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Exercise Participation During Weight Loss On A High Protein – Low Carbohydrate Diet Plan In Females Aged 15-25 Years, Margaret Mobley-Meulman

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Weight gain due to poor diet and lack of exercise is responsible for over 300,000 deaths each year (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2010). Obese adults have an increased risk for serious health conditions including high blood pressure and cholesterol, type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease, stroke, gallbladder disease, osteoarthritis, sleep apnea, respiratory problems, and certain cancers (National Cancer Institute, 2012). Participation in exercise can help control weight, strengthen muscles and bones, and reduce the incidence of cardiac events, stroke, hypertension, type 2 diabetes, colon and breast cancers, osteoporotic fractures, gallbladder disease, obesity, depression, anxiety, and delay mortality …

Cause And Impacts Of The Early Season Collapse Of Lilium Grayi (Gray’S Lily), On Roan Mountain, Tn/Nc, Russell J. Ingram

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A population of the rare Southern Appalachian endemic species Lilium grayi, (Gray’s lily) Roan Mountain, TN/NC was monitored for 2 years to determine the cause and impact of an early season collapse. High concentrations of the Lilium spp. host-specific fungal phytopathogen, Pseudocercosporella inconspicua (G. Winter) U. Braun were associated with 19/20 symptomatic and 0/30 asymptomatic plants. Strength of the association between pathogen and disease and the replication of disease symptoms in 4/4 healthy hosts showed that P. inconspicua was the causal agent of the disease referred to as lily leaf spot. Disease had a severe impact on the population …

The Grass-Roots Challenges With Administration: Conscription Evasion, Contraband, And Resistance In Napoleonic Europe, Julia A. Lyle

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The French model of the nineteenth century led the way to modernity in establishing centralized administrative governments throughout Continental Europe. Several Napoleonic policies that led to the establishment of a modern centralized state were not positive in their effects on the local communities. Research widely categorizes resistance to the Napoleonic program as either militarily or economically based. This study uses the French court cases from the Court of Cassation dated 1804 to 1820 to provide a different interpretation to the discussion of local resistance to Napoleonic authority on an international level. Conscription fraud, contraband, and resistance to government officials reveal …

Olanzapine-Induced Liver Injury : Direct Metabolic Effects, Exacerbation By High-Fat Diet, And Protection With Sulforaphane., Robin H. Schmidt 1984-

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Olanzapine (OLZ) is an effective first-line treatment for schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. The benefits of OLZ are countermanded by side effects such as weight gain, glucose intolerance, dyslipidemia, and liver injury. These effects impact not only antipsychotic medication compliance, but also increase the health risks to patients. Most studies to date have focused on potential effects of OLZ on the central nervous system (e.g., hypothalamic regulation of satiety); however, peripheral changes in key metabolic organs such as the liver may also play a critical role. The obesity rates in the US are now at epidemic levels and obesity-induced liver disease …

Characterization Of Promoter Regions Of Parotid Gland Genes., Sara M. Perez 1987-

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

BACKGROUND: Salivary secretion aids in digestion, host defense, and lubrication. Parotid salivary gland defects from Sjogren’s Syndrome affect more than one million Americans and cause dry mouth leading to oral disease. The Amylase 1 gene and the PSP gene are markers of parotid gland differentiation and indicate normal parotid gland function. Transcriptional activators of genes involved in parotid differentiation have not been characterized. HYPOTHESIS: Characterizing transcriptional activating sites in gene promoter regions will confirm upstream activating factors in bioinformatic network pathways. METHODS: Two promoter regions of mouse amylase 1 were identified using the ECR Browser, PCR amplified and ligated into …

Sustainability And Collegiate Recreational Sports Facilities., Thomas Bradley Stinnett

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Sustainability is a hot topic in higher education. Buzz words such as green and renewable have helped brand modern environmentalism. A greater emphasis on facility planning, development, and management is contributing to sustainability efforts. Collegiate recreational sports programs often include facilities that pose a challenge to the green movement, due to their size and operational requirements. To identify efforts within the collegiate recreational sports industry, this dissertation focuses on assessing the state of facility sustainability. The purpose of this study was to assess levels of personnel familiarity and institutional level of adoption related to sustainable initiatives at collegiate recreational sports …

The Relationship Of Stress Levels To Wellness Practices Among U.S. Radiologic Technology Program Directors, Jesse D. Pennington

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this modified replication study is to examine the relationship between the stress levels and the wellness practices of U.S. radiologic technology program directors and to determine if correlations exist between wellness practices and stress levels of the group. Additionally, relaxation activities and the feelings, characteristics, and symptoms associated with stress were considered. The design of the study was ex post facto correlational. The population of the study was U.S. radiologic technology program directors working in JRCERT accredited programs. The electronic instrument was distributed to 635 program directors through e-mail, with 424 (66.7%) usable returns. Significant associations were …

Ventricular Assist Device And Extracellular Matrix Combination Therapy In A Chronic Ischemic Heart Failure Bovine Model., Erin F. Smith

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Purpose: Currently, heart transplantation and mechanical circulatory support (MCS) are the preferred treatments for end stage heart failure. However, these therapies are associated with a shortage of donor organs, a 5-yr survival rate of 80%, and adverse events associated with long-term MCS usage. To overcome these limitations, new clinical paradigm is proposed using a combination therapy of MCS and extracellular matrix (ECM) injection therapy to promote myocardial recovery. Methods: The experimental design consisted of a control (no therapy, n=10) and 3 test groups: (1) ECM only (n=2); (2) MSC (HVAD) only (n=2); and (3) HVAD + ECM (n=2) in a …

Behavioral Rhythm, Sleep, And Mood Disturbances In Newly Admitted Nursing Home Residents., Irene M. Kostiwa

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Older adults entering a nursing home face many physical and psychosocial challenges, all at a point in life when their bodies may be least equipped to handle such adversity. Data for the present study were collected for 186 incoming residents from 6 nursing homes over the course of 1 year. Fifty-six participants were interviewed at the earliest possible time point following admission and rest-activity data were collected via actigraphy for 1 week, after which participants were interviewed a second time. Newly admitted residents in this sample were functionally dependent, highly medicated, and diagnosed with many conditions associated with sleep and/or …

Systemic Leptin Modulates The Expression Of E-Cadherin, Β-Catenin In The Ovary Of Dietary-Induced Obese Infertile Rats, Olufunke A. Sokan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

One of the numerous complications of obesity is infertility. Leptin has been shown to reverse infertility; however, exact mechanism is poorly understood. Recent evidence indicates Ecadherin/ β-catenin complex, which is a structural constituent of adherens junction, is expressed in the rat ovary during folliculogenesis. We hypothesized that systemic leptin modulates the expression of E-cadherin and β-catenin in dietary-induced obese infertile rats to reverse infertility. Female Sprague-Dawley rats were fed either regular chow diet (RCD) (n=6) or high fat diet (HFD) (n=14). Oestrus cycles were monitored daily until their cycles became irregular. 100 ug/ml of leptin was given intraperitoneally to HFD-fed …

Barbary Pirates: Thomas Jefferson, William Eaton, And The Evolution Of U.S. Diplomacy In The Mediterranean, Patrick N. Teye

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study analyzes U.S. relations with the Barbary States from 1784 to 1805. After the American Revolution, the young nation found its commerce menaced in the Mediterranean by North African pirates sponsored by the rulers of Morocco, Tunis, Algiers, and Tripoli. As the U.S. sought to find a solution to end piracy and the practice of paying tributes or ransom to free Americans held captive, Thomas Jefferson proposed several solutions as a diplomat, vice president, and as president when he authorized the Tripolitan War (1801-1805). Thus, this look at U.S. relations with the Barbary States focuses on Jefferson’s evolving foreign …

Microsporidia Spore Adherence And Host Cell Infection In Vitro, Cory A. Leonard

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Microsporidia infect invertebrate and vertebrate animals. Human pathogenic microsporidia are associated with severe disease in immunocompromised individuals, and mostly asymptomatic infection in the immunocompetent. Treatment options for microsporidiosis are limited, incompletely effective, and associated with toxicity. Furthermore, microsporidia infection of healthy individuals is poorly understood, and the consequences of asymptomatic infection have not been determined. Little is known about the molecular mechanisms of microsporidia infection, but such information is essential for the development of new therapies. Spores adhere to host cell surfaces in vitro. Our laboratory has focused on determining specific host cell and microsporidia spore surface participants in spore …

Bioengineering The Expression Of Active Recombinant Human Cathepsin G, Enteropeptidase, Neutrophil Elastase, And C-Reactive Protein In Yeast, Eliot T. Smith

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The yeasts Pichia pastoris and Kluyveromyces lactis were used to express several recombinant human proteins for further biochemical characterization. Two substitution variants of recombinant human enteropeptidase light chain (rhEPL) were engineered to modify the extended substrate specificity of this serine protease. Both were secreted as active enzymes in excess of 1.7 mg/L in P. pastoris fermentation broth. The substitution variant rhEPL R96Q showed significantly reduced specificities for the preferred substrate sequences DDDDK and DDDDR; however, the rhEPL Y174R variant displayed improved specificities for these substrate sequences relative to all other reported variants of this enzyme. The neutrophil serine proteases human …

Systematics, Climate, And Ecology Of Fossil And Extant Nyssa (Nyssaceae, Cornales) And Implications Of Nyssa Grayensis Sp. Nov. From The Gray Fossil Site, Northeast Tennessee, Nathan R. Noll

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Late Hemphillian (latest Miocene or earliest Pliocene, 7-4.5 Ma) Gray Fossil Site in northeastern Tennessee is interpreted to represent a lacustrine paleokarst fed by a river or stream. This research focuses on the morphological and systematic relations of Nyssa endocarps (fruit pits) from the fossil site to extinct and extant Nyssa species. A combination of metric and nonmetric traits allows recognition of a new species: Nyssa grayensis sp. nov. This fossil species shares the most similarities with the extant Nyssa ogeche Bartram ex Marshall from southeast North America and the Eocene fossil Nyssa eolignitica Berry from western Tennessee. Affinities …

A Content Analysis Of A&E'S Hoarders, Samantha J. Redwine

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The interest in hoarding has peaked since its first clinical definition in 1996 and is evident by six television shows centered on the topic. This thesis reports the results a content analysis of two seasons (21 episodes) of the popular T.V. series A&E’s Hoarders. People rationalize hoarding in ways that both differ and overlap. Doctors, professional organizers, hoarders and their loved ones collectively frame hoarding as a medical and mental health problem. The results suggest that Americans’ perceptions of hoarding behavior has shifted from one that is deviant behavior to one that is medicalized.

Synthesis Of Ester Derivatives Of Resveratrol As Potential Anti-Cancer Drugs, Parasmani Pageni

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Resveratrol is a naturally occurring phytoalexin of the stilbene family produced by various plants in response to stress, UV radiation, and fungal attack. It is primarily found in peanuts, berries, grape skin, and red wine. Resveratrol has been found to exhibit anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory, anti-aging, and anti-oxidant properties. Research indicates that diets enriched with resveratrol containing substances result in less incidence of cancer. Unfortunately, the low bioavailability and solubility has been a huge setback for its potential prospects. As a result, efforts have been made to synthesize derivatives of resveratrol with increased solubility and bioavailability. Three triester novel resveratrol derivatives 3, …

Development Of A Physiologic Ex Vivo Vessel Perfusion System., Mitchell J. Buller

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Introduction: Over time, continuous flow ventricular assist devices (VADs) have become the primary form of implanted mechanical circulatory support (MCS) due to their smaller size, higher energy efficiency, longer durability, and fewer LVAD-related complications when compared to pulsatile flow VADs. However, continuous and pulsatile flows may elicit different cellular and tissue response, particularly in the arterial vasculature, which could have a profound impact on the future operation of MCS devices. Therefore, a unique ex vivo perfusion system integrated with a mock adult circulatory system was design to study the impact of VAD-generated flow patterns on vascular function. Methods: The benefits …

Encounter At Comic Con, Carly Jerome

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Comic books and comic book culture have always been a man's world - until recently. With the growing popularity of graphic novels, movies based off of comic books, and publishers creating more feminist-friendly work, the gender lines are blurring. The short documentary Encounter at Comic Con examines gender stereotypes, and attempts to challenge them. Traveling to Denver's first ever Comic Convention, filmmaker Carly Jerome interviews attendees, professional costume players, and then turns the camera on herself. Her findings are fascinating, but it is her personal journey during the three-day event that is most compelling.

The Organic Beauty Industry: A Gendered Economic Review, Brianna D. Connelly

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Organic beauty has grown to a $6 billion dollar industry supplying consumers with products that align with unique social consumption preferences. This thesis explores the historical economic perspective of the traditional beauty industry and the development of the organic beauty industry. Capitalism influenced the traditional beauty industry during the pursuit for profits that lead to jeopardizing customer and environmental safety. Consumers responded to this behavior by founding an organic beauty industry that not only considered social issues, but negated gendered beauty standards in the process. Organic product efficacy has emerged as an issue that must be dealt with by regulation …

Evolving Minds: Helping Students With Cognitive Dissonance, Terry L. Bramschreiber

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Even 150 years after Charles Darwin published On the Origin of Species, public school teachers still find themselves dealing with student resistance to learning about biological evolution. Some teachers deal with this pressure by undermining, deemphasizing, or even omitting the topic in their science curriculum. Others face the challenge and deliver solid scientific instruction of evolutionary theory despite the conflicts that may arise. The latter were the topic of this study.

I interviewed five teachers that had experience dealing with resistance to learning evolution in their school community. Through these in-depth interviews, I examined strategies these teachers use when …

Remembering Dearfield: A Study Of An Early 20th Century Black Community, Mary Connell

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis explores the different meanings of Dearfield, an early 20th Century black farming colony in northeastern Colorado, from the way the settlers’ conceived of their community, to the way that it was portrayed by the founder, to the way that it is remembered today. Through analysis of archival data and government records I show that there were two sides of Dearfield, that remembered by most of the settlers, and that portrayed by the founder O.T. Jackson. A magnetometer survey shows that the townsite was not as densely occupied as the common narrative of Dearfield would suggest, indeed many homesteaders …

¿Del Mar Quién Es Dueño? Artisanal Fisheries, Tourism Development, And The Struggles Over Access To Marine Resources In Playa Gigante, Nicaragua, Nikolai Alexander Alvarado

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In post-revolutionary Nicaragua tourism development has been embraced as a way to inject foreign exchange into an ailing economy. Despite rapid growth of the sector, particularly along Nicaragua's southwestern Pacific coast, little attention has been given to the impacts of this development on local producers. This research focuses on the tourism development taking place in the fishing community of Playa Gigante and its impacts on artisanal fisheries. Additionally, I focus on the struggles over access to marine resources, especially with creation of La Anciana Marine Protected Area (MPA), a marine conservation corridor being pushed forth by the largest resort development …

"As Our Elders Taught Us To Speak It": Chinuk Wawa And The Process Of Creating Authenticity, Kylie N. Johnson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Chinuk Wawa (also called Chinook Jargon) began as a trading language of the Pacific Northwest in the late eighteenth century. As it developed, it became the major heritage language of the Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde, an intertribal nation located in Oregon. Now, as older speakers of the language pass on, there is an effort by the Grand Ronde to revitalize this language not only on the Grand Ronde Reservation, but also in nearby Portland, Oregon. However, revitalization can be a complicated process, as tribal leaders attempt to define Chinuk to maintain its traditions while adapting its vocabulary for …

Penning The Shipper-Worthy Screenplay: Exploration Of Network Television Situational Comedy And The Crime Procedural, Kacie Henderson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Network television writers often utilize ongoing romantic turmoil as a plot device to form loyal fan bases called "shippers," viewers who become deeply invested in the romantic relationships between their favorite television couples. For my thesis, I explored the shipper paradigm and the differences between network sitcoms and crime procedurals by creating one spec script The Big Bang Theory and another for Bones. I used research and my own personal experiences to analyze both series and write episodes that could fit within the established canons of both programs. Through the writing process I came to understand something very important …

Using Discrete Event Simulation To Improve The Patient Care Process In The Emergency Department Of A Rural Kentucky Hospital., Molly Cassaro Jones

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The patient care process of a rural Kentucky hospital is a complex process that must be flexible in order to deal with a large variety of patient needs and a fluctuating patient volume where all patients are unscheduled. A simulation model of an average month in the emergency department was built using the Arena Simulation package. Methods for creating a simulation using Arena are included in this work. Statistics were generated from a number of different sources to create an accurate representation of the model. The Hospital reporting shows a need to improve on two quality measures being tracked, the …

Pioneers, Proclamations, And Patents : A Narrative Of The Conquest, Division, Settlement, And Transformation Of Kentucky., Brandon Michael Robison 1986-

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study provides a narrative of Revolutionary Kentucky, focused on three key areas. First, it traces the struggle Native Americans, white settlers and speculators, and the various colonial, state, imperial, and national governments that claimed the territory for control and possession of Kentucky’s lands in the late eighteenth century. Second, this study focuses on the long-term effects of the struggle over Kentucky’s lands, paying particular attention to Virginia’s land laws of 1778-79, which created the framework by which the state distributed Kentucky’s land, and based on poor implementation of Jeffersonian notions of republicanism and allodial land ownership. Third, this study …

The Relationship Between Early Attachment And Adolescent Risky Behaviors With Changes In Loneliness In A Mediating Role., Sze Sze Tong

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The premise that attachment in the early stages of development is influential on future development has been extensively researched. Though research denotes that attachment in early development does influence behavioral outcomes in later stages of development, the path of influence is an indirect one, often involving more temporally proximal mediating variables (i.e. mediating variables that occur in the time between the assessment of attachment in the early stages and the measurement of behavioral outcome variables in the later stages of development). Previous research in this area has identified various mediating variables: relationship variables, individual child characteristics, environmental variables, and behavioral …

The Role Of A7 Nicotine Acetylcholine Receptors In Lung Injury And Repair., Glenn Vicary

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Tobacco-related chronic lung diseases are characterized by alterations in lung architecture, leading to decreased lung function and airflow limitation. Knowledge of the exact mechanisms involved in tobacco-induced tissue remodeling and inflammation remains incomplete. We hypothesized that nicotine, a component of tobacco, stimulates the expression of extracellular matrices leading to relative changes in lung matrix composition, which may affect immune cells entering the lung during inflammation. We found that nicotine stimulated collagen type I mRNA and protein expression in a dose- and time-dependent manner in primary lung fibroblasts. The stimulatory effect of nicotine was inhibited in lung fibroblasts harvested from mice …

Pacap : A Novel Neuropeptide For Pituitary Gonadotroph Maturation, Function And Regulation., Rongqiang Yang

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide (PACAP) is a 38-amino acid C-terminally a-amidated peptide that was first isolated from ovine hypothalamic extracts on the basis of its ability to stimulate cAMP production in anterior pituitary cells. As a member of the vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP)/secretin/growth hormone-releasing hormone/glucagon superfamily, PACAP has been well conserved during evolution from sea squirt to humans, which suggests important biological functions. Two types of PACAP receptors have been characterized. PAC1-R is the only one PACAP-specific receptor with high affinity. Although PACAP was first found in hypothalamus, it is also expressed in the pituitary. In the research to be …

The Effects Of Online Courses With Multimedia In Learners' Perceived Satisfaction And Effectiveness Of E-Learning., Hardy Mackenzie 1971-

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this exploratory study was to determine how the use of multimedia components, such as graphics, audio and video, in online courses was related to perceived learner satisfaction and learning effectiveness. The use of retrospective data provided self reported perceived satisfaction measures and total score representing objective performance in an online course. Data represented employees of a large multinational, publicly traded healthcare company (N = 2401) during the 2012 calendar year. The independent variables were: (a) learner perceived satisfaction with the use of graphics, (b) learner perceived satisfaction with the use of audio, (c) learner perceived satisfaction with …