Habit Formation for Parenting Practices Designed to Change Youth Vegetable Intake

University of Minnesota M.S. thesis. May 2017. Major: Nutrition. Advisors: Marla Reicks, Zata Vickers. 1 computer file (PDF); ix, 201 pages.Objective: To evaluate habit formation for parenting practices to improve child vegetable intake. Study Design: Within group, pre-/post- test design, low-income parent/child pairs (n = 44). Six practices intended to be implemented at home to encourage child vegetable consumption were incorporated into 6 Cooking Matters for Families classes. Outcome Measures and Analysis: Habit strength was measured one week after introduction and immediately post-intervention using a Self-Report Habit Index. Paired t-tests were used to compare habit strength for the 6 strategies. Multiple regression models were created for each strategy to determine associations between habit strength and environmental, behavioral, and individual factors. Results: Habit strength increased from post-introduction to post-intervention for 3 practices. Four mediating variables significantly predicted habit strength. Conclusions: This approach was effective in helping parents develop habitual practices to encourage vegetable consumption among children. Further evaluation is needed to determine whether these habitual practices can improve child vegetable intake

Geant4 Simulation of a filtered X-ray Source for Radiation Damage Studies

Geant4 low energy extensions have been used to simulate the X-ray spectra of industrial X-ray tubes with filters for removing the uncertain low energy part of the spectrum in a controlled way. The results are compared with precisely measured X-ray spectra using a silicon drift detector. Furthermore, this paper shows how the different dose rates in silicon and silicon dioxide layers of an electronic device can be deduced from the simulations

The Evidence Does Not Speak for Itself: The Role of Research Evidence in Shaping Policy Change for the Implementation of Publicly Funded Syringe Exchange Programs in Three US Cities

BACKGROUND: A breadth of literature exists that explores the utilization of research evidence in policy change processes. From this work, a number of studies suggest research evidence is applied to change processes by policy change stakeholders primarily through instrumental, conceptual, and/or symbolic applications, or is not used at all. Despite the expansiveness of research on policy change processes, a deficit exists in understanding the role of research evidence during change processes related to the implementation of structural interventions for HIV prevention among injection drug users (IDU). This study examined the role of research evidence in policy change processes for the implementation of publicly funded syringe exchange services in three US cities: Baltimore, MD, Philadelphia, PA, and Washington, DC. METHODS: In-depth qualitative interviews were conducted with key stakeholders (n=29) from each of the study cities. Stakeholders were asked about the historical, social, political, and scientific contexts in their city during the policy change process. Interviews were transcribed and analyzed for common themes pertaining to applications of research evidence. RESULTS: In Baltimore and Philadelphia, the typological approaches (instrumental and symbolic/conceptual, respectively) to the applications of research evidence used by harm reduction proponents contributed to the momentum for securing policy change for the implementation of syringe exchange services. Applications of research evidence were less successful in DC because policymakers had differing ideas about the implications of syringe exchange program implementation and because opponents of policy change used evidence incorrectly or not at all in policy change discussions. CONCLUSION: Typological applications of research evidence are useful for understanding policy change processes, but their efficacy falls short when sociopolitical factors complicate legislative processes. Advocates for harm reduction may benefit from understanding how to effectively integrate research evidence into policy change processes in ways that confront the myriad of factors that influence policy change

The Grizzly, November 3, 2005

Remembering Professor McLennan: A Passionate Teacher and a Beloved Friend • Renowned Writer Speaks at Ursinus • Building Plans for Spring 2006 and Beyond • Ovarian Cancer Walk • Chikara Wrasslin\u27 • EQ vs. IQ: Hirsh-Pasek on Education • The Many Faces of Muslim Women • Take Heed and Use Your Keys • Escape Velocity\u27s Just the Start is a Great Success • New Oktoberfest Policies Put into Effect • Popping the Pill • RHA Brings Halloween Fun to Ursinus • Opinions: The Right to Write Right; Raising Rates for Resident Assistants; Global Gag Rule and FGM; Harriet Miers: Aftermath; You Snooze, You Lose • Title Hopes Still Alive as Ursinus Upsets #16 Johns Hopkins • Bears Beat Blue Jays, Look to Defend Conference Crownhttps://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/grizzlynews/1698/thumbnail.jp

The Grizzly, October 6, 2005

UC Tuition Series Part Two: AFAC • Thinking Man\u27s Comic Brings Biting Wit to Campus • Director of Physical Facilities Retires after 26 Years of Service • Crossing Woes • Long-term Campus Development Plans • Environmentalist Speaks on Climate Change • Program Spotlight: America Reads • Jordanian Visitor Discusses Education • New Attendance Policy • Battle of the Websites: The Facebook vs. MySpace • Let\u27s Talk About Sex • Staff Profile: Campus Safety Director Kim Taylor • Can You Climb the Wall? • Let\u27s Party: The Unspoken Rules of Ursinus Nightlife • Opinions: The Black Spotlight, Or Why White People Like Me; Stress Can Affect Your Academic Performance; Down the Path; Another Glance at UC Fringe • Bears Terrorize McDaniel in OT • Bears Make Bullets Shoot Blanks • Rally Falls Short as McDaniel Beats Ursinus • Soccer Struggles Continuehttps://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/grizzlynews/1695/thumbnail.jp

Performance of two Askaryan Radio Array stations and first results in the search for ultra-high energy neutrinos

Ultra-high energy neutrinos are interesting messenger particles since, if detected, they can transmit exclusive information about ultra-high energy processes in the Universe. These particles, with energies above $10^{16}\mathrm{eV}$, interact very rarely. Therefore, detectors that instrument several gigatons of matter are needed to discover them. The ARA detector is currently being constructed at South Pole. It is designed to use the Askaryan effect, the emission of radio waves from neutrino-induced cascades in the South Pole ice, to detect neutrino interactions at very high energies. With antennas distributed among 37 widely-separated stations in the ice, such interactions can be observed in a volume of several hundred cubic kilometers. Currently 3 deep ARA stations are deployed in the ice of which two have been taking data since the beginning of the year 2013. In this publication, the ARA detector "as-built" and calibrations are described. Furthermore, the data reduction methods used to distinguish the rare radio signals from overwhelming backgrounds of thermal and anthropogenic origin are presented. Using data from only two stations over a short exposure time of 10 months, a neutrino flux limit of $3 \cdot 10^{-6} \mathrm{GeV} / (\mathrm{cm^2 \ s \ sr})$ is calculated for a particle energy of 10^{18}eV, which offers promise for the full ARA detector.Comment: 21 pages, 34 figures, 1 table, includes supplementary materia

The Grizzly, September 22, 2005

Oktoberfest Location Still Up in the Air • Activities Fair Showcases Clubs Both New and Old • WVOU Relaunch • Fringe Festival Comes to Kaleidoscope • Theft on Campus • Writing Center Opens • Soldier Speaks on Rebuilding Afghanistan • New Mac Lab in Ritter • The Dirt on UC Soap • UC Getting Greener Every Year • Ursinus in Florence: A Little Rain Never Hurt Anyone • Get Up and Get Moving: Making Exercise a Routine • Creating Communication Elation • Staff Profile: Gary Hodgson • Opinions: Veggie Monster? A Commentary on Society Brought to You by the Letter H; Religion of Ritual; The Next Generation; Priorities; Hard vs. Soft News • Ursinus Triumphs Over LaSalle • Bears Dominate Dickinson • Athletic Facility Face Lift • Tumblebears at UChttps://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/grizzlynews/1693/thumbnail.jp

The Grizzly, September 29, 2005

Fire Safety on Campus • UC Tuition Series Part I: An Overview • Study Abroad in Madrid Returns • Campus Drive Removal • Upcoming RHA Events • Backed Up Your Computer Lately? • Club Spotlight: Le Cercle Francais • Seven Day Itch • The Drift Away Cafe • Main Street Walks for STD Awareness • Sigma Gamma Rho Walks for Sickle Cell Anemia • Update from Mexico • Heefner Organ Recital Series at Ursinus College • Readjusting: Tulane Students at Ursinus • Oktoberfest: An Ursinus Tradition • How do You Take Your Caffeine? • Opinions: Activities Fair Helps Students Get Involved; Face Off; Gangsta Mentality; This Year\u27s Fringe Festival Lived Up to its Name • Just for Kicks, Lady Bears Win Six • Bears Strand Shorewomen • Breaking the Moldhttps://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/grizzlynews/1694/thumbnail.jp

Acute weight gain, gender, and therapeutic response to antipsychotics in the treatment of patients with schizophrenia

BACKGROUND: Previous research indicated that women are more vulnerable than men to adverse psychological consequences of weight gain. Other research has suggested that weight gain experienced during antipsychotic therapy may also psychologically impact women more negatively. This study assessed the impact of acute treatment-emergent weight gain on clinical and functional outcomes of patients with schizophrenia by patient gender and antipsychotic treatment (olanzapine or haloperidol). METHODS: Data were drawn from the acute phase (first 6-weeks) of a double-blind randomized clinical trial of olanzapine versus haloperidol in the treatment of 1296 men and 700 women with schizophrenia-spectrum disorders. The associations between weight change and change in core schizophrenia symptoms, depressive symptoms, and functional status were examined post-hoc for men and women and for each medication group. Core schizophrenia symptoms (positive and negative) were measured with the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS), depressive symptoms with the BPRS Anxiety/Depression Scale and the Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale, and functional status with the mental and physical component scores on the Medical Outcome Survey-Short Form 36. Statistical analysis included methods that controlled for treatment duration. RESULTS: Weight gain during 6-week treatment with olanzapine and haloperidol was significantly associated with improvements in core schizophrenia symptoms, depressive symptoms, mental functioning, and physical functioning for men and women alike. The conditional probability of clinical response (20% reduction in core schizophrenia symptom), given a clinically significant weight gain (at least 7% of baseline weight), showed that about half of the patients who lost weight responded to treatment, whereas three-quarters of the patients who had a clinically significant weight gain responded to treatment. The positive associations between therapeutic response and weight gain were similar for the olanzapine and haloperidol treatment groups. Improved outcomes were, however, more pronounced for the olanzapine-treated patients, and more olanzapine-treated patients gained weight. CONCLUSIONS: The findings of significant relationships between treatment-emergent weight gain and improvements in clinical and functional status at 6-weeks suggest that patients who have greater treatment-emergent weight gain are more likely to benefit from treatment with olanzapine or haloperidol regardless of gender