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Association Between Obesity, Depression, And Inflammation Among Seventh-Day Adventists In The Biopsychosocial Religion And Health Study, Michael Paalani

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

The effects of obesity and depression on morbidity and mortality may be mediated by inflammatory processes. Homeostasis within the immune system depends on a balance of pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokine molecules, so chronic inflammatory diseases may result from cytokine dysregulation. The target population consisted of 508 Seventh Day Adventists (SDAs) who participated in the Biopsychosocial Religion and Health Study (BHRS), a sub-study of the Adventist Health Study-2. The study was a cross-sectional analysis of the association between obesity, depression, and inflammation after controlling for demographic, socioeconomic, health behavioral, and health status variables among BHRS participants.

Obesity was assessed by body …

Aerobic Exercise And Bone Turnover In Trained And Untrained Premenopausal Women, Michelle Prowse

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Regular weight-bearing exercise is recommended for healthy young adults to optimize bone mineral density (BMD) (Physical Activity Guidelines Advisory Committee, 2008). BMD alone however, is not a significant predictor of osteoporosis or fracture risk. While bone turnover markers are used clinically to assess efficacy of pharmacological intervention in individuals diagnosed with osteoporosis, they may also have a role in evaluating acute responses to exercise. The purpose of this dissertation was to compare two groups of premenopausal women, those which are sedentary (low fitness) versus those that are well-trained (high fitness), by BMD and bone turnover markers at rest and the …

Isolation Of The Cytosolic C-Terminus Segment Of Mammalian Kca Channel A Subunit, Wilton Remigio

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

The last 20 years of research into ion channels has unraveled unexpected features of the BK_ca channel as a rheostast for cell activity in excitable tissues and homeostatically fine tuning many biological activation processes in the cell. Great attention has been dedicated to the allosteric regulatory mecanisms by which the BK_ca channel is activated or inhibited. Most of these mechanisms point to the involvment of cytoplasmic, C-terminal, ‘tail’ domain of the channel. Many laboratories have cloned portions of the ‘tail’ domain in an attempt to to study specific regulatory sites. Very little is known about the BK ‘tail’ …

Influence Of Acculturation On Neuropsychological Assessment In Middle Easterners, Eunice E. Kwon

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Due to influx of immigrants in the United States, it has become essential in cross cultural research to consider cultural variables such as cultural orientation, cultural identity, and acculturation in order to better understand cultural influences on psychological processes and assessment outcomes (Cuellar, 1998). However, there are very few studies that have actually looked at how culture influences neuropsychological test performance (Feltcher-Janzen, Strickland, & Reynolds, 2000). Therefore, in order to better assess culturally diverse individuals and to validly interpret the findings, a conceptual model developed by Betancourt and collaborators (Betancourt & Fuentes, 2001; Betancourt, Hardin, & Manzi, 1992; Betancourt & …

Emergency Department Staff Adherence To Bad News Delivery Recommendations, Kristen R. Myers

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Emergency department (ED) staff is responsible for giving bad news regarding death, diagnoses, and other traumatic losses to patients and loved ones. Individuals receiving traumatic and sudden bad news are at increased risk of serious psychological and physiological consequences of disrupted grief. Despite published recommended practices for providers to help prevent maladaptive grief responses, little research is available on actual bad news delivery practices and factors promoting or hindering adherence to recommendations, and no study specifically explored the ED context.

The study used a qualitative design to explore bad news delivery practices, awareness of recommendations, factors perceived to hinder or …

Fetal Programming By Nicotine Increases Cardiac Susceptibility To Ischemic Injury, Jennifer Charlotte Alexie Lawrence

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Fetal programming is the area of study that focuses on the prenatal origins of adult onset disorders. Previous studies have associated an adverse prenatal environment with the onset of physiologic and metabolic diseases during adulthood. Fetal malnutrition, hypoxia, and exposure to drugs - such as cocaine and nicotine - have been associated with adult disease states. Cigarette smoking is the number one cause of preventable death in the developed world. Among the many dangerous chemicals found in tobacco products is nicotine, the compound responsible for the addictive nature of tobacco use. Nicotine use during pregnancy is a known cause of …

Mechanisms Of Dha Neuroprotection From Pa Induced Lipotoxieity, Frankis G. Almaguel

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Initially in our study, we evaluated the effect of PA on NGF Differentiated PC 12 cells at concentrations levels that mimic pathological conditions. PA exposure resulted to be toxic to NGFDPC12 cells. PA treatment decreased cell viability and triggered cell death with apparent apoptotic features. Further morphological studies revealed the classical features of apoptosis response; including cell shrinking, cell blebbing, chromatin and nucleus condensation (Kerr et al. 1972). Our findings in summary, suggest that FFA-induced lipotoxicity requires full activation of PA, targeting the mitochondria, leading to membrane potential disruption and up-regulation of reactive oxygen free radicals. PA-induced-lipotoxicity decreased cell viability …

Behavior And Physiology Of Hermit Crabs During Burial: Shell Abandonment And Lactate Accumulation, Janelle Allison Shives

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Organisms living in the intertidal zone must adapt to environmental and physical stressors. One physical stressor that these organisms may face, and that may require specific behavioral and physiological responses, is burial by sediment. In this thesis I report the results of experiments in which I subjected the intertidal hermit crab, Pagurus samuelis, to burial and analyzed aspects of subsequent behavior and physiology. In the first set of experiments, hermit crabs were buried with the shell aperture facing either up or down, and at one of three depths (2, 4, or 6 cm). The factors hermit crab weight, shell …

Ricin B Chain-Insulin Fusion Protein Immunomodulation Of Type 1 Diabetes, James Edward Carter Iii

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1D) is a debilitating chronic inflammatory disease of the insulin-producing pancreatic islet β-cells that results from a combination of genetic and environmental factors. Attempts to suppress Th1-mediated autoimmune diseases such as T1D by mucosal delivery of autoantigens for immunotolerization have yielded only partial success. Attainment of satisfactory levels of sustained immunological tolerance remains to be accomplished. To restore self-tolerance requires delivery of sufficient amounts of autoantigen to stimulate regulatory T helper cells that function to survey the gut and induce tolerance to consumed antigens such as food. Oral delivery of autoantigens has previously been shown to …

Effect Of Depression On Attention Via Mood Induction In A Healthy Population, Cheryl Mae Calvano

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

This project continues research into the cognitive attention of persons with a sad mood similar to that experienced by dysthymia. The project utilizes the Dot Probe Task to evaluate attention to affective stimuli presented in the International Affective Picture Set (IAPS). Participants were psychology students recruited from La Sierra University. Participants completed a word task that intended to induce a sad or neutral mood. The Positive and Negative Affect Scale (PANAS) was used to evaluate the efficacy of the mood induction. Overall, participant’s negative PANAS scale did not differ between groups. Groups differed between administrations of the PANAS on the …

Labeling Disability In America, Nicole C. Webster

Communication Studies

This paper explores how labels are used in regard to disabilities in the dominant American culture. Ignorance is the link between language and discrimination and inequalities for people with disabilities. Americans can be educated through disability studies so as to become capable of empathizing with and enabling, rather than disabling, their compatriots.

“Trying” Times: Medicalization, Intent, And Ambiguity In The Definition Of Infertility, Arthur L. Greil, Julia Mcquillan

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

Researchers studying infertility from the perspective of anthropology and other the social sciences seldom examine the assumptions embedded in the biomedical definition of infertility. Implicit in the biomedical definition is the assumption that people can be divided straightforwardly into those who are trying to conceive and those who are not trying to conceive. If being infertile implies “intent to conceive,” we must recognize that there are various degrees of intent and that the line between the fertile and the infertile is not as sharp as is usually imagined. Drawing on structured interview data collected from a random sample of Midwestern …

Vittatidera Zeaphila (Nematoda: Heteroderidae), A New Genus And Species Of Cyst Nematode Parasitic On Corn (Zea Mays), Ernest C. Bernard, Zafar A. Handoo, Thomas O. Powers, Patricia A. Donald, Robert D. Heinz

Department of Plant Pathology: Faculty Publications

A new genus and species of cyst nematode, Vittatidera zeaphila, is described from Tennessee. The new genus is superficially similar to Cactodera but is distinguished from other cyst-forming taxa in having a persistent lateral field in females and cysts, persistent vulval lips covering a circumfenestrate vulva, and subventral gland nuclei of the female contained in a separate small lobe. Infective juveniles (J2) are distinguished from all previously described Cactodera spp. by the short stylet in the second-stage juvenile (14-17 mm); J2 of Cactodera spp. have stylets at least 18 mm long. The new species also is unusual in that …

Botanical Report Of Tierra Redonda Mountain Blm Area Of Critical Environmental Concern, San Luis Obispo County, California (W120˚59’41”; N35˚45’59”)., Anthony Baniaga, Andrew Theo Fitanides

Biological Sciences

The purpose of this document is to report the results of a botanical survey of a portion of the Tierra Redonda Mountain Area of Critical Environmental Concern. The survey was conducted for the Bureau of Land Management, and executed between October 2009 and June 2010. Tierra Redonda Mountain is the type locality for the Tierra Redonda formation, and has weathered to form steep slopes of exposed chaparral and protected woodlands. Four general community types were found; foothill woodland, chaparral, southern coastal scrub and dune scrub. Alliances determined by The Manual of California Vegetation (2nd ed.) were: Quercus douglasii Woodland, Quercus …

Court-Involved African American Males And Social Capital Within Chicago Public Schools, Troy Harden

College of Education Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative study explores how eleven court-involved African American males in Chicago Public Schools gain entry and access into mainstream society via schooling, exploring their choices, interactions and networks in the context of schooling, and how they develop trust or the lack thereof in the educational process. Five themes emerged from interviews of the eleven young men, including school engagement, neighborhood bonds, school exclusion, purgatory and social capital reconceptualized. The young men in this study reported their trajectories associated with schooling, including how they were often “pushed out”, in part by their own behavior and attitude towards schools, and school …

Simple Choice: Review Essay, Carl P. Fictorie

Pro Rege

Reviewed Title: Benjamin Wiker and Jonathan Witt. A Meaningful World: How the Arts and Sciences Reveal the Genius of Nature. Downers Grove, Ill.: IVP Academic, 2006. 257 pages.

Bridging The Gap: Linking Co-Curricular Activities To Student Learning Outcomes In Community College Students, Katie Lauren Storey

Dissertations

This study investigated the extent to which participation in co-curricular events enhances the achievement of student-learning outcomes in community college students. One community college in Illinois—Chicago Metropolitan Area Community College (CMACC), a pseudonym—was selected to research based on its robust co-curricular activity programming. A concurrent nested mixed methodology (Plano Clark & Creswell, 2007) was used, nesting quantitative data within qualitative data.

To generate quantitative data, a student survey was distributed to 128 students involved with co-curricular activities at CMACC. Participating students were asked to identify their involvement with co-curricular programming and how this participation correlated with the institution’s general education …

Righetti Hill Ranch Project Proposal, Katherine Marie Nilmeier

City and Regional Planning

No abstract provided.

Fire: Ecology & Prevention, Justin R. Frey

Social Sciences

No abstract provided.

Environmental Planning For Water, Transportation And Land Use, Wendy Laumer

Social Sciences

An overview of environmental planning for water, transportation and land use.

Global Warming: Myths & Realities, Dennis Jaynes

Social Sciences

The topic of Global Warming has been surrounded with controversy since it was first proposed. From evidence that has come from years of studies, a majority of the world’s governments and scientists are in agreement that the Earth’s global temperatures are warming. However, there are others who are skeptical of the science; they spread their message by trying to discredit the scientists or have even gone as far as to cover it up. The intent of this paper is to examine the myths and compare them side by side with the latest scientific data to determine what is real and …

The Social Context Of Child Abuse And The Aid Of Preventative Programs, Kelly R. Ferguson

Social Sciences

No abstract provided.

Teaching In South America, Kevin Perez

Social Sciences

No abstract provided.

Horsing Around? Hippotherapy As A Context For Speech Therapy, Kara Schricker

Psychology and Child Development

Language and communication are essential to our daily lives. With it we are able to express our wants and needs without frustration, without it we would not be able to effortlessly engage in the communication that is so essential to our daily lives. Children typically follow a pattern of development that allows them to develop language without delay. Interferences can arise that delay language development including: articulation disorders, fluency disorders, dysphagia, hearing impairment, cleft palate, or cognitive impairment. Each of these interferences has a unique cause and also a unique effect on children. A variety of therapies are available that …

The Influence Of Music On The Development Of Children, Theresa Riforgiate, Christopher Chau

Psychology and Child Development

Listening to classical music, like Mozart, is wonderful way to expand one's musical taste. Contrary to popular beliefs, however, this passive engagement with music does not make your child smarter. However, research demonstrates that active participation in music and music instruction help develop memory, perception, language, vocabulary, spoken skills, and reading skills. In order to disseminate these findings, we compiled a list of different opportunities around San Luis Obispo for children's active participation in music. Our goal is to provide parents with a resource to help them facilitate their children's involvement in music.

San Luis Obispo Wine And Culinary Center, Hayley Cole, Chad Endicott

City and Regional Planning

No abstract provided.

Exact Solutions For Wind-Driven Coastal Upwelling And Downwelling Over Sloping Bathymetry, Dana Lynn Duke, Paul Derek Sinz

Mathematics

The dynamics of wind-driven coastal upwelling and downwelling are studied using a simplified dynamical model. Exact solutions are examined as a function of time and over a family of sloping bathymetries. Assumptions in the two-dimensional model include a frictionless ocean interior below the surface Ekman layer, and no alongshore dependence of the variables; however, dependence in the cross-shore and vertical directions is retained. Additionally, density and alongshore momentum are advected by the cross-shore velocity in order to maintain thermal wind. The time-dependent initial-value problem is solved with constant initial stratification and no initial alongshore flow. An alongshore pressure gradient is …

Poisonous Rangeland Plants In San Luis Obispo County, Sara Litten, Amanda Ou

Animal Science

Poisonous Rangeland Plants in San Luis Obispo County is a comprehensive educational guide to rangeland plants that are toxic to domestic livestock. This guide begins with an exploration of how the biological systems are affected by the poisonous plant toxins. The biochemistry behind these toxins is included in the discussion. Next, reference material for fourteen plants that inhabit San Luis Obispo County is provided. This information includes specific toxins found in poisonous plants, affected animals, symptoms of poisoning, stages of growth, lethal dose, and distribution of the plant in California. This section of the guide is filled with helpful photos …

‘Yeah, He’S My Daddy’: Linguistic Constructions Of Fictive Kinships In A Street-Level Sex Work Community, Kathleen Weinkauf

Wagadu: A Journal of Transnational Women's & Gender Studies

This paper examines how language assists in the construction of fictive kinship networks amongst U.S. street-level sex workers, thereby establishing affective ties and obligations as well as a definitive power structure between various members of their community and social hierarchy. Research findings suggest that these kin structures impact sex workers’ sense of agency in relation to others while simultaneously providing an additional means of insulation, alienation, and even exclusion from the dominant culture. This study indicates that language use within this community operates as a discursive framework that plays a critical role in relationship formation and maintenance.

Furman Magazine. Volume 53, Issue 2 - Full Issue, Furman University

Furman Magazine

No abstract provided.