolved from a component of animal husbandry to a label on a chicken product package. Recent attention from the public has led to the need for higher welfare standards for animal production. A primary concern of broiler production is low activity/locomotion attributed to fast growth rates leading to poor leg health. To collect the scientific data necessary to determine conditions providing the best welfare for the bird, multiple methods of assessment are required. Stress is influenced by external (temperature, humidity, lighting, stocking density) and internal (metabolism, thermoregulation, hormonal balance) factors. This series of …

Central Role Of Vasotocin In The Neuroendocrine Regulation Of Stress Responses And Food Intake In Chickens, Gallus Gallus, Gurueswar Nagarajan

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

It is well known that arginine vasotocin (AVT) in birds is involved in physiological homeostasis such as cardiovascular, osmotic regulation as well as reproductive functions. Pertinent to these physiological functions, AVT immunoreactive (-ir) neurons in the hypothalamus have been found associated with hemorrhage, dehydration, oviposition and other physiological regulation. Evidence, however, suggests that AVT also plays significant roles in modulating behavior, memory, stress, and food intake. This dissertation research addresses the latter two neuroendocrine functions of AVT in detail within the chicken brain. First, the functional role of AVT-ir neurons in conjunction with corticotropin releasing hormone (CRH)-ir neurons in the …

Identification Of Molecular Signatures Of Environmental And Nutritional Stress Responses In Poultry, Phuong Hieu Nguyen

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Poultry production plays an important role in the food supply and security for billions of people. Poultry meat is considered the most efficient, nutritious source of protein, without religious taboos, and is relatively inexpensive. However, the poultry industry is facing substantial challenges. The global environmental temperature has experienced dramatic changes in the last few years. Modern broilers are not well adapted to environmental challenges (heat and cold stress), which have resulted in heavy economic loss in the poultry industry worldwide. In addition, the use of feed restriction regimens in management of breeders as well as the transportation of young chicks …