Digital Commons Network^™

Effects On Muscular Strength And Muscular Power While Using Weighted-Chains During A 4-Week Bench Press Resistance-Training Program, Richard Stecker

Theses

This study investigates the effects of weighted chains on muscular strength and power during a four-week bench press resistance-training program in recreationally trained college-aged men. The research addresses a gap in the literature regarding the effectiveness of chain-loaded resistance as a method to enhance upper body performance, particularly in the bench press. Thirty healthy males aged 18–40 with a minimum of two years of training experience were randomly assigned to one of three groups: a weighted-chains group (60% 1RM: 40% bar weight, 20% chain), a top-weight-matched group (60% 1RM with no chains), and a bottom-weight-matched group (40% 1RM with no …

Effect Of Long-Term Beta-Alanine Supplementation On Performance In Male Collegiate Rugby Athletes, Charles Smith

Theses

This study investigated the effects of six weeks of beta-alanine (BA) supplementation on the anaerobic performance of collegiate male rugby players. Beta-alanine is a precursor to carnosine, an intramuscular buffer that helps maintain pH during high-intensity exercise. Rugby is a sport characterized by repeated bouts of high-intensity efforts, making it a prime candidate to benefit from improved buffering capacity.

Twenty-one male rugby players were recruited for the double-blind, placebo-controlled study, with 16 completing the post-testing. Participants were randomly assigned to either a beta-alanine group (6.4 g/day) or a placebo group (6.4 g/day of maltodextrin). Both groups continued their normal team …

Effects Of Rapid Weight Loss And Dehydration On Performance In Female Collegiate Wrestlers, Brittany David

Theses

BACKGROUND: Limited information is available on the physiological responses of female collegiate wrestlers to weight cutting practices and their impact on performance. The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of rapid weight loss (R WL) and dehydration on the performance of female collegiate wrestlers one hour post RWL, and 12-hours postRWL.

METHODS: Five female collegiate wrestlers (age= 20.0 ± l .2 yrs, 62.9±2.2 in., 152.9±32.5 fbs., 27.24±3.33% body fat) underwent a pre-competition style period ofRWL where they voluntary cut 5.3 ± 0.2% of their initial body mass in four days. Performance tests were performed prior to …

Reevaluating Essential Fatty Acid Nutrition In Florida Pompano, Trachinotus Carolinus, And Nile Tilapia, Oreochromis Niloticus, Christopher John Jackson

Theses

Aquaculture is currently the fastest growing sector of protein production, and is expected to overtake the harvest of wild fisheries. Limitations in nutrition, specifically fatty acid nutrition, are preventing even more dramatic growth of many species of commercial importance. Currently, much of the research involving fatty acids examines requirements as being correlated to thermal guilds (warm vs. cool water) or salinity tolerance (marine vs. freshwater). However, recent studies have revealed the potential for trophic level to be as much, if not more, influential in determining fatty acid requirements of a species. As such, two feeding trials were conducted to determine …

In Vitro Apparent Ruminal Digestibility Of Diets Containing Corn Distillers Grain With Different Quantities Of Crude Fat, David Eldridge Williams

Theses

AN ABSTRACT OF THE THESIS OF David Williams for the Master of Ruminant Nutrition degree in Animal Science, presented on December 12, 2016 at Southern Illinois University Carbondale. TITLE: IN VITRO APPARENT RUMINAL DIGESTIBILITY OF DIETS CONTAINING CORN DISTILLERS GRAIN WITH VARYING LEVELS OF CRUDE FAT MAJOR PROFESSOR: Dr. Rebecca Atkinson
 Four dual-flow continuous fermenters were used in a Latin square design to determine the apparent ruminal digestibility and ruminal characteristics of diets containing dried distillers grains plus solubles (DDGS) at various levels of fat content. Fermenters were randomly assigned to one of the following treatments: 1) 40% DDGS containing …

Green Roof Plug Germination And Growth With Different Base Media And Treatments, Afton Michelle Caulkins

Theses

The germination rates of four plant species (Allium schoenoprasum L., Dianthus gratianopolitanus ‘Grandiflorus’ Vill., Sedum kamtschaticum Fisch. & C.A. Mey. Spp. ellacombianum (Praeger) R.T. Clausen, and Talinum calycinum Engelm.) were compared with six fertility treatments (control, fertilizer - once a week, double fertilizer - twice a week, mycorrhizae, vermicompost, and green roof mix) that also evaluated a peat based greenhouse medium verses a lightweight aggregate medium integrated. The greenhouse medium had higher germination rates than the lightweight aggregate medium. The control, fertilizer, and double fertilizer, which were not applied until a month into the study, provided similar germination results. The …

Influence Of Media On Self-Objectification, Body Image, And Rape Myths Acceptance Among College Students, Catarina Durante Bergue Alves

Theses

This study is an investigation of how exposure to different media content influences self-objectification, body image, and rape myths acceptance (RMA) in female college students. The purpose of this study was to further explore the effects of immediate media exposure on body image, self-objectification, and RMA, as well as address the gap in the literature regarding the relationship between these variables (Dakanalis et al., 2015; Fox et al., 2015). One hundred and one students that identified as female were randomly assigned to three experimental conditions using a partially blind design. The students watched a short video pertaining to the condition …

Helping Office Workers To Prepare Quick And Health Meals, Runhao Zhao

Theses

Staying healthy at work is crucial to increase a wellness culture during the workday and can further help maintain the health of employees and employers both physically and mentally. Balanced eating is one of the most significant factors in maintaining good health. This thesis proposes a foldable cooking table top with an installed induction cooker. People can prepare and cook food on it cooperatively with a due division of labor in the office. Cooking in groups at the office provides opportunities for social engagement while making healthier meal choices. The proposed cooking table offers flexible interactions during cooking, dining, and …

Mobile App Of Food Combinations- Medley For Mom, Xun Zhao

Theses

“There were variations in the types of dietary intervention and the effect of specific nutrient components. There was no heterogeneity for dietary intervention components, but considerate heterogeneity for all dietary interventions combined.” With the development of the society and the improvement of living conditions, people’s eating habit has become much more diverse. However, some food combinations could potentially bring discomfort, such as indigestion, constipation and so on.

Due to the individual differences of the human digestive system structures, improper food combinations lead to various harms to different groups of people, among which pregnant women suffer the most.

“There is little …

Fresh Food Delivery System Based On Suburban Community, Zhuo Wang

Theses

Healthy eating is one of the biggest problem that affect people’s health in US, unhealthy eating causes billions of dollars on related disease every year. Eating more fresh food is one the most efficient and simplest way to improve this situation, So questions are why certain people can not eat enough fresh food and how to help them eat more fresh food. Following the questions, my research shows that there are multiple reasons involved including long commute time, far away from fresh food shop and price, according to the research, a fresh food delivery system based on suburban community called …

Machine Learning Based Autism Detection Using Brain Imaging, Gajendra Jung Katuwal

Theses

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a group of heterogeneous developmental disabilities that manifest in early childhood. Currently, ASD is primarily diagnosed by assessing the behavioral and intellectual abilities of a child. This behavioral diagnosis can be subjective, time consuming, inconclusive, does not provide insight on the underlying etiology, and is not suitable for early detection. Diagnosis based on brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)—a widely used non- invasive tool—can be objective, can help understand the brain alterations in ASD, and can be suitable for early diagnosis. However, the brain morphological findings in ASD from MRI studies have been inconsistent. Moreover, there …

Social Table Design For Culinary Enjoyment, Jiekun Qian

Theses

The purpose of this thesis was to design a new culinary experience to gather people together and make the cooking and dining activities more socialized, interactive and joyful.

A-Round is a modular culinary table that can satisfy user’s specific needs in regard to different social aspects by changing the elements of the middle part of the table (burner top, storage tray, serving tray, table top, etc.). The round shape semantically reduces the distance between people and gathers them together. By changing behaviors of users and offering resources around the dining area, this product not only functionally improves the culinary process, …

Interviews Define Face Validity Of Physical Activity Survey Items With Fourth Graders, Elizabeth Dubiel Wayman

Theses

School-based and after school interventions to encourage child participation in physical activity use self-report surveys, among other methods, to assess level of physical activity. The current study investigated the face validity of nine physical activity self-report items used to evaluate the Fuel for Fun program, a nutrition and physical activity intervention for fourth graders administered in Colorado. A convenience sample of fourth graders demographically similar to Fuel for Fun participants in Colorado were cognitively interviewed to examine understanding and comprehension of survey items. Qualitative content analysis of interview transcripts revealed that 87.5% to 100% of students reported understanding the items …

Plasma Metabolites Reveal Changes In Physiological State Of Eared Grebes (Podiceps Nigricollis) During Three Non-Migratory Periods, Allison A. Yoshida

Theses

Energy storage and use during the annual cycle of migratory birds is dynamic especially during migration. However, considerable amounts of the annual cycle are spent not migrating, and the physiological state of birds during these non-migratory periods is not well understood. We compared plasma metabolites (TRIG, BUTY, URIC, GLY) in Eared Grebes (Podiceps nigricollis) residing at three important areas when they are not migrating: fall staging (postbreeding at Mono Lake, California), spring staging (pre-breeding at Great Salt Lake, Utah), and an extended stopover prior to spring staging (Salton Sea, California). Plasma metabolites were also measured in resting and active grebes …

Development, Validation, And Clinical Application Of A Numerical Model For Pulse Wave Velocity Propagation In A Cardiovascular System With Application To Noninvasive Blood Pressure Measurements, Jeffrey S. Lillie

Theses

High blood pressure blood pressure is an important risk factor for cardiovascular disease and affects almost one-third of the U.S. adult population. Historical cuff-less non-invasive techniques used to monitor blood pressure are not accurate and highlight the need for first principal models. The first model is a one-dimensional model for pulse wave velocity (PWV) propagation in compliant arteries that accounts for nonlinear fluids in a linear elastic thin walled vessel. The results indicate an inverse quadratic relationship (R^2=.99) between ejection time and PWV, with ejection time dominating the PWV shifts (12%). The second model predicts the general relationship between PWV …

Nutritional Labelling Providing Education On Its Usage Could It Impact On Patient's Food Choice Selection For Those In The Obese Classification?, Celia Lane

Theses

A build-up of too much body fat can cause significant health risks and development of medical conditions and disabilities (National Institute Clinical Excellence (NICE), 2014). The causes of obesity involve the disproportionate intake of calories that are not utilised (World Health Organisation (WHO), 2016). The rising trend towards obesity threatens to bankrupt medical systems (Heifer and Shultz, 2014). There has been a heighten awareness from the general public in the last decade of the affiliation between health and nutrition (Irish Universities Nutrition Alliance (lUNA), 2011). In light of the ever increasing obesity trend, individuals still desire to take control of …

A Spatial Analysis Of Climate Change Effects On Maize Productivity In Kenya, Dan Wanyama

Theses

Climate change has intensified the risk of catastrophic natural disasters all over the world. Though impacts of the change are global, developing countries are more at risk. Although agriculture remains the backbone of Kenya’s economy, the sector’s dependence on natural resources increases its vulnerability to the aggravating impacts of climate change and variability. Climate system variations that impact staple food crops like maize (Zea mays) ultimately threaten the food security of the nation. This study examined environmental factors affecting maize productivity through regression analysis. A GIS suitability model for maize was also developed to identify Kenya’s different levels of suitability …

An Analysis Of The Physiological And Psychological Wellbeing Of Irish Naval Service Personnel, Cliodhna Sargent

Theses

Whilst all military cohorts have been seen to experience both physiological and psychological stressors during occupational duties, the naval service experience different stressors due the prolonged periods of time spent at sea. Research has analysed some of these stressors however many them have focused on how individuals are affected because of time spent in combat zones. The Irish Naval Service (INS) is an organisation under the Irish Defence Forces organisation and as such many of its physiological and psychological assessment procedures have come from the Defenee Forces. Very limited researeh has been carried out in relation to the INS as …

Automating The Milking Process Within A Grass-Based System, John Shortall

Theses

The successful integration of automatic milking (AM) and grazing has resulted in AM becoming a feasible alternative to conventional milking (CM) in pasture-based systems. The objective of this thesis was to establish (i) the social, environmental and economic effects of adopting AM technology and (ii) the factors affecting cow traffic, which once the AM is adopted, can also impact on the sustainability of AM. A theme across this thesis is the examination of AM in the context of a seasonal pasture-based milk production system. Electricity and water meters were installed on seven AM fanns. Milking and livestock/^miscellaneous processes were the …

Project Spraoi : The Effectiveness Of A School Based Multicomponent Health Promotion Intervention On Sedentary Time And Markers Of Health Among Irish Primary School Children., Juliet Murphy

Theses

1.1 Introduction

Sedentary Behaviour (SB) has been associated with deleterious health outcomes such as increased levels of overweight, obesity, and type 2 diabetes (Tremblay et al, 2010, Pate et al., 2008). Currently, there is a dearth of objective data on the amount of time Irish children spend sedentary and the subsequent effect on their health. The purpose of this study was to assess (i) levels of SB and markers of health among Irish primary school children, and (ii) the effectiveness of a health promotion intervention Project Spraoi on reducing SB and improving markers of health among Irish children.

1.2 Methods …

Bioimpedance Spectroscopy - Can It Be Used As A Tool For Monitoring Fluid Shifts In Burns?, Pippa Kenworthy

Theses

Large fluid shifts and oedema are features of burn injuries. Oedema hampers burn wound healing and is directly related to the size and depth of the burn. The degree of oedema in burns covers a broad spectrum: Minor burns cause localised or peripheral oedema, whilst major burns may result in a systemic inflammatory response which can be life threatening and necessitates formal fluid resuscitation. Acute burn fluid resuscitation is paramount in decreasing patient morbidity and mortality but can contribute to already large amounts of oedema. There is currently no single clinically applicable, non-invasive and accurate outcome measure to titrate fluid …

Variation In Larval Behavior Across The Ecologically Distinct Host Populations Of The Cactophilic Drosophila Mojavensis, Joshua Coleman

Theses

Ecological host shifts likely have a major impact on the evolution of species. The host shift can result in an organism being faced with significant chemical, nutritional, volumetric, and other challenges, which may lead to adaptation. Host shifts can lead to speciation by prezygotic isolation, and even reinforcement through postzygotic isolation. This study looks at behavioral differences in terms of larval activity in populations of Drosophila mojavensis which have experienced host shifts. The mean speed of the four populations of D. mojavensis larvae were measured, and considered in the ecological context. A single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) DNA library was prepared …

Feasibility Of Physiological Monitoring Embedded In Smart Stuff, Jonathan E. Pryor

Theses

This thesis evaluates the feasibility and effectiveness of smart physiological sensors embedded in smart objects of everyday use. The wide acceptance of Smart Stuff, our term for intelligent objects integrated into Internet of Things (IoT), opens new opportunities in various application fields such as healthcare and smart homes. With the proliferation of IoT platforms, there is an opportunity for embedded physiological monitors in everyday devices. We designed and developed The Touch and Pulse Sensor (TAPS) that integrates a photoplethysmographic (PPG) and capacitive touch sensor (for detection of handling), and integrated the sensor with the smart water bottle. We ran a …

Airway Clearance Of The Moderate To Late Preterm Neonate : A Retrospective Study, Brandi Rene Harbin

Theses

Background: An extensive review of the literature revealed a lack of standardized criteria or guidelines for suctioning in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). Most literature indicates the harmful effects of suctioning including bradycardia, desaturation of oxygen, apnea, inflammation of airways, and/or bronchospasms. Methods: The study was a descriptive, retrospective chart review to analyze airway clearance practices in a level III regional NICU from 2016-2017. There were 87 participants and 384 suctioning events total between the gestational ages of 32 weeks -36 weeks and 6 days. Practices reviewed include suctioning via inline suction, soft tip “Little Sucker”, and bulb syringe …

Design For Working Day’S Lunchtime: Lunch With Me, Han Zhang

Theses

Lunch is one of the indispensable meals to take in a day. Eating lunch energizes our bodies and makes us concentrate more on our work. Nowadays, people always have a hard time enjoying their lunch during weekdays most especially college students and office workers because of their fast working mode. These people have limited time during lunch break or working in not so ideal place to eat such as their office. Unlike having meals with families, eating lunch with colleagues can be a huge opportunity of socializing with each other. Fresh new connections can be made in these occasions.

“Lunch …

Circular Economy And System Thinking Framework In Design; Food System Design, Mehrafza Mirzazad Barijugh

Theses

The purpose of this thesis is to bring the circular economy framework and system thinking into the process of design thinking. The traditional design process is made up of five steps: 1) Discover a challenge. 2) Interpret the challenge. 3) Create opportunities and ideas. 4) Develop a solution and experiment with it. 5) Evolve the idea. This project is structured upon a methodology generated to apply a circular system framework in design that begins with taking a holistic view of topic. This methodology structured into five phases. The first phase is referring to this approach as moving from Macrocosm to …

A Review Of Evolution, Behavior, And Vision With An Experimental Evolution Study On Color Vision In Drosophila Melanogaster, Mellissa Ann Marcus

Theses

The first chapter of this thesis is to take a piece by piece look at the factors that contributed to the experimental evolution study that will be discussed in Chapter 2. Behavior, how that can affect experimental studies, and how biases can affect sensory systems and preference in subject species. Specifically visual sensory systems are described in detail, from the possible evolutionary histories, to major components that contribute to eye structure, form, and/or abilities. We discuss how to define color vision, and what are the prerequisites for color vision in species.

Glycemic Index Of Foods, Adiposity And Metabolic Syndrome Risk In Emirati Young Adults, Maysm Nezar Mohamad

Theses

This dissertation is concerned with determining the prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MetS) in Emirati females aged 17–25 years and its relation to overweight and obesity. It also aims to determine the glycemic index (GI) and glycemic load (GL) values for traditional Emirati foods that have not been tested yet. In a cross-sectional study design, anthropometric measurements, blood pressure and biochemical measurements were collected from a total of 555 Emirati female college students and the prevalence of MetS was concluded. Furthermore, at least fifteen healthy subjects participated in the measurement of GI and GL values for each of the twenty-three Emirati …

Salt Gland Excretion Efficiency And Salinity Tolerance Of Sporobolus Species, Piumi Shrimani Weragodavidana

Theses

Halophytic C4 grasses, including Sporobolus species, have developed specific mechanisms to cope with salinity stress. Among these, “salt glands” which are bi- cellular leaf epidermal structures eliminating excess saline ions from shoots by excretion under salinity stress. Salt glands are morphologically visible and can potentially be used for salt tolerance breeding programs. The objectives of this study were: (1) to determine the leaf salt gland excretion rates of United Arab Emirates native halophytic chloridoid grass species, S. spicatus and S. arabicus; (2) to determine if leaf salt gland excretion rate and density can effectively predict salinity tolerance among Sporobolus genotypes, …

The Potential Antioxidant And Anti-Inflammatory Effects Of Date Seed Powder In Rats, Fatima Theyab Saif Amer Ai Meqbaali

Theses

Chronic diseases are among the main leading causes of mortality and morbidity in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Oxidative stress (defined as an imbalance in the reactive oxygen species production/degradation ratio) in interaction with inflammation, has been highlighted as one major underlying mechanism in the development of these diseases. Due to their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, polyphenols could prevent the development of chronic diseases. Interestingly, date seeds are particularly rich in such compounds. Nonetheless, an in vivo study aiming at studying and understanding antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects of date seeds in serum and various organs is missing. Therefore, the present …