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The Effects of Stress on the Endocrine System

Description

The following paper explores the various effects of stress on the endocrine system. Many understand that being stressed can jeopardize maintaining adequate health, but what specifically happens when humans are stressed? Why does stress affect human health? This paper delves into background information, previous research, and the depths to which…

The following paper explores the various effects of stress on the endocrine system. Many understand that being stressed can jeopardize maintaining adequate health, but what specifically happens when humans are stressed? Why does stress affect human health? This paper delves into background information, previous research, and the depths to which stress negatively affects the body. The effects stress has on the endocrine system, specifically on the hypothalamic-pituitary-thyroid axis (HPT) and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPA), is discussed, and additionally, at home de-stressing methods are researched. The study included a set of participants at Arizona State University. The method took place over the course of 2 weeks: one normal week, and the other with the implementation of a de-stressing method. The normal week involved the participants living their daily lives with the addition of a stress-measuring survey, while the second week involved implementing a de-stressing method and stress-measuring survey. The purpose of this study was to discover if there was a correlation between performing these relaxation activities and decreasing stress levels in ASU students. The results found that students reported they felt more relaxed and calm after the activities. Overall, this thesis provides information and first hand research on the effects of stress and stress-reducing activities and discusses the importance of maintaining lower stress levels throughout everyday life.

ContributorsWeissmann, Megan Diane (Co-author) / Gebara, Nayla (Co-author) / Don, Rachael (Thesis director) / Irving, Andrea (Committee member) / Kizer, Elizabeth (Committee member) / College of Health Solutions (Contributor) / Edson College of Nursing and Health Innovation (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)

Created2021-05

Salad? Pizza? Or Exam? - An Analysis of College Student Nutritional Choices

Description

This paper is regarding the nutritional choices college students in Arizona choose. This is based on many factors, but ranks and investigates why students choose this one factor. Students value time over all other factors, money, health, and location.

ContributorsJohnson, Ashleigh (Author) / Kingsbury, Jeffrey (Thesis director) / Culbertson, Jade (Committee member) / Sealey, Joshua (Committee member) / Swerzenski, Jared (Committee member) / College of Health Solutions (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)

Created2021-05

The Effects of Stress on the Endocrine System

Description

The following paper explores the various effects of stress on the endocrine system. Many understand that being stressed can jeopardize maintaining adequate health, but what specifically happens when humans are stressed? Why does stress affect human health? This paper delves into background information, previous research, and the depths to which…

The following paper explores the various effects of stress on the endocrine system. Many understand that being stressed can jeopardize maintaining adequate health, but what specifically happens when humans are stressed? Why does stress affect human health? This paper delves into background information, previous research, and the depths to which stress negatively affects the body. The effects stress has on the endocrine system, specifically on the hypothalamic-pituitary-thyroid axis (HPT) and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPA), is discussed, and additionally, at home de-stressing methods are researched. The study included a set of participants at Arizona State University. The method took place over the course of 2 weeks: one normal week, and the other with the implementation of a de-stressing method. The normal week involved the participants living their daily lives with the addition of a stress-measuring survey, while the second week involved implementing a de-stressing method and stress-measuring survey. The purpose of this study was to discover if there was a correlation between performing these relaxation activities and decreasing stress levels in ASU students. The results found that students reported they felt more relaxed and calm after the activities. Overall, this thesis provides information and first hand research on the effects of stress and stress-reducing activities and discusses the importance of maintaining lower stress levels throughout everyday life.

ContributorsGebara, Nayla F (Co-author) / Weissmann, Megan (Co-author) / Don, Rachael (Thesis director) / Irving, Andrea (Committee member) / Kizer, Elizabeth (Committee member) / Edson College of Nursing and Health Innovation (Contributor) / College of Health Solutions (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)

Created2021-05

The 8 Yoga Sutras and How They Impact the Daily Stress of College Students

Description

Yoga has become one of the most popular contemporary health approaches practiced by young adults in the United States. It is an ancient mind and body practice with origins in Indian philosophy dating to over 5,000 years ago. Yoga combines physical postures, rhythmic breathing, and meditative exercises to offer the…

Yoga has become one of the most popular contemporary health approaches practiced by young adults in the United States. It is an ancient mind and body practice with origins in Indian philosophy dating to over 5,000 years ago. Yoga combines physical postures, rhythmic breathing, and meditative exercises to offer the participants a unique, holistic mind-body experience. In this report, the Sutras first introduced by Patanjali, an ancient Indian sage, are broken down into modern definitions. Each sutra has its own unique mental and physical benefits that can be attained by college students. Yama encourages maintaining a personal moral code. Niyama allows for personal connection and self-awareness. Asana refers to the poses that are still commonly practiced today. Pranayama helps to practice deep breathing. Pratyahara offers a disconnect from the world around us. Dharana allows us to focus and hone in on one thought. Dyana promotes a continuous flow of focus in meditation. Samadhi is reaching a state of pure relaxation. All of these take time and practice, but when implemented in different aspects of daily life, college students can reduce their overall stress and anxiety to improve focus and success.

ContributorsCarlson, Sophie (Author) / Penkrot, Tonya (Thesis director) / Lisenbee, Cayle (Committee member) / College of Health Solutions (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)

Created2020-12

Physiological Adaptations to Blindness: Current Review of How Human Senses Are Impacted Upon the Onset of Blindness

Description

The goal of this paper is to describe the current understanding of how a human’s remaining senses are affected by the onset of blindness through physiological adaptations. The main focuses of this paper stem around the brain and how it adapts to blindness through mechanisms such as neuroplasticity. This paper…

The goal of this paper is to describe the current understanding of how a human’s remaining senses are affected by the onset of blindness through physiological adaptations. The main focuses of this paper stem around the brain and how it adapts to blindness through mechanisms such as neuroplasticity. This paper will explore the increased acuity of both tactile and auditory processing as well as spatial navigation resulting from the onset of blindness. This paper will also explore the enhanced ability of the blind to echolocate as well as the mechanisms of homeostasis that underlie this ability. Finally, this paper will report on the lack of enhancement for the senses of taste and smell in humans after the onset of blindness and possible reasons why there are no observed increases in potential. It is the hope of the writers that this paper will cover the current state of knowledge on the phenomenon of adaptations resulting from the onset of blindness to such an extent that this information can be presented in a podcast format later on.

Disclaimer: Due to the COVID-19 global pandemic, the final outcomes of this project were impacted and limited. Therefore, the rough draft practice podcast session has been uploaded to accompany the written thesis portion as final recordings could not be recorded at this time.

ContributorsMoyzes, Hannah (Co-author) / Fox, Dylan (Co-author) / Hyatt, JP (Thesis director) / Kingsbury, Jeffrey (Committee member) / College of Health Solutions (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)

Created2020-05

Adaptation Podcast: The Physiological Adaptation to Isolation

Description

The purpose of this project was to discuss the physiological effects of isolation on the human body and how the body adapts. Through reviewing stories and studies of social and perceptual isolation, the adaptations of the human mind are detailed. This project explores the experiences of prisoners, sensory deprivation tanks,…

The purpose of this project was to discuss the physiological effects of isolation on the human body and how the body adapts. Through reviewing stories and studies of social and perceptual isolation, the adaptations of the human mind are detailed. This project explores the experiences of prisoners, sensory deprivation tanks, cave explorations, as well as studies involving monkeys and carpenter ants. The adaptations witnessed include hallucinations, increased mortality, anxiety, agitation, altered sense of time, delayed response, and lowered blood pressure. Knowing the factors surrounding the isolation experience is crucial to understand the presenting adaptation methods. These factors include duration, voluntary or involuntary participation, mental strength, and the restriction level of the isolation.

DISCLAIMER: Due to the unexpected COVID-19 pandemic, the attached podcast is a draft recording in lieu of the final recording

ContributorsSidhu, Nimrit (Co-author) / Deacon, Hannah (Co-author) / Hyatt, JP (Thesis director) / Kingsbury, Jeffrey (Committee member) / School of Social Work (Contributor) / College of Health Solutions (Contributor) / Arizona State University. College of Nursing & Healthcare Innovation (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)

Created2020-05

Identifying and Evaluating the Impact of Ecological Factors on the Patterns of Health Risk Behaviors Among Arizona State University Students

Description

Ecological modeling can be used to analyze health risk behaviors and their relationship to ecological factors, which is useful in determining how social environmental factors influence an individual’s decisions. Environmental interactions shape the way that humans behave throughout the day, either through observation, action, or consequences. Specifically, health risk behaviors…

Ecological modeling can be used to analyze health risk behaviors and their relationship to ecological factors, which is useful in determining how social environmental factors influence an individual’s decisions. Environmental interactions shape the way that humans behave throughout the day, either through observation, action, or consequences. Specifically, health risk behaviors can be analyzed in relation to ecological factors. Alcohol drinking among college students has been a long concern and there are many risks associated with these behaviors in this population. Consistent engagement in health risk behaviors as a college student, such as drinking and smoking, can pose a much larger issues later in life and can lead to many different health problems. A research study was conducted in the form of a 27 question survey to determine and evaluate the impact of ecological factors on drinking and smoking behaviors among Arizona State University students. Ecological factors such as demographics, living conditions, contexts of social interactions, and places where students spend most of their time were used to evaluate the relationship between drinking and smoking behaviors and the ecological factors, both on- and off- campus.

ContributorsAndrade, Amber Marie (Co-author) / Naik, Sparshee (Co-author) / Werbick, Meghan (Co-author) / Mubayi, Anuj (Thesis director) / Gaughan, Monica (Committee member) / College of Health Solutions (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)

Created2020-05

Speech Motor Learning Depends on Relevant Auditory Errors

Description

In the past, researchers have studied the elements of speech and how they work together in the human brain. Auditory feedback, an important aid in speech production, provides information to speakers and allows them to gain an understanding if the prediction of their speech matches their production. The speech motor…

In the past, researchers have studied the elements of speech and how they work together in the human brain. Auditory feedback, an important aid in speech production, provides information to speakers and allows them to gain an understanding if the prediction of their speech matches their production. The speech motor system uses auditory goals to determine errors in its auditory output during vowel production. We learn from discrepancies between our prediction and auditory feedback. In this study, we examined error assessment processes by systematically manipulating the correspondence between speech motor outputs and their auditory consequences while producing speech. We conducted a study (n = 14 adults) in which participants’ auditory feedback was perturbed to test their learning rate in two conditions. During the trials, participants repeated CVC words and were instructed to prolong the vowel each time. The adaptation trials were used to examine the reliance of auditory feedback and speech prediction by systematically changing the weight of auditory feedback. Participants heard their perturbed feedback through insert earphones in real time. Each speaker’s auditory feedback was perturbed according to task-relevant and task-irrelevant errors. Then, these perturbations were presented to subjects gradually and suddenly in the study. We found that adaptation was less extensive with task-irrelevant errors, adaptation did not saturate significantly in the sudden condition, and adaptation, which was expected to be extensive and faster in the task-relevant condition, was closer to the rate of adaptation in the task-irrelevant perturbation. Though adjustments are necessary, we found an efficient way for speakers to rely on auditory feedback more than their prediction. Furthermore, this research opens the door to future investigations in adaptation in speech and presents implications for clinical purposes (e.g. speech therapy).

ContributorsLukowiak, Ariana (Author) / Daliri, Ayoub (Thesis director) / Rogalsky, Corianne (Committee member) / Sanford School of Social and Family Dynamics (Contributor) / College of Health Solutions (Contributor, Contributor, Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)

Created2020-05

Effects of Hatha and Vinaysa Yoga on Stress Levels in a Female College-Aged Population

Description

The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of yoga intensity on stress in a population of college-aged females. Stress has been shown to negatively impact health both physically and mentally, therefore it is imperative that there is a way to combat these negative health effects. Participants included…

The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of yoga intensity on stress in a population of college-aged females. Stress has been shown to negatively impact health both physically and mentally, therefore it is imperative that there is a way to combat these negative health effects. Participants included females between the ages of 18-25 who had been participating in physical activity 3-5 days per week (n=11). The subjects participated in two sessions of yoga, one of lower intensity, Hatha, and one of higher intensity, Vinyasa. Stress was measured by a Stress Indicators Questionnaire, which was modified to fit the aim of the study. It was filled out by the subjects pre and post each session, resulting in four questionnaires per subject. The yoga classes were displayed through a program called YogaGlo. The data was scored and analyzed with a modified scoring guideline based off of the questionnaire guidelines and with the use of Excel. The results showed that there was a statistically significant effect of both low (p value= 0.02) and high (p value= 0.01) intensity yoga on stress. There was not a statistically significant effect between the different yoga intensities on stress (p value= 0.3). Limitations of our study include a self-selective population, no control group, and demand characteristics. The results from this study should be used for further research on yoga and various aspects of mental health, such as anxiety and depression, with a female population of all ages, longer yoga sessions, and a longitudinal study format.

ContributorsSydenham, Isabella Anne (Co-author) / Edwards, Christina (Co-author) / Hoffner, Kristin (Thesis director) / Nolan, Nicole Blaize (Committee member) / College of Health Solutions (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)

Created2019-05

Developing Millennials For Future Sales Careers

Description

The millennial generation is quickly solidifying its place as the dominate generation within the workforce. As millennials transition through workplace hierarchy it is essential organizations understand how to properly develop incoming talent. This is especially important within sales as the opportunity cost for hiring and developing new sales professionals is…

The millennial generation is quickly solidifying its place as the dominate generation within the workforce. As millennials transition through workplace hierarchy it is essential organizations understand how to properly develop incoming talent. This is especially important within sales as the opportunity cost for hiring and developing new sales professionals is much higher compared to other professions. Downward trends in millennial retention rates is also a strong contributing factor to the importance of understanding the millennial generation. This paper aims to identify key concepts and elements employers should incorporate into their sales training programs in order to better develop millennials entering sales roles. Through an analysis of each generation and sales training a clear framework will be identified to achieve this goal. Analyzing millennials unique strengths and weaknesses will provide the basis for the key areas employers need to focus on when designing their sales development programs. The framework identified is easily adaptable within any organizations as the concepts discussed can be universally applied.

ContributorsStensland, Zachary William (Author) / Montoya, Detra (Thesis director) / Schlacter, John (Committee member) / Department of Marketing (Contributor) / Department of Information Systems (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)

Created2017-05

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