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Neuropsychological Rehabilitation Specific To Anorexia Nervosa: A Critical Review Of The Literature On Executive Functioning Symptomatology And Cognitive Remediation Treatment Applications Tailored To This Patient Population, Kayleigh Elizabeth Hale

Theses and Dissertations

Engaging, maintaining, and treating patients with anorexia nervosa (AN) remains a significant challenge for clinicians, hypothesized explanations for which are thought to involve specific executive functioning impairments. The neuropsychological treatment paradigm Cognitive Remediation Therapy (CRT) represents the translation of neurocognitive research into practice, and is thought to remediate neuropsychological symptoms and associated maladaptive cognitive processes. Additionally, the etiological model of AN related to executive functioning provides a conceptual framework for this novel approach to treatment. This study identifies and examines such a model, in addition to CRT protocols. Methodology involved a comprehensive synthesis and critical analysis of the literature pertaining …

The Organization Culture Assessment Of Area Agencies On Aging In The State Of California, Maria Carmen Victoria E. Painter

Theses and Dissertations

The world is undergoing a key demographic shift and a restructuring of its population due to the increase in the relative size of the aging population. Based on the latest world census data, the number of people aged 65 or older is expected to increase from an estimated 416 million in the year 2000 to 853 million in the year 2025. The US Census Bureau estimated that in 2050 the number of Americans aged 65 and older would reach 88.5 million, more than double the projected population of 40.2 million in 2010. The state of California has 3.5 million people …

Hypertension Health Behavior Change And Older Adults: The Effect Of An Appreciative Education Approach, Mary Katherine Benya

Theses and Dissertations

Making lifestyle changes has been found to be effective in controlling hypertension. Positive psychology may provide alternatives to existing health behavior change approaches. Appreciative Education (AE), a positive psychology approach, was applied to an existing hypertension control intervention, Lifestyle University (LU), and compared to the Social Cognitive Theory (SCT) approach, in a segment of the existing intervention. This study used quasi-experimental, mixed methods pre/post-test, repeated measures design. Two-groups of community-dwelling adults, aged 50+, control SCT (n= 60), and experimental AE (n=33), were compared using the LU intervention. Seven dependent variables were measured at pre-test, post-test 1 and post-test 2. Repeated …

Dissolved And Particulate Phosphorus Distributions And Elemental Stoichiometry Throughout The Chukchi Sea, Meryssa Piper

Theses and Dissertations

As the only gateway of material, particularly nutrients, from the Pacific to the Arctic Ocean, the biological and chemical transformations that occur within the Chukchi Sea are critical for understanding Arctic ecosystems. This study examines the biogeochemical cycling of the macronutrient phosphorus (P) relative to carbon and nitrogen in the eastern Chukchi Sea during the ICESCAPE’s mission. Sea ice and water column dissolved and particulate phosphorus samples were collected during two summer expeditions in 2010 (n=593) and 2011 (n=989). Despite being a landlocked marginal sea, the P pool present within the Chukchi Sea was substantially modified by biological processes with …

Patient And Provider Characteristics And Practice Patterns Of Primary Care Physicians Of Weight-Related Counseling, Kolby T. Redd

Theses and Dissertations

Background: The United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommends three types of health education counseling for use in primary care practices for adult, obese patients. While these recommendations are well known, a low percentage of physicians provide this counseling to their patients on a consistent basis. There are inconsistencies in past studies in regards to what aspects of the health encounter influence the likelihood of receiving health education counseling during a primary care visit. The objective of this study was to (1) investigate the patterns of these three types of counseling occurring within primary care practices and to …

Factors Contributing To Interannual Variability In The Abundance Of Bay Anchovy (Anchoa Mitchilli) Larvae, Steven B. Vega Jr.

Theses and Dissertations

Coastal ecosystems have been subject to increasing stressors over recent decades due to coastal development, human population growth, and climate change. Improving scientific understanding of the environmental factors which influence the productivity of fish populations in coastal ecosystems is vital to their prudent management, especially as the potential influence of anthropogenic climate change grows. Estuaries serve as critical habitats for many fishes of primary ecological, economic, and recreational importance. One such fish, the planktivorous Bay Anchovy (Anchoa mitchilli), is abundant along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts of the US and is a key prey resource for many estuarine and coastal …

Exploring The Impact And Benefits Of A Health Education Program At Turtle Mountain, Shane Michael Martin

Theses and Dissertations

The Turtle Mountain Chippewa Tribal members in North Dakota have long suffered from severe poverty and accompanying social stresses that threaten the social fabric of the community. Ninety percent of students attending college from the Turtle Mountain Reservation qualify for educational assistance based on financial need (Northwest Area Foundation, 2014). Youth, between the ages of 10 and 18, struggle with historic and present day, multi-generational, trauma and poverty exhibiting risk factors exemplified by suicide attempts; depression; hopelessness; despair; alcohol, meth and/or other substance abuse; increased anger; conflicts; aggression, violence; and poor performance in school. Schools on the Turtle Mountain Reservation …

N-Cadherin Expression And Emt Progression In Arsenic- And Cadmium-Transformed Urotsa, Elizabeth Sandquist

Theses and Dissertations

Environmental agents are common causes of bladder cancer. Specifically, arsenic (As3+) and cadmium (Cd2+) are known carcinogens implicated in the development of bladder cancer. Previous studies from our laboratory have shown that As3+ and Cd2+ can cause malignant transformation of normal immortalized bladder urothelial cells, which can form tumors when injected subcutaneous or intraperitoneal into nude mice. Microarray analysis of repeated metal transformation in parallel revealed that N-cadherin was the most upregulated gene in As3+ transformants, and a top induced gene in Cd2+-transformed cells. The switch from E-cadherin to N-cadherin is a well-known indicator of the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition occurring in …

The Unique N- And C-Terminal Domains Of Metallothionein-3 Influence The Growth And Differentiation Of Breast Cancer Cells, Brent Jeffrey Voels

Theses and Dissertations

Toxic insult from the heavy metal cadmium is known to induce the expression of metallothioneins (MT) which are cysteine-rich heavy metal binding proteins six to seven kilodaltons in size. Previous research demonstrates that over-expression of MT-3 occurs in the majority of breast cancers and is associated with poor patient outcome. Furthermore, MT-3 has been shown to inhibit the growth of breast cancer and prostate cancer cell lines. Studies have shown that the MT-3 protein contains 7 additional amino acids that are not present in any other member of the MT gene family, a 6 amino acid C-terminal sequence and a …

Resiliency Of Secondary Principals In Southern California: A Phenomenological Study, Suzanne M. Webb

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological research study was two-fold: (a) investigate the lived experiences of secondary principals with more than 5 years’ tenure in high performing public schools in Southern California as they relate to resiliency, and (b) explore their lived experiences as they relate to stress and coping. Studies show that secondary principals rarely stay at the same school site for longer than 3-5 years. Since known research on principal resiliency concerns primarily high poverty or low performing schools, a need was found to examine why secondary principals in high performing public schools stay longer than 5 years. …

The Relationship Between Religiosity And Health-Promoting Behaviors Of Pregnant Women At Pregnancy Resource Centers, Natalie Ann Cyphers

Theses and Dissertations

Introduction: While religiosity (e.g. prayer, attending church) has been reported to be related to health behaviors in pregnant women, whether religiosity was related to health-promoting behaviors in pregnant women at Pregnancy Resource Centers (PRC) had not been previously studied. The purpose of this research study was to explore the relationship between religiosity and health-promoting behaviors of pregnant women at PRC. PRC are Christian community-based centers with a focus on meeting needs of pregnant women.

Methods: Pender’s Health Promotion Model guided this descriptive correlational study. A consecutive sample included pregnant women who knew they were pregnant at least two months, could …

The Evolutionary Biology Of Vision In Daphnia, Christopher S. Brandon

Theses and Dissertations

Eyes have attracted the attention of evolutionary biologist since the field’s infancy. In On the Origin of Species, in fact, Darwin famously remarked on the proposition that natural selection could engineer the eye, saying “[it is] absurd in the highest possible degree.” Though, he goes on to explain, beautifully and simply, how his theory of evolution by natural selection could produce such an organ. Indeed, eyes are remarkable examples of complex information acquisition systems that have evolved from simple beginnings. Eyes allow animals to extract environmental information from light, which informs physiological and behavioral responses to resources, predation, and mates. …

Healthy Eating And Physical Activity Environmental And Policy Assessment – Measurement Issues And Implications, Rahma Jamea Yousef Ajja

Theses and Dissertations

Current research has suggested that supportive healthy eating and physical activity (HEPA) policy and practice environments play a significant role in shaping the physical activity levels and eating habits of youth. Subsequently, a wide array of audit tools assessing policy and practice environment characteristics across settings that care for youth were developed. However, the extent that available audit tools accurately reflect the policy environment characteristics of the settings that care for the youth population remains unknown. Therefore, this dissertation encompasses four studies. The purpose of the first study was to examine the measurement properties of audit tools currently in use …

Exploring Communication Patterns In The Discussion Of Maternal Pku Syndrome Between Parents And Daughters, Hannah Beth Andrews

Theses and Dissertations

Maternal PKU syndrome is the collection of features and birth defects that arise from uncontrolled phenylalanine levels in a pregnant woman with phenylalanine hydroxylase (PAH) deficiency, previously known as phenylketonuria (PKU). Currently, the literature is lacking in exploring what young women are being told about maternal PKU syndrome. In this study, communication patterns between parents and their daughters about maternal PKU syndrome were investigated through an online survey completed by parents. The survey assessed parents’ level of comfort with this topic, the information they discussed with their daughter and the resources they accessed. Followup interviews were conducted with participants to …

Changing Cigarette Consumption Patterns And Their Relationship To Tobacco Control Policies In A Population Of Low-Intensity Smokers, Santosha Kamala Swayampakala

Theses and Dissertations

Tobacco use is the single most preventable cause of premature death and disability in the world. Every year six million people will die from tobacco-related diseases. To curb the growing tobacco epidemic, World Health Organization (WHO) adopted its first-ever global public health treaty, Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) that obligates ratifying countries to implement a range of tobacco control policies. Most of the evidence for the effectiveness of the WHO’s FCTC recommended tobacco control policies comes from high-income countries (HICs). This evidence suggests that as smoking prevalence declines in response to tobacco control policies and programs, the proportion of …

Addressing Disparity: One Unique School’S Efforts To Provide Holistic Education In A Low-Income, Black Community, Allison Anne Parsons

Theses and Dissertations

Schools are meant to provide an equal opportunity for achievement to all students. The reality is that school policies and practices, which govern not only child education but also child health, parenting practices, and other social issues, are based on ideologies of the dominant culture creating an environment the perpetuates current social hierarchies. By doing so, this not only limits minority populations’ access to the opportunities associated with education but also access to health, as education and health are strongly and positively linked.

This study used qualitative methods including ethnography to explore how racism was perpetuated through the dominant discourses …

An Evidence-Based Approach To Prepare Interdisciplinary Team Members For Implementation Of The Abcde Bundle, Jessica Murner Hamilton

Theses and Dissertations

Quality improvement projects contribute to the development of evidence-based management strategies for successful implementation of evidence-based practices in health care, thus reducing the risk of change implementation failure. This study assessed practice change implementation strategies for the awakening and breathing trial coordination, delirium assessment and management, early exercise and mobility (ABCDE) bundle. The ABCDE bundle is an evidence-based, interdisciplinary framework for managing pain, agitation, and delirium, reducing the duration of mechanical ventilation, and supporting early mobility in critically ill patients. The purpose of this study was to implement a nurse-driven initiative to design and put into place an evidence-based approach …

The Recovery Of Gut Barrier Function With Selenium Rich Diet In Acute Dss-Induced Colitis, Sarah Depaepe

Theses and Dissertations

Background: Acute Dextran Sodium Sulfate (DSS)-induced colitis is an inflammatory ailment limited to the colon. It works to destroy the morphology and gut barrier goblet and epithelial cells that aid in providing homeostasis. Selenium (Se) is an essential micronutrient that has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties and is known to play a role in reducing inflammation in areas elsewhere in the body. The current study is focused on how Se alters gut barrier permeability and functionality related to the recovery of tight junction regulation and mucin secretion. Methods: C57BL/6 mice were randomly placed into control (normal water) and 2% DSS water …

Environmental Exposures And Childhood Pulmonary Function, Pallavi Prakash Balte

Theses and Dissertations

Fetal origins of adult disease hypothesis states that adverse influences early in developmental period and particularly during intrauterine life can result in permanent changes in physiology which may lead to increased disease risk of chronic diseases in adulthood. Both fetal and adolescent period are critical time periods for development of lungs. Any adverse environmental exposures during these critical periods of lung growth is a form of programming which can have long term effects on pulmonary function. The purpose of this dissertation was to examine the association between different environmental exposures and pulmonary function in children and late adolescents. The first …

Statewide Scale-Up Of Group Prenatal Care In South Carolina, Kristin M. Van De Griend

Theses and Dissertations

Background: Poor birth outcomes and racial disparities in birth outcomes in South Carolina are widely recognized problems. To improve maternal and child health outcomes, especially among vulnerable groups, universal access to timely, appropriate, and effective care should remain a priority through increased availability and accessibility. An interagency collaborative in South Carolina expanded CenteringPregnancy (CP) from two to five medical practices throughout the state. CenteringPregnancy is associated with improved birth outcomes and reduced rates of racial disparities in preterm birth throughout the United States. Important questions in the literature remain about strategies and determinants of scaling up sexual and reproductive …

The Role Of Intermembrane Space Redox Factors In Glutathione Metabolism And Intracellular Redox Equilibrium, Hatice Kubra Ozer

Theses and Dissertations

The mitochondrial intermembrane space (IMS) is a unique subcellular compartment that houses key thiol-dependent redox pathways such as protein transport, mitochondrial respiration, and detoxification of ROS (reactive oxygen species). These pathways are all dependent on cysteine-rich proteins, thus maintaining thiol-disulfide balance in this organelle is crucial for cellular functions. An IMS protein import pathway called the Mia40-Erv1 disulfide relay system uses disulfide bond formation for the import and retention of substrate proteins in the IMS. Erv1 is also suggested to be involved in maturation of cytosolic Fe-S cluster proteins and regulation of iron homeostasis in S. cerevisiae. However, these studies …

Extensive Genome Rearrangements Of Caulobacter K31 And Genomic Diversity Of Type B3 Bacteriophages Of Caulobacter Crescentus, Kurt Taylor Ash

Theses and Dissertations

The genus Caulobacter is found in a variety of habitats and is known for its ability to thrive in low-nutrient conditions. K31 is a novel Caulobacter isolate that has the ability to tolerate copper and chlorophenols, and can grow at 48°C with a doubling time of 40 h. K31 contains a 5.5 Mb chromosome that codes for more than 5500 proteins and two large plasmids (234 and 178 kb) that code for 438 additional proteins. A comparison of the K31 genome and the Caulobacter crescentus NA1000 genome, the representative strain and most well studied isolate of the Caulobacter genus, revealed …

Fate And Behavior Of Silver Nanoparticles To The Estuarine Organisms, Prorocentrum Minimum And Crassostrea Virginica, Shelby Victoria Butz

Theses and Dissertations

Nanoparticles are known to be entering the environment and are shown to have adverse effects on aquatic organisms (Fabrega et.al. 2011, Lapresta-Fernandez et.al. 2012, Matranga and Corsi 2012, Moore 2006). The purpose of this study was to quantify the uptake of AgNPs by two estuarine organisms and determine the associated toxic effects of accumulation. There are multiple procedures for nanoparticle (NP) synthesis that involve various core and surface materials, which result in various characteristics such as size, shape, and surface coating. In this study silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) were synthesized by a chemical reduction of silver salts and characterized in stock …

Scoring And Validation Of The Cystic Fibrosis Disclosure Questionnaire, Adrienne P. Borschuk

Theses and Dissertations

As more patients with cystic fibrosis (CF) are living into adulthood, patients may need to disclose their CF status to others, such as in romantic or professional settings. Patients who choose not to disclose their CF status may be limited in their closeness with others, which may negatively affect their psychological functioning and health-related quality of life. Few studies, however, have examined disclosure in CF, and currently no validated measures of CF disclosure exist. The purpose of this study was to explore CF disclosure in adults and validate a new assessment of CF disclosure, the Cystic Fibrosis Disclosure Scale (CFDS). …

Motivation, Mindfulness, And Metabolic Factors Predicting Adolescent Adherence And Attrition In A Multidisciplinary Weight Management Program, Stephen Trapp

Theses and Dissertations

Estimated rates of obesity are notably high in the United States and pose a significant public health concern. A number of deleterious physical and psychosocial conditions are associated with pediatric obesity and the cost of its treatment is considerable. Accordingly, the number of weight management treatments has increased to meet this growing public health challenge. Unfortunately, insufficient participation in weight management treatment, namely low adherence and high attrition, often impede the effectiveness of these programs. Although the barriers associated with inadequate adherence and elevated rates of attrition are documented, there is a dearth of research on the predictors of the …

Emergent Non-Consumptive Predator Effects Alter Habitat Colonization By Dipteran Prey, Ethan G. Staats

Theses and Dissertations

When ovipositing, prey organisms avoid habitat patches containing predator cues because predators consume, and negatively affect the fitness of their prey. Richness of predator species often enhances the strength of consumptive predator effects, but little is known about how multiple predators combined affect prey non-consumptively. We quantified dipteran colonization in aquatic mesocosms in response to varied predator richness. Multiple predator species combined reduced oviposition by Culex mosquitoes, chironomid midges, and the general colonizing dipteran community more than predicted by the effects of the independent predator species. Previous research which quantifies effects of multiple predators on prey as prey abundance, but …

Prothonotary Warbler Nestling Diet And Growth In Response To Variation In Aquatic And Terrestrial Food Availability, Jenna C. Dodson

Theses and Dissertations

Food supply has been suggested as the main determinant of reproductive success in birds. Riparian species can take advantage of seasonal pulses of both terrestrial and aquatic prey, though aquatic resources are often overlooked in studies of diet and reproductive ecology. This study investigates the flux of both aquatic (mayfly) and terrestrial (caterpillar) prey resources and nestling diet of the Prothonotary Warbler throughout the breeding season in two eastern Virginia sites. One site had significantly higher aquatic prey (mayfly) availability. Nestling diet was generally reflective of prey availability, and nestlings grew faster at the site with high aquatic prey availability. …

An Examination Of Weight, Weight Bias, And Health Care Utilization And Attitudes Among Emerging Adults, Jessica M. Mccauley

Theses and Dissertations

Individuals with overweight/obesity have been found to exhibit more negative attitudes toward health care and disproportionate rates of health care delay and avoidance, compared to their healthy weight peers. The present study sought to examine potential mechanisms through which weight status influences health care utilization and attitudes. Six hundred and thirty-three students completed a questionnaire measuring weight status, perceived weight bias, patient-provider relationship, and health care utilization and attitudes. Although the majority of the paths in the proposed theoretical mediation model were supported by the present findings, there was no support for the anticipated link between perceived weight bias and …

Nourish-C: Implementing A Family Based Weight Loss Intervention In A Church Community, Jacqueline Woods

Theses and Dissertations

Increasing rates of obesity across all race, ethnic, gender, and age groups over the past thirty years have generated significant public health concern. Black children face disproportionately higher risk for overweight and obesity compared with their White peers. Substantial evidence suggests that parent involvement improves pediatric obesity treatment outcomes. Moreover, churches are feasible and culturally congruent places to host health promotion interventions within the Black community. The current study examined the feasibility of disseminating an existing pediatric obesity intervention, NOURISH, in Black church communities. Twenty-five families participated in baseline assessment of the NOURISH-C. Five churches hosted the intervention and eight …

Characterizarion Of The Regulation And Function Of Neisseria Gonorrhoeae Tonb-Dependent Transporters: Tdfg, Tdfh And Tdfj, Sophonie Jean

Theses and Dissertations

The obligate human pathogen Neisseria gonorrhoeae successfully overcomes host strategies to limit essential nutrients, termed “nutritional immunity” by expression of TonB-dependent transporters (TdTs): outer membrane receptors that facilitate nutrient transport in an energy-dependent manner. N. gonorrhoeae encodes eight TdTs, five of which facilitate utilization of iron or iron-chelates from host derived proteins including transferrin, lactoferrin and hemoglobin, in addition to siderophores from neighboring bacteria. The transferrin utilization system was previously shown to be critical for establishing infection in human males; demonstrating the possible contributions of TdTs to gonococcal pathogenesis. As such, studies describing the biological function and contribution to pathogenesis …