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The Importance Of Leisure For Subjective Well-Being, Laruen Kuykendall, Louis Boemerman, Ze Zhu

Psychology Faculty Publications

This chapter reviews what is known about how leisure contributes to subjective well-being (SWB). We review evidence documenting the importance of leisure for SWB and point to psychological need fulfillment as the main mechanism through which leisure promotes well-being. We discuss why individuals often do not fully experience the beneficial effects of leisure, focusing on intrapersonal, interpersonal, and structural constraints to leisure participation, and review differences in the degree and type of constraints experienced by different demographic groups. Finally, we review research on the cognitive and behavioral strategies individuals employ to overcome leisure constraints, and highlight the need to understand …

Improving The Physical Activity And Outdoor Play Environment Of Family Child Care Homes In Nebraska Through Go Nutrition And Physical Activity Self-Assessment For Child Care, Danae Dinkel, Dipti Dev, Yage Guo, Emily Hulse, Zainab Rida, Ami Sedani, Brian Coyle

Health and Kinesiology Faculty Publications

Background: The purpose of this study was to determine if the Go Nutrition and Physical Activity Self-Assessment in Child Care (Go NAP SACC) intervention was effective in improving best practices in the areas of infant and child physical activity and outdoor play and learning in family child care homes (FCCHs) in Nebraska. Methods: FCCHs (n = 201) participated in a pre–post evaluation using the Infant and Child Physical Activity and Outdoor Play and Learning assessments from the Go NAP SACC validated measure to assess compliance with best practices. Results: At post, FCCHs demonstrated significant differences in 85% …

Effectiveness Of Tai Chi On Cardiac Autonomic Function And Symptomatology In Women With Fibromyalgia: A Randomized Controlled Trial, Alexei Wong, Arturo Figueroa, Marcos A. Sanchez-Gonzalez, Won-Mok Son, Oksana P. Chernykh, Song-Young Park

Health and Kinesiology Faculty Publications

The present study examined the effects of a 12-week Tai Chi (TC) training regimen on heart rate variability (HRV), symptomatology, muscle fitness and body composition in women with fibromyalgia. Participants were randomly assigned to either a TC training group (n = 18) or a control group (n = 19). HRV, symptomatology, muscle fitness and body composition were measured before and after 12 weeks. There were significant decreases (p < 0.05) in sympathovagal balance (LnLF/LnHF), sympathetic tone (LnLF, nLF), pain, and fatigue, and significant increases (p < 0.05) in parasympathetic tone (LnHF, nHF), strength and flexibility following TC compared with no changes after control. The changes in LnLF and LnLF/LnHF were correlated with changes in pain. There were no significant changes in HR, sleep quality and body composition after TC or control. TC may be an effective therapeutic intervention for improving sympathovagal balance, pain, fatigue, strength and flexibility in women with fibromyalgia.

Significant Loss Of Blood Amino Acids And Free Carnitine In Newborns Receiving Continuous Renal Replacement Therapy (Crrt), Uttam Garg, Marita Thompson, Bradley A. Warady, Vimal Chadha

Posters

Background

•Newborns with acute kidney injury (AKI) or end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) often receive prolonged CRRT when the early initiation of peritoneal dialysis is either contraindicated or unable to be performed. •These patients often receive total parenteral nutrition (TPN) to meet their nutritional goals. •Little to no information exists on the loss of blood amino acids (AA) and carnitine during CRRT in these patients. •The objective of this study was to determine the amino acids and carnitine losses in newborns receiving prolonged CRRT and TPN. Material and Methods

•Three newborns who received prolonged (> 2 weeks) CRRT and TPN were …

Depression, Thanu Abraham

Senior Honors Theses and Projects

Depression is one of the most prevalent mental health disorders in the United States. Anyone can be diagnosed with depression at any point in life. The objective of this paper is to explore depression within special populations. This paper will be sectioned into five different chapters. Chapter I will discuss what depression is. Chapter II will examine depression in adolescents. Chapter III will explore postpartum depression. Chapter IV will discuss geriatric depression. Chapter V will explore the relationship between depression and cardiovascular disease. Each section will contain extensive research within its topic. Although depression drastically impacts one's life, only half …

Measuring The Burden Of Childhood Cancer Treatment: Decrements In Bone Health And Financial Toxicity, Hadley Bloomhardt

Yale Medicine Thesis Digital Library

With research and clinical advances over the past several decades, survival rates for childhood cancer have improved to greater than 80%. However, the path to survivorship poses a substantial burden to patients and families, with lengthy treatment courses requiring frequent hospital visits, and with late complications of treatment that can present years after therapy ends. This thesis explores each of these areas: one study investigating bone health and morbidity in leukemia and lymphoma survivors, and another study examining the cost burden to families of children during treatment for average-risk acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). We aimed to determine the utility of …

Disparities In Socioeconomic Context And Response To Antihypertensive Medication In The Antihypertensive And Lipid-Lowering Treatment To Prevent Heart Attack Trial (Allhat), Andi Shahu

Yale Medicine Thesis Digital Library

Where one lives affects one’s blood pressure. Observational studies demonstrate

that living in communities of low socioeconomic status is associated with higher blood

pressure and worse cardiovascular outcomes. In understanding the reasons for these

disparities, a key question is whether evidence-based antihypertensive medication therapy

is less effective in lowering blood pressure and improving cardiovascular outcomes in

lower socioeconomic communities. If so, then anti-hypertensive therapies derived from

randomized clinical trials (RCTs) may be suboptimal in achieving expected outcomes.

Despite standardized protocols and balancing of demographic and clinical characteristics

between study arms of RCTs, the socioeconomic environment in which people live is …

Orally-Dosed Citalopram Stimulates Small Intestinal Mucosal Growth, Lucy Zhang

Yale Medicine Thesis Digital Library

Parenterally-administered selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI), such as citalopram, increase intestinal mucosal absorptive surface by day 7 of treatment. We hypothesized that enteral citalopram would also induce intestinal mucosal growth, thus allowing for therapy with an oral agent. In the study’s first phase, C57BL/6 mice received peanut butter (PB) pellets containing 10, 50, or 100 mg/kg/day citalopram for 7 days; or 25 mg/kg/day citalopram for 14 or 21 days; or plain PB pellets for 7, 14, or 21 days. In the second phase, C57BL/6 mice received 0, 10, 25, or 50 mg/kg/day citalopram in drinking water for 2, 3, 6, …

Predictors Of Arterial Stiffness In Law Enforcement Officers, Jason Michael Keeler

Theses and Dissertations--Kinesiology and Health Promotion

The prevalence of cardiovascular disease (CVD) among law enforcement officers (LEOs) is slightly higher than the general population. Furthermore, the prevalence of CVD doubles among LEOs following retirement compared to the general population. The measure of arterial stiffness serves as an independent risk factor that has prognostic value for future incidence of CVD. However, there is limited research on lifestyle, occupational, and demographic factors that may be associated with increased arterial stiffness in LEOs. Therefore, the purpose of this investigation was to compare the level of arterial stiffness among LEOs versus the general population and to identify lifestyle, occupational, and …

The Effect Of Sleep Quantity And Quality On Direct Current Potential In Collegiate American Football Players, Erik D. Korem

Theses and Dissertations--Kinesiology and Health Promotion

Direct current (DC) potential is an objective measure of the functional state of the human organism. It is a sensitive and accurate indicator of short- and long-term adaptations to stress, adaptive capacities, and it is an important marker of athlete readiness. Sleep is posited to be the most efficacious strategy for improving recovery to enhance sport performance, and adequate sleep is considered vital to normal psycho-physiological function. Thus, optimal sleep may enhance the functional state, in turn enhancing an athlete’s adaptability to training stress. However, little is known about the relationship between sleep and DC potential. Therefore, the purpose of …

Effects Of High Fat Exposure On Skeletal Muscle Autophagy And Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress, Adrienne Rose Herrenbruck

Theses and Dissertations--Kinesiology and Health Promotion

Autophagy is a major degradation mechanism, responsible for clearing damaged and dysfunctional organelles, including the endoplasmic reticulum, a structure essential for protein synthesis and myocellular hypertrophy. Alterations in autophagy throughout various tissues of the body have been linked to various negative side effects such as decreased myocellular hypertrophy and insulin resistance. High fat diets lead to changes (both increases and decreases) in autophagy in various tissues throughout the body in a tissue-specific manner.

Skeletal muscle autophagy is decreased in myotubes cultured from obese women, however the mechanism by which this occurs is unknown. As the largest organ system in the …

Determining Millennial Food Buying Preferences: Based On Product Marketing With “Buzzwords”, Victoria N. Hamilton

Theses and Dissertations--Community & Leadership Development

This research focuses on the importance on the Millennial Generation and their perceptions of food buzzwords. Since the Millennial Generation is the largest group purchasing and preparing their own foods, the food industry is becoming dependent on their buying preferences. A survey reflected the participants’ demographics and their buying preferences based on a series of food buzzwords when they are purchasing foods. Results show the Millennial Generation prefers “local” buzzwords. As the Millennial Generation continues to purchase foods for themselves and their families, it can be expected their choices will encourage others to do the same based on their family …

Empowering Hidden Voices: A Photo Narration Of Community Food Needs By Two Cross-Town Middle Schools In Kentucky, Tori E. Summey

Theses and Dissertations--Community & Leadership Development

Children are among those most directly affected by food insecurity, a condition in which households lack access to adequate food because of money or other resources (Gundersen & Ziliak, 2015). According to the latest United States Department of Agriculture (2016) reporting, 1 in 5 children experiences hunger on a daily basis. That ratio increases for African American and Latino children whom experience 1 in 3 ratios. While many programs exist to address this growing problem among youth and impoverished families, the efficacy of those programs is yet to be determined and the problem of hunger in America persists. This qualitative …

Medium To Long Term Impacts On Former Participants Of The Shoulder To Shoulder Global Brigades To Ecuador, Craig Borie

Theses and Dissertations--Community & Leadership Development

Medium to Long Term Impacts on Former Participants of the Shoulder to Shoulder Global Brigades to Ecuador. International service learning and voluntourism programs in global health evoke benefits for both community and the intervener. While it is clear that the Shoulder to Shoulder Global program at the University of Kentucky provides a service to an economically resource poor community in Santo Domingo, Ecuador, what is unclear is the impact these interprofessional experiences have on the participants that travel with the four times a year health brigades. This study proposes to answer the question of what are the educational, personal and …

Assessing The Spatial Accuracy And Precision Of Lidar For Remote Sensing In Agriculture, Surya Saket Dasika

Theses and Dissertations--Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering

The objective of this whole study was to evaluate a LiDAR sensor for high-resolution remote sensing in agriculture. A linear motion system was developed to precisely control the dynamics of LiDAR sensor in effort to remove uncertainty in the LiDAR position/velocity while under motion. A user control interface was developed to operate the system under different velocity profiles and log LiDAR data synchronous to the motion of the system. The LiDAR was then validated using multiple test targets with five different velocity profiles to determine the effect of sensor velocity and height above a target on measurement error. The results …

Valorization Of Proso Millet And Spent Grain For Extruded Snack Development, Joseph Woomer

Theses and Dissertations--Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering

Fast-paced lifestyles result in consumers replacing traditional meals with on-the-go snack foods. In general, snacks are higher in saturated fats and simple sugars, and pose health concerns for consumers, which prompts the need for healthy nutritious alternatives to common snacks. Proso millet is a nutritious, and fast growing gluten free cereal. Spent grain (SG), the main by-product of brewing and distilling, contains high amount of protein and insoluble fibers. This study utilized proso millet and spent grain in the production of an extruded expanded snack, demonstrating their appropriateness as an ingredient in food production.

The first objective of this study …

The Impact Of Childhood Socioeconomic Status On Adult Reactions Toward Quantity Surcharges, Wenjing Li

Theses and Dissertations--Marketing and Supply Chain

Quantity surcharges have been widespread in the marketplace for decades. However, little is known about what kinds of consumers and under what conditions they are more likely to be impacted by this pricing practice. The current research contributes to the existing literature by investigating how a person’s childhood socioeconomic status affects their reaction toward quantity surcharges during adulthood. Across four studies, we find that childhood socioeconomic status has a positive impact on the purchase of a large and surcharged package size. However, when the economic conditions are threatening, the positive effect of childhood socioeconomic status disappears. The current research also …

Essays On Transfer-Program Interactions Among Low-Income Households, Nicholas S. Moellman

Theses and Dissertations--Economics

This dissertation consists of three essays examining the role of transfer-program interactions for families and households who participate in the social safety net. The safety net is comprised of many different programs, run by different agencies, governed by different rules, and often administered by disparate and secluded entities. However, many households participate in multiple programs, subjecting them to the milieu of administrative hurdles. In this dissertation, I try to untangle some of the intended and unintended effects of program participation that may be experienced by these households.

In Essay 1, I examine the effect of the Patient Protection and Affordable …

Three Essays On College Earnings Premium And China’S Higher Education Expansion, Chenxu Hu

Theses and Dissertations--Economics

My dissertation consists of three essays that study the college premium in China and how it has been affected by China’s higher education expansion.

In the first essay, I utilize the high education expansion as exogenous source to estimate the college premium. The rapidly changing access to college provides a rare opportunity to estimate a local treatment effect (LATE) of college education on earnings by utilizing the drastic increase in college admission rate in 1999. I also utilize the yearly admission rate as an instrumental variable for the endogenous college education. Using China Household Income Project 2013, the two IV …

Developing A Predictive Model For Prostate Cancer Screening Intent, Quentin E. Moore

Theses and Dissertations--Nursing

African Americans bear a disproportionately high burden of cancer incidence and mortality in this country. The purpose of this dissertation was to investigate factors associated with African-American men, who are incarcerated, making informed health decisions about participation in prostate cancer screening, as well as exploring factors that reduce modifiable risk factors for cancer. The United States incarcerates more people per capita than any country in the world and African American men are overrepresented in the U.S. prison system

This dissertation is composed of three manuscripts. The first paper reviews the current literature about the factors that influence African-American males in …

Reproductive Autonomy: The Context Of Pregnancy Intention, A Global To Local Approach, Hartley C. Feld

Theses and Dissertations--Nursing

Globally, in low and middle-income countries 4 out of every 10 pregnancies is reported to be unintended. Having an unintended pregnancy increases the risk of maternal and infant morbidity and mortality, preterm birth, low birth weight, and decreases rates of breast-feeding. The United States (U.S.) consistently has some of the highest rates of preterm birth, infant and maternal mortality of all high-income countries and 45% of all pregnancies in the U.S. are reported to be unintended. The etiology of these outcomes and their relationship to pregnancy intention are complex and multifactorial, but we know this disproportionately effects women living in …

Factors Associated With Taste Perception And Dietary Consumption Patterns In Individuals With Or At-Risk For Cardiovascular Disease, Jennifer L. Smith

Theses and Dissertations--Nursing

Excessive intake of sodium, sugar, fats, and other unhealthy dietary patterns significantly contribute to cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk and, among those with diagnosed CVD, to deleterious outcomes. Taste perception is one of the most important factors influencing dietary intake and there are many factors that can alter it such as medication and genetic variations. Yet there has been relatively little research on influences of taste perception on self-management of CVD and CVD risk.

The purpose of this dissertation is to examine the association of various factors and taste perception in order to add to our understanding of what may or …

Social Support, Relationship Quality, And Self-Care Behaviors In Patients With Heart Failure, Majdi Mohammad Rababa

Theses and Dissertations--Nursing

The purpose of this dissertation was to examine the associations among social support, gender, relationship quality, and self-care behaviors in patients with heart failure (HF). Specific aims were to: 1) compare the psychometric properties of the 12-item and the 9-item European Heart Failure Self-Care Behavior Scale (EHFScBS) when used to measure self-care behaviors in patients with HF in the United States; 2) determine whether gender moderated the association between perceived social support and daily sodium intake in patients with HF; and 3) determine whether a patient’s gender and relationship with the primary family caregiver (spousal or non-spousal) moderated the association …

Dual Lox/Cox Inhibition: A Novel Strategy To Prevent Neurovascular Leakage In Epilepsy, Brent S. Sokola

Theses and Dissertations--Pharmacy

Epilepsy affects 3.4 million patients in the USA and is characterized by recurring seizures. The blood-brain barrier is leaky in epilepsy and may contribute to seizure progression but the mechanisms which cause this leakage are not fully understood. We hypothesized that seizures trigger LOX- and COX-mediated blood-brain barrier leakage and that dual LOX/COX inhibition prevents barrier leakage in vivo. To test this hypothesis, we administered either the dual LOX/COX inhibitor licofelone or a combination of the 5-LOX inhibitor zileuton and the COX-2 inhibitor celecoxib to rats that experienced status epilepticus (SE). Serum and brain capillaries were isolated 48 hours …

The Impact Of Bioactive Phytosterol, Stigmasterol, On Cholesterol Elimination Pathways In Mice, Hannah C. Lifsey

Theses and Dissertations--Pharmacy

Despite advances in healthcare, cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains the leading cause of death in the United States. Elevated levels of plasma cholesterol are highly predictive of CVD and stroke and are the principal driver of atherosclerosis. Unfortunately, current cholesterol lowering agents, such as statins, are not known to reverse atherosclerotic disease once it has been established. In preclinical models, agonists of nuclear receptor, LXR, have been shown to reduce and reverse atherosclerosis. Phytosterols are bioactive non-cholesterol sterols that act as LXR agonists and regulate cholesterol metabolism and transport. We hypothesize that stigmasterol would act as an LXR agonist and alter …

Investigation Of Environmental Cadmium Sources In Eastern Kentucky, Elizabeth Maher

Theses and Dissertations--Mining Engineering

Utilizing data collected by the University of Kentucky Lung Cancer Research Initiative (LCRI), this study investigated potential mining-related sources for the elevated levels of cadmium in Harlan and Letcher counties. Statistical analyses for this study were conducted utilizing SAS. A number of linear regression models and logarithmic models were used to evaluate the significance of the data. The linear regression models consisted of both simple and multivariate types, with the simple models seeking to establish significance between the potential sources and urine cadmium levels and the multivariate models seeking both to identify any statistically significant linear relationships between source types …

A Pilot Investigation Of An Instrument For The Assessment Of Feeding Disorders In Children With Severe Disabilities, Annaliese E. Norris

Theses and Dissertations--Communication Sciences and Disorders

The purpose of this pilot investigation was to assess the inter-rater reliability of an expert-validated pediatric feeding assessment, designed for clinician use with children who have severe disabilities. The tool would ideally allow for standardization of the clinical mealtime assessment process.

A comprehensive review of available feeding instruments revealed that there is a need for an assessment tool for children with motor and developmentally based feeding problems.In response to this need, a new clinician administered instrument called the Mealtime Assessment Tool for Children (MATCH) was developed in order to guide the assessment of a child during a clinical meal.

The …

Vitamin D Works Through The Lipid Droplet Protein Plin2 To Augment Mitochondrial Function In Skeletal Muscle, David M. Schnell

Theses and Dissertations--Pharmacology and Nutritional Sciences

Vitamin D has been connected with increased intramyocellular lipid (IMCL) mitochondrial function in skeletal muscle. It is also shown to prevent lipotoxicity in several tissues, but this has not yet been examined in skeletal muscle. Perilipin 2 (PLIN2), a lipid droplet protein upregulated with vitamin D treatment, is integral to managing IMCL capacity and lipid oxidation in skeletal muscle. Increased lipid storage and oxidation is associated with increased tolerance to a hyperlipidic environment and resistance to lipotoxicity. Therefore, I hypothesized that vitamin D increases β-oxidation and lipid turnover though a PLIN2 mediated mechanism, thereby preventing lipotoxicity.

This hypothesis was divided …

Pcb Disruption Of Gut And Host Health: Implications Of Prebiotic Nutritional Intervention, Jessie Baldwin Hoffman

Theses and Dissertations--Pharmacology and Nutritional Sciences

Exposure to environmental pollutants poses numerous risk factors for human health, including increasing incidence of cardiovascular disease and diabetes. Persistent organic pollutants, such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) have been strongly linked to the development of these chronic inflammatory diseases and the primary route of exposure is through consumption of contaminated food products. Thus, the gastrointestinal tract is susceptible to the greatest levels of these pollutants and is an important facet to study.

The first two hypotheses of this dissertation tested that exposure to PCBs disrupts gut microbiota directly (in vitro) and within a whole body system. PCB exposure …

The Prebiotic Inulin Beneficially Modulates The Gut-Brain Axis By Enhancing Metabolism In An Apoe4 Mouse Model, Jared D. Hoffman

Theses and Dissertations--Pharmacology and Nutritional Sciences

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most common form of dementia and a growing disease burden that has seen pharmacological interventions primarily fail. Instead, it has been suggested that preventative measures such as a healthy diet may be the best way in preventing AD. Prebiotics are one such potential measure and are fermented into metabolites by the gut microbiota and acting as gut-brain axis components, beneficially impact the brain. However, the impact of prebiotics in AD prevention is unknown. Here we show that the prebiotic inulin increased multiple gut-brain axis components such as scyllo-inositol and short chain fatty acids in the …