Matching Items (203)
Description
Mentorship is important to learning because it provides a frame of reference and the guidance necessary to succeed for those who are inexperienced. The purpose of this study was to explore the impact of a one-semester mentorship program for freshman Barrett nursing students. Specifically, it was hypothesized that freshman Barrett nursing students (mentees) would experience higher levels of confidence as they enter their second year. With improved confidence and better preparation in handling stress, freshman Barrett students are more likely to stay in the Barrett program throughout their time at a university in the southwestern United States. The mentorship program included freshman Barrett students pursuing a degree in nursing as the mentees and Term 8 (senior) Barrett Nursing students as the mentors. The mentorship program supported freshman students in reaching out to their mentors for study tips, class advice, homework help, and use them as a general resource throughout the application process. Quantitative data was collected in a pre- and post-survey in order to analyze the confidence scores of mentors and mentees. The survey asked participants questions regarding their level of self-confidence and asked them to rank their responses on a Likert scale with 1 being strongly disagree and 5 being strongly agree. The results showed that confidence levels based on the quantitative data either stayed the same or was improved in every participant. Specifically, there were multiple statistically significant findings based on the paired t-tests that were run. Findings suggest the mentorship program improved the confidence levels in both freshman Barrett students and their Senior mentors.
ContributorsZurbriggen, Abigail Marie (Author) / Quillman, Jill (Thesis director) / Stevens, Carol (Committee member) / School of Nutrition and Health Promotion (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2018-12
Description
Adaptive behavior consists of the social, conceptual and practical skills an individual must execute to function independently in their everyday life. Individuals with Down syndrome have limitations in their adaptive behavior due to cognitive and physical deficits. The aim of this study was to examine if an exercise program would improve the adaptive behavior skills in persons with Down syndrome. The exercise intervention, Exercise for Adults with Down Syndrome (ExDS), was a semester long program where adults with Down syndrome participate in twice weekly workouts planned and executed by Arizona State University students. The workouts consisted of an aerobic warm up, aerobic exercises, resistance exercises, balance exercises and stretches. The participants' adaptive behavior and cognitive planning ability were assessed before ExDS and after ExDS. The Adaptive Behavior Assessment System Second Edition (ABAS-II) was used to measure adaptive behavior. The ABAS-II consisted of a forum that addressed the Social, Conceptual and Practical domains of adaptive behavior and was filled out by the participants' caregiver. The Tower of London (ToL) was used to measure cognitive planning ability. The change in the ABAS-II scores from pre- to post-testing were statistically insignificant. The change from pre- to post-testing in the ToL scores approached statistical significance. Limitations included bias caregiver perception and respondent inconsistency. There is a need for further research on the effect of exercise on the adaptive behavior in adults with Down syndrome.
ContributorsRoss, Alexandra Jill (Author) / Holzapfel, Simon (Thesis director) / Ringenbach, Shannon (Committee member) / School of Nutrition and Health Promotion (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2018-12
Description
Many studies have supported the "epidemic" of increasing narcissism with the current generation. However, the importance of accurately measuring narcissism has never been greater. Studies have measured the reliability and feasibility of the narcissistic personality inventory (NPI) at reporting narcissism and the Noldus FaceReader technology at detecting basic emotions, but the validity of these two measurement tools working together needs to be further researched. This study investigated how reliable the Noldus FaceReader technology was at detecting basic emotions of participants while they performed the NPI personality quiz and if the emotions generated from the facial analysis software can accurately represent an individual's narcissistic characteristics. Specifically, the study explored how the narcissistic personality quiz and the newest version of Noldus FaceReader can be used to detect narcissistic individuals within a team environment. An intervention was conducted in which participants, 16 female collegiate soccer players, engaged in the fall soccer season. Narcissism scores were measured before and after the intervention and then analyzed in correlation with the emotions through the facial analysis software. Results from the study showed that the 40-question narcissistic personality quiz could be condensed into a 14-question quiz in order to truly detect narcissism by generating corresponding emotions. Results also showed that narcissism is most significantly and consistently correlated to the emotions of scared, angry, and disgusted.
ContributorsRaybe, Jessica Rose (Author) / Chisum, Jack (Thesis director) / Marsit, Joseph (Committee member) / Carr, Natasha (Committee member) / School of Nutrition and Health Promotion (Contributor) / School of Public Affairs (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2018-05
Description
Objective: The purpose of this research project was to determine if there are nutritional disparities between students of differing socioeconomic status (SES) households. The SES was determined using school classifications (i.e., title one versus non-title one) as a proxy measure. It was hypothesized that children attending a title one school would consume a greater amount of sugary drinks than students attending a non-title one school Participants: The parents/guardians of students in grades 3rd and 4th, from a title one school and from a non-title one school. Methods: The data were gathered from surveys that were sent home to the parents/guardians of the students. The surveys inquired about how many bottles of water, juice boxes, glasses of milk, cans of soda, bottles of Gatorade, and cans of energy drinks their child consumes on a single weekend day. Statistical Analysis: Shapiro Wilk tests were used for normality. Differences in the consumption of sugary drinks were analyzed using the Mann Whitney U test. Results: A total of 150 surveys were returned by students from both schools (n=57 from the title one school; n = 93 from the non-title one school). The results showed a median of 1.00 (IQR=1.25, 4.50) sugary drink for the non-title one school and 3.00 (IQR=0.00, 2.00) sugary drinks for the title one school. The results from the Mann-Whitney U Test showed a significant difference in consumption in sugary drinks between schools (U = 1509.00, p < 0.001). Conclusion: Students attending a title one school consumed a greater amount of sugary drinks than students attending a non-title one school. Parents are a strong contributor to the nutritional diet of children, however students of this age are developing self-efficacy to make their own choices regarding the food and drinks they consume. Researchers can intervene by increasing student and parent knowledge and by researching the effectiveness of instructions based on the new knowledge.
ContributorsAnderson, Sienna Marie (Author) / Hart, Teresa (Thesis director) / Calvin, Samantha (Committee member) / McMullen, Mary (Committee member) / School of Nutrition and Health Promotion (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2018-05
Description
CD4+CD25+ FOXP3+ cells are recognized as the most reliable regulatory T cell subset. However, the intracellular nature of the FOXP3 transcription factor limits its use for the isolation or selection of viable regulatory T cells for adoptive immunotherapy. Nuclear localization of FOXP3 has been more strongly associated with induced regulatory T cell (Treg) function than increased expression of FOXP3 alone. Several different cell culture methods and T cell activation techniques can induce increased expression of FOXP3 in a variety of T cell models, but Rapamycin (an mTOR inhibitor) was recently shown to differentially induce nuclear localization of FOXP3 when compared with IL-10 and TGFβ. Feline Tregs have been well characterized and share many of the phenotypic and functional characteristics of murine and human Tregs. We cultured feline Mya-1 T cells in conditions that would differentially promote effector or regulatory phenotypes and correlated nuclear localization of FOXP3 with other quantitative morphologic features using imaging flow cytometry. We compared the morphologic features of cells with high intra-nuclear concentrations of FOXP3 cultured without IL-2, with IL-2, and with IL-2 and Rapamycin before and after non-specific antigenic stimulation with Concanavalin-A. This analysis may help identify a population of pure regulatory T cells that would be more likely to maintain regulatory function following in-vitro expansion and activation. Furthermore, the feline T cell model could help elucidate important differences between murine and human Treg cells that would further translational efforts in adoptive immunotherapy. Now, we ask if nuclear localization of FOXP3 could be used to identify other morphologic differences between activated effector and regulatory T cells using a feline T cell line.
ContributorsRojas, Arturo Nikolas (Author) / Sweazea, Karen (Thesis director) / Mexas, Angela (Committee member) / Murphy, Andrea (Committee member) / School of Nutrition and Health Promotion (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2018-05
Description
Background While extensive research has been conducted among college students consuming alcohol with energy drinks, there is limited research exploring how extracurricular activities could have an impact on energy drink consumption and sleep. Understanding the association between student involvement and the impact it could have on sleep and energy drink consumption among college freshmen is essential in promoting healthy behaviors while in college. Objectives The purpose of this study was to understand the relationship between student involvement, average hours of sleep, and predicted prevalence of energy drink and coffee consumption amongst college freshmen living in residence halls at a large, public university in the Southwest. Student involvement and fewer hours of sleep hypothesized to observe higher energy drink consumption. Methods This study was a secondary data analysis of the second wave of the longitudinal SPARC (Social impact of Physical Activity and nutRition in College) study assessing college freshmen (n=599; 70.6% female; 50.9% non-white) living on campus. Students were enrolled in this study during the 2015\u20142016 school year. Mutually adjusted generalized estimating equation (GEE) binomial models examined the relationship between involvement (academic clubs, sport clubs, honors, taking 16 or more credit hours, and having a job) and sleep with energy drink and coffee consumption, controlling for gender, race/ethnicity, Pell grant status, ever having tried alcohol, and clustering of students in residence halls. Results On average, students were enrolled in 15 credits, slept an average 8 hours per night, those who had a job worked 14 hours for pay per week, 35% reported consuming energy drinks in the past week, and about 29% of students reported coffee consumption. Males showed a higher predicted prevalence of energy drink consumption compared to females (p<0.001), where females showed a higher predicted prevalence of coffee consumption compared to males (<0.001); energy drink consumption was less prevalent amongst Hispanic students compared to white students (p=0.018), but more prevalent amongst black students compared to white students (p=0.002); no associations between race were found in predicted prevalence of coffee consumption. Average hours of sleep per night was inversely associated with energy drink consumption predicted prevalence (p<0.001). There was a lower predicted prevalence of energy drink and coffee consumption in honors student status (p<0.001) compared to non-honors students. Students taking 16 or more class credit hours showed a higher predicted prevalence in both energy drink (p=0.050) and coffee consumption (p=0.023) compared to students taking less than 16 class credit hours. Students involved in physically active clubs showed a greater predicted prevalence of coffee consumption (p<0.001) compared to students not in physically active clubs. There was no difference in the predicted prevalence in energy drink consumption amongst students involved in physically active clubs (p=0.710), non-physically active clubs (p=0.493), and having a job (p=0.146). Coffee consumption predicted prevalence showed no significant prevalence amongst students of different race and ethnicity [Black (p=0.507), Hispanic (p=103), Other (p=116)] as well as students involved in non-physically active (p=0.839) clubs and who had a paid job (p=0.088). Conclusion Associations observed between average hours of sleep, the different types of involvement of student activities, and energy drink and coffee consumption, were interesting in that a few findings were found to be contrary to the hypotheses. Future research should delve deeper into student involvement within honors programs to understand the contextual factors of why these students showed a significant inverse association in energy drink consumption. Contrary to hypothesis, sleep and energy drink consumption prevalence were indirectly related leading future research to examine and understand why students are consuming energy drinks since on average participants were meeting recommended sleep guidelines. Nutrition interventions are needed for the groups at consuming energy drinks and alcohol in combination due to the study finding increased predicted prevalence amongst these groups as well as the increased risky health behavior associated with the combination found in the literature. Support or Funding Information This study was supported by the NIH Common Fund from the Office of the Director and the Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research, grant number 1DP5OD017910-01 (PI: M. Bruening). The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.
ContributorsBender, Rebecca Leigh (Author) / Bruening, Meg (Thesis director) / McCoy, Maureen (Committee member) / Brennhofer, Stephanie (Committee member) / School of Sustainability (Contributor) / School of Nutrition and Health Promotion (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2018-05
Description
Introduction: Individuals with rotator cuff tears (RCT) have been found to compensate in their movement patterns by using lower thoracohumeral elevation angles during certain tasks, as well as increased internal rotation of the shoulder (Vidt et al., 2016). The leading joint hypothesis (LJH) suggests there is one leading joint that creates the foundation for the entire limb motion, and there are other subordinate joints that monitor the passive interaction torque (IT) and create a net torque (NT) aiding to limb motions required for the task. This experiment hopes to establish a better understanding of joint control strategies during a wide range of arm movements. Based off of the LJH, we hypothesize that when a subject has a rotator cuff tear, their performance of planar and three- dimensional motions should be altered not only at the shoulder, which is often the leading joint, but also at other joints on the arm such as the elbow and wrist.
Methods: There were 3 groups of participants: healthy younger adults (age 21.74 ± 1.97), healthy older adult controls (age 69.53 ± 6.85), and older adults with a RCT (age 64.33 ± 4.04). All three groups completed strength testing, horizontal drawing and pointing tasks, and three-dimensional (3D) activities of daily living (ADLs). Kinematic and kinetic variables of the arm were obtained during horizontal and 3D tasks using data from 13 reflective markers placed on the arm and trunk, 8 motion capture cameras, and Cortex motion capture software (Motion Analysis Corp., Santa Rosa, CA). During these tasks, electromyography (EMG) electrodes were placed on 12 muscles along the arm that affect shoulder, elbow, and wrist rotation. Strength testing tasks were measured using a dynamometer. All strength testing and 3D tasks were completed for three trials and horizontal tasks were completed for two trials.
Results: Results of the younger adult participants showed that during the forward portion of seven 3D tasks, there were four phases of different joint control mechanics seen in a majority of the movements. These phases included active rotation of both the shoulder and the elbow joint, active rotation of the shoulder with passive rotation of the elbow, passive rotation of the shoulder with active rotation of the elbow, and passive rotation of both the shoulder and the elbow. Passive rotation during movements was a result of gravitational torque (GT) on the different segments of the arm and IT caused as a result the multi-joint structure of human limbs. The number of tested participants for the healthy older adults and RCT older adults groups is not yet high enough to produce significant results and because of this their results are not reported in this article.
Discussion: Through the available results, multiple phases were found where one or both of the joints of the arm moved passively which further supports the LJH and extends it to include 3D movements. This article is a part of a bigger project which hopes to get a better understanding of how older adults adjust to large passive torques acting on the arm during 3D movements and how older adults with RCTs compensate for the decreased strength, the decreased range of motion (ROM), and the pain that accompany these types of tears. Hopefully the results of this experiment lead to more research toward better understanding how to treat patients with RCTs.
Methods: There were 3 groups of participants: healthy younger adults (age 21.74 ± 1.97), healthy older adult controls (age 69.53 ± 6.85), and older adults with a RCT (age 64.33 ± 4.04). All three groups completed strength testing, horizontal drawing and pointing tasks, and three-dimensional (3D) activities of daily living (ADLs). Kinematic and kinetic variables of the arm were obtained during horizontal and 3D tasks using data from 13 reflective markers placed on the arm and trunk, 8 motion capture cameras, and Cortex motion capture software (Motion Analysis Corp., Santa Rosa, CA). During these tasks, electromyography (EMG) electrodes were placed on 12 muscles along the arm that affect shoulder, elbow, and wrist rotation. Strength testing tasks were measured using a dynamometer. All strength testing and 3D tasks were completed for three trials and horizontal tasks were completed for two trials.
Results: Results of the younger adult participants showed that during the forward portion of seven 3D tasks, there were four phases of different joint control mechanics seen in a majority of the movements. These phases included active rotation of both the shoulder and the elbow joint, active rotation of the shoulder with passive rotation of the elbow, passive rotation of the shoulder with active rotation of the elbow, and passive rotation of both the shoulder and the elbow. Passive rotation during movements was a result of gravitational torque (GT) on the different segments of the arm and IT caused as a result the multi-joint structure of human limbs. The number of tested participants for the healthy older adults and RCT older adults groups is not yet high enough to produce significant results and because of this their results are not reported in this article.
Discussion: Through the available results, multiple phases were found where one or both of the joints of the arm moved passively which further supports the LJH and extends it to include 3D movements. This article is a part of a bigger project which hopes to get a better understanding of how older adults adjust to large passive torques acting on the arm during 3D movements and how older adults with RCTs compensate for the decreased strength, the decreased range of motion (ROM), and the pain that accompany these types of tears. Hopefully the results of this experiment lead to more research toward better understanding how to treat patients with RCTs.
ContributorsGarnica, Nicholas (Co-author) / Perrine, Austin (Co-author) / Schalk, Courtney (Co-author) / Dounskaia, Natalia (Thesis director) / Vidt, Meghan (Committee member) / School of Nutrition and Health Promotion (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2018-05
Description
The genus Steinius has been determined to be one of the earliest forms of omomyids after being hypothesized to belong in the earliest anaptomorphines dating back to the Eocene. This genus is thought to be one of the ancestors of later omomyids. Other ancestors would include an early omomyid with characteristics resembling the primitive characteristics of Steinius. There are two sister taxa belonging to this genus, Steinius annectens and Steinius vespertinus. Both taxa appear within the strata at Bighorn Basin in Wyoming, with S. annectens appearing in early forms of stratigraphy compared to S. vespertinus. Specimens of both taxa are also lacking with only jaw fragments and single teeth specimens being known today. Although much of Steinius is unknown, it can be associated with Tarsiiformes, or tarsiers. The specimens in this study consisted of lower jaw fragments that were assessed via a microscope containing a reticle calibrated for tooth measurements. These measurements and visual assessments could be used later in the study to determine the relatedness of both taxa. This thesis provides an assessment on the dental morphological characteristics of the genus Steinius that includes both qualitative and quantitative data. The relationship between both sister taxa of this genus is also discussed in detail with a comparison of the similarities found in both teeth. The results obtained from this evaluation showed that both taxa can be determined to be related. One key difference that was noted, however, is that S. annectens has an average tooth size that is larger than that of S. vespertinus and other early omomyids.
ContributorsLauchnor, Sarah Nicole (Author) / Penkrot, Tonya (Thesis director) / Zack, Shawn (Committee member) / School of Nutrition and Health Promotion (Contributor) / School of Human Evolution and Social Change (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2018-05
Description
A key component to American weddings is the wedding cake and the number of customs associated with it. The History, Evolution, and Development of Wedding Cakes is a creative project that hopes to answer why the wedding cake is such an iconic item and what it represents. A historical study details the evolution from its origin to present day while a comparison of wedding cakes (or wedding cake analogs) from other cultures explores their role(s) across the globe. It was found that while little regard is given to the symbolism of the wedding cake today, its presence persists in some shape or form as it continues to evolve. Cultural variations were recreated to reflect personal interpretations of contemporary designs in addition to an original design of a contemporary-rustic American wedding cake.
ContributorsYung, Andra (Author) / Levinson, Simin (Thesis director) / Jacobs, Mark (Committee member) / Chemical Engineering Program (Contributor) / School of Nutrition and Health Promotion (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2018-05
Description
Korean popular music, commonly referred to as K-pop, has become globally popular through its dissemination on social media. The K-pop industry is known to adapt to, and capitalize on, the shifting landscape of social media ever since the early 2000s. Recent integration and utilization of livestream services on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube have created a necessity for the K-pop industry to adapt to the dynamic landscape of social media in order to appeal to a growing transnational internet audience. In accommodating the shifting social media landscape, the relationships among K-pop fandoms, producers, and the performers, known as "idols," as well as the spaces in which they interact, have transformed. This transformation can be seen in the media content produced by fans and K-pop groups. Companies that manage K-pop groups and produce their music utilize livestreams to promote the idea that K-pop groups are accessible and relatable to fans. The idea that K-pop groups are accessible creates a dynamic that encourages fans to invest time, money, and subtitling skills into livestream apps like the V-app in order to support their favorite K-pop groups. Korean entertainment companies also use trainee competition shows to turn the trainee experiences into reality television shows, in which viewers' votes are a significant factor in determining winners. These shows encourage a co-dependent relationship between K-pop groups and the show's viewers. On YouTube, which has always been an important platform for global dissemination of K-pop, fan-produced media content, such as dance cover videos and reaction videos, are now contributing more to global popularity of K-pop. TWICE, a K-pop girl group, which is under contract with the prominent K-pop production company, JYP Entertainment, debuted through a trainee competition show and regularly participates in new practices on social media by connecting with fans on livestreaming videos, by hosting cover dance contests, and by promoting fan-reaction videos on YouTube. With the girl group, TWICE, as a case study, I delineate the complex interactions among fandom, Korean entertainment companies, and the K-pop groups. My analysis focuses on the interactions among those three parties in the social media. First, I assess how the K-pop industry utilizes trainee competition shows to foster fan attachment to the K-pop groups even before they debut as a process of commodification. I then examine fan-produced media content, using the cultural studies scholar, John Fiske's idea of productive fan culture, or "fan productivity," a concept that confers socio-cultural value to participation in fan-related activities. Finally, I use statistical analysis to compare how dissemination tools such as livestreams, dance cover videos, and reaction videos contribute to the growing popularity of TWICE.
ContributorsHuynh, Simon (Author) / Shin, Jiwon (Thesis director) / Noah, Aggie (Committee member) / Ross, Andrew (Committee member) / School of Social Transformation (Contributor) / School of Nutrition and Health Promotion (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2018-05