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THE EFFECT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN PERFORMANCE DEPARTMENT (HHP) ACTIVITY CLASSES AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MONTANA ON STUDENTS’ LEVELS OF MINDFULNESS, PERCEIVED STRESS, SELF-COMPASSION, AND ATTENTION

This study examined the effect of University of Montana, Health and Human Performance (HHP) Department sponsored activity classes on college students’ levels of mindfulness, perceived stress, self-compassion, and attention. Participants: 96 college students enrolled in a spring 2013 activity class started the study, however only 41 completed the post-test survey. Methods: At the beginning and end of the semester, participants completed an online survey through SurveyMonkey, which assessed students’ levels of mindfulness, perceived stress, self-compassion and attention. Results: Students who participated in the mindfulness based activity class, Yoga and Meditation experienced the greatest increases in overall mindfulness levels over the course of the semester. Additionally, the mindfulness based activity class, Introduction to Yoga had the greatest decreases in stress; the mindfulness based activity class Yoga and Meditation had the greatest increases in self-compassion; and the mindfulness based activity class Yoga and Medication had the greatest increases in attention levels over the course of the semester. Conclusions: This study provides encouraging data to suggest that mindfulness based activity classes, such as Yoga, Meditation and Tai Chi can effectively increase mindfulness in a relatively short time frame with college students. Additionally, non-mindfulness based activity, such as Rock Climbing and General Fitness may also be an effective way to decrease stress with the college student population

Hereditary colorectal cancer : clinical and biological consequences of known and new genes, as well as modifiers

Each year 3500 people in Switzerland are diagnosed with colorectal cancer, approximately 51.8 and 34.3 per 100’000 inhabitants for males and females, respectively. Those patients with a familial risk ie. they haveor more first or second degree relatives with colorectal cancer, account for approximately 20 percent of all affected patients, whereas roughlyto 10 percent of the total annual burden of colorectal cancer is mendelian in nature – that is, it is inherited in an autosomal dominant manner. This thesis has focused on genotype-phenotype correlations in two hereditary colorectal cancer syndromes, hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer (HNPCC) and familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) in an attempt to optimise the selection criteria for affected individuals, to establish the sensitivity and specificity of different screening methods, to investigate a relatively new gene associated with a multiple colorectal adenoma and carcinoma phenotype and to assess the role of a modifier gene locus on chromosome 1p33-36. Since only limited data are available which detail the value of the different HNPCC referral criteria in combination with microsatellite instability (MSI) testing and various mutation screening methods, 222 unrelated Swiss patients were studied in order to (i) assess the phenotypic and molecular differences between patients belonging to different referral criteria groups, and (ii) determine the diagnostic accuracy of the criteria and screening procedures employed in identifying individuals with mismatch repair (MMR) gene alterations. The Bethesda Guidelines (BG) proved to be of superior sensitivity and diagnostic accuracy compared to Amsterdam Criteria I/II (AC I/II) alone, in identifying patients with MMR gene alterations. Based on the evaluation of the different screening techniques employed in this study, it is suggested that MSI analysis combined with immunohistochemistry testing and subsequent mutational analysis of the positively scored individuals encompassing both a DNA and a mRNA-based technique, should be conducted for optimal rates of mutation detection. Investigations subsequently continued in attempts to further characterise the phenotype of Swiss HNPCC patients by comparing 46 MMR gene mutation carriers to 84 gene alteration negative individuals in order to ultimately aid the identification of HNPCC individuals and MMR gene mutation carriers. Ninety-four percent of the mutation positive patients were classified by referral criteria (AC or BG) compared to only 76% of mutation negative individuals. Mutation positive patients were also younger at the time of their CRC diagnosis, had more often proximally located CRCs, a higher prevalence of syn-/metachronous CRCs and more frequently extracolonic manifestations. Using such phenotypic differences to distinguish mutation positive from mutation negative individuals, clinicians may be aided in their preselection of patients for genetic surveillance, mutation screening and subsequently, genetic counselling. In light of results from recent studies, implicating germline mutations in MYH with a multiple colorectal adenoma and carcinoma phenotype, it was the purpose of this study to further correlate MYH germline mutations with Swiss APC-negative individuals (n=65) and establish any genotype-phenotype correlations to aid in the optimisation of clinical screening and prevention strategies. An optimised protocol for the rapid and sensitive mutation analysis of MYH via high performance liquid chromatography (DHPLC) was established. Thirteen (20%) individuals were identified as MYH mutation carriers, 7 (54%) of which had biallelic mutations. Aside from previously reported mutations, 3 apparently novel gene alterations were established in 3 patients with a multiple adenoma phenotype. The phenotypical characteristics of all patients investigated were similar, with no statistically significant correlations to genotype, hence, clinicians and counsellors are advised to screen for MYH mutations in patients displaying tens to hundreds of colorectal adenomas, and a family history consistent only with recessive inheritance. FAP patients typically display considerable inter- and intra-familial phenotypic heterogeneity, which represents a major problem in genetic counselling of APC mutation carriers. The Min mouse model indicated a putative disease modifier locus on chromosome 4, which is syntenic to human chromosome 1p35-36. Furthermore, germline mutations in the base-excision repair gene MYH, which maps to the 1p33-34 region, have been described in patients with multiple adenomas, pointing to a possible role as disease modifier in FAP. Here, the re-assessment of one of the largest FAP kindreds published, which was previously used in linkage mapping of 1p35- 36, is documented. Using the latest available clinical information, additional mutation carriers and polymorphic markers, fine-mapping of the critical region as well as mutation analysis of the MYH gene were performed. These investigations significantly excluded (i) the 1p33-36 region as a modifier locus and (ii) MYH as a modifier gene for extracolonic disease in this FAP kindred. The results indicate that linkage analysis of further putative candidate regions is necessary to identify a disease modifier locus in FAP

Moving the Needle: How Transparency Could Lower Costs and Improve Quality in United States Hospitals

This thesis shows the limitations of price and quality information for improving the value of healthcare delivery in the United States. First, in four survey experiments to determine the impact of information on decision-making, consumers were more likely to choose the lower cost or higher quality option when relevant information was presented in straightforward ways with a minimized risk of information overload (n = 224, t = -3.7065, p = 0.0002). Second, hospitals on the U.S. News Best Hospital list between 2008 and 2011 were shown to be significantly more likely to be found in wealthy, highly populated areas, while unranked hospitals were more likely to be the sole community provider. Third, perceived quality (U.S. News-ranked hospitals) was shown to be out of alignment with actual quality (hospitals performing above the national average for readmission and mortality according to Medicare Hospital Compare): 36 hospitals performed well on both lists, constituting only 0.77% of total hospitals in the U.S. in 2011. Current efforts have not gone far enough toward complete transparency to lead to negative effects such as collusion, nor to positive effects such as better value. Fears held by economists and private sector participants will likely not be realized in the near future—but neither will the hopes of policymakers for demand-driven change in the healthcare system

Will the Train Ever Leave the Station? The Private Provision of Freight Railway Service in Russia and Central and Eastern Europe

The railways of Russia and the CEE countries — generally much more freight oriented, and much more important to their countries' economies, than those of Western Europe — are in the process of restructuring. In most cases the "vertical separation" reform model is being pursued, and reformers are seeking to introduce competition among freight train operators through the provision of "open access" to the monopoly infrastructure. This paper examines the degree to which competition has in fact been introduced, the terms under which it is taking place, and the characteristics of those private firms which have had some success in entering. As always, Russia is different.

Silence of the Birds:Avifauna exploitation during a period of increasing reliance on domesticates at Late Neolithic Tell Sabi Abyad, Syria

A sample of 219 bird bones, from the Late Neolithic levels at Tell Sabi Abyad, located in the Balikh Valley, Northern Syria, was analysed. These remains informed about the ecological setting of the site, showing it to be permanently occupied, rather than used only seasonally. The practice of fowling at Tell Sabi Abyad was investigated, and both the economic and cultural importance of the birds through time is discussed. The recovery of avifaunal remains from certain phases of occupation, along with their low quantities or absence in others, might reflect changes in subsistence taking place at Tell Sabi Abyad around 6300 BC. This small, but important, sample of bird bones adds to the limited published data available on the avifauna of the Late Neolithic of Northern Syria

Crossing Over : Fiddle and Dance Studies from around the North Atlantic 3

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