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Full-Text Articles in Human Ecology

College Students' Apparel Shopping Orientation Changes In Relations To Life Events, Yang He Jan 2011

College Students' Apparel Shopping Orientation Changes In Relations To Life Events, Yang He

LSU Master's Theses

Apparel shopping orientation studies usually focus on categorizing shoppers into different segments based on individuals’ characteristics. This study presents changes in college students’ apparel shopping orientation, which result from experienced and anticipated life events and lead to store and brand preference changes in retail patronage context. Graduation serves as a milestone of life event leading to role transition in a college student’s life. The experienced and anticipated life events around graduation create new consumption needs that demand readjustment. Graduating college students are likely to change their store and brand preferences since they attempt to change their apparel shopping orientation due …


A Cohort Study Of A History Of Gestational Diabetes Mellitus And The Risk Of Incident Type 2 Diabetes In Louisiana Women, Yujie Wang Jan 2011

A Cohort Study Of A History Of Gestational Diabetes Mellitus And The Risk Of Incident Type 2 Diabetes In Louisiana Women, Yujie Wang

LSU Master's Theses

Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is one of the most common pregnancy complications. It has been shown that a history of GDM is associated with an increased risk of incident type 2 diabetes in women. In this project, we aim to investigate 1) the trend of GDM incidence in Louisiana State University Health Care Services Division (LSUHCSD) hospital system during 1997 to 2009; 2) the race-specific association between a history of GDM and the risk of incident type 2 diabetes and how the risk changes over years after the index pregnancy. We conducted a retrospective study among women aged 13-50 years. …


Chinese Influence On Western Women's Dress In American Vogue Magazine, 1960-2009, Yao Zeng Jan 2011

Chinese Influence On Western Women's Dress In American Vogue Magazine, 1960-2009, Yao Zeng

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Chinese culture has dramatically influenced Western women’s fashionable dress over many centuries. Researchers have studied Chinese dress and its influence on Western women’s dress in the eighteenth, nineteenth, and early twentieth century. However, no research has systematically examined Chinese dress influences on Western women’s dress from the time that China reopened its door to the West in the 1970s and into the twenty-first century. The purpose of this study is to trace Chinese influence in Western women’s dress from 1960 to 2009 in American Vogue magazine. The specific aims of this study are to identify and record the influence of …


Investigating The Validity Of Scores Obtained With The Home And Family Questionnaire And Their Reliability With Scores Obtained With The Home Observation For The Measurement Of The Environment-Middle Childhood, Holly Marie Bell Jan 2011

Investigating The Validity Of Scores Obtained With The Home And Family Questionnaire And Their Reliability With Scores Obtained With The Home Observation For The Measurement Of The Environment-Middle Childhood, Holly Marie Bell

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The study of home environments and their relationships to child outcomes has become common practice among researchers of child development. As such, having a reliable instrument for measuring home environments that is also cost and time efficient is of primary interest to researchers. The most widely used instrument for measuring home environments is the Home Observation Measurement of the Environment (HOME) developed by Caldwell and Bradley in 1984. Use of the HOME is prevalent among researchers, yet it is costly to implement both in time and in money. An alternative tool for home environment measurement is the Home and Family …


The Role Of Ad-36 And Its E4orf-1 Protein In Modulating Glycemic Control, Emily Jane Dhurandhar Jan 2011

The Role Of Ad-36 And Its E4orf-1 Protein In Modulating Glycemic Control, Emily Jane Dhurandhar

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Current treatment strategies for Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) include a range of anti-diabetic drugs, supplemented by lifestyle modifications to reduce dietary fat intake and body fat. However, for their anti-diabetic action, most drugs recruit insulin signaling pathways, which are already impaired in T2DM. Also, compliance and success in achieving sustained improvements in diet or obesity over the long term is marginal. Therefore, an agent that improves diabetes independent of insulin signaling or lifestyle changes may be highly useful. Human adenovirus Ad36 offers such a model. Ad36 improves glycemic control in chow-fed mice or rats and attenuates diabetes and hepatic …


An Investigation Of The Home And Family Questionnaire's Concurrent And Predictive Validity, Angel Lewis Herring Jan 2011

An Investigation Of The Home And Family Questionnaire's Concurrent And Predictive Validity, Angel Lewis Herring

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The current study sought to replicate the findings of Pierce, Alfonso, & Garrison (1998) that constructed and tested the Home and Family Questionnaire (HFQ). More specifically, the internal consistency of the HFQ’s three subscales, Maturity Facilitation, Child’s Use of Stimulating Materials, and the Parent-Child Emotional Relationship, was investigated. Construct validity of the HFQ was investigated by correlating the HFQ subscale scores to the Parenting Styles Dimensions Questionnaire (PSDQ) subscale scores (Robinson, Mandleco, Olsen & Hart, 1995). Criterion-related validity was investigated by correlating the HFQ subscale scores with the Pictorial Scales of Perceived Competence and Social Acceptance in Young Children (PSPC) …


Integration Management For Green Business To Achieve Sustainability And Buildability, Low Sui Pheng, Ng Wei Chen Jan 2011

Integration Management For Green Business To Achieve Sustainability And Buildability, Low Sui Pheng, Ng Wei Chen

Business Review

The Building Control (Environmental Sustainability) Regulations, introduced in 2008, require buildings to attain minimum scores under the Green Mark Scheme (GMS) in Singapore. The Building Control (Buildable Design) Regulations, introduced in 2001, require buildings to attain minimum buildability scores under the Buildable Design Appraisal System (BDAS) in Singapore. It appears that both the GMS and BDAS can influence building designs and must therefore be considered concurrently to yield the optimal results. Consideration of both sets of requirements is illustrated using a case study of one 18-storey residential building. Through interviews, the study also explores the issues relating to integration management …


Environmental Imaginaries Of The Middle East And North Africa, Diana K. Davis, Edmund Burke Iii Jan 2011

Environmental Imaginaries Of The Middle East And North Africa, Diana K. Davis, Edmund Burke Iii

Ohio University Press Open Access Books

The landscapes of the Middle East have captured our imaginations throughout history. Images of endless golden dunes, camel caravans, isolated desert oases, and rivers lined with palm trees have often framed written and visual representations of the region. Embedded in these portrayals is the common belief that the environment, in most places, has been deforested and desertified by centuries of misuse. It is precisely such orientalist environmental imaginaries, increasingly undermined by contemporary ecological data, that the eleven authors in this volume question. This is the first volume to critically examine culturally constructed views of the environmental history of the Middle …


Building Children's Liking And Preferences For Fruits And Vegetables Through School-Based Interventions, Anantha Padmaja Lakkakula Jan 2011

Building Children's Liking And Preferences For Fruits And Vegetables Through School-Based Interventions, Anantha Padmaja Lakkakula

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Children’s food preferences play a major role in their food choices and consumption. The objectives of these studies were to examine the relationship between children’s preferences for fruits and vegetables (FV) and their weight status and to increase children’s liking of FV by offering repeated opportunities to taste less liked items. A representative sample of elementary school children (1st, 3rd, 4th, and 5th grades) were recruited in the three interventions. In the first study, 341 fourth- and fifth-grade children (43% boys; 68% 4th graders) were measured for height and weight and completed a survey which sought their preferences for 38 …


Evolution And Engagement In Sotl: Today, Tomorrow, And Internationally, Cathy Gunn, Gila Kurtz, Karen Lauridson, Trent W. Maurer, Godfrey Steele Jul 2010

Evolution And Engagement In Sotl: Today, Tomorrow, And Internationally, Cathy Gunn, Gila Kurtz, Karen Lauridson, Trent W. Maurer, Godfrey Steele

Human Ecology: Faculty Publications

This article presents a revision and extension of remarks made by the authors as part of a plenary panel at the 2010 SoTL Commons Conference at Georgia Southern University in Statesboro, Georgia (USA) on the current and future state of SoTL both in their respective countries (New Zealand, Israel, Denmark, the United States, and Trinidad & Tobago) and internationally. We devote special attention to issues and themes that are common across our countries and others


How Masculinity Works To Oppress Men As Defined By Iris Marion Young's Five Faces Of Oppression, Nathan Svare Apr 2010

How Masculinity Works To Oppress Men As Defined By Iris Marion Young's Five Faces Of Oppression, Nathan Svare

Honors Capstones

Capstone submitted as a graduation requirement for the BSU Honors Program.


European Integration, Identity, And National Self Interest: The Enduring Nature Of National Identity, Tyler R. White Apr 2010

European Integration, Identity, And National Self Interest: The Enduring Nature Of National Identity, Tyler R. White

Department of Political Science: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

In the 1950s as European integration begun a group of scholars called the neofunctionalists suggested that as political and economic institutions were created, technical spillovers from integration would result in a new ‘European identity.’ More than 50 years later, Euroenthusiasts have touted the European Union (EU) as being the institution that will bring Europe together and create a unified ‘European identity.’ While many elites and technocrats feel a closer association to ‘Europe’ there is little evidence that identities are changing as a result of European integration. This dissertation analyzes historical, academic, and journalistic accounts to look for evidence that European …


Caregiver Perceptions Of Aggression In Preschool-Aged Boys, Charlene Philleatric Jenkins Jan 2010

Caregiver Perceptions Of Aggression In Preschool-Aged Boys, Charlene Philleatric Jenkins

LSU Master's Theses

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between caregiver level of education and their perception of aggression in preschool boys. Accurately perceiving aggression is important in that it affects how caregivers interact with children in their care. Research has demonstrated that caregivers have an important role in helping a child shape his identity; getting accurate feedback would be important for a child’s self-perception. It was hypothesized that caregivers with less education may be more likely to misperceive preschool boys play and label them aggressive. The results indicated that caregiver’s with a high school or GED education were …


A High Fat Diet Attenuates The Fermentation Effects Of Resistant Starches And Fructans, Felicia Robin Goldsmith Jan 2010

A High Fat Diet Attenuates The Fermentation Effects Of Resistant Starches And Fructans, Felicia Robin Goldsmith

LSU Master's Theses

In our previous studies, ingestion of prebiotics in low fat diets resulted in decreased cecal pH from 8 to about 6 and increases in short chain fatty acids indicating robust fermentation. However, in some preliminary studies this effect on fermentation was not seen when rodents were obese and/or fed a high-fat diet. This comprehensive high-fat diet study was conducted to determine which sources and combinations of prebiotics would enhance fermentation despite a high dietary fat content. The effects of prebiotics in a high-fat diet (44% energy) on pH, cecal weights, abdominal fat, and body weight were studied in mature male …


Post-Diaster Family Resilience: The Use Of Humor As A Coping Strategy, Bridgette Boe O'Connor Jan 2010

Post-Diaster Family Resilience: The Use Of Humor As A Coping Strategy, Bridgette Boe O'Connor

LSU Master's Theses

The purpose of this study was to investigate the use of humor as a coping strategy among Hurricane Katrina survivors. The data for this study were collected in the first wave of a larger project on families and disasters. Using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) by combining Census data with storm damage estimates and purposive sampling, 50 participants affected by Hurricane Katrina from a single suburban community in Southern Louisiana in early spring 2006 were recruited and interviewed. When the interviews were qualitatively analyzed with a focus on humor, it became clear that families used humor even at such a devastating …


Measuring Children's Social Support Networks: Eco-Mapping Protocol, Lauren Burnett Jan 2010

Measuring Children's Social Support Networks: Eco-Mapping Protocol, Lauren Burnett

LSU Master's Theses

The purpose of this project was to explore the use of an eco-mapping protocol for measuring children’s social support networks. The project investigated two research questions: (1) what are the similarities and differences in the information provided by three informants in the eco-mapping protocol?, and (2) what information do eco-maps provide about children’s social support networks? Ten four-year-old children, their families, and teacher participated in the creation of eco-maps. Each informant identified the major people in the child’s support network, described relationships, and identified the type and developmental area of support provided by each individual. All the information was graphically …


Dress, Dialogue, And Gender In The Mary Tyler Moore Show From 1970-1977, Ashley Hayes Jan 2010

Dress, Dialogue, And Gender In The Mary Tyler Moore Show From 1970-1977, Ashley Hayes

LSU Master's Theses

Hayes, Ashley, B.S., Western Kentucky University, 2007. Master of Science, Fall Commencement, 2010. Major: Human Ecology Dress, Dialogue, and Gender in The Mary Tyler Moore Show from 1970-1977 Thesis directed by Jenna Tedrick Kuttruff, Professor Pages in thesis: 78 Words in abstract: 303 ABSTRACT The Mary Tyler Moore Show has been recognized as the first television program to feature a single career oriented female, the lead character Mary Richards. Many aspects of the show have been researched, including whether Mary Richards could be considered a true feminist role model. The show, which aired from 1970-1977, is important as it reflects …


Macular Pigment Optical Density During Pregnancy And Its Relationship To The Diet, Alicia Page Jan 2010

Macular Pigment Optical Density During Pregnancy And Its Relationship To The Diet, Alicia Page

LSU Master's Theses

Women, compared to men, are at higher risk for age-related macular degeneration (AMD), the leading cause of blindness in the elderly. The accumulation of dietary carotenoids, lutein (L) and zeaxanthin (Z) within the macula make up macular pigment and provide important protection to the retina. Macular pigment optical density (MPOD) gives a measure of macula pigment density. MPOD has been shown to be influenced by fruit and vegetable L and Z and docosahexanoic acid (DHA, 22:6n-3), cold water marine fish being the dietary source. A high MPOD may protect against AMD. Intake of DHA by women is low (40-120 mg/d) …


Resistant Starch And Sodium Butyrate Reduce Body Fat In Rodents, Kirk Adam Vidrine Jan 2010

Resistant Starch And Sodium Butyrate Reduce Body Fat In Rodents, Kirk Adam Vidrine

LSU Master's Theses

Introduction: Obesity levels in the United States have significantly increased in the last forty years. Lifestyle and pharmacological treatments have been largely ineffective in treating obesity for most people. Both Resistant Starch (RS) and Dietary Sodium Butyrate (SB) are bioactivties which have shown the ability to decrease body fat levels of rodents without increasing physical activity or decreasing energy intake. Glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) and peptide YY (PYY) are gut hormones that may be involved in increased energy expenditure at a cellular level with dietary RS and SB. Objective: To discern if SB and RS both work through the increase …


Generative Spirituality And The Parent-Child Relationship, Carol Catherine Leblanc Jan 2010

Generative Spirituality And The Parent-Child Relationship, Carol Catherine Leblanc

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This research study includes examining and exploring the processes underlying faith, parent, and child relationships. The project is based on the premises that parents and children mutually influence each other and that faith is important, beneficial, and facilitative, particularly in an increasingly individualistic society. Qualitative methods were used to uncover a depth of information regarding the intersection of faith, parent, and child. Interview data were utilized from a purposive national sample of 30 highly religious families. Four major themes emerged from the analysis. These themes include Concerns about Contemporary Culture, Commitment to Family Life, Close and Connected Family Relationships, and …


Social Shopping For Fashion, Jiyun Kang Jan 2010

Social Shopping For Fashion, Jiyun Kang

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

In spite of the significance of social shopping in the context of fashion consumption, its definitions, boundaries, and explanations have not yet been systematically established in literature. The purpose of Study 1 was to develop a reliable and valid scale of social shopping for fashion. With the scale, Study 2 aimed to develop and test a structural model of social shopping process. In Study 1, a three-step procedure for scale development was followed: item generation, scale purification, and scale validation. As a result, a five-dimensional scale, along with sixteen behavioral items, was developed representing distinctive dimension of social shopping for …


A Qualitative Exploration Of Christian, Native American Families, Mandy Lynn Swanson Jan 2010

A Qualitative Exploration Of Christian, Native American Families, Mandy Lynn Swanson

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Research on Native American families is limited and emphasizes the deficits of families and overlooks those Native American families that are thriving. This study seeks to illuminate the strengths of highly religious, Christian, Native American, married couples. The study employs a strengths-based perspective to examine how and why religious coping is meaningful and influential for these Native American couples’ enduring marriages and in their efforts to be responsive parents. From interviews of fifteen heterosexual, Native American, married couples (n=30), five themes emerged from the coding and analysis: 1) Faith and Culture: “They go hand in hand”, 2) Influence of Faith …


Dietary Resistant Starch Improved Maternal Glycemic Control In Goto-Kakizaki Rat, Li Shen Jan 2010

Dietary Resistant Starch Improved Maternal Glycemic Control In Goto-Kakizaki Rat, Li Shen

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Treatment for maternal hyperglycemia is limited on account of safety concerns for fetus. Our previous work has shown that inclusion of resistant starch in the diet decreases body fat accumulation in rodents, increases GLP-1 at both the gene expression level and plasma levels, and improves glucose tolerance in STZ-induced diabetic mice. However, studies concerning dietary resistant starch and maternal hyperglycemia are scarce. In this project, we examined the effects of dietary resistant starch in pregnant Goto-Kakizaki (GK) rats to improve glycemic control. Animal experiments were conducted to test the hypotheses. In study 1, the female GK rats were randomly grouped …


An Examination Of The Relationship Between Family And U.S. Latinos’ Physical Health, Georgiana Bostean Jan 2010

An Examination Of The Relationship Between Family And U.S. Latinos’ Physical Health, Georgiana Bostean

Sociology Faculty Articles and Research

Latinos, especially immigrant Latinos, have lower mortality rates and some better health outcomes than U.S.-born Latinos and whites, a situation called the Latino Paradox. One explanation for the advantage is that Latinos’ family orientation protects health. However, because few large-scale studies examine Latinos’ family relationships by nativity, the extent to which family factors contribute to Latinos’ health outcomes is unclear. Additionally, while a large literature focuses on family cohesion, fewer studies address both cohesion and conflict, which may be particularly important among immigrants, whose migration and adaptation experiences can strain family relations. This study examines the relationship between family context …


Children's Health Insurance Program: The Dynamics Of Federalism And Health Care Policy, Erik White Apr 2009

Children's Health Insurance Program: The Dynamics Of Federalism And Health Care Policy, Erik White

Political Science Theses and Capstones

On February 4th, 2009, President Obama signed into law the reauthorization of the Children Health Insurance Program. The federal government will now spend 30 billion dollars towards the goal of ensuring that more children in the United States are insured. I investigate this particular health care policy and look at the different dynamics that affect the ultimate goal of universal health insurance for children. Because this program allows for state flexibility under broad federal guidelines, one is able to look at individual states, and their particular actions and characteristics, to determine the best approach to insuring the most …


The Perception Of The Louisiana Food Stamp Nutrition Education Program's Ability To Improve Diet And Other Lifestyle Measures Of Participants, Melly Suyapa Perez Garay Jan 2009

The Perception Of The Louisiana Food Stamp Nutrition Education Program's Ability To Improve Diet And Other Lifestyle Measures Of Participants, Melly Suyapa Perez Garay

LSU Master's Theses

The purpose of this study was to assess the perception of Louisiana Food Stamp Nutrition Education Program (FSNEP) participants’ diet and other lifestyle measures and their consistency with the current Dietary Guidelines for Americans and MyPyramid compared to eligible non-participants in Louisiana. The study sample included FSNEP adult participants (Group 1; n=30) and adult non-FSNEP participants (Group 2; n=26) from 5 parishes in Louisiana. Nine focus group discussions (FGD) were conducted with Group 1 (n=5) and Group 2 (n=4) participants. The FGD assessed perceptions and practice in the last six months of: (a) increasing eating fruit and vegetables, whole grains, …


The Role Of Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 On Food Intake, Glucokinase Expression And Fatty Acid Metabolism, Hanjie Zhang Jan 2009

The Role Of Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 On Food Intake, Glucokinase Expression And Fatty Acid Metabolism, Hanjie Zhang

LSU Master's Theses

The increase in blood levels of GLP-1 with dietary resistant starch is thought to be associated with the activities of hypothalamic NPY/AgRP neurons and the gene expression of glucokinase in the ARC of the hypothalamus. Exendin-4 has been shown to be associated with fatty acid synthesis and oxidation. In this project, it was proposed that 1) food intake will be decreased in GLP-1R KO mice, the glucokinase (GK) mRNA expression in the liver and in the hypothalamus, the hypothalamic NPY mRNA expression will be up-regulated by exendin-4 treatment; and 2) exendin-4 will decrease fatty acid synthesis and increase fatty acid …


Polyunsaturated Fatty Acid Content Of Breast Milk From Women With And Without Gestational Diabetes Mellitus, Julissa Marisel Salguero Jan 2009

Polyunsaturated Fatty Acid Content Of Breast Milk From Women With And Without Gestational Diabetes Mellitus, Julissa Marisel Salguero

LSU Master's Theses

Reduced insulin sensitivity and abnormal nutrient metabolism in gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) may compromise polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) content of breast milk. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate and compare PUFA milk composition of women with and without GDM. Breast milk collections were performed in GDM (n=6) and controls (n=12) at weeks 2, 6, 10 and 12 postpartum using a hospital grade breast pump. Estimated dietary intake of PUFA and use of prenatal supplements containing DHA (PS/DHA) was determined by 24-hour dietary recalls conducted after each milk collection. Based on these preliminary data, milk docosahexaenoic acid (DHA; …


Relationship Of Maternal Serum Fatty Acids And Body Mass Index, Emily Fontenot Gilbert Jan 2009

Relationship Of Maternal Serum Fatty Acids And Body Mass Index, Emily Fontenot Gilbert

LSU Master's Theses

Maternal supply of nutrients is critical for the developing fetus during all stages of gestation. The altered lipid metabolism that is often seen in pregnancies complicated by obesity and insulin resistance may negatively impact maternal supply to the fetus. More women are entering pregnancy overweight or obese and recently body mass index (BMI) has been found to be a positive predictor for decreased maternal plasma phospholipid concentrations of the long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LCPUFA) docosahexanoic acid (DHA) and arachidonic acid (ARA). These nutrients play important roles in early development and their availability is critical to fetal growth and development. The …


Tnf-Alpha Inhibition Of Adiponectin Expression By Targeting Ppar-Gamma And C/Ebp In Adipocytes, Yanning Wang Jan 2009

Tnf-Alpha Inhibition Of Adiponectin Expression By Targeting Ppar-Gamma And C/Ebp In Adipocytes, Yanning Wang

LSU Master's Theses

Chronic inflammation is involved in the adipose tissue dysfunction through regulation of endocrine and storage function of adipocytes. As a representative proinflammatory cytokine, TNF-α was reported to inhibit expression of adiponectin. However, the mechanism of inhibition remains to be identified. Here, we provide experimental evidence that TNF-α inhibits adiponectin at both transcriptional and posttranscriptional levels. In three animal models (aP2-P65, ob/ob and high fat diets-fed mice), an increase in TNF-α expression was associated with a decrease in adiponectin expression. In 3T3-L1 adipocytes, TNF-α inhibition of adiponectin was observed at mRNA and protein levels. Luciferase reporter assay and mRNA stability tests …