Digital Commons Network^™

The Effect Of An Ipad Application On The Quality Of Lunches Brought From Home By Middle School Children, Christina Pryor

Open Access Master's Theses

Objective: To evaluate the mobile application, LaLa Lunchbox, on improving the dietary quality of lunches brought from home.

Design: Quasi-experimental design.

Setting: Middle school in East, Greenwich, RI.

Participants: 25 students in the 6^th grade who were predominately white (72%) females (76%) with an average age of 11.2 years.

Intervention: For 4 weeks, LaLa Lunchbox app was used to create virtual lunchbox for each school day of the following week.

Main Outcome Measure: Lunch Quality Index (LQI) scores calculated based on the presence or absence of fruit, vegetables, protein, or empty calorie …

Influence Of A Within Meal Eating Rate Intervention On Overall Diet Quality In Overweight And Obese Women, Sean C. Krueger

Open Access Master's Theses

Background: Improved diet quality has been identified as a key factor in improving longevity and quality of life. Behavior change interventions seeking to influence diet quality and limit obesity often focus on caloric restrictions and quantities of foods consumed. No current interventions have focused solely on the act of eating, despite initial research that suggests that pace at which food is consumed during a meal may be influential.

Objective: The objective of this study is to evaluate relationships between within-meal eating rate and diet quality, and the influence of participation in an eating rate intervention on diet quality. …

Effects Of Combined Tai Chi, Resistance Training And Diet On Percent Body Fat In Obese Older Women, Dinah Quintanilla

Open Access Master's Theses

Obesity is a public health problem affecting approximately 35.4% of Americans 60 years of age or older and African-American women are considered at high-risk for obesity. Exercise and diet are effective at reducing the risk of chronic diseases. Resistance training (RT) has been reported to preserve or increase skeletal muscle mass, functional status, well-being, and improve memory. Tai Chi (TC), a form of martial art, is an exercise composed of slow deliberate movements that can result in improvements in cardiovascular disease risk factors including body composition, but no studies have combined diet, RT and TC in a community-based study in …

Impact On Nutrition Risk In Community Dwelling Obese Women With Nutrition And Physical Activity Intervention, Amy Taetzsch

Open Access Master's Theses

Statement of the problem: There have been no studies examining a combination of behaviorally-based dietary education, resistance training, and Tai Chi on dietary quality and resilience.

Objectives: To examine the effect of a behaviorally-based diet education, resistance training, and Tai Chi intervention on dietary quality as well as physical resilience in obese older women.

Design: Community health outreach with a non-randomized quasi-experimental design. Setting: Urban senior center in Providence, Rhode Island.

Participants: There were 33 women with mean age of 65 ± 8.2 years and BMI of 37.3 ± 4.6 kg/m² who were enrolled in …

Thyroid Hormones, Performance, And Psychological Changes On Overtraining In Female Distance Runners, Justin Nicoll

Open Access Master's Theses

Statement of the Problem: Overtraining (OT) is common in endurance sports. Perturbations in the hormonal milieu are common throughout OT literature. Thyroid hormones (TH) are altered by energy imbalances, and these imbalances are often present in female endurance athletes. Thyroid hormones also regulate metabolism, energy production, and therefore they may play a role in commonly cited symptoms of OT in these athletes. Alterations in TH status often occur slowly, and research investigating TH and their relationship in overtrained athletes is sparse. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to investigate relationships in TH and commonly cited symptoms of …

The Effects Of Different Athletic Playing Surfaces On Jump Height, Force And Power, Kelly Murphy

Open Access Master's Theses

Problem Statement and Background: As artificial turfs (AT) become more commonplace, the number of recreational athletes playing on them increases. Some aspects of performance such as speed appear to be better on AT; yet higher rates of injury have been reported. Despite this information, there are still few published studies on outcomes of athletic playing surfaces on athlete performance. Further, there is no research that compares individual performance on AT, hard surfaces and different composite natural surfaces. The purpose of this study was to compare athlete performance on AT against two different natural turf bases and a hard surface. …

Effects Of Social Support On Individuals’ Results Of 12-Weeks Of Cardiac Rehabilitation, Danika Korpacz

Open Access Master's Theses

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to analyze the effects of social support on an individual’s result of 12-weeks of cardiac rehabilitation. Specifically, this study investigated whether or not participants decreased their body mass index, increased their stress test duration, showed greater changes in their maximum attained heart during their stress test and overall improvements in health through their SF-36 scores.

METHODS: Fifty-five men and women from Rhode Island were recruited from The Miriam Hospital Center for Cardiac Fitness. All participants were currently participating in cardiac rehabilitation. They completed all twelve weeks, completed all necessary paperwork and …

Evaluation Of A Snap-Ed Family Meal Based Nutrition Education Curriculum, Aaron Slader

Open Access Master's Theses

Background: Families who have more frequent family meals make more healthy food selections and their children are less likely to be obese than families who eat together less frequently. A nutrition education curriculum that results in increased family meal frequency could be an effective approach to reducing obesity in children through improved nutrition eating behaviors.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a SNAP-Ed 4-week family meal focused nutrition education pilot curriculum to improve family meal frequency among low-income parents in Rhode Island.

Design: This study used a prospective, quasi-experimental design. Low-income parents at one …

Facebook, Twitter, & Qr Codes: An Exploratory Trial Examining The Feasibility Of Social Media Mechanisms For Recruiting Youth Participation To An Online Survey, Lucy L. Gu

Open Access Master's Theses

This study examined the effectiveness of three social media based recruitment channels for sampling rural adolescent populations for online health research. At present, there is no consensus on the optimal social media based vehicle for recruiting adolescents due to limited research. This exploratory study compared Facebook ads, Twitter, and QR code postcards at three different but demographically similar rural high schools. The results showed that QR code postcards had the highest response percentage and the lowest cost per recruited participant, whereas Twitter had the lowest response percentage and Facebook had the highest cost per recruited participant. Although this is the …

Kappa Opioid Regulation Of Depressive-Like Behavior During Protracted Withdrawal From Ethanol, Sorscha Jarman

McNair Scholars Journal

No abstract provided.

Fcs 5158 : Implications Of Childhood Obesity, Fcs

Approved Course Proposals

No abstract provided.

Relactation: A Phenomenological Study, Amy Nicole Lommen

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

The purpose of this study was to explore the lived experiences of women in Montana who chose to attempt relactation. A phenomenological approach was utilized to understand the lived experiences of the 10 participants. In depth interviews were conducted and a 21 item, categorical and open-ended survey was administered seeking demographic and experiential data. Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis was used to organize and analyze the data. Most participants reported having good support from family, friends, lactation specialists, and/or physicians. Despite this support, the participants experienced breastfeeding difficulty. An overarching theme was having a difficult baby; whether it was colic, latching difficulties, …

Prophylactic-Dysphagia Intervention For Patients With Head And Neck Cancer Receiving Chemoradiation Therapy, Shanna Lee Stack

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Many patients with head and neck cancer suffer from dysphagia caused by organ preserving regimens of chemoradiation therapy. However, intervention for this population varies in terms of timing, intensity, and types of treatments prescribed. This prospective study investigated swallowing-related quality of life, functional oral intake, and swallowing-related pain for patients who received two different types of preventative swallowing intervention before and during chemoradiation therapy. A total of eight participants who had undergone chemoradiation therapy participated in the study. Four participants completed direct swallowing exercises (exercises that require swallowing). The remaining four completed indirect swallowing exercises (exercises that do not require …

Habitat Quality Influences Migratory Strategy Of Female White-Tailed Deer, Charles R. Henderson Jr.

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Partial migration is a life history strategy that is common for ungulate species living in seasonal environments. One factor that influences the decision to migrate by ungulates is access to high quality habitat. We evaluated the influence of access to winter habitat of high quality on the probability of an individual migrating, the differences in seasonal habitat use between and within migratory and resident classes of deer, and the effects of this decision on the survival of female white-tailed deer. We hypothesized that deer with home ranges of relatively low quality in winter would have a relatively high probability of …

The Association Between The Social Context Of Mealtime, Children's Diet, Caregiver's Experiences With Discrimination And Household Food Insecurity, Michael Patrick Burke

Theses and Dissertations

The social context of mealtime---defined as the social interactions and practices during mealtime---plays an important role in children's diet. Household food insecurity disrupts or causes worry about the household food supply, and therefore may negate the positive effect of the social context of meals; however, little research has examined household food security and the social context of mealtime. The purpose of this study was to examine the association between various aspects of the social context of mealtime---dietary modeling, parenting style, eating together, mealtime screen time, and priority and atmosphere of mealtime---and dietary quality among children within food-insecure households. The results …

Family Support Caseloads--Determinants Of Kentucky's Division Of Family Support Personnel Allocation, David Bachert

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

This paper is an examination of the determinants of Family Support employee allocation. Specifically, related to Kentucky, the goal of this research is to determine if public assistance caseloads are equitable across nine geographic regions. A review of relevant literature provides a larger context to this topic. Literature primarily suggests three mechanisms by which Family Support resources might be allocated: legal regulations, postcode lottery, and Tiebout migration.

Supported by literature the larger context for this paper leads to the examination of five independent variables: (1) percent of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program recipients \, (2) total population, (3) percent of the …

Analyzing Perceptions Of Barriers To Self-Sufficiency Of Local Social Service Officials And Their Priorities For Local Government Funding, Zheng Li

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

Self-sufficiency means a family can adequately meet their basic needs without repeated assistance from public or private social service organizations. However, there are many barriers preventing Fayette County residents from becoming self-sufficient. Because Lexington Fayette Urban County officials wanted to consider a new way to allocate local government resources, a needs assessment was conducted to assess the barriers to self-sufficiency for residents in Fayette County. As one part of the needs assessment, my research was to design and analyze a survey instrument to assess the perceptions of barriers to self-sufficiency of local social service providers and their priorities for local …

A Critical Discourse Analysis Of Stem Cell Banking Brochures In Malaysia / Ungku Khairunnisa Bt Ungku Mohd Nordin, Ungku Khairunnisa Ungku Mohd Nordin

Student Works (2010-2019)

This study employs Critical Discourse Analysis to analyse two brochures of two stem cell banking companies in Malaysia. The primary objective of this study is to look at how these companies construct their identities in their respective brochures. It also looks how social relationships between the companies and their potential customers are constructed through their respective brochures. These companies are Cryocord Sdn. Bhd. and Cellsafe International Sdn. Bhd. Fairclough’s (1992) Three Dimensional Model is used in order to explain the relationship between the text (brochures), discursive practices and the social practises surrounding these brochures. In regards of visual texts, Kress …

Antioxidant Activity Of Phaleria Macrocarpa (Mahkota Dewa) Fruits / Ahmad Farid Bin Asmail @ Ismail, Ahmad Farid Asmail @ Ismail

Student Works (2010-2019)

The study was conducted to determine the antioxidant activity of fruit and seed parts of Phaleria macrocarpa in hexane, chloroform, methanol and water extracts. The antioxidant activity were evaluated using in-vitro bioassay system namely 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging assay, Ferric Reducing Antioxidant Power (FRAP) Assay and Metal Chelating Assay. In the DPPH assay, water extract of Phaleria macrocarpa fruit had the highest antioxidant activity with IC50 of 1.56 ug/ml while in Phaleria macrocarpa seed, chloroform extract showed good free radical scavenging activity with IC50 of 1.83 ug/ml when compared with standard ascorbic acid (IC50 = 1.25 ug/ml). For isolated compounds …

Aqueous Two-Phase System For Recovery Of Lignin Peroxidase From Amauroderma Rugosum Liquid Mycelia Medium / Linda Jong Wan Yng, Linda Wan Yng Jong

Student Works (2010-2019)

Amauroderma rugosum is a wild mushroom spesies widely distributed in tropics and is classified under class Basidiomycetes. The class Basidiomycetes is well-known for their abilities of producing lignocellulolytic enzymes such as lignin peroxidase (LiP), laccase (Lac) and manganese peroxidase (MnP). The Amauroderma rugosum produce lignin peroxidase in the medium supplemented with potato dextrose broth (PDB), 0.5 % (w/v) of yeast, 1 % (w/v) of saw dust and 150 μM (w/v) of copper with shaking speed of 120 rpm and 14 days duration gave the lignin peroxidase (LiP) activity of 105.68 ±5.87 U/ml (w/v). The utilization of the agricultural by-products (rubber …

The Effect Of Green Tea (Camellia Sinensis) On Lactic Acid Fermentation Of Milk : Effects On Physical, Nutritional And Functional Properties Of Yogurt / Shabboo Amirdivani, Shabboo Amirdivani

Student Works (2010-2019)

Yogurt is a healthy food and it has become good candidate for fortification with many healthful ingredients including fruits, herbs, prebiotics, probiotics and omega-3 fatty acids. Whatever the fortification strategies, it is essential that the finished product retain a desirable taste, becomes more nutritious and has long shelf life. The present study investigated the benefits green tea would bring to increase yogurt properties by virtue of the high levels of flavonoids which can protect cells and tissues from oxidative damage by scavenging oxygen-free radicals. The presence of green tea would however affect yogurt bacteria fermentation of milk and subsequently the …

Phytochemical Studies And Bioactivity Of Selected Species From The Family Melastomataceae / Norfaizah Mahmud, Norfaizah Mahmud

Student Works (2010-2019)

The Melastomataceae is a large family of flowering plants consisting of trees, shrubs as well as epiphytes and are found throughout the tropics including Malaysia. However, only a handful of species have been studied for their phytochemical properties including the ones found in Malaysia. The present study was undertaken to evaluate the cytotoxic activities of the crude methanol (CME), ethyl acetate (CEE) and hexane extracts (CHE) of four selected wild species namely Melastoma muticum, Melastoma sanguineum, Memecylon caeruleum and Phyllagathis rotundifolia. Extracts of these species were prepared from the leaves and cytotoxic activities were screened by an in vitro assay …

The Effect Of Carum Carvi Water Extract Intake As An Alternative Therapy For Weight Loss In Overweight And Obese Women / Mahnaz Kazemipoor, Mahnaz Kazemipoor

Student Works (2010-2019)

Obesity and overweight are considered as challenging health problems worldwide. Despite several modern methods for treatment of obesity such as medical nutrition therapy, low-energy diets, and physical activity. The prevalence of this disease is still high, suggesting the need for alternative therapies. One of the trending approaches is the consumption of traditional medicinal plants. Caraway (Carum carvi L.), has been traditionally used as a spice in Iran. It is also claimed as a potent medicinal plant that is used to treat a variety of ailments including obesity. The objectives of this study are to analyse the phytochemicals present in caraway …

The Effects Of Stress On Lactation Among Working And Non-Working Malaysian Mothers / Nik Raihan Haji Mohamed, Haji Mohamed Nik Raihan

Student Works (2010-2019)

Lactation impairment is commonly blamed on stress despite mothers’ determination and knowledge on breastfeeding. This research is carried out to determine the association between perceived stress and serum cortisol and prolactin levels in working and non-working mothers during the first, second, third and fourth postpartum months. It is hypothesised that working mothers would be under more stress and thus have higher cortisol level but lower prolactin levels as compared to non-working mothers. Fifty-nine postpartum mothers at two health clinics within the Kuala Lumpur urban area were recruited. However, only nine working and seven non-working participating mothers manage to complete the …

Depression And Homesickness Among Iranian Students In University Malaya / Majid Shahmohammadi, Shahmohammadi Majid

Student Works (2010-2019)

Introduction: Studying abroad has become a norm and a “must do” purpose for many scholars. Over the last few years, Malaysia has become a popular destination for students from many Islamic countries including students from Iran. Many of the studies on international students are done among Asian students travelling to western countries. Objective: This is a cross-sectional study aimed to investigate the prevalence of depression and homesickness among the Iranian students in University of Malaya and to see if there are any associated factors including level of religiosity and social support. Methods: 201 Iranian students studying in University Malaya were …

Synthesis And Characterization Of Bamboo Leaf Based Carbon-Opacified Silica Aerogel (Cosa) / Kow Kien Woh, Kien Woh Kow

Student Works (2010-2019)

Silica aerogel with extremely low thermal conductivity has great potential to be used as thermal insulating material. Its application is currently restricted by the expensive raw materials such as tetramethyl-orthosilicate (TMOS) and tetraethyl-orthosilicate (TEOS). In addition, pure silica aerogel has low absorption of infrared radiation at 3 – 8 μm and led to increase in thermal conductivity at high temperature. Carbon is commonly used as an opacifier in silica aerogel to absorb the radiation and therefore suppress thermal conductivity of aerogel. However, separated source of carbon is required for the opacification of aerogel. Biomass such as bamboo leaves and cogon …

Methylation Profiling In Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma / Khor Goot Heah, Goot Heah Khor

Student Works (2010-2019)

ntroduction: DNA methylation is an epigenetic phenomenon at molecular level that involves gene expression regulation of cell development and differentiation, and diseases. DNA hypermethylation in a gene promoter region shows dramatic effects on gene expression and is a common phenomenon in initiation and progression of many solid tumours that includes Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma (OSCC). Silencing of hypermethylated genes in promoter regions is a frequent phenomenon in different types of cancer and has achieved increasing diagnostic and therapeutic importance since the changes are reversible. Thus, methylation analysis may provide promising clinical applications that include the development of biomarkers, assessment of …

Stock Enhancement Of Macrobrachium Rosenbergii (Giant Freshwater Prawns) Inferred By Molecular Genetics And Ecological Studies / Mohd Azwan Bin Jaafar, Mohd Azwan Jaafar

Student Works (2010-2019)

The freshwater prawn Macrobrachium rosenbergii or locally known as “Udang galah” in Malaysia is ranked as the sixth largest aquaculture species in Asia based on volume. Overharvesting of this species has caused it depletion in all the river line systems in the whole world including Malaysia. A stock enhancement program has been done by the Malaysian Department of Fisheries to fulfil the demand for this prawn. The objective of this study was to determine the productivity success of stock enhancement using 18 microsatellite (Type I and Type II) and mitochondrial DNA markers (mtDNA). In order to evaluate the productivity success, …

Ecology Of Hermit Crabs (Family Diogenidae) In Matang Mangrove Estuary And Adjacent Coastal Waters / Teoh Hong Wooi, Hong Wooi Teoh

Student Works (2010-2019)

Ecological aspects of diogenid hermit crabs were studied in Matang mangrove estuary and adjacent coastal waters to determine their abundance and distribution in relation to abiotic and biotic factors, population dynamics, shell use patterns, reproduction and trophodynamics. Samplings of hermit crabs and environmental parameters were carried out at mid-estuary, river mouth, coastal mudflat and offshore shoal waters, using a small otter trawl from August 2009 to March 2011. The major hermit crab species were D. lopochir Morgan, 1989, Diogenes moosai Rahayu & Forest, 1995, and Clibanarius infraspinatus Hilgendorf, 1869 which dominated the shoal area, mudflat and mid-estuary, respectively. The growth …

Determination Of Lead In Wax Crayon Using Flame Atomic Absorption Spectrometry / Suhailey Binti Mohd Noor, Suhailey Mohd Noor

Student Works (2010-2019)

The method for the determination of lead in wax crayon by Flame Atomic Absorption Spectrometry was adopted from Health Canada Safety Program (HCSP), Product Safety Laboratory, ‘Determination of Total Lead in Wax Crayon by Closed Vessel Micowave Digestion’ and verified. The parameter of method verification such as accuracy, precision, limit of detection, limit of quantitation and linearity were studied. Three colours from 10 boxes of wax crayon samples were analysed. Microwave digestion method was used to extract the lead prior to analysis. The concentration of lead in red, blue and orange colour wax crayon was 25.23 ± 3.26 mg kg-1, …