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Equine Obesity-Related Hyperleptinemia, Nan Killen Huff

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Plasma leptin concentrations in obese adult horses have been shown to vary widely, and horses tend to fit into two groups: low leptin (<10 ng/mL) and hyperleptinemic (10 to 50 ng/mL). Observations over time revealed that the hyperleptinemic condition was consistent, possibly indicating a relatively permanent underlying cause. Based on these observations, three experimental approaches were used to further study equine obesity-related hyperleptinemia. The first experiment determined the prevalence of hyperleptinemia among postpartum, lactating mares, evaluated its consequence on their re-breeding success, and investigated correlations between leptin levels in lactating and non-lactating mares. Postpartum mares (n = 198) and non-foaling mares (n = 31) were categorized based on their leptin status: normoleptinemic or hyperleptinemic. Leptin in the lactating mares averaged 4.8 ng/mL, and 11 of the 198 (13%) displayed hyperleptinemia. Leptin in the non-lactating mares averaged 7.5 ng/mL, with 9 mares (29%) displaying hyperleptinemia. Of the 198 lactating mares bred, 81% became pregnant; there was no effect of leptin status on re-breeding success. To study one possible cause for hyperleptinemia in well-fed horses, a second experiment explored polymorphism(s) within exon 2 of the equine leptin gene. The DNA from five hyperleptinemic and five normal mares of high body condition was used to analyze exon 2 of the leptin gene for polymorphisms. Based on the 10 mares tested, there was no polymorphism in exon 2 of the equine leptin gene; therefore, polymorphism is not a likely explanation for the high vs. low leptin difference. The third experiment explored the possible effects of hyperleptinemia on the endocrine and immune systems. Endotoxin was given to mares and geldings to investigate the role and/or regulation of leptin in the pro-inflammatory cytokine response. Of the endpoints measured, only platelet count differed between normal and hyperleptinemic horses. Endotoxin infusion caused the expected pro-inflammatory cytokine and endocrine responses, but leptin status was not a significant factor for any endpoint. It is concluded that hyperleptinemia in mares is not associated with polymorphism in exon 2 of the leptin gene, does not affect re-breeding rates of foaling mares, and does not alter the endotoxin-induced responses of the endocrine and immune systems.

Sensory Characteristics And Optimization Of A Low-Sodium Salt Formulation And Its Food Application, Armen Khachatryan

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Excessive consumption of sodium is associated with high blood pressure in people. Reduction of sodium intake and replacement of salt with salt substitutes are an essential component of the primary prevention of hypertension. Potassium chloride is the most widely used salt substitute. However, when used in large amounts, it imparts bitterness and metallic aftertaste. Therefore, bitterness masking agents need to be used in salt substitute formulations. L-Arginine has been reported to have bitterness masking properties. No research has yet been conducted to investigate the effects of KCl and L-Arginine on the perception of saltiness and bitterness in the mixture of …

Hope For Today And Tomorrow: Identity Construction Power, And Persistence Of Community College Women Who Are First In Their Families To Attend College, Crystal Deer Lee

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation was a case study of four community college women who were first in their families to attend college. Through this study, the “first-generation” construct was analyzed in regard to its uses and limits. The researcher found the label as an identifier becomes problematic through social discourse. These results confirm London’s (1996) finding that students themselves do not necessarily find anything unique about their situations or anything in common with other students simply based on their being the first in their families to attend college. Therefore, the “first-generation” construct may be viewed primarily as a higher education versus an …

Soliciting Desire: The Ad-Man As Narrative Negotiation Between Art, Desire, And Consumer Capitalism In Twentieth-Century Novels, Jessica Mckelvie Kemp

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

My dissertation identifies ways in which novelists have used an ad-man protagonist as means to investigate the social and psychological implications of advertising in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. Soliciting Desire takes as its primary subjects H.G. Wells’s Tono-Bungay, Theodore Dresier’s The “Genius,” Frederick Wakeman’s The Hucksters, Jonathan Dee’s Palladio, and William Gibson’s Pattern Recognition and demonstrates that the ad-man character’s particular constellation of traits provides a rich vehicle for fictional explorations of desire and subjectivity as they are formed in relation to ideologies of consumer capitalism and art. Guided by Theodor Adorno and Walter Benjamin’s theories of cultural/ capitalist …

Assessing The Influence Of Religion On Health Behavior, David B. Creel

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

A primary aim of this study was to confirm the factor structure of the Health and Religious Congruency Scale (HARCS), a measure previously developed by the same research team. The HARCS questions directly link religious beliefs/activities to health behaviors. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) showed that the current data fit poorly to the factor structure found in the pilot study. Because the current sample was more religiously diverse than the pilot study sample, and could potentially provide a factor structure that better reflects the views of individuals from different religious affiliations, a principal components analysis was conducted on the current data. …

The Experiences Of Refugee Youth From The Conflicts In The Sudan: A Collective Case Study, Michele Kelly

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the role of familial protective factors in moderating the relationship between risk and resilience in Sudanese refugee youth exposed to political violence. Interviews, direct observations, and physical artifacts were the sources of data. Eight “Lost Boys” participated in the study, providing narratives of their experiences of the Sudanese civil wars. They also answered questions posed about the role of familial protective factors in moderating the relationship between risk and resilience. The interviews were recorded on audiotape and then transcribed. Data consisted of the transcripts and field notes of processes and observations. …

Images In Fashion Advertisements: Their Role In Involvement And The Consumer Communications Process, Monica Santaella

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The importance of images as a means of persuasion in advertisements, with few exceptions, has been viewed as secondary to copy (text) in advertisements. Even though images play an important part in the communication of messages for fashion apparel, research to develop an understanding of how images influence consumers is needed. Hypotheses were developed to test the proposition that viewers’ level of advertisement and fashion involvement would be moderated by type of advertisement treatment for a fashion product considered controversial: (1) copy and image, (2) copy only, and (3) image only.
Involvement, as a state that can be measured along …

Perceptions Of Traditional And Non-Traditional Students Enrolled In A Developmental Reading Course In A Community College Setting, Carolyn Elise Hitchens-Smith

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to explore the perceptions of developmental students enrolled in a developmental reading course in a community college setting. A reading course questionnaire and interest/attitude inventory was completed by the students. In addition, individual interview were conducted. Eight students participated in the study that addressed more fully the impact of the developmental reading course on their achievement. Research questions sought to explore developmental students’ past reading experiences, past reading experiences, and perceptions of the developmental reading course. Results of the study suggest that classroom instruction focusing on comprehension and vocabulary activities presented in a developmental …

The Vulnerability To Coaching Across Measures Of Malingering, Adrianne M. Brennan

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Neuropsychologists are increasingly called upon to conduct evaluations with individuals involved in personal injury litigation. While the inclusion of malingering measures within a test battery may help clinicians determine whether a client has put forth full effort, attorney coaching may allow dishonest clients to circumvent these efforts. The purpose of this study was to determine the degree to which frequently used measures of effort are susceptible to coaching as well as to explore and classify strategies undertaken by coached analogue malingerers. Additionally, potential improvements in the external validity of the simulation design were explored.

Toward A New Understanding Of Wisdom: The Role Of Communication On Perceptions Of Wisdom, Jon M. Croghan

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Wisdom is a multi-faceted, multi-dimensional, multidisciplinary construct which has been discussed and examined since the beginning of recorded history. Many classical and contemporary scholars have sought to define wisdom, but a precise definition has proven elusive. Since wisdom often defies easy categorization, this dissertation examines wisdom using a multi-methodological perspective. Four chapters of this dissertation discuss the historiography of various societal attributions of wisdom using performance studies techniques. Three chapters examine wisdom and the instruments constructed to measure the construct from a social scientific approach. This study seeks to clarify, while simultaneously deconstructing, the definition of wisdom. The four performative …

The Infinite As Originative Of The Human As Human: A Transcendental Phenomenological Explication Of The Philosophy Of Emmanuel Levinas, Ronald Lynn Mercer, Jr.

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

Few philosophers, today, are doing more than simple recognition of Levinass debt to phenomenology when a thorough explication of how phenomenological methodology impacts Levinass work is needed. This dissertation is the needed discussion of methodology that has been so absent in Levinas as well as in so many of his interpreters. The purpose, herein, is to synthesize Levinass work, explicating it in terms of transcendental methodology, the result of which reveals Levinass claims to be more defensible when understood in these terms than when the full rigor of this methodology is not properly grasped. First, to connect Levinas to transcendental …

Virtual' Brides In The Post-Soviet Context, Michael Paul Begin

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

This project offers a multifaceted, interdisciplinary approach to understanding the contemporary post-Soviet Internet bride phenomenon and the rationales, motives, and aspirations of the industry's participants. As international marriage services have incorporated information and communications technologies (ICTs) to assist in the marketing of women of post-communist nations for correspondence courtship with Western men, the industry has furthered the globalization of marriage markets and the opportunities for communicative exchange among disparate nations and cultures. By way of case study, the project takes a special focus on the Belarusian/American segment of the industry, turning to personal interviews with participants and employing qualitative techniques …

Applying Reaction Time (Rt) And Event-Related Potential (Erps) Measures To Detect Malingered Neurocognitive Deficit, Victoria Louise Vagnini

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

This study examined the ability of reaction time (RT) and Event-Related Potentials (ERP) to detect malingered neurocognitive deficit (MNCD)in two new tasks compared to the TOMM (N = 47). Honest (HON), malingering (MAL), and traumatic brain injury (TBI) groups were compared on accuracy, RT and ERP measures. Overall, the Test of Memory Malingering (TOMM) accuracy was the most effective at classifying groups (hit rate = 100%). Several non-TOMM accuracy variables and RT variables reached hit rates in the range of 71%-88%. The TOMM RT variable had an unlimited time for participants to respond and was the most successful RT variable …

The Development And Test Of An Exchange-Based Model Of Interpersonal Workplace Exclusion, Kristin Damato Scott

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

The vast majority of social exclusion research has taken place outside of the workplace (i.e., in social settings). In addition, researchers often use a myriad of terms (i.e., ostracism, exclusion, rejection) when describing and investigating exclusion-related phenomena thus contributing to widespread conceptual confusion with respect to this construct. Moreover, past studies have failed to consider the role of social exchange in determining how individuals may react to being excluded by others particularly in a work setting. I sought to address these issues by conducting three multi-wave studies which develop and test a social-exchange based model of interpersonal workplace exclusion (IWE). …

The Use Of The Mmpi-A Short Form For Identifying Students With Emotionality In The Schools, Matthew Turner

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

This study investigated the utility of the MMPI-A short form described by Archer, Tirrell, and Elkins (2001) for detecting the presence of emotionality in adolescents in the school setting. Students were placed in one of three groups based on their performance on an established and frequently used self-report measure of personality, the Behavior Assessment System for Children-II (BASC- 2). Subjects who had significant elevations on one or more of the scales in Internalizing Index on the BASC-2 were placed in the Clinical group and subjects who had significant elevations on one or more of the scales the School Problems Index …

The Influence Of Religiosity On Contraceptive Use And Abortion In The United States, Richard J. Fehring, Jennifer Ohlendorf

College of Nursing Faculty Research and Publications

The CDC has conducted the National Survey of Family Growth (NSFG) every three to seven years between 1973 and 2002 to describe contraceptive use among women in the U.S. The data from these surveys are available to researchers to examine trends in contraceptive use and sexual behaviors. The purpose of this study was to examine data from the 2002 NSFG in order to determine the influence of religiosity on abortion and abortifacient contraceptive use, i.e., the use of the oral contraceptive pill (OC), the injected hormone Depoprovera (IC), the IUD, and hormonal emergency contraception (EC), among American women between the …

Acculturation And Depression Among Hispanics: The Moderating Effect Of Intercultural Competence, Lucas Torres, David Rollock

Psychology Faculty Research and Publications

In the present study the authors examined the relative contributions of typical acculturation indicators, general coping, and intercultural competence in predicting depression among 96 Hispanic adults. The results indicated that intercultural competence served to moderate the relationship between acculturation and depression. The combination of high acculturation and high intercultural competence was associated with fewer symptoms. General coping accounted for significant amounts of variance in predicting depression, over and above traditional acculturation variables alone, suggesting that an active problem-solving style was associated with a healthier outcome. The findings are discussed within the context of integrating competence-based variables into psychological conceptualizations of …

A Task To Manipulate Attentional Load, Set-Shifting, And Inhibitory Control: Convergent Validity And Test–Retest Reliability Of The Parametric Go/No-Go Test, Scott Aaron Langenecker, Jon-Kar Zubieta, Elizabeth A. Young, Kristy A. Nielson

Psychology Faculty Research and Publications

Traditional neuropsychological measures of executive functioning are difficult to employ in functional imaging and clinical trial contexts and have tremendous practice effects. They also have poor sensitivity and specificity, while test–retest reliability is often not assessed in computer-based tests. The present study evaluates some psychometric properties of a new Parametric Go/No-Go (PGNG) Task. The PGNG consists of three levels of difficulty assessing attention, set-shifting, and processing speed, with the two more difficult levels assessing inhibitory control. A total of 63 healthy control participants were recruited at two sites to evaluate the psychometric properties of the PGNG. The PGNG was found …

Effects Of Teaching Resourcefulness And Acceptance On Affect, Behavior, And Cognition Of Chronically Ill Elders, Jaclene Zauszniewski, Abir K. Bekhet, Chien-Yu Lai, Patricia Mcdonald, Carol M. Musil

College of Nursing Faculty Research and Publications

This clinical trial examined changes in affect, behavior, and cognition in 176 chronically ill elders who were randomly assigned to Resourcefulness Training (RT), Acceptance Training (AT), or Diversional Activities (DA). The RT group improved on affect (t(1,42) = 4.91; p < .001) and cognition (t(1,42) = 2.03; p< .05) and these effects lasted 12 weeks. The AT group improved on affect (t(1,36) = 3.08; p < .01), but this improvement did not persist. The RT and AT groups both showed positive behavior changes after six weeks. There were no changes in the DA group. The findings suggest that teaching elders resourcefulness and acceptance of chronic conditions may promote healthy functioning and improve their quality of life.

The Process Of Seeking Treatment For Mental Health Problems, Stephen M. Saunders, Nicholas W. Bowersox

Psychology Faculty Research and Publications

A model of the process of seeking treatment for mental health problems is presented that explicates much previous research in this area. A process comprising seven steps is proposed (recognize that there is a problem, decide the problem is mental health related, decide change is needed, make efforts to effect change, decide professional help is needed to effect change, decide to seek professional help, and seek help). Activities or decisions that interrupt the process, barriers encountered at each step, variations of the proposed sequence, and the experience of social support across the process are presented. Implications for improving access to …

Empirically Certified Treatments Or Therapists: The Issue Of Separability, Merton S. Krause, Wolfgang Lutz, Stephen M. Saunders

Psychology Faculty Research and Publications

Forms of psychotherapy treatment are not neatly separable from one another in actual practice. They differ behaviorally in what they emphasize, but nevertheless they overlap and so cannot be unambiguously compared for effectiveness. Furthermore, forms of psychotherapy are not separable in practice from the therapists who apply them, so apparent differences in effectiveness between forms of treatment are always confounded by differences in effectiveness between therapists. Therapists, however, are separable from one another, and it is therapists not treatment forms that actually treat patients. Therefore, what should primarily be given preference in practice is not treatments empirically certified on the …

Nutrient Intake In College Students In A Midwestern Regional University Compared To The Recommended Dietary Guidelines, Rukmini Sen

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

The prevalence of obesity is problematic in the United States. The objectives of the present study were to determine the extent of obesity in students studying at Eastern Michigan University and to evaluate their diet quality. Body Mass Index (BMI) of students (19-30 years, n=100) was measured from self-reported heights and weights as a benchmark of their weight category. Intakes of total energy (kilocalories), macronutrients and key micronutrients were assessed from three-day food diaries maintained by participants and compared with the Dietary Reference Intake Standards. Results indicated that 4% of EMU students were underweight, 52% were within a normal weight …

Exploration Into The Head Start Fade Phenomenon, Deborah Tenjeras Clarke

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

The Head Start fade effect, documented since the 1970s, finds that students who make gains in I.Q. and social skills in the Head Start program later see those positive effects diminish in the early years of schooling and disappear altogether by the end of third grade. The hypothesis proposed in this study was as follows: Group I Head Start students who experience full-day kindergarten every day in small classes, and continue in small classes through grades one, two, and possibly three, will not demonstrate the Head Start fade effect, or will have less fade, than Group II Head Start students …

Practical Approaches To Treating Patients With Bipolar Disorder, Jane E. Neu, Susan M. Denisco

Nursing Faculty Publications

Many patients present to a primary care setting with symptoms of a mood disorder. These symptoms may be indicative of an anxiety disorder or a depressive disorder, but they may also represent bipolar disorder, which is more common than many practitioners think. Correctly diagnosing bipolar disorder can be complex, because patients tend to seek treatment when they are experiencing the symptoms of depression or anxiety rather than mania or hypomania. Comorbid disorders such as substance abuse and anxiety disorders may complicate the clinical presentation. Failing to correctly diagnose bipolar disorder can have serious consequences in terms of patients' morbidity and …

Sex Offenders, Sexuality, And Social Control: A Case Study In The Social Construction Of A Social Problem, Lisa Marie Kruse

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

Legislation regarding sex offenses is often passed swiftly with little to no evaluation of the effectiveness of such policies on preventing recidivism and protecting the public. Further, little criticism is raised despite overwhelming evidence that sex offender registration and community notification is ineffective and has many negative consequences. The societal reaction is created through moral panics resulting in views that are not always reflective of the nature of the problem. In effect, the policies put into place in the name of declaring war on the deviant behavior reflect these views and do not target the specific problem.

While the first …

The Bath Environment, The Bathing Task, And The Older Adult: A Review And Future Directions For Bathing Disability Research, Susan L. Murphy, Kimberlee A. Gretebeck, Neil B. Alexander

College of Nursing Faculty Research and Publications

Purpose. To review existing research studies to identify optimal intervention strategies for remediation and prevention of bathing disability and future directions for bathing disability research.

Method. Bathing disability, defined as problems in the interaction between the person and the environment during bathing performance, is examined through a comprehensive, narrative literature review.

Results. Most studies focus on the relationship between the person and the environment (such as assistive device use and environmental hazards) while fewer studies focus on analysis of the bathing task or the interaction of the person, environment, and bathing task. Of intervention studies, most do …

A Study Examining The Impact Of Scaffolding Young Children's Acquisition Of Literacy In Primary Grades, Judith Rollins Burch

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This case study explores the implementation of scaffolding in literacy learning in a first grade classroom setting. The complexities and nuisances of scaffolding present in the elementary school classroom context during reading and writing instruction are examined. Ten first graders, five from a pilot study an five from the case study, are followed in reading and writing in a public school classroom. Themes indicate that students in lower elementary grades benefit from reading and writing instruction that include the following strategic elements: 1) leveled predictable texts; 2) small group guided reading and writing instruction; 3) systematic, strategic instruction based upon …

An Analysis Of Gender Differences In Property Crime Arrest Rates, Chanika Renee Jones

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation examined the relationship between employment conditions and property-crime arrest rates of working-aged individuals, using gender-specific state-level data from 1979-2001, complied from raw arrest data of the FBI's Uniform Crime Reports and the Census Bureau's annual March Current Population Survey. These data were analyzed using Ordinary Least Squares Regression. The data was disaggregated by gender and underemployment indicators such as percent unemployed, percent subunemployed, percent low wages, and percent low hours, were utilized to test the unemployment-crime relationship. Controls for race, age, and region were also included in this analysis, as they may influence the U-C relationship. The analysis …

An Applied Evaluation Of Resurgence: Functional Communication Training (Fct) And Treatment Relapse, Valerie Marie Volkert

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Extinction is a very important component of functional communication training (FCT). Thus, the potential undesirable effects of extinction must be considered before this type of treatment is implemented. Resurgence, the recurrence of previously reinforced behavior when another behavior is placed on extinction, is a possible undesirable effect of extinction. Resurgence may account for some instances of treatment relapse in situations where problem behavior recovers following implementation of extinction-based treatments such as FCT. Despite the potential relevance of resurgence to understanding why problem behavior may re-emerge, few applied studies have examined resurgence effects. The current study attempted to determine whether resurgence …

Developing/Testing A New Approach For Assessing Rapid Visual Identification Of Hematological Cells Using Principles Of Visual Cognition: A Health Science Education Study, Deborah Elizabeth Fox

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study was the development and testing of a novel method for assessment of white blood cell (WBC) identification skills used in the field of Clinical Laboratory Sciences (CLS). A dual format exam was administered to both novices (students) and experts (laboratory professionals). Format 1 was similar to current assessment formats, simply presenting a series of single WBC images for identification. Format 2 applied principles of visual cognition, grouping WBCs for identification by patient and presenting multiple example images from the patient before requesting identification of individual cells. This novel exam format was intended to: (a) provide …