Affective Consequences of Sleep Deprivation

Surprisingly little is known about the effects of sleep deprivation on affective processes. Although clinical evidence and introspection suggest that emotional function is sensitive to sleep loss, there are only three published studies that have experimentally manipulated both stress and emotion in a single experiment, the earliest of which was published in 2007. This dissertation presents findings from three studies that were designed to improve our understanding of the influence of sleep loss on affective functioning in healthy adults. Study 1 (Sleep and Mood) measured the effects of sleep loss on affect in the absence of specific probes. Three facets of mood (Fatigue, Vigor and Confusion) were found to be sensitive to sleep restriction, increasing in a dose-response manner with extended wakefulness and covarying with a well validated behavioral assay of alertness (the PVT reaction time task). Three other facets of mood (Depression, Anxiety, and Anger) were not sensitive to sleep restriction and did not covary with objective alertness. Study 2 (Sleep and Emotion) found that sleep deprivation decreased facial expressiveness in response to positive and negative emotion probes. There was also a trend toward decreased intensity of positive and negative subjective emotional reactions for sleep deprived subjects as well. Study 3 (Sleep and Stress) found that sleep deprived subjects reported a more negative subjective response than control subjects to a mild stressor, but not to a more intense stressor. When taken together, these studies offer a more nuanced account of the relationship between sleep deprivation and affective functioning. This dissertation ends with a discussion of the implications of these findings for both healthy and clinical populations and proposes future direction for research on sleep and emotion

Establishing Hydrographic Control Using Doppler

Two Doppler Satellite surveys conducted for the purpose of establishing hydrographic control stations are reviewed. One survey was conducted in Monterey, Calif., the other established shore control for an upcoming hydrographic survey of Lake Superior to be performed by the National Ocean Service (NOS). A brief discussion of the positional accuracies obtained using relative positioning programs Magnet and Geodop V is included. The Lake Superior project is discussed regarding methods used and total cost incurred

The Physical activity patterns and constraints of diverse female college students

Diverse college aged females from a public university in the southwest were asked to participate in an online survey to determine their constraints to physical activity, as well as their current activity level. The groups were compared to establish the differences among the minority groups. Raymore, Crawford, and Godbey’s Hierarchical Model of Constraints was used as a framework when creating the survey. Data analysis showed only one significant difference among the racial/ethnic groups, when looking specifically at the intrapersonal, interpersonal, and structural constraints categories. Hispanic women differed significantly from Caucasian women in their perception of interpersonal constraints on their physical activity. This finding should be further investigated to completely understand the cultural aspects that may lead to interpersonal constraints. No other significant differences among the racial/ethnic groups and their perceptions of physical activity constraints were found. No differences were found among the racial/ethnic groups and their physical activity level. The research suggests physical activity level and constraint differences among ethnic groups may be less prevalent among populations with similar socio-economic status, education, and motivation

A Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial to Evaluate the Effects of Noncontact Normothermic Wound Therapy on Chronic Full-thickness Pressure Ulcers

OBJECTIVE: To determine the effect of noncontact normothermic wound therapy (NNWT) versus standard wound care on chronic full-thickness pressure ulcers. DESIGN: Prospective, randomized, controlled trial SETTING: Veterans administration medical center and 7 long-term-care facilities PATIENTS: 40 inpatients with 43 Stage III and IV pressure ulcers INTERVENTIONS: A sterile noncontact wound dressing was applied to 21 wounds for 24 hours per day, 7 days per week. Each day after the wound was irrigated and the noncontact dressing was changed, a heating element in the dressing was activated for 3 1-hour periods for 12 weeks or until wound closure. Twenty-two control wounds were treated with standard, moisture-retentive dressings 24 hours per day, 7 days per week for 12 weeks or until wound closure. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Measurement of wound surface area MAIN RESULTS: Healing rate for the NNWT group was significantly greater than for the control group (0.52 cm2 per week and 0.23 cm2 per week, respectively;PPP \u3c.05). CONCLUSION: Wounds treated with NNWT healed significantly faster than wounds in the control group. The healing rate was greatest for larger wounds treated with NNWT

A possible relation between dietary zinc and cAMP in the regulation of tumour cell proliferation in the rat

The possibility of an effect of zinc on the rate of tumour cell division, mediated through a regulation of cellular cAMP concentration, was investigated in the present study in rats. Dietary Zn deficiency (< 1·5 mg Zn/kg) but not Zn excess (500 mg Zn/kg) resulted in an increased cAMP concentration in transplanted hepatoma cells. Neither treatment had any effect on the cAMP concentration in regenerating liver or normal resting liver. Both the deficient and excess Zn diets resulted in a small reduction in tumour growth (not statistically significant). The results seem to indicate that the relation investigated in the present study does not apply in the cell line used