How Resilience-Building Interventions Impact Parenting Stress and Cortisol Reactivity in Mothers with Adverse Childhood Experiences

Research has found that adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are associated with changes in both parenting stress and cortisol. Resilience-building interventions may be able to help diminish the effects of ACEs, thus impacting parenting stress and cortisol reactivity. This study aims to examine how two resilience-building interventions (emotion-based and behavior-based) will impact parenting stress and cortisol reactivity in mothers with ACEs. This project is in the preliminary stages of data collection; as such, this honors thesis will review the relevant literature, describe current methodology and proposed analyses, and discuss possible implications and future directions. Participants (goal N=100) undergo a pre-assessment where parenting stress and cortisol reactivity are measured. Participants are then randomly assigned to receive an emotion-based curriculum (goal n= 50) or behavior-based curriculum (goal n=50) for 8 weeks. After completing their curriculum, participants’ parenting stress and cortisol reactivity will be reassessed. Participants from both resilience-building interventions are hypothesized to have a reduction in parenting stress and cortisol reactivity, but participants who received the emotion-based curriculum are predicted to have greater reductions. Additionally, it is hypothesized that changes in parenting stress will be correlated with changes in cortisol reactivity, so participants with greater reductions in parenting stress are anticipated to have greater reductions in cortisol reactivity

Small-Scale Fishing: Perceptions and Threats to Conserving a Livelihood in the Province of Phang-nga, Thailand

Limited understanding of small-scale fishing communities has hindered appropriate management initiatives in coastal communities which are threatening livelihoods. Informants, stakeholder interviews and questionnaires from local fishermen were used to gain knowledge of fishing factors, perceptions and threat to the small-scale fishing community in a coastal region in the province of Phang-nga, Thailand. Results revealed communities utilizing multi-geared, multi-species fisheries with a preference for marketable species that sell on a local scale. Whilst subsistence and local markets share equally the use of catches, there is a noticeable decline in small-scale fishers being recruited into the industry. This was considered by some to be due to urbanisation and by others to opportunities in tourism but was viewed as a socio-economic shift by government informants towards medium sized operations formed by resilient groups. Current management can be classified as open access, with virtually no management or regulations in place. This has led to fishers listing failing stocks and commercial fleets as the biggest threats to their livelihoods. Management initiatives are needed to focus on protecting and improving coastal stocks by clamping down on illegal activity large-scale from fishers and reviewing fishers access for resource protection

Effect of altering range of motion on muscle activation patterns when using the MuJo™ Shoulder Machines

Resistance equipment is often restricted to a single plane of movement; however, multiplanar movements may be more effective, by facilitating the development of motor strategy and intermuscular coordination. Due to their moving axis cam technology, the MuJo™ External Shoulder Machine and Internal Shoulder Machine enable such movement. Furthermore, the range of motion (ROM) through which the shoulder travels can be adjusted to target specific muscles, which may have useful implications within a rehabilitation environment. However, little is currently known about the consequences of varying the ROM whilst using the devices. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine the effect of altering ROM on shoulder muscle activity during exercises performed on the MuJo™ Shoulder Machines. Following institutional ethics approval, nine recreationally-active male participants (means ± SDs: age: 25 ± 5 years; body mass: 77.06 ± 11.06 kg; height: 1.76 ± 0.09 m) performed abduction and external rotation, and adduction and internal rotation of the shoulder at twelve different ranges of motion, in a randomised, counterbalanced order. Surface electromyography (EMG) was collected from the upper trapezius, anterior and posterior deltoids, infraspinatus, pectoralis major, and latissimus dorsi. Muscle activity was normalised to the peak activity from a one repetition maximum test, also performed on the machines. The effect of abduction/adduction and rotation angle on normalised peak EMG was analysed via a two-way analysis of variance with repeated measures for each muscle; effect sizes were calculated using partial eta squared (η2p). For the External Machine, a significant main effect for abduction in the upper trapezius was found (F(1.1, 8.7)=15.34, P=0.003, η2p=0.66). Electromyography amplitude was significantly higher at 90° of abduction than at 60° and 30°, and significantly higher at 60° than at 30°. For the anterior deltoid, EMG amplitude was significantly higher at 90° than at 60° of abduction (F(2,16)=7.17, P=0.006, η2p=0.47). A significant main effect for rotation in the latissimus dorsi was found (F(3,24)=7.96, P=0.001, η2p=0.50), with EMG amplitude significantly lower at 0° than at both 90° and 60°. For the Internal Machine, a main effect for rotation in the pectoralis major was observed (F(3, 24)=6.98, P=0.002, η2p=0.47), with EMG amplitude significantly lower at 60° than 30° of rotation. No significant interactions or main effects were observed in the remaining muscles on either machine. In conclusion, altering the ROM results in some changes in muscle activity during abduction and rotation, perhaps indicating a greater requirement for stabilisation during the less constrained repetitions. Further studies incorporating kinematics and inverse dynamics may provide deeper understanding into the effects on motor strategy that may occur when exercising with this device

Put a Cork in It: The Use of H.R. 161 to End Direct Wine Shipping Throughout the States Once and For All

Due to Congress\u27 recent agenda, oenophiles throughout the country are up in arms about the possible threat to their beloved wine. Wine lovers and other alcohol enthusiasts face the very real fear that access to their favorite products may soon be heavily restricted. This is in large part attributed to the fact that House Resolution 1161 would effectively change the ways in which states regulate alcohol shipment. The possible implications of this bill range from the forced shutdown of many wineries and distilleries due to lack of funding, to the smaller effects of regulation such as the inability of customers to order wine and other alcohol over the internet. This bill would also destroy the ability of many to join moneysaving wine clubs. H.R. 1161 and other similar legislation, often referred to collectively as direct shipping laws, effectively mandate discussion concerning the shipment of alcohol, the regulatory place of the states in the scheme of alcohol distribution, the impact on individual consumers, and the industry\u27s perspective as a whole. Direct shipping laws affect more than those in the wine industry; rather, they impact the entire economy

The Archaeology of Leetown Hamlet: Households and Consumer Behavior in the Arkansas Ozarks

The hamlet of Leetown, located within Pea Ridge Military Park is the focus of this thesis. The Leetown hamlet played a role in the Battle of Pea Ridge and eventually disappeared before Pea Ridge National Military Park’s establishment in the 1960s. Shortly after the establishment of the Park, archeological investigations began. The resulting archeological investigations from 1962 to 2017 provided a glimpse into the lives of the families of Leetown hamlet within the rural Ozarks. This is an archeological investigation that focuses on establishing the date and function of the buildings within the hamlet as well as the consumer and home dynamics of the both the Lee and Mayfield families of Leetown

Private Eye Polly Fillers assisting students who seek to write personal stories

Describes how London Met Journalism team help students turn their own private dramas into socially useful news features

Spinal Lipoma: Developing a Biomarker and Developmental Mechanisms

Lumbosacral lipomas (LSL) are a common form of closed spinal dysraphism occurring in 1 in 4000 live births. There is no established theory to explain origin, no animal models and no genetic or environmental association. In addition to the uncertainty that underlies the pathogenesis there are also unanswered clinical questions, with the timing of surgical intervention a difficult balance between prevention of neurological deterioration and avoidance of unnecessary surgery. Wykes et al. have demonstrated that not all children go onto develop symptoms in the first 10 years of life and therefore timing of surgery becomes an important issue. This thesis attempts to answer two questions – is there a biomarker that can be used to guide timing of surgery, and what is the underlying pathogenesis of LSL? Samples of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), blood and urine were collected from patients undergoing near total resection of LSL. High performance liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (HPLC/MS) was used to determine the lipid profile of samples and a scoring system developed to correlate lipid results with severity of symptoms. In addition, Whole Genome Sequencing was performed on two families with familial cases of LSL and analysed in combination with Whole Exome Sequencing from two further individuals with LSL. HPLC/MS confirmed a significant difference in phospholipids and targeted assay revealed lysophosphatidylcholine 18:2 and phosphatidylcholine 36:2 to be significantly different in CSF and blood samples respectively. These results not only have potential for development of a biomarker to guide clinical management but also hint at an underlying mechanism of neurological deterioration due to bioavailability of docosahexaenoic acid in CSF. Genetic analysis identified a number of different variants in LSL patients highlighting the complexity of pathogenesis. Identification of stop gain variants in ADAMTS20 and NDTS1 supports earlier work relating LSL pathogenesis to failure in neural crest differentiation and migration