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Beauty, Breasts, And Brains: An Exploration Of Using The Adolescent Female Body As A Resistance Site, Hanna Andrews Beall

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Adolescent girls are continuously barraged with messages regarding what it means to be a girl and the appropriate way in which to do so. Particularly within the South, there are strict boundaries for acceptable forms of femininity both within school and in the broader social context. However, within the walls of the classroom, these lived experiences of girls are often ignored. By ignoring the lived experiences of girls in schools, many girls are being marginalized, trivialized, and dismissed from the school environment. This dissertation examines the hidden curriculum as it applies to adolescent girls in schools today and offers a …

Integrating The Promotion Of Physical Activity Within A Smoking Cessation Programme: Findings From Collaborative Action Research In Uk Stop Smoking Services., Adrian H. Taylor, Emma S. Everson-Hock, Michael Ussher

Peninsula Medical School

BACKGROUND: Within the framework of collaborative action research, the aim was to explore the feasibility of developing and embedding physical activity promotion as a smoking cessation aid within UK 6/7-week National Health Service (NHS) Stop Smoking Services. METHODS: In Phase 1 three initial cycles of collaborative action research (observation, reflection, planning, implementation and re-evaluation), in an urban Stop Smoking Service, led to the development of an integrated intervention in which physical activity was promoted as a cessation aid, with the support of a theoretically based self-help guide, and self monitoring using pedometers. In Phase 2 advisors underwent training and offered …

Integrating The Promotion Of Physical Activity Within A Smoking Cessation Programme: Findings From Collaborative Action Research In Uk Stop Smoking Services., Adrian H. Taylor, Emma S. Everson-Hock, Michael Ussher

Peninsula Medical School

BACKGROUND: Within the framework of collaborative action research, the aim was to explore the feasibility of developing and embedding physical activity promotion as a smoking cessation aid within UK 6/7-week National Health Service (NHS) Stop Smoking Services. METHODS: In Phase 1 three initial cycles of collaborative action research (observation, reflection, planning, implementation and re-evaluation), in an urban Stop Smoking Service, led to the development of an integrated intervention in which physical activity was promoted as a cessation aid, with the support of a theoretically based self-help guide, and self monitoring using pedometers. In Phase 2 advisors underwent training and offered …

Chronic Spontaneous Activity Generated In The Somata Of Primary Nociceptors Is Associated With Pain-Related Behavior After Spinal Cord Injury, Supinder S Bedi, Qing Yang, Robyn J Crook, Junhui Du, Zizhen Wu, Harvey M Fishman, Raymond J Grill, Susan M Carlton, Edgar T Walters

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Mechanisms underlying chronic pain that develops after spinal cord injury (SCI) are incompletely understood. Most research on SCI pain mechanisms has focused on neuronal alterations within pain pathways at spinal and supraspinal levels associated with inflammation and glial activation. These events might also impact central processes of primary sensory neurons, triggering in nociceptors a hyperexcitable state and spontaneous activity (SA) that drive behavioral hypersensitivity and pain. SCI can sensitize peripheral fibers of nociceptors and promote peripheral SA, but whether these effects are driven by extrinsic alterations in surrounding tissue or are intrinsic to the nociceptor, and whether similar SA occurs …

The Association Between Soft Drink Consumption And Body Fat In Females Age 16 To 24, Megan M. Costello, Kate A. Heelan, Deborah A. Mowry, Bryce Abbey

International Journal of Exercise Science

American soft drink consumption (SDC) has increased since the 1960’s surpassing all other kinds of beverage consumption. In recent years, the scientific literature has suggested that SDC has been linked to the rising epidemic of obesity in children and adolescents. However, there is lack of information in scientific literature on the effects of SDC on body fat (BF%) in young females. The purpose of this study was to determine the association between SDC and BF% in young women, ages 16-24 years. Sixty-six females were asked to complete a 3-day food record, food frequency questionnaire, and an assessment BF% by dual-energy …

Automated Classification Of Breast Pathology Using Local Measures Of Broadband Reflectance, Ashley M. Laughney, Venkataramanan Krishnaswamy, Pilar Beatriz Garcia-Allende, Olga M. Conde, Wendy A. Wells, Keith D. Paulsen, Brian W. Pogue

Dartmouth Scholarship

We demonstrate that morphological features pertinent to a tissue's pathology may be ascertained from localized measures of broadband reflectance, with a mesoscopic resolution (100-μm lateral spot size) that permits scanning of an entire margin for residual disease. The technical aspects and optimization of a k-nearest neighbor classifier for automated diagnosis of pathologies are presented, and its efficacy is validated in 29 breast tissue specimens. When discriminating between benign and malignant pathologies, a sensitivity and specificity of 91 and 77% was achieved. Furthermore, detailed subtissue-type analysis was performed to consider how diverse pathologies influence scattering response and overall classification efficacy. The …

Simvastatin Enhances Immune Responses To Aβ Vaccination And Attenuates Vaccination-Induced Behavioral Alterations, Jinghong Kou, Hong-Duck Kim, Jingji Jin, Dongfeng Cao, Ling Li, Robert Lalonde, Ken-Ichiro Fukuchi

NYMC Faculty Publications

Statins are widely used to lower cholesterol levels by inhibiting cholesterol biosynthesis. Some evidence has indicated that statins might have therapeutic and preventive benefits for Alzheimer's disease (AD). We and others also have shown the beneficial effect of statin treatment in reversing learning and memory deficits in animal models of AD. However, data from clinical trials are inconclusive. We previously documented that the adenovirus vector encoding 11 tandem repeats of Aβ1-6 fused to the receptor-binding domain (Ia) of Pseudomonas exotoxin A, AdPEDI-(Aβ1-6)(11), is effective in inducing an immune response against amyloid-β protein (Aβ) and reducing brain Aβ load in Alzheimer's …

Differential Effects Of Mindful Breathing, Progressive Muscle Relaxation, And Loving-Kindness Meditation On Decentering And Negative Reactions To Repetitive Thoughts., Greg Feldman, Jeffrey M. Greeson, Joanna Senville

College of Science & Mathematics Departmental Research

Decentering has been proposed as a potential mechanism of mindfulness-based interventions but has received limited empirical examination to date in experimental studies comparing mindfulness meditation to active comparison conditions. In the present study, we compared the immediate effects of mindful breathing (MB) to two alternative stress-management techniques: progressive muscle relaxation (PMR) and loving-kindness meditation (LKM) to test whether decentering is unique to mindfulness meditation or common across approaches. Novice meditators (190 female undergraduates) were randomly assigned to complete one of three 15-min stress-management exercises (MB, PMR, or LKM) presented by audio recording. Immediately after the exercise, participants completed measures of …

The Pathways To Mental Health Care Of First-Episode Psychosis Patients: A Systematic Review., Kelly K. Anderson, Rebecca Fuhrer, Ashok K. Malla

Epidemiology and Biostatistics Publications

BACKGROUND: Although there is agreement on the association between delay in treatment of psychosis and outcome, less is known regarding the pathways to care of patients suffering from a first psychotic episode. Pathways are complex, involve a diverse range of contacts, and are likely to influence delay in treatment. We conducted a systematic review on the nature and determinants of the pathway to care of patients experiencing a first psychotic episode.

METHOD: We searched four databases (Medline, HealthStar, EMBASE, PsycINFO) to identify articles published between 1985 and 2009. We manually searched reference lists and relevant journals and used forward citation …

Crossing Over: The Influence Of Black American Female Representation On Nigerian Films And Music Videos, Adaora O. Arachie

Research Papers

No abstract provided.

Voices Raised, Issue 29, University Of Dayton. Women's Center

Women’s Center Newsletter

Included in this issue: Women journalists come to UD; Love Your Body Month; UD Women Athletes & Breast Cancer Awareness; OMA Welcomes New Director; But He Doesn’t Hit Me; Is Your Relationship Emotionally Abusive?; UD Women’s Athletics; Newsletter focus on UD women’s athletics.

Alterations In Multiple Measures Of White Matter Integrity In Normal Women At High Risk For Alzheimer's Disease, Brian T. Gold, David K. Powell, Anders H. Andersen, Charles D. Smith

Neuroscience Faculty Publications

There is evidence that disruption of white matter (WM) microstructure is an early event in the course of Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, the neurobiological bases of WM microstructural declines in presymptomatic AD are unknown. In the present study we address this issue using a multimodal imaging approach to the study of presymptomatic AD. Participants were 37 high-risk (both family history of dementia and one or more APOE4 alleles) women and 20 low-risk (neither family history nor APOE4) women. Groups were matched for age, education, neuropsychological performance, and vascular factors that could affect white matter. Whole-brain analyses of diffusion tensor imaging …

Routine Opt-Out Hiv Testing In Jails: Findings From Two Prospective Controlled Trials, Ravi Kavasery

Yale Medicine Thesis Digital Library

Background: Tens of millions of Americans enter jails annually. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention now recommends routine HIV testing in prisons and jails. The logistics for performing routine HIV testing within jails, however, remains controversial. Specific Aims: 1) To simulate and explore the feasibility of future implementation of a routine opt-out HIV testing protocol using rapid testing methods in the often-chaotic jail setting. 2) To evaluate the optimal time to perform routine HIV testing among inmates who are competent to consent to testing, in a manner that not only maximizes public health but also attends to the safety …

Maintenance Of Activity And Eating Change After A Clinical Trial Of Tailored Newsletters With Older Rural Women., Susan Noble Walker, Carol H. Pullen, Patricia A. Hageman, Linda S. Boeckner, Melody A. Hertzog, Maureen K. Oberdorfer, Matthew J. Rutledge

Journal Articles: College of Nursing

BACKGROUND: In the Wellness for Women Project, a randomized-by-site 1-year controlled clinical trial, the efficacy of generic newsletters and newsletters tailored on Health Promotion Model behavior-specific cognitions, eating behavior, and activity behavior were compared among 225 women aged 50 to 69 years.

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to compare the maintenance of change in healthy eating and physical activity over the 12 months following the tailored versus generic mailed newsletter intervention.

METHODS: Outcomes at 18 and 24 months included behavioral markers and biomarkers of physical activity and eating. Data were analyzed using the multivariate approach to repeated measures …

Quantitative Imaging Reveals Heterogeneous Growth Dynamics And Treatment-Dependent Residual Tumor Distributions In A Three-Dimensional Ovarian Cancer Model, Jonathan P. Celli, Imran Rizvi, Conor L. Evans, Adnan O. Abu-Yousif, Tayyaba Hasan

Dartmouth Scholarship

Three-dimensional tumor models have emerged as valuable in vitro research tools, though the power of such systems as quantitative reporters of tumor growth and treatment response has not been adequately explored. We introduce an approach combining a 3-D model of disseminated ovarian cancer with high-throughput processing of image data for quantification of growth characteristics and cytotoxic response. We developed custom MATLAB routines to analyze longitudinally acquired dark-field microscopy images containing thousands of 3-D nodules. These data reveal a reproducible bimodal log-normal size distribution. Growth behavior is driven by migration and assembly, causing an exponential decay in spatial density concomitant with …

Efficacy Of Morning-Only Compared With Split-Dose Polyethylene Glycol Electrolyte Solution For Afternoon Colonoscopy: A Randomized Controlled Single-Blind Study., Rebecca Matro, Md, Anastasia Shnitser, Md, Maya Spodik, Md, Constantine Daskalakis, Sc.D, Leo Katz, Md, Alexandra Murtha, Ba, David Kastenberg, Md

Division of Internal Medicine Faculty Papers & Presentations

OBJECTIVES: Administering a purgative close to the time of colonoscopy is optimal for cleansing. The aim of this study was to compare the efficacy and tolerability of morning-only (AM-only) polyethylene glycol electrolyte solution (PEG-ELS) to split-dose (PM/AM) PEG-ELS for afternoon colonoscopy.

METHODS: This was a single-center, prospective, randomized, investigator-blinded, non-inferiority study comparing AM-only to PM/AM PEG-ELS for afternoon outpatient colonoscopy. The primary end point was whole colon prep adequacy. Tolerance and polyp detection were secondary outcomes.

RESULTS: Overall, 125 patients were randomized and 9 withdrew without taking any prep. Of 116 analyzed, 62 received AM-only prep and 54 received PM/AM …

Thinking Outside The Curve, Part Ii: Modeling Fetal-Infant Mortality, Richard Charnigo, Lorie W. Chesnut, Tony Lobianco, Russell S. Kirby

Statistics Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: Greater epidemiologic understanding of the relationships among fetal-infant mortality and its prognostic factors, including birthweight, could have vast public health implications. A key step toward that understanding is a realistic and tractable framework for analyzing birthweight distributions and fetal-infant mortality. The present paper is the second of a two-part series that introduces such a framework.

METHODS: We propose estimating birthweight-specific mortality within each component of a normal mixture model representing a birthweight distribution, the number of components having been determined from the data rather than fixed a priori.

RESULTS: We address a number of methodological issues related to our …

Postpartum Smoking Relapse: Qualitative Research To Understand The Role Of The Social Environment, Stephanie Nguyen

Yale Medicine Thesis Digital Library

While up to 45% of women quit smoking during pregnancy, nearly 80% return to smoking within a year after delivery. Current interventions to prevent this return have had limited success. The aim of this study was to use the Theory of Planned Behavior to understand the factors influencing intention to resume smoking postpartum, specifically focusing on the role of subjective norms, or the social environment. During the postpartum hospital stay, we conducted in-depth, individual interviews with 24 women who had quit smoking during pregnancy. Over 300 pages of transcripts were analyzed by all four investigators using qualitative methods to identify …

Sport As Art: The Female Athlete In French Literature, Christina Ann Tsaturyan

Theses and Dissertations

The modern conception of organized, codified sport originated in Europe during the 19th century. At this time, instructors began to institute the practice of certain physical activities at school as a means of teaching morals, forming character, and initiating social exchange. Sport is particularly appropriate for forming men because of its public, physical nature. The values it instills—courage, strength, leadership—are also decidedly masculine. What, then, is made of the female athlete? Are the noble qualities that sports affirm inapplicable to women? In this thesis, I argue that female participation in sports often leads to masculinization, unless the sport is transformed …

Vestibular Heading Discrimination And Sensitivity To Linear Acceleration In Head And World Coordinates, Paul R. Macneilage, Martin S. Banks, Gregory C. Deangelis, Dora E. Angelaki

Open Access Publications

Effective navigation and locomotion depend critically on an observer's ability to judge direction of linear self-motion, i.e., heading. The vestibular cue to heading is the direction of inertial acceleration that accompanies transient linear movements. This cue is transduced by the otolith organs. The otoliths also respond to gravitational acceleration, so vestibular heading discrimination could depend on (1) the direction of movement in head coordinates (i.e., relative to the otoliths), (2) the direction of movement in world coordinates (i.e., relative to gravity), or (3) body orientation (i.e., the direction of gravity relative to the otoliths). To quantify these effects, we measured …

Human Papillomavirus And Survival Of Patients With Oropharyngeal Cancer., K Kian Ang, Jonathan Harris, Richard Wheeler, Randal Weber, David I Rosenthal, Phuc Felix Nguyen-Tân, William H Westra, Christine H Chung, Richard C Jordan, Charles Lu, Harold Kim, Rita S. Axelrod, Md, C Craig Silverman, Kevin P Redmond, Maura L Gillison

Jefferson Hospital Staff Papers and Presentations

BACKGROUND: Oropharyngeal squamous-cell carcinomas caused by human papillomavirus (HPV) are associated with favorable survival, but the independent prognostic significance of tumor HPV status remains unknown.

METHODS: We performed a retrospective analysis of the association between tumor HPV status and survival among patients with stage III or IV oropharyngeal squamous-cell carcinoma who were enrolled in a randomized trial comparing accelerated-fractionation radiotherapy (with acceleration by means of concomitant boost radiotherapy) with standard-fractionation radiotherapy, each combined with cisplatin therapy, in patients with squamous-cell carcinoma of the head and neck. Proportional-hazards models were used to compare the risk of death among patients with HPV-positive …

White Matter Diffusion Alterations In Normal Women At Risk Of Alzheimer's Disease, Charles D. Smith, Himachandra Chebrolu, Anders H. Andersen, David A. Powell, Mark A. Lovell, Shuling Xiong, Brian T. Gold

Neurology Faculty Publications

Increased white matter mean diffusivity and decreased fractional anisotropy (FA) has been observed in subjects diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and Alzheimer's disease (AD). We sought to determine whether similar alterations of white matter occur in normal individuals at risk of AD. Diffusion tensor images were acquired in 42 cognitively normal right-handed women with both a family history of dementia and at least one apolipoprotein E4 allele. These were compared with images from 23 normal women without either AD risk factor. Group analyses were performed using tract-based spatial statistics. Reduced FA was observed in the fronto-occipital and inferior temporal …

Recent Trends In Exposure To Secondhand Smoke In The United States Population, Chieh-I Chen, Tanya Burton, Christine L. Baker, Vera Mastey, David Mannino

Preventive Medicine and Environmental Health Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: Previous research using the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (NHANES) data documented a significant downward trend in secondhand smoke (SHS) exposure between 1988 and 2002. The objective of this study was to assess whether the downward trend in exposure continued from 2001 through 2006.

METHODS: We analyzed data from the 2001-2006 NHANES to estimate exposure of nonsmokers to SHS. Geometric means of serum cotinine levels for all nonsmokers were computed.

RESULTS: Overall serum cotinine levels (95% Confidence Intervals) in 2001-2002, 2003-2004, and 2005-2006 were 0.06 ng/mL (0.05-0.07), 0.07 ng/mL (0.06-0.09), and 0.05 ng/mL (0.05-0.06), respectively. Subgroup analysis by …

Splenic Infarction: An Update On William Osler's Observations., Yaacov R Lawrence, Ma Mbbs Mrcp, Russell Pokroy, Mb Bch, Daniel Berlowitz, Mb Bch, Dvora Aharoni, Md, Daniel Hain, Md, Gabriel S Breuer, Md

Department of Radiation Oncology Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: Osler taught that splenic infarction presents with left upper abdominal quadrant pain, tenderness and swelling accompanied by a peritoneal friction rub. Splenic infarction is classically associated with bacterial endocarditis and sickle cell disease.

OBJECTIVES: To describe the contemporary experience of splenic infarction.

METHODS: We conducted a chart review of inpatients diagnosed with splenic infarction in a Jerusalem hospital between 1990 and 2003.

RESULTS: We identified 26 cases with a mean age of 52 years. Common causes were hematologic malignancy (six cases) and intracardiac thrombus (five cases). Only three cases were associated with bacterial endocarditis. In 21 cases the splenic …

Ethics, Empathy, And The Education Of Dentists, David A. Nash

Oral Health Science Faculty Publications

Professional education in dentistry exists to educate good dentists-dentists equipped and committed to helping society gain the benefits of oral health. In achieving this intention, dental educators acknowledge that student dentists must acquire the complex knowledge base and the sophisticated perceptual-motor skills of dentistry. The graduation of knowledgeable and skilled clinicians in dentistry is a necessary, but not sufficient, condition for ensuring quality oral health care. The further requirement is the commitment of graduates to applying their abilities with moral integrity: providing appropriate and quality care in their patients' best interest. Ultimately, good dentistry depends on individuals committed to treating …

Progressive Regression Of Left Ventricular Hypertrophy Two Years After Bariatric Surgery, Mohamed F Algahim, Thomas R Lux, Joshua G Leichman, Anthony F Boyer, Charles C Miller, Susan T Laing, Erik B Wilson, Terry Scarborough, Sherman Yu, Brad Snyder, Carol Wolin-Riklin, Ursula G Kyle, Heinrich Taegtmeyer

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: Obesity is a systemic disorder associated with an increase in left ventricular mass and premature death and disability from cardiovascular disease. Although bariatric surgery reverses many of the hormonal and hemodynamic derangements, the long-term collective effects on body composition and left ventricular mass have not been considered before. We hypothesized that the decrease in fat mass and lean mass after weight loss surgery is associated with a decrease in left ventricular mass.

METHODS: Fifteen severely obese women (mean body mass index [BMI]: 46.7+/-1.7 kg/m(2)) with medically controlled hypertension underwent bariatric surgery. Left ventricular mass and plasma markers of systemic …

The Correlation Between Academic Achievements, Self-Esteem And Motivation Of Female Seventh Grade Students: A Mixed Methods Approach, Karen Henman

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

During the early grades, female students generally display enthusiasm for learning science. As these same students go though school, however, their level of motivation changes. Once female students reach high school, many lack the confidence to take chemistry and physics. Then, in college they lack the background necessary to major in chemistry, physics, and engineering. This study used quantitative data to investigate the correlation between female students' motivation, self-esteem, and standards-based state science achievement tests combined with a qualitative survey of student’s perceptions of parents’ attitudes toward science. The Children’s Science Motivation Inventory (CAIMI) determined students’ levels of motivation toward …

Ask A Different Question, Get A Different Answer: Why Living Wills Are Poor Guides To Care Preferences At The End Of Life., Laraine Winter, Susan M Parks, James J Diamond

Center for Applied Research on Aging and Health Research Papers

CONTEXT: Living wills have a poor record of directing care at the end of life, as a copious literature attests. Some speculation centers on the questionable correspondence between the scenario described in living wills versus the real-life circumstances that typically arise at the end of life.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the strength of association between responses to a standard living will question and preferences for treatments in six end-of-life scenarios.

DESIGN: Cross-sectional.

SETTING: Telephone interviews.

PARTICIPANTS: Two hundred two community-dwelling men and women 70 years of age or older in the greater Philadelphia area.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Strength of preferences for …

Enhanced Psychosocial Well-Being Following Participation In A Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Program Is Associated With Increased Natural Killer Cell Activity., Carolyn Y Fang, Diane K Reibel, Margaret L Longacre, Steven Rosenzweig, Donald E Campbell, Steven D Douglas

Marcus Institute of Integrative Health Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: Mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) programs have consistently been shown to enhance the psychosocial well-being of participants. Given the well-established association between psychosocial factors and immunologic functioning, it has been hypothesized that enhanced psychosocial well-being among MBSR participants would be associated with corresponding changes in markers of immune activity.

OBJECTIVES: The objectives of this study were to examine changes in psychosocial and immunologic measures in a heterogeneous patient sample following participation in a MBSR program.

DESIGN: A single-group, pretest/post-test design was utilized.

SETTING: The intervention was conducted at an academic health center.

SUBJECTS: This pilot study involved 24 participants (aged …

The Assessment Of Disability Related To Vision Performance-Based Measure In Diabetic Retinopathy., Kevin J. Warrian, Luciano L. Lorenzana, Dara Lankaranian, Jyoti Dugar, Sheryl S. Wizov, George L. Spaeth

Wills Eye Hospital Papers

PURPOSE: To validate a third-generation performance-based measure of visual function titled "Assessment of Disability Related to Vision" (ADREV) in a study population of patients with diabetic retinopathy.

DESIGN: Prospective, cross-sectional study.

METHODS: Patients with nonproliferative or proliferative diabetic retinopathy, free from ocular comorbidity, were recruited from a single institute and completed the ADREV, the 25-Item National Eye Institute Visual Functioning Questionnaire (VFQ-25), and a clinical ophthalmic examination. Correlation, regression, and bootstrap analysis were conducted to determine the relationship between ADREV scoring and each of the study's clinical and self-report measures of visual ability, while controlling for potential confounders.

RESULTS: Ninety-one …