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Connecticut's Elderly Population: An In-Depth Analysis Of Current And Future Trends In Elder Care, With A Focus On Dementia And Cognitive Decline, Emily J. Snodgrass

Honors Scholar Theses

The aging population in Connecticut currently represents ~15% of the state’s population but is anticipated to rapidly increase over the next 20 years. My thesis is an examination of the types of interventions and programs currently available for elderly persons with memory impairment and cognitive decline, as well as the challenges associated with caring for a larger elderly population. Data collected from interviews with CT healthcare and research professionals representative of the diverse specialties of aging together with an analysis of current research literature are used to demonstrate the importance of continued research and expansion of appropriate and accessible services …

Knowledge And Behaviors Surrounding A Gluten-Free Diet Between Medically And Self-Diagnosed Individuals, Sara Andrea Quinteros-Fernandez

Theses - ALL

Objective: Gluten, a protein found in wheat, rye and barley has been linked to the inflammatory response of the GI tract in individuals with Celiac Disease, non-celiac gluten sensitivity, and in some cases irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Several factors have contributed to the increase in these gluten-related disorders in recent years, including improved medical diagnosis, public awareness of the disease, changes in the composition of wheat due to modern agricultural technologies and perceived health benefits from following a gluten-free diet. The purpose of this research was to examine the knowledge, behaviors and adherence to a gluten-free diet by individuals with …

University Of Central Florida Graduate Catalog, 2015 - 2016, University Of Central Florida

UCF Catalogs

No abstract provided.

Oral Wellness: Using Occupational Therapy To Enhance Oral Hygiene Delivery In Long-Term Care, Lauryn J. Banovitz, Liberty Bellah, Rosemarie Lion

Dissertations, Masters Theses, Capstones, and Culminating Projects

Based on current literature, oral health in long-term care (LTC) facilities is frequently of low priority and does not follow evidence-based best practices. Poor oral health reduces the quality of life of older adult residents and patients and can lead to systemic diseases, such as cardiovascular disease, stroke, and pneumonia, the leading cause of death in LTC. Occupational therapists can play an instrumental role as oral care consultants, and educators, and can act as resource guides to raise the standards of oral care in LTC facilities.

This capstone project explored ways in which occupational therapy, a profession traditionally designated for …

Describing And Understanding Factors Related To Implementing Comprehensive School Physical Activity Programs By Physical Educators, Catherine Price Berei

Dissertations

Recent recognition related to the importance of physical activity participation in living a healthy lifestyle (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2010b; Physical Activity Guidelines Advisory Committee, 2008), as well as the rise in obesity rates (Ogden, Carroll, Kit, & Flegal, 2012), and physical inactivity (Council on Sports Medicine and Fitness and Council on School Health, 2006) has led to increased attention to the physical activity levels of children. In response, the Comprehensive School Physical Activity Program (CSPAP) model (American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance [AAHPERD], 2011b; CDC, 2013) and a “whole-of-school” approach (Institute of Medicine, …

The Effects Of Animal Assisted Therapy On Tantrums And Aggressive Behaviors Of Children With Autism, Rebecca L. Jesionowicz

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

An Examination Of Motives Underlying Active Sport Tourist Behavior: A Market Segmentation Approach, Eric Michael Hungenberg

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Effects Of A Twelve-Week Aerobic And Cognitive Training Intervention On Cognitive Function In Cancer Survivors, Brent Michael Peterson

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Physical Education Teachers' Perceptions Of The Role Of Support Mechanisms Within Contemporary Professional Development, Erica A. Pratt

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Molecular Mechanisms Underlying Alcohol-Induced Cerebral Artery Smooth Muscle Bk Channel Inhibition And Eventual Cerebral Vasoconstriction, Guruprasad Kuntamallappanavar

Theses and Dissertations (ETD)

Introduction and Rationale: Ethanol (EtOH) at concentrations obtained in circulation during moderate to heavy episodic drinking, such as during binge drinking (30-60 mM) causes cerebral vasoconstriction in many species, including humans. Using rodents as a model to study ethanolinduced cerebral artery constriction, our laboratory demonstrated that ethanol-induced cerebral artery constriction is due to drug-induced reduction of STOCs (Spontaneous Transient Outward Currents) in cerebral artery smooth muscle. In this tissue, STOCs result from the activity of large conductance, calcium-and voltage-gated potassium (BK) channels. Indeed, ethanol (50 mM) decreases the steady-state activity (NPo) of vascular myocyte BK channels leading to an increase …

The Relationship Between Student Perceptions Of Classroom Climate And Tvaas Student Achievement Scores In Title I Schools, Lesley Fleenor

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this quantitative correlational study was to examine the relationship between student perceptions of classroom climate and student growth in high-poverty schools. More specifically, this study analyzed the relationship between Tripod Student Perception Survey classroom favorability ratings and Tennessee Value-Added Assessment System (TVAAS) gain scores for students in grades 3 through 8 in a medium-sized school district in Northeast Tennessee during the 2012-2013 academic year. The data were gathered from approximately 1,500 fourth and fifth grade students from 6 elementary schools and 2 K-8 schools as well as approximately 1,300 sixth, seventh, and eighth grade students from 3 …

The Effects Of Probiotics On The Treatment Of Helicobacter Pylori Eradication In Children, Mahmood D. Al-Mendalawi

Saudi Medical Journal

No abstract provided.

Stressed Induced Changes In Karenia Brevis Ribosomal Rna, David Scott Jayroe

Master's Theses

Karenia brevis is a toxic marine dinoflagellate that causes harmful algal blooms (HABs), also known as red tides, in the Gulf of Mexico. These blooms are responsible for massive fish kills, shellfish bed contaminations, adverse human health effects, and vast economic loss. For these reasons, extensive research has gone into understanding the mechanisms and dynamics of bloom behavior by studying K. brevis in the field and in the lab. In order to understand higher order bloom behavior and dynamics it is imperative to understand K. brevis at the cellular level. In growing K. brevis in vitro under a variety of …

Progressive Decline Of Testicular Function In Leptinreceptor Deficient Obese Mice, Jennifer Long

Masters Theses

The incidence of obesity and metabolic syndrome among the human population is increasing, but the effects on male fertility are unresolved. Leptin insensitivity appears to show a consistent relationship between obesity and fertility problems in men. Genetically modified mice lacking the leptin hormone (ob/ob) or leptin receptor (db/db) are reported to be subfertile and/or infertile but there is only minimal information about testicular function (sperm and hormone production) and the progression of infertility. Therefore, this study was designed to investigate testicular function using a leptin-receptor-deficient obese mouse model (the POUND mouse; Charles River). Testicular sperm production is reduced in POUND …

Increasing The Calfresh Participation Rate In The County Of Santa Cruz, Juan C. Magaña

Master's Projects

No abstract provided.

Ubiquinol Reduces Muscle Wasting But Not Fatigue In Tumor-Bearing Mice, Yvonne Clark, Loren E. Wold, Laura A. Szalacha, Donna O. Mccarthy

College of Nursing Faculty Research and Publications

Purpose: Fatigue is the most common and distressing symptom reported by cancer patients during and after treatment. Tumor growth increases oxidative stress and cytokine production, which causes skeletal muscle wasting and cardiac dysfunction. The purpose of this study was to determine whether treatment with the antioxidant ubiquinol improves muscle mass, cardiac function, and behavioral measures of fatigue in tumor-bearing mice.

Method: Adult female mice were inoculated with colon26 tumor cells. Half the control and tumor-bearing mice were administered ubiquinol (500 mg/kg/day) in their drinking water. Voluntary wheel running (i.e., voluntary running activity [VRA]) and grip strength were measured at Days …

Effects Of Pre-Release Physical Stressors On Post-Release Success Of Hatchery-Reared Spotted Seatrout, Taylor Westbrook Guest

Master's Theses

Alteration of habitat associated with coastal development and increased demand for food and recreation can result in the depletion of fisheries resources such as the Spotted Seatrout (Cynoscion nebulosus), the Gulf of Mexico’s most popular recreational fish. Stock enhancement, or the release of cultured fish to supplement wild populations, is one potential tool for managing important fisheries resources. Although much effort has gone into marine stock enhancement, the effectiveness of stocking is not well established, and techniques for ensuring success have not been developed. Although the basic biology of the Spotted Seatrout is well known, comparatively little is known about …

Decreasing Bouts Of Prolonged Sitting Among Office Workers, Nicholas Green

Theses and Dissertations

Health care costs of preventable diseases such as cardiovascular disease, type II diabetes, and obesity are higher than ever, and indicate the need for behavioral interventions. Research has shown that individuals who sit for extended periods are at higher risk for these diseases. Moreover, the risks associated with sitting have been found to be independent of an individual’s physical activity. That is, longer durations of sitting per day are associated with higher levels of unwanted health risks, regardless of how often an individual exercises. There is a need to address this issue in today’s inactive workplace. Research indicates that office …

Developmental Analysis Of Rod And Cone Photoreceptor Architecture In The Retina Of The Green Sea Turtle (Chelonia Mydas), Nikia Lynn Rice

Theses and Dissertations

All sea turtle species are threatened or endangered, some critically so. Vision is key to individual success in sea turtles; they use their vision for sea finding at hatching, foraging and predator avoidance throughout life, and mating and nesting as adults. This research project provides a comprehensive analysis throughout development (the first of kind) of the outer retina of the green turtle, Chelonia mydas. The research project included characterization of the retina biochemically via immunohistochemistry and histologically via light microscopy, both done over the course of development from hatchling through adult. At all stages, the retina was duplex, containing both …

Biofilm Production By Food-Transmitted Bacteria And Their Control By Selected Nanoparticles, Mariam Al Shamsi

Dissertations

Biofilm is a population of bacteria attached to any types of surfaces and impeded in a self-produced matrix of extracellular polymeric substances. Biofilm exhibit up to 1000 fold antibiotic increased resistance to a broad range of antimicrobial agents. Several food-transmitted microorganisms are capable of forming biofilms and considered as a major source of contamination, transmission and infection. In the last few decades, nanoparticles has gained a great attention for their potential applications as antimicrobial agents. The aim of this work was to assess the biofilm formation capacity of food-transmitted bacteria under various environmental conditions and to investigate the efficacy of …

Islands Of Change Vs. Islands Of Disaster: Managing Pigs And Birds In The Anthropocene Of The North Atlantic, Seth Brewington, Megan Hicks, Ágústa Edwald, Árni Einarsson, Kesara Anamthawat-Jónsson, Gordon Cook, Philippa Ascough, Kerry L. Sayle, Símun V. Arge, Mike Church, Julie Bond, Steve Dockrill, Adolf Friðriksson, George Hambrecht, Arni Daniel Juliusson, Vidar Hreinsson, Steven Hartman, Konrad Smiarowski, Ramona Harrison, Thomas Mcgovern

Publications and Research

The offshore islands of the North Atlantic were among some of the last settled places on earth, with humans reaching the Faroes and Iceland in the late Iron Age and Viking period. While older accounts emphasizing deforestation and soil erosion have presented this story of island colonization as yet another social–ecological disaster, recent archaeological and paleoenvironmental research combined with environmental history, environmental humanities, and bioscience is providing a more complex understanding of long-term human ecodynamics in these northern islands. An ongoing interdisciplinary investigation of the management of domestic pigs and wild bird populations in Faroes and Iceland is presented as …

"If De Babies Cried": Slave Motherhood In Antebellum Missouri, Lucy Phelps Hamilton

Electronic Theses & Dissertations

Slavery in Missouri was typically small-scale in nature and featured smallholdings possessing few slaves. Situated on the periphery of the South and the western border of the antebellum United States, Missouri, even after achieving statehood, remained a frontier. This small-scale frontier environment provides an opportunity for the close examination of slave motherhood. Focusing on slave motherhood through the lens of small-scale slavery in Missouri, I am able to closely examine the day-to-day lives of these women and focus on their common experiences as mothers living in bondage. This in turn paints a broader picture of typical slave mother experiences in …

Are Social Safety Net Programs Capable Of Reducing Material Hardship Among Low-Income Americans?, Ashlee M. Smith

Honors Capstones

No abstract provided.

Social-Demographics, Health Behaviors, Telomere Length In Mexican-American Cohort And Circulating Dna Methylation In Bladder Cancer, Lixia Han

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

I. SOCIAL-DEMOGRAPHICS, HEALTH BEHAVIORS, AND TELOMERE LENGTH IN MEXICAN AMERICANS: A COHORT STUDY

Recent studies using a prospective cohort design have suggested that telomere length in peripheral blood leukocytes is not only a potential indicator of cellular aging that has been linked to stressful life experience and health behaviors, but also a prognostic marker for major chronic diseases; however, such study has never been done among adult Mexican Americans. In this current study, we examined cross-sectional associations among social-demographics, lifestyle behaviors, and relative telomere length (RTL) in peripheral blood leukocytes, as well as longitudinal relationships among major chronic diseases, weight …

Effect Of Aggregation At A Winter Feeding Station On Intestinal Parasite Load In Elk (Cervus Canadensis), Morgan Jaromilla Hughes

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

Winter feeding stations are used throughout the western US to reduce elk depredation of crops and haystacks on private lands. Many of the unintended effects of such artificial congregation remain unexamined, but generally, across species, locally increased host densities result in increased parasite loads. This adds physiological stress to individual animals and in game species such as elk it could reduce their value to sportsmen. Through laboratory analyses of fresh samples, we recorded nematode egg densities in elk feces collected during two periods ( early and late) in the supplementary feeding season. Mean nematode egg density remained fairly constant in …

Evaluation Of Prevention And Control Strategies For Human Noroviruses In Long-Term Care Facilities In South Carolina, Lalani N. Jayasekara

All Theses

Long-term care facilities (LTCF) are the most common setting for human norovirus (HuNoV) outbreaks in United States. We identified presence of prevention and control strategies for HuNoV in LTCF in South Carolina (SC) under non-outbreak conditions. A convenience sample of 26 LTCF was visited and directors were interviewed to determine facility prevention and control practices. A facility audit in one commons area and food preparation area was conducted to assess sanitary conditions. Institutional policies and procedures were collected to determine alignment with Centers for Disease Prevention and Control (CDC) recommendations and to determine readability based on Federal Plain Language Guidelines …

Further Assessment Of Ppcps In Feed Grade Chicken Feather Meal Including Potential Sources, Zhixin Chen

All Theses

The poultry and rendering industries have played important roles in both the diets of humans as well as environmentally sustainable development. However, a recent article published by Dr. D. C. Love and co-workers at Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future revealed concerns that pharmaceutical and personal care products (PPCPs) might be able to re-enter the human food supply by being present in feed grade chicken feather meal, i.e., be consumed by and accumulate in the tissue of chickens or other animals. Their study showed twenty-four PPCPs that were detected above the reporting limits in a total of twelve feather …

The School Based Health Center Design Guidelines, Anna Kim

All Theses

School Based Health Centers (SBHC) have traditionally gone unacknowledged for their support in providing essential healthcare services to underserved school-aged children. The well-being of these students and their communities rely heavily on a safe, efficient and encouraging physical and responsive environment for successful health outcomes. Literature reveals that the negative health and intricate social issues that face the American youth are stunting growth in academic performance and promoting high risk health behaviors through adulthood. To help eliminate the difficulty in access to healthcare for the underserved, healthcare must be brought to them. The School Based Health Center represents a unique …

Use Of Electrolyzed Water As A Topical Antimicrobial And Minimal Processing Technique For Fresh, Whole Peaches, Dylan Zachary Hopkins

All Theses

Three experiments were performed to enumerate the natural microflora on unwashed peaches, known as 'field' peaches, and to determine the efficacy of using acidified electrolyzed water as a topical antimicrobial to remove or reduce the number of the natural microflora or inoculated Listeria innocua from to peach surfaces. During the first experiment, field peaches were divided into four treatment groups: no wash (NW), tap water wash (TW), acidified electrolyzed water wash (AEW), and chlorinated water wash (CL). Peaches were dipped into each of the treatment solutions at ambient temperature and immediately removed (approximately 5 seconds). Peaches were then rinsed in …

Application Of An Andragogical Approach And Experiential Learning For Teaching Culinary Nutrition To Culinary Arts Students, Nisreen Mohamad Abdulsalam

All Dissertations

Excessive consumption of calories, protein, fat, and salt has been linked to obesity, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and many other diseases. The nutrients provided to consumers by restaurant food, including calories, protein, fat, and salt, pose challenges for the health status of Americans and may fuel the obesity epidemic, contributing to otherwise preventable diseases. Chefs are in the unique position of creating healthier menu choices. Since many chefs may have limited knowledge of culinary nutrition, educating culinary arts students on applied nutrition is a viable strategy for improving the healthiness of restaurant menus, thereby improving the health of the population.