Digital Commons Network^™

The Relationship Between Student Self-Efficacy And English Proficiency In A University Intensive English Program, Vanessa Carrie Cook

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relationship between learner self-efficacy and English-language proficiency in a native English environment involving participants from various non-native English backgrounds. Participants were 43 English language learners in a university-level Intensive English Program in the Southeast United States. Previous studies, including those by Idrus and Sivapalan (2010); Nasseri and Zaferanieh (2012); Rahimi and Abedini (2009); Teng (2005); Tifarlioglu and Cinkara (2009); Wong (2005); and Hsieh and Kang (2010), have examined self-efficacy and learning outcomes for students who shared a comlanguage and were studying English in the students' native language environments. Findings in these …

The Impact Of Dietary And Exercise Habits On College Students' Life Satisfaction, Megan L. Marsh

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A majority of college students do not maintain healthy lifestyle practices. Few college students achieve recommendations for adequate nutrition and instead typically consume diets high in fat, sodium, and sugar and low in fruits and vegetables. In addition, few college students meet current physical activity recommendations, and 40-50% do not exercise at all. Life satisfaction is associated with low levels of stress, academic achievement, goal progression, and personal growth initiative, all of which contribute to success in college as well as the transition from college into the working world. Exercise, fruit and vegetable intake, and avoidance of fat intake are …

Correlates Of Hunger: Evidence From The Community Based Monitoring System (Cbms) Data Of Pasay City, Frumencio F. Co, Rechel G. Arcilla, Shirlee R. Ocampo

Angelo King Institute for Economic and Business Studies (AKI)

Hunger is one of the major problems in several countries, and the objective to reduce it has become a global concern. A major initiative of the United Nations Millenium Development Goals (MDG) is the eradication of extreme poverty and hunger. However, the attempt to reduce the abovementioned issues, calls for proper identification as to who the impoverished and hungry are. There are several ways to identify the poor, but pinpointing who the hungry are, is another task.

Demographic Analysis Of Recovery Act Supported Jobs In Massachusetts, Quarters 1 And 2, 2011: Final Report, Carol Hardy-Fanta, Monica Lamboy, David Merwin, Paige Ransford, Meryl Thomson, Christian Weller

Publications from the Center for Women in Politics and Public Policy

Since 2009, researchers have analyzed the economic and employment impact of ARRA spending and tax policies. The current report is possible due to the efforts of Massachusetts policymakers who went beyond federal reporting requirements to require additional reporting on the number of workers who received ARRA-funded pay. ARRA workers’ demographic characteristics were also collected as part of the Massachusetts’ ARRA reporting requirements to allow for transparency and determine the fiscal policy’s impact on the state and local economy. The Massachusetts Recovery and Reinvestment Office (MassRRO) makes available much of these data on their website (www.mass. gov/recovery), including highlights for each …

Use Of Sweet Potato To Develop A Medium For Cultivation Of Lactic Acid Bacteria, Saeed A. Hayek

Dissertations

This study investigated the use of sweet potatoes (Ipomoea batatas) as a basic component to develop a medium for cultivation of lactic acid bacteria (LAB). Extract from baked sweet potatoes was used to form a sweet potato medium (SPM). SPM was supplemented with 4 g/L of each nitrogen source (beef extract, yeast extract, and proteose peptone #3). Lactobacilli MRS was used as a control medium. Ten LAB strains were used to determine the suitability of SPM serving the growth of LAB. Our results showed no significant (p < 0.05) differences in the optical density, maximum specific growth rates, and bacterial populations between MRS and SPM. SPM also maintained higher pH values throughout the incubation period compared to that in MRS. The cost of SPM was 47% less than the cost of MRS. Further step was taken to determine the suitability of SPM serving LAB enzymatic activity. LAB strains growing in SPM showed relatively higher β-glucosidases, acid phosphatase, and phytase activities and lower a-glucosidase compared to that in MRS. Strains of L. reuteri showed the …

An Evaluation Of The Opinions Of School Nutrition Professionals On The New Meal Pattern Being Implemented Through The National School Lunch Program (Nslp) With A Focus On The Fruit And Vegetable Components, Sowjanya Chowdary Chilaka

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) is a federally supported school meal program. The Healthy Hunger Free Kids Act (HHFKA), 2010 based on the recommendations by Institute of Medicine (IOM) introduced new meal pattern that comply with the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2010 and these are the major changes made in the past 15 years to school meal programs. The objective of the study was to evaluate the opinions of school nutrition professionals on the new meal pattern being implemented through the NSLP with a focus on fruit and vegetable components. A questionnaire was developed and distributed at strategic locations. …

A Critical Review Of Endometriosis Pathology, Brittany Lauren Cureton

Theses and Dissertations

Endometriosis is a complex, multifactorial, reproductive disorder present in approximately 10-15% of adult women between the ages of 25-35. This disorder occurs when endometrial glands and stroma grow ectopically on the surface of the ovaries, pelvic peritoneum, fallopian tubes, and the uterus. Endometriosis causes varying degrees of painful symptoms and infertility in infected individuals. Three main theories of endometrial accumulation attempt to explain the etiology of this elusive disease. There have been various staging of endometriosis symptoms that attempt to standardize classification as well as predict pain and infertility. Angiogenesis, necessary to the survival of endometrial tissue, along with immune …

Association Between Breastfeeding And Infant Growth: A Probable Reverse Causality, Shraddha Vyas

Theses and Dissertations

Background: Much conflicting results exist in the association between breastfeeding and infant growth. One of these confusions is related to the temporal sequence between breastfeeding practice and infant growth.

Objective: This study aimed at examining the association and investigating a possible reverse causality between breastfeeding and infant growth.

Method: Infant Feeding Practices Survey II, a national longitudinal database with repeated measurements, following women prenatally and until one year postpartum (N=2914) was used. Mixed linear model assessed the impact of breastfeeding from the 2nd, 4th, 6th and 9th months on infant growth at the 3rd, 5th, 7th and 12th months, respectively. …

Classroom Exercise Breaks And Educational Outcomes In Elementary School Students, Erin Kaye Howie

Theses and Dissertations

Previous research has shown that physical activity may have beneficial effects on cognitive performance and academic achievement in children, but the optimal type and dose are unknown. Classroom exercise breaks are one type of physical activity opportunity in schools, with the potential to reach a large number of children. The purpose of this dissertation was to describe the prevalence and characteristics of classroom exercise breaks in central South Carolina, and to determine the acute effects of classroom exercise breaks on executive functions, math performance, on-task behavior and affective responses in 9 to 12 year-old children. Additionally, the dissertation examined the …

The Effects Of A High Fat Diet On Mitochondrial Biogenesis And Inflammation In The Brain., Lauren Suzanne Vervaecke

Theses and Dissertations

INTRO: High fat diets (HFD) ingested over long periods of time have been shown to cause diet induced obesity leading to excessive adiposity and chronic low grade inflammation. Here we have shown how differing levels of saturated fats (SF), which are common storage fats, affect markers of inflammation and mitochondrial biogenesis. IL-1â and TNF-alpha are pro-inflammatory cytokines that have been shown to increase with a HFD, while molecular signalers, PGC-1alpha, cyt c, and SIRT1, related to mitochondrial biogenesis have been shown to decrease. Despite the risks of consuming a diet high in SF's, consumers continue to buy energy dense foods …

Perceptions Of Breast Cancer-Related Stigma And Genetic Knowledge Among Latina Women: El Mejor Entendimiento Del Miedo., Jade Cognetti

Theses and Dissertations

Purpose: Breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer death among Latina women, with BRCA1/2 gene mutations accounting for a commensurate proportion of breast/ovarian cancer in Latina women as compared to non-Latina women. Despite this statistic, it has been shown that Latino populations exhibit low awareness and use of genetic services and that they hold culturally-related beliefs which stigmatize cancer. We hypothesized that a simple, culturally-tailored educational flier would improve genetics knowledge as well as decrease breast cancer-related stigma among Latina women in our sample. Method: Two groups of Latina women (N = 19) were provided with a pre-survey, educational …

Unique Perspectives And Struggles Of Parents Rearing Children With Phenylketonuria With Unaffected Siblings, Cassandra Nicole Hollinger

Theses and Dissertations

Phenylketonuria (PKU) is an autosomal metabolic condition that is screened for via newborn screening. Individuals who are identified as having PKU require a protein-restricted diet to protect against neurological damage. Many parents who learn their child has PKU may already have children who are not affected, or may have children later who are not affected. This creates a unique situation in which parents are rearing children that require a strict protein-restricted diet with children who do not. Parents who are currently rearing children with and without PKU were surveyed to learn what unique perspectives and struggles they face, especially regarding …

Rethinking Discipleship In The Area Of High School Ministry: Key Strategies For Transforming Urban Youth, Michael Rackley

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

According to a Barna Research Group study titled "Third Millennium Teens" 60% of young people will leave the church permanently or for an extended period. Decreasing the number of urban youth ages 14-18 from defecting from the church and to increase retention of church dropouts using Twenty-First Century transformational strategies is the goal of this project. Having served as a youth pastor the writer will analyze key strategies that will benefit high school ministry by raising the bar on expectations and by building future leaders in the church.

This project will include an anonymous survey of 125 participants aged 18-24 …

Instrument And Method Development For Single-Cell Classification Using Fluorescence Imaging Multivariate Optical Computing, Joseph Swanstrom

Theses and Dissertations

Multivariate optical computing (MOC) is an all-optical approach of predictive spectroscopy that utilizes multivariate calibration and spectral pattern recognition techniques while operating in a simple filter photometer instrument, removing the need for expensive instrumentation and post-processing of spectral data. This is accomplished with specially designed interference filters called multivariate optical elements (MOEs). MOC can provide analytical solutions for applications requiring low cost, rugged, and simple to operate instrumentation for use in remote and hazardous environments such as open ocean waters. These instrument specifications are central for developing a method for classifying phytoplankton in their natural environment. Phytoplankton are photosynthetic single …

An Intervention To Increase Staff Promotion Of Healthy Eating And Physical Activity In Out-Of-School-Time-Programs, Robert Glenn Weaver

Theses and Dissertations

Frontline-staff are critical to achieving standards related to child physical activity and nutrition (PAaN) in out-of-school-time-programs (OSTP). Recent standards call upon staff to demonstrate behaviors related to PAaN. Currently, no instrument exists to measure these behaviors. Further, while there have been several studies to increase children's PAaN in OSTPs, no studies have targeted staff behaviors and then measured the associated changes in staff behaviors. Therefore, this research project encompasses four studies.

The first study fills the gap between policy mandates and staff behaviors by describing the development of the System for Observing Staff Promotion of Activity and Nutrition (SOSPAN) in …

Fishing And Fish Consumption Patterns In The Gullah/Geechee Sea Island Population, Jamelle Heyward Ellis

Theses and Dissertations

The Gullah/Geechee (G/G) people are descendants of West African slaves who remained in seclusion on the Sea Islands of South Carolina, North Carolina, Georgia, and Florida until the end of the Civil War in 1865. In addition to retaining their unique cultural language, they also remain largely a fishing subsistence population. Decades of urban development have reduced the G/G population's access to traditional fishing locations and have increased exposures to environmental contaminants in some bodies of water that are frequently fished by the G/G. Approximately 98.4% of SC rivers and streams and 77.6% of lakes have been assessed for aquatic …

Foot Assessment In The Dialysis Unit, Karen Robertson

Theses and Dissertations

ABSTRACT In 2010 the number of patients requiring renal replacement therapy in the United States increased by 1% to 593,086. This number was comprised of 593,086 in center hemodialysis patients, 179,361 functioning kidney transplants, and 29,773 peritoneal dialysis patients.

A principal difficulty in the end stage renal disease (ESRD) population is lower extremity amputation from vascular complications and nonhealing wounds. The incidence of nontraumatic lower extremity amputation among the end stage renal disease population in the United States is ten times higher when compared to the general public. Mortality rates for ESRD patients following amputation are elevated with less than …

The Importance Of Counseling Self-Efficacy In School Mental Health, Bryn Elizabeth Schiele

Theses and Dissertations

Clinician or counseling self-efficacy (CSE), defined as beliefs about one's ability to effectively counsel a client in the near future (Larson & Daniels, 1998), is widely accepted as an important precursor of effective clinical practice (Kozina, Grabovari, De Stefano & Drapeau, 2010). While previous research has explored the association of CSE with variables such as counselor aptitude, achievement, and level of training and experience, little attention has been paid to the self-efficacy of school mental health practitioners. The current study examines the influence of quality training and supervision on the level of counseling self-efficacy amongst school mental health practitioners, as …

Associations Between The Perceived And Built Food Environment, Timothy L. Barnes

Theses and Dissertations

Neighborhood food environments have been associated with dietary intake and obesity. Measures of the food environment have typically been characterized with geographic information systems (GIS)-based measures, however, the use of perception-based measures of the food environment have increased in frequency. Few studies have fully examined the relationship between perceptions and GIS-based measures of the food environment, especially considering the congruency between perceived and GIS-based presence of specific retail food outlets, nor the relationship between food outlets and perceived availability of healthy foods or fast food opportunities.

Telephone survey data from 705 residents in an eight-county region of South Carolina were …

Food Environment And Birth Outcomes In South Carolina, Xiaoguang Ma

Theses and Dissertations

An increasing number of studies examined the association between neighborhood characteristics and birth outcomes. However, the results can be difficult to compare because of the variety of indicators used to characterize the neighborhood. As an important neighborhood characteristic, the food environment is associated with residents' nutrition status, diet quality, and related health outcomes. In addition, the food environment has been found to influence women's diet quality during pregnancy, which is a key factor in predicting birth outcomes. However to date, studies on food environment and birth outcomes are extremely limited.

This study examined the association between food environment (evaluated by …

Associations Between Resting Metabolic Rate And Energy Storage In Young Adults, Robin Shook

Theses and Dissertations

At the most basic level obesity is the result of a chronic imbalance between energy intake and energy expenditure. However, the exact etiology is considerably more complex and may involve a variety of physiological and behavioral factors. Metabolic disturbances, including reduced fat oxidation as measured by the respiratory quotient (RQ) and reduced resting metabolic rate (RMR), have been identified as possible predictors of changes in body weight and body composition. RMR represents the largest component (60-80%) of caloric expenditure that contributes to total daily energy expenditure in humans and has high inter-person variability (±25%) but not within individuals (<±5%). The cause of this variability between individuals and the exact role of RMR and RQ in determining body weight and body composition are uncertain.

This …

Emerging Technologies: Webcams And Crowd-Sourcing To Identify Active Transportation, J. Aaron Hipp, Deepti Adlakha, Bill Chang, Amy A. Eyler, Robert B. Pless

Brown School Faculty Publications

Over 25% of adults in the US are obese, contributing to 300,000 deaths and costing the US healthcare system $147 billion annually. Federal governments to local non-profit agencies have instituted policy and built environment (BE) changes in effort to reduce obesity and increase physical activity (PA). A challenge in evaluating the success of policy and BE change is the capacity to capture a priori PA behaviors and the ability to eliminate researcher and respondent bias in assessing post-change environments. A novel transdisciplinary collaboration between public health and computer science is presented here with the goal of automatically analyzing existing public …

Ciclovía Initiatives: Engaging Communities, Partners, And Policy Makers Along The Route To Success, Susan G. Zieff Phd, J. Aaron Hipp, Amy A. Eyler, Mi-Sook Kim Phd

Brown School Faculty Publications

Recent efforts to increase physical activity through changes to the built environment have led to strategies and programs that use existing public space, including bicycle lanes, temporary parks, and the ciclovia initiative (scheduled events in which streets are closed to motorized vehicles and opened for recreational activities) popularized in South America. Objective: This article describes and compares the processes and structures involved in developing and implementing a ciclovia-type program in 2 US urban contexts: San Francisco, California, and St Louis, Missouri. Considering the current growth of and interest in ciclovia initiatives, important outcomes, lessons learned are offered for application in …

Child Poverty In A Conflict Situation: A Multidimensional Profile And An Identification Of The Poorest Children In Western Darfur, Jean-Francois Trani, Timothy I. Cannings

Brown School Faculty Publications

Darfur is currently in a very complex situation making humanitarian intervention a very challenging endeavour. The civilian population is caught in the middle of armed confrontation resulting in massive forced displacement as well as in food shortage, lack of access to safe source of water and sanitation facilities, shelter, essential health services. Children are particularly vulnerable in conflict situation as they are higher risk of physical and sexual violence or emotional abuse. Applying the Alkire and Foster index of multidimensional poverty to a selected set of dimensions of deprivation identified through a large scale household survey in Western Darfur carried …

Prevention Of Skin Breakdown In The Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, Lydia H. Palmer

Theses and Dissertations

Skin breakdown occurs when one or more layers of the skin have been disrupted (McLane et al., 2004; National Pressure Ulcer Advisory Panel, 2007). While some literature uses the terms skin breakdown and pressure ulcer interchangeably, these are actually two distinct conditions and pressure ulcers are encompassed in the definition of skin breakdown (Kuller, 2001; Lund, 1999; Suddaby et al., 2006). The consequences of skin breakdown in the pediatric population can include increased cost of treatment, infection, increased morbidity and mortality as well as psychological consequences from resulting alopecia or scarring (Schindler, 2010; Willock & Maylor, 2004). Development of skin …

Bioassay Guided Fractionation Of American Ginseng. A Hexane Fraction Of American Ginseng Suppresses Colitis And Associated Colon Cancer. Mechanism Of Action., Deepak Poudyal

Theses and Dissertations

Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) [Ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn's Disease (CD)] is a group of chronic disorders of unknown etiology characterized by inflammation in the gastrointestinal tract associated with a high colon cancer risk. UC is characterized by periods of active disease ("flare-ups"), followed by periods when the disease is inactive ("remission"). The end result is an abnormal immune response with repeated episodes of colonic inflammation. Conventional treatment of UC by aminosalicylates, TNFα inhibitors, and steroids have modest effects, and come with a high risk of side effects including dyspeptic symptoms, gastric ulceration and sometimes hospitalization and deaths. Because of …

Physical Activity Surveillance And Emerging Technologies, J. Aaron Hipp

Brown School Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

2012 Evaluation Report, Center For Public Health Systems Science, Stephanie Andersen, Rachel Barth, Cheryl Kelly

Center for Public Health Systems Science

This report provides a summary of key evaluation findings for 2012 for the Missouri Foundation for Health’s Healthy & Active Communities (H&AC) initiative.

Consumers’ Misunderstanding Of Health Insurance, George Loewenstein, Joelle Y. Friedman, Barbara Mcgill, Sarah Ahmad, Suzanne Linck, Stacey Sinkula, John Beshears, James J. Choi, Jonathan Kolstad, David Laibson, Brigitte C. Madrian, John A. List, Kevin G. Volpp

Faculty Publications

We report results from two surveys of representative samples of Americans with private health insur-ance. The first examines how well Americans understand, and believe they understand, traditional healthinsurance coverage. The second examines whether those insured under a simplified all-copay insuranceplan will be more likely to engage in cost-reducing behaviors relative to those insured under a traditionalplan with deductibles and coinsurance, and measures consumer preferences between the two plans. Thesurveys provide strong evidence that consumers do not understand traditional plans and would betterunderstand a simplified plan, but weaker evidence that a simplified plan would have strong appeal toconsumers or change their …

A Double Blind Community-Based Randomized Trial Of Amoxicillin Versus Placebo For Fast Breathing Pneumonia In Children Aged 2-59 Months In Karachi, Pakistan (Retapp), Fyezah Jehan, Muhammad Imran Nisar, Salima Kerai, Nick Brown, Benazir Balouch, Zulfiqar Hyder, Gwen Ambler, Amy Sarah Ginsburg, Anita K. M. Zaidi

Department of Paediatrics and Child Health

Background: Fast breathing pneumonia is characterized by tachypnoea in the absence of danger signs and is mostly viral in etiology. Current guidelines recommend antibiotic therapy for all children with fast breathing pneumonia in resource limited settings, presuming that most pneumonia is bacterial. High quality clinical trial evidence to challenge or support the continued use of antibiotics, as recommended by the World Health Organization is lacking.

Methods/Design: This is a randomized double blinded placebo-controlled non-inferiority trial using parallel assignment with 1:1 allocation ratio, to be conducted in low income squatter settlements of urban Karachi, Pakistan. Children 2-59 months old with fast …