Digital Commons Network^™

Relationships Between Dietary Habits, Demographics, And Hike Outcome Among 2015 Pacific Crest Trail Backpackers, Lauren Ann Black

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This quantitative research study explores the relationship between dietary patterns, hiker demographics, and total miles hiked during a backpacking trip on the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT). Long hiking distances, low rate of thru-hike completion, consumption of processed and ready to eat foods, weight loss, and large time and monetary strains are comthemes accepted anecdotally by the backpacking population11. However, these themes have yet to be adequately researched and validated for long distance backpackers and PCT backpackers specifically. The online survey gathered data from 151 backpackers who hiked the PCT in 2015. Significant positive correlational relationships were found between the number …

The Transnational Case In Conflict Of Laws: Two Suggestions For The New Restatement Third Of Conflict Of Laws—Judicial Jurisdiction Over Foreign Defendants And Party Autonomy In International Contracts, Linda J. Silberman, Nathan D. Yaffe

Faculty Articles

To inform the ongoing Restatement efforts in Conflict of Laws and Foreign Relations, the authors identify two areas where the transnational case might deserve special consideration: judicial jurisdiction over foreign defendants and party autonomy in choosing the applicable law. On the question of judicial jurisdiction, the authors point out that the modern two-step constitutional test for specific jurisdiction articulated in Asahi—minimum contacts and then reasonableness—involved a foreign defendant. Although the lower courts appear to embrace the same standard with respect to both domestic and foreign defendants, they argue that the factors identified by the court in the reasonableness analysis best …

“To Nurture Something That Nurtures You”: Care, Creativity, Class, And The Production Of Urban Environments In Deindustrial Michigan, Megan L. Maurer

Theses and Dissertations--Anthropology

In this dissertation I investigate how gardeners and beekeepers in a small, deindustrial city in Michigan used their activities to produce their environments. Drawing on fourteen months of ethnographic fieldwork, I consider what kind of labor gardening is. For residents of Elmwood, gardening was a way to care for households, communities, and ecosystems. Furthermore, this care was performed through a type of creative, material labor that served to address forms of alienation experienced by these individuals. While all sorts of Elmwoodites gardened, they did so in ways that were specific to their experiences of race and class. These experiences, in …

Perinatal Depression Screening : Using Antenatal Depression Screens And Patient Demographics To Predict Risk For Postpartum Depression :, Jackson Doyle

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This study examined the relationship between antenatal depression and postpartum depression in pregnant women at a family health clinic. The aim was to determine whether antenatal depression screens predicted postpartum depression. The Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Screen (EPDS) was used to screen for depression in 411 pregnant women during the first trimester, third trimester and postpartum phases of pregnancy. Risk factors including patient body mass index, socioeconomic status and marital status were considered predictors of perinataldepression. EPDS scores were analyzed over the three time periods and were compared to body mass index, socioeconomic status and marital status. Results indicated that third …

Mcdonald’S And Its Menu – What Are The Implications?, Jennifer Lemanski, Louis K. Falk, David Hinojosa

Communication Faculty Publications

McDonald’s is a global leader in the fast food industry with over 36,000 restaurants located in more than 100 countries. Throughout the U.S. McDonald’s is famous for consistency. A consumer can go into any McDonald’s in the U.S. and the French Fries are not only prepared the same, but they will also taste the same. Most other menu items in U.S. have the same uniformity. As McDonald’s expands to other countries this consistency feature starts to waver. McDonald’s locations outside of the U.S. have altered their menus to reflect regional tastes. These menu variations are a result of: religious tenets, …

The Troubling Turn In State Preemption: The Assault On Progressive Cities And How Cities Can Respond, Richard Briffault, Nestor M. Davidson, Paul A. Diller, Olatunde Johnson, Richard C. Schragger

Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

The Road To The Cliff Edge: Understanding Financial Gaps In Public Assistance Programs Available To Massachusetts Families, Marija Bingulac, Caitlin A. Carey, Susan Crandall

Center for Social Policy Publications

To better understand the interaction between public supports and earned income and its impact on overall economic well-being, we conducted research on public support program eligibility criteria, regulations, and administration. We use the concept of “financial gaps” to outline specific problems created by the complex system of public supports built around an inadequate assessment of households’ ability to meet basic needs. The typology we provide is intended to be a tool for advocates, service providers, researchers, and policy makers that will help them hone in on the precise problem and develop appropriate policy interventions.

Mind, Body, & Spirit : An Ecological Community-Based Approach To Healthy Aging, Emily Widra

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

Based on the biopsychosocial approach of the ecological theory of aging, the present study examined the health status and social engagement of participants in an osteoporosis-prevention exercise class for adults over the age of 65 in two counties in Western Massachusetts. A self-rated health survey was developed and administered in each of the Healthy Bones & Balance classes with 226 responses in total.

Participants in this study had higher self-rated health scores than have been found in a national epidemiological study. In particular, participants who live alone were engaging in more social activities – at senior centers and places of …

Effects Of Carbohydrate And Branched-Chain Amino Acid Beverage Ingestion During Acute Upper Body Resistance Exercise On Performance And Postexercise Hormone Response, Johneric W. Smith, Ben M. Krings, Brandon D. Shepard, Hunter S. Waldman, Steven A. Basham, Matthew J. Mcallister

Kinesiology

The purpose of this investigation was to examine the individual and combined effects of ingesting carbohydrates (CHO) and branched-chain amino acids (BCAA) during high-volume upper body resistance exercise (RE) on markers of catabolism and performance. Thirteen resistance-trained males completed 4 experimental trials with supplementation, ingesting beverages containing CHO, BCAA, CHO plus BCAA, or placebo (PLA) in a randomized, double-blind design.

An Evaluation Of The Mississippi Recipes For Success Resource From The Perspective Of Child Nutrition Directors, Chelsea L. Bell

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Mississippi Recipes for Success (MRS), A Guide for Child Nutrition Programs provides printed and online resources for child nutrition directors. These resources include recipes and methods to assist directors in effectively implementing United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) nutrition standards. The purpose of this study was to investigate if child nutrition directors utilize these resources, as well as assess child nutrition directors’ perceptions of the helpfulness, satisfaction, and importance of the various components of the online and 2014 printed versions of the MRS. Data collection for this study involved an online survey that evaluated directors’ usage of the resources …

Gamma Spectroscopy By Artificial Neural Network Coupled With Mcnp, Huseyin Sahiner

Doctoral Dissertations

"While neutron activation analysis is widely used in many areas, sensitivity of the analysis depends on how the analysis is conducted. Even though the sensitivity of the techniques carries error, compared to chemical analysis, its range is in parts per million or sometimes billion. Due to this sensitivity, the use of neutron activation analysis becomes important when analyzing bio-samples. Artificial neural network is an attractive technique for complex systems. Although there are neural network applications on spectral analysis, training by simulated data to analyze experimental data has not been made. This study offers an improvement on spectral analysis and optimization …

Buy For The Sake Of Your Baby: Guardian Consumerism In Twentieth Century America, Mark Vandriel

Theses and Dissertations

“Buy For the Sake of Your Baby” argues that consumerism for infants in twentieth century America was an exceptional type of consumer society. Because the parents who bought the consumer goods could not effectively communicate with their children who used these products, parents frequently purchased items for their babies as acts of good parenting. These parent consumers wanted to do what was right for their children, but because they could not effectively communicate with their children, they were particularly susceptible to influence from outside groups. Businesses, nongovernmental organizations, and the federal government recognized throughout the twentieth century how to effectively …

The Role Of Exercise Dose On Ghrelin Concentration In Postmenopausal Women, Kimberly Bowyer

Theses and Dissertations

Introduction: As obesity continues to be a major public health concern, exercise is continually at the forefront of combating this epidemic. This thesis aims to examine how two different doses of exercise may affect the “hunger hormone”, ghrelin; in postmenopausal, non-obese women. Methods: 54 non-obese postmenopausal women were randomly assigned to either a higher dose (energy expenditure = 14 kilocalories/per kilogram of body weight/per week) or lower dose (energy expenditure = 8 kcal/kg/week) aerobic exercise training group for 16 weeks. Fasting blood samples were taken at baseline and at post intervention for analysis of ghrelin via multiplex immunoassay. Results: Only …

Association Of Freestanding Dialysis Facility Size, Quality Incentive Program Scores And Patient Survival, Fozia Ajmal

Theses and Dissertations

Background

In 2011, The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has introduced a bundled payment reform along with a Quality Incentive Program (QIP) to bring efficiency in End stage renal disease (ESRD) care. The QIP rates facilities using clinical and reporting criteria, but misses out on patient outcomes. It penalizes facilities not achieving a target score by 0-2% of payments. The small facilities are expected to be impacted more by a reduction in payments. We determined the association between ESRD facility size and QIP scores and the association between QIP scores and patient survival.

Methods

We used the Medicare …

Best Practice For Screening Adult Patients With Psoriasis For Polyautoimmunity: Celiac Disease, Rheumatoid Arthritis And Crohn’S Disease, Susan Danielle Ashbaugh

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this quality improvement project was to determine if screening primary care patients with psoriasis will improve early detection of celiac disease (CD), rheumatoid arthritis, and Crohn’s disease (CrD). The aim of this project is to assess the utility of early screening in patients with psoriasis in order to facilitate earlier diagnosis of CD, RA and CrD, which would consequently initiate earlier treatment and improve long-term patient outcomes. Genetic and population-based studies suggest that individuals with psoriasis have a greater risk of also having CrD, CD or RA, than do individuals without psoriasis. The literature also suggests that …

The Regulation Of Glycoprotein130 Dependent Inflammatory Cytokines One Basal And Mechanical Stimuli Induced Protein Synthesis In Myotubes And Skeletal Muscles, Song Gao

Theses and Dissertations

Maintaining skeletal muscle mass has a well-documented role in health and quality of life. Two members of IL-6 family of cytokines, IL-6 and LIF, and have a paradoxical role in skeletal muscle mass regulation: short term elevation of IL-6 and LIF plays a key role in mechanical stimuli induced muscle growth and muscle hypertrophy, while the long term elevated IL-6 and LIF regulate muscle wasting during cancer cachexia by disrupting muscle protein turnover regulation. The regulation of muscle protein synthesis is an important determinant of mechanical stimuli induced muscle hypertrophy and muscle wasting during cancer cachexia. IL-6 family of cytokines …

Embodied Madness: Contextualizing Biological Stress Among 19th And 20th-Century Institutionalized Euro-American Women, Madeline M. Atwell

Theses and Dissertations

The late 19th and early 20th-centuries in the United States were periods in which white women of middle and low socio-economic status were admitted into insane asylums at a higher rate than men for the first time in recorded history. An existent body of literature helps us to comprehend the social and cultural climate in which the institutionalization of women was both acceptable and commonplace; yet few studies have paired this research with the information that can be revealed on the bones of those institutionalized. A sample of 53 institutionalized women from the Robert J. Terry Anatomical Collection were analyzed …

Losing Weight With Five A’S (5 A’S): Assess, Advise, Agree, Assist, Arrange Framework And Motivational Interviewing (Mi) For Health Behavior Change Counseling, Jacqueline Baer

Theses and Dissertations

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), obesity has reached epidemic levels and has associated with increased risk of morbidity and mortality rates. The increasing prevalence of obesity is a major public health concern. Researchers calculate that health care costs are 44% higher among moderately and severely obese older persons than for persons at normal weights. Seventy-five percent of African American (AA) women are overweight and obese according to data from the CDC and The State of Obesity: Better Policies for a Healthier America. Compared to any other racial ethnic group, AA women are more likely to …

Prenatal Methylmercury Exposure Through Rice Consumption In Rural China, Chuan Hong

Theses and Dissertations

Background: Methylmercury is one of the most toxic forms of mercury, which severely afflicts the developing fetus. Methylmercury exposure occurs not only through fish consumption but also through rice consumption. However, rice does not contain the same beneficial micronutrients that fish/shellfish has. Therefore, prenatal methylmercury exposure through maternal rice consumption may potentially increase adverse health effects on the developing fetus.

Objectives: The purpose of this dissertation was to investigate the magnitude of prenatal methylmercury exposure through rice consumption and the relationship between maternal mercury biomarkers and birth outcomes.

Methods: A total of 398 pregnant women were recruited at parturition in …

Depressive Symptoms Association With Health Outcomes And Treatment In Older Americans With Diabetes, Lashonda Jovon Williams

Theses and Dissertations

Introduction: Diabetes remains the 7th leading cause of death in the United States. Diabetes is a major public health concern of its own, but when you add the comorbidity of depression, diabetes outcomes are amplified. This dissertation examines how depressive symptomatology and treatment for depression are associated with selfreported health (SRH) and diabetes control.

Methods: Chi-square and logistic regression were used to analyze data from the Health and Retirement Study (2012). We assessed the associations between SRH and diabetes control with depressive symptomatology data.

Results: In our sample (n=4374), 19% of respondents reported high depressive symptomatology and …

Early Life Factors And Health Outcomes In Children And Mothers, Olubunmi Olufunke Orekoya

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation focused on early life exposures and their impact on children and mothers’ health. It consists of three distinct studies with an overarching goal of understanding how early life factors influence health outcomes among children and mothers. The broad aims are: 1) to examine the association between maternal gestational weight gain and offspring weight at 1 year, while assessing the mediating role of birth weight; 2) to determine the association between breastfeeding practices and development of allergic conditions (eczema/skin allergy, hay fever/respiratory allergy, and asthma); and 3) to examine the association between breastfeeding and postpartum weight retention at 12 …

Picturing Rest: A Photovoice Study Of African American Women’S Perceptions And Practices Of Rest, Eboni T. Herbert Harris

Theses and Dissertations

African American women are consistently identified as being less likely to participate in sustained leisure time physical activity (Tussing-Humphreys, Fitzgibbon, Kong, & Odoms-young, 2013), yet more likely to be overweight or obese (Levi, Segal, Laurent, & Rayburn, 2014). There has been a wide range of initiatives directed towards preventing and/or reducing obesity among African Americans, such as targeted physical activity and nutrition interventions involving goal setting, group and individualized counseling, and social support. Previous research focused on African American women’s perceptions toward physical activity, nutrition, and weight; emphasize the consideration of cultural attitudes like placing a high value on rest …

Exploring Spatial Patterning And The Impact Of Obesogenic Built Environments For Youth Obesity, S. Morgan Hughey

Theses and Dissertations

Youth obesity is a major public health concern due to an array of physical, social, and psychological health consequences. Residential location, often referred to as ‘place’, has continued to emerge as a key health determinant with studies showing that where a child lives impacts their health. Environments where it is easy for individuals to have low levels of physical activity – either by discouraging active behavior or promoting sedentary behavior – and easy for individuals to consume unhealthful foods – either by the limited availability of healthful foods or increased availability of unhealthy foods – have been coined ‘obesogenic’. Additional …

Characterizing Food Insecurity At A Northeast Land-Grant University, Alana Ruth Davidson

Honors Theses and Capstones

In 2015, 15.8 million U.S. households were food insecure. While nationally food insecurity is assessed at the household and childhood level, university students are not explicitly monitored. The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of food insecurity at a northeast land grant university and characterize the contributing factors. A pilot study (n=211) was conducted in fall 2014 among a general nutrition class and found that 12.4% of students were food insecure, with another 5.7% reported marginal food security. A larger, university wide survey among graduate and undergraduate students was conducted in fall 2015 (n=943) and found that …

Social-Pragmatic Communication In Women With Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Multiple Case Study, Lacey W. Ryder

Honors Theses and Capstones

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is identified much later and less often in females than in males. Some researchers suspect that a different set of characteristics of ASD in females may not be consistent with the more established and widely recognized characteristics of ASD, leading to under-identification in women. In the present study, four women and one non-binary feminine-presenting person with ASD were interviewed. The five participants conveyed their experiences with social-pragmatic communication, and their views on gender, ASD, and gender differences in ASD. The results are discussed in relationship to the limited amount of past research on women with ASD.

The Effect Of Alcohol Prep Pads And Blood Drop Number On Capillary Blood Glucose Values, Joanna E. Foos

Honors Theses and Capstones

Capillary blood glucose monitoring is a common nursing procedure. However, no consensus exists regarding which drop of blood to test (drop 1 vs. drop 2) and whether using alcohol pads to prepare the fingertip affects blood glucose values. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of these factors and contribute to the development of evidence-based nursing protocols for capillary blood glucose monitoring. A quantitative, quasi-experimental study was conducted in a laboratory at the University of New Hampshire. 96 volunteers were randomly assigned to one of three groups. Each group underwent a pair of capillary blood glucose tests …

More Than Food: An Analysis Of Multidimensional Relationships In Our Food System, Jessica Erin Newnan

Honors Theses and Capstones

Food is an integral part of everyday life for human beings, thus meriting particular attention from research and education. Looking further in depth at the factors that influence food, it becomes apparent that this is a complex topic that is related to several systems within the constructs of society. Here, the food system is approached with the understanding that several systems influence food consumption options and decisions including the agricultural, economic, education, energy, health, and political systems. To identify the relationships more closely, a three-dimensional model was built to represent the food system and depict several key factors, their relationships, …

Effects Of Equine Assisted Activities And Therapies On Equine Stress And Welfare, Sarah Jean Reega

Honors Theses and Capstones

Equine assisted activities and therapies (EAATs) are becoming an increasingly popular approach for therapy, therapeutic recreation, and learning for a broad range of human clients and participants. In the EAAT field, most research has been human-centric, focusing primarily on benefits of EAATs for participants and clients. Relatively little research has been conducted on the effects of EAATs on equine stress and welfare for equines engaged in EAAT sessions.

The effects of equine assisted activities and therapies on equine stress and welfare were studied by way of exploring current EAAT professionals’ experiences and views related to equine stress and welfare in …

Indian Microfinance Sector: A Case Study, Sean P. Gillon

Honors Theses and Capstones

In developing areas of the world with very little economic structure, many activities are not monetized. In other words, money is not used to carry out these tasks because the people in these areas do not have the expendable funds required. In order to combat this problem, micro financing has become increasingly more apparent in these areas of distress. Microfinance is an economic development strategy that allows for those in need to borrow actual money in order to start a business, go to school, or even gain access to everyday living requirements. Microfinance has made tremendous strides over the years, …

Assessment Of The Intake And Knowledge Of Folate/Folic Acid Among Unh Students, Jessica Lee Pelletier, Ruth Reilly, Sherman Bigornia

Honors Theses and Capstones

There are 3,000 U.S. pregnancies affected by spina bifida and anencephaly annually. If women consume adequate amounts of folic acid (400 mcg/day) one month before pregnancy and through the first trimester, then the risk of their infant developing a neural tube defect (NTD) is reduced by 50-70%. However, approximately 50% of pregnancies are unplanned, with some of the highest rates among 18-24 year olds. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the knowledge source, knowledge level, and intake of folic acid among college-aged students. Qualtrics surveys from 96 subjects (87.5% female, aged 18-24) were used for analysis. In the …