How Changes in Individual Relationship Status Effects Personal Preferences in Potential Partners

According to the relevant research on marriage, the leading variable associate with divorce in the United States is experiencing financial difficulty. The question guiding this research assess whether individual perception of attractiveness compared to individual perception on wealth changes according to a person’s legal relationship status

Human Pheromones in Female Social Groups

Martha McClintock is a biopsychologist who specializes in social behavior and the regulation of fertility. It is through her pioneering work that menstrual synchrony amongst social groups of females was discovered to be a result of human pheromonal interactions. During McClintock’s undergraduate work at Wellesley College, she observed that menstrual synchrony was a common phenomenon between her dorm mates and herself (1). Through greater experimentation, she associated this trend was due to pheromonal output of women during social interactions. This work became her senior thesis at Wellesley and was published in Nature in 1971 (2). The discovery of ovarian pheromones has lead to a wider debate on the role these odorless compounds play in human physiology and behavior. From studies on other mammalian species, non-ovarian pheromones have been shown to influence mating preferences, dominance relationships, and stress levels when introduced to a new environment as depending on the emotional state of the previous occupants (3). Pheromone signaling between human females could, in fact, have implications for fertility, conception, and puberty (4). McClintock’s pioneering work in this field has lead to much advancement in the understanding of female interaction

Analysis of Hydroxylated Polychlorinated Biphenyls using nESI-TIMS-MS

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are industrial pollutants classified as endocrine disruptors and can cause antagonistic effects in the reproductive, neurological, and immunity systems in humans and animals. The biological toxicity of PCBs depends on the position and number of chlorine atoms within the molecule, and they work to mimic or block essential hormones, causing significant health damages. In the present work, nine different congeners of hydroxylated PCBs (OH-PCBs), with varying number of chlorine atoms, were studied using trapped ion mobility coupled to mass spectrometry (TIMS-MS). In particular, isomers of OH-hepta-chlorinated biphenyls (e.g., 4-OH-PCB 187, 4-OH-PCB 172 and 3-OH-PCB 180) were analyzed individually and as a mixture, to evaluate the analytical power and capabilities of TIMS-MS. Ion-neutral collisional cross sections were determined experimentally and compared to candidate structures. Different strategies to separate molecular isomers are discussed

Incivility in the Workplace: The Experiences of Female Sport Management Faculty in Higher Education

Access to higher education for women has dramatically increased in the United States during the past 50 years. Female college graduates have reversed the figures and gone from being outnumbered by their male counterparts 3 to 2 in the 1970s, to now outnumbering male college graduates 3 to 2. Women also graduate from masters and doctoral programs at a higher rate than men. However, increases in the number of women obtaining college and advanced degrees has not translated to comparable representation in faculty positions or leadership roles in higher education. This lack of women in leadership positions, as well as perceived discrimination against female faculty, may be even more of a concern in sport management programs. Sport is considered a male domain, and women are often seen as intruders in this realm. The purpose of this study was to examine the manifestation of incivility from colleagues and superiors experienced within a sample of female sport management faculty members utilizing social identity theory as a guiding framework. Incivility was conceptualized for the current study as deviant behavior that is not necessarily intended to physically harm the target (e.g., belittling others, showing disdain to someone while they are talking, engaging in outside tasks during meetings)

Optimising child accident research outcomes: An action research project on maximising the dissemination and implementation of the Summer Research Scholarship Project reports and recommendations of the Child Accident Prevention Foundation of New Zealand

A key objective of the Child Accident Prevention Foundation of New Zealand (hereafter referred to as "CAPFNZ" or "the Foundation") is to reduce the incidence and severity of child accidents. The reports and recommendations that arise from the Foundation's Summer Research Scholarship (SRS) projects have the potential to be a major means to achieving this end. The purpose of this research was to investigate the extent to which the SRS projects were achieving that objective, by assessing the degree to which CAPFNZ SRS reports and especially their recommendations are currently in the public domain. The research also identified the current barriers or obstacles to dissemination, and determined cost-effective ways in which dissemination and implementation of these reports and their findings could be enhanced. Our proposal foreshadowed the prospect of this project yielding a demonstration website as one approach to achieving a more effective distribution of CAPFNZ SRS reports and related material

Exploring the association between disability and the six minute walk test and postoperative function in patients with severe obesity undergoing non-bariatric surgery

Chapter 1 provides an overview of the themes of preoperative assessment and risk prediction in patients with severe obesity presenting for non-bariatric surgery. Chapter 2 describes the natural history of patient weights while on waiting lists for surgery. Patients can spend 3 months or longer on surgical waiting lists between the date of booking for surgery and performance of surgery. Whether or not they tend to gain or lose weight during this time is not known. In this chapter, the course of weight change over a surgical waiting period for all patients who had Category C (more than 3 months) or D (patient not yet ready) surgery in ISLHD in 2016 was explored. Booking dates, surgery dates, booking category, name of operation, and weight recorded at both booking of surgery and performance of surgery were extracted from the electronic medical record system for all patients. Weight changes of more than one kilogram were defined as significant weight loss or gain. The study sample comprised 1 622 operations in patients booked for a variety of surgical specialties. Twenty seven percent of patients had a missing booking weight so could not be further analysed. The overall mean weight change for the cohort was +0.8 kg (standard deviation -3.7 - +5.3kg). Analysis showed that 22% of patients lost weight while waiting for surgery, 44% stayed the same, and 35% increased weight. The influence of initial booking weight, duration of waiting period, age, and type of surgery on weight change was minimal. Chapter 3 describes the systematic literature review that was performed to investigate methods of preoperative assessment specific to patients with obesity. Due to the paucity of literature on patients undergoing non-bariatric surgery, bariatric surgery papers were included in the review. Twenty one papers reporting on a total of 5 090 patients were included, with two thirds reporting on bariatric surgery patients. The only preoperative assessment method with any evidence of benefit for either preoperative diagnosis or postoperative risk complication was polysomnography, which arose from only five papers. This systematic literature review was unable to make any strong recommendations as to best assessment practice in patients with obesity presenting for non-bariatric surgery. There was therefore an opportunity to explore the value of other approaches such as functional capacity. This thesis investigated the six minute walk test as well as disability as methods of preoperative assessment. Chapter 4 describes the analysis of the clinical and functional characteristics of the main study sample of patients with severe obesity (BMI ≥35 kg/m2) presenting for routine non-bariatric surgery. These are presented in terms of their preoperative comorbidities, biomarkers, functional capacity, and disability scores. A cohort of such patients (n=293), with a mean body mass index of 42 kg/m2, were investigated using their medical records, a six minute walk test, N-terminal pro B-type natriuretic peptide measurement, and the World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule 2.0. Cardiorespiratory disease and diabetes were common, with blood tests revealing a high probability of additional unexpected and undiagnosed renal and cardiac disease in a significant proportion of patients. One third of patients had NT pro-BNP values that identify early left ventricular dysfunction in the community. Only 10% of patients walked a distance within 10% of that predicted, and 22% did not complete the test. One third of patients (34%) had a clinically significant level of disability, with those unable to walk for 6 minutes describing higher levels of disability. Functional capacity as measured by the six minute walk test was significantly lower than would be expected from age, sex, and weight alone, and was related to age and degree of disability, but notably not to weight or body mass index. Chapter 5 presents the primary aim of the main study: can the six minute walk test (6MWT) predict functional outcomes of postoperative disability and quality of recovery in a cohort of patients with severe obesity presenting for non-bariatric surgery? Overall, the patients recovered well after surgery, with few medical complications. The proportion of patients free from clinically significant disability increased from 66% prior to surgery to 90% at 6 months after surgery. The distance walked in six minutes was weakly predictive of poor recovery at one month and significantly increased disability at six months. Weight and BMI were not. The area under the receiver-operating-characteristic curve was 0.65 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.51-0.78) for poor recovery and 0.64 (95% CI 0.51-0.77) for increased disability. A preoperative 6MWT distance of 308m was the best cut-off value for predicting increased postoperative disability (sensitivity 0.68, specificity 0.63). The level of functional capacity was once again more important than the degree of obesity in predicting postoperative outcomes. Chapter 6 presents an in depth analysis of the patient physiology underpinning the results of the main study. The literature contains few detailed reports of the physiology underlying the 6MWT, especially in individuals with obesity. This study explored some of the physiological principles relevant to the test, and related them to this group of patients with severe obesity booked for surgery. One notable finding was that reduced respiratory function was more common in patients unable to sustain a walking speed above 0.9m/s. Chapter 7 presents an investigation into the longer term implications of one area of the main study results: kidney disease. The incidence of undiagnosed kidney disease preoperatively was much higher than expected, so an analysis of the postoperative course of kidney function was undertaken to investigate this further. The primary aim of this sub-study was to determine the frequency of postoperative acute kidney injury (AKI), chronic kidney disease (CKD), and kidney failure (KF) in this cohort of study patients. The secondary aim was to investigate the potential association between postoperative kidney impairment and preoperative variables of disability, functional capacity, and comorbidities. Baseline impaired kidney function was present in just over half of the cohort. One hundred and thirty two patients (48%) had biochemistry within 7 days postoperatively, with 7 (5.3%) of these meeting the criteria for AKI. One hundred and ninety eight (72%) had blood tests at 3 months or more postoperatively, of whom 40 patients (20.2%) moved down a GFR category to a worse CKD stage. One quarter of patients with normal baseline kidney function developed chronically worsened kidney function at three months. No significant association between preoperative comorbidities, functional capacity or disability level and development of either an AKI or CKD was found. Chapter 8 summarises the findings from the previous chapters in relation to the overall aims and hypotheses of the thesis. This chapter includes a discussion of the strengths and limitations of the research and provides recommendations for clinical practice and future research work in this field. Patients do not appear to be at increased postoperative risk simply because of obesity itself. Assessment of functional capacity can be done simply and may contribute more to the accuracy of risk predication than anthropomorphic measures alone. An individual with severe obesity and multiple comorbidities, who additionally displays low fitness and high disability, is likely to be at a higher risk of poor postoperative outcomes

Attitudes Related To Trauma-Informed Care In The Educational Setting: An Exploratory Case Study

This qualitative, exploratory case study was used to explore the perceptions of public high school faculty and staff towards trauma-informed practices in the school environment. Faculty and staff attitudes toward adverse childhood experiences and their attitudes toward implementation of trauma-informed care (TIC) in the educational setting are not well known. This study applies constructivism as a theoretical framework because the research depends on the participants’ views of the topics under study. Ten faculty and staff from a suburban high school in the northeastern part of the United States participated in this exploratory case study, completed the Attitudes Related to Trauma-Informed Care Scale, and participated in a semistructured interview. The data analysis revealed four themes that included relationships, safety, training, and behavior. The most significant finding was building relationships. From the results of this study, this researcher found that, when educators take the time to build relationships with students, the impact of traumatic events might be mitigated. Additional findings of this study were focused on participant attitudes toward TIC, the TIC practices they implemented, and factors that affected TIC implementation, including professional development. The findings of this study could be useful to educators, administrators, and educational support personnel interested in TIC

The identification of criteria essential for the promotion of housekeepers: a pilot study

The motivation and concentration for this research was partially funded by Commonwealth College of Virginia Beach, Virginia to help in the fulfillment of that college\u27s mission: To serve the needs of it\u27s students and it\u27s community by providing quality collegiate Educational programs in careers with positive impact on it\u27s society and environment. The issue of Housekeeping manpower is a primary concern of Hoteliers and a constant human resource need. This research project was designed to illicit primary data from area convention hotels to determine where the need for training exists germane to entry-level and mid-management positions in housekeeping. The results of the research conducted will be shared with the General Managers and Executive Housekeepers of the participating hotels surveyed and used as a basis to develop training courses and or programs conducted through Commonwealth College\u27s Tourism/Hospitality division. The goal of those programs or courses will be to produce quality trained housekeeping managers and supervisors. Commonwealth College is a \u27specialty training\u27 institution that provides career education and training advancement courses for \u27adult learners\u27 who are nontraditional college students

The Effect of Metal Composition and Particle Size on Nanostructure-Toxicity in Plants

Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) have consistently been shown to have a detrimental effect on bacteria, fungi, and plants. The interaction of AgNPs with plants has received considerable scientific attention, because it is potentially through plants that these structures can enter the food chain and bioaccumulate in humans and animals. To determine the effects of AgNPs on plants, Arabidopsis thaliana seedlings were chronically exposed to sublethal levels of AgNPs using a standardized method. To gain insight on mechanism of phytotoxicity, the seedlings were exposed to low concentrations of Ag+ (in the form of silver nitrate), AgNPs, or gold nanoparticles (AuNPs). To test if NP size influenced the response by the plant, AgNPs and AuNPs were tested at both 20 nm and 80 nm sizes. Exposure to AgNO3 altered the expression of several genes, but exposure to AuNPs did not cause any measurable changes in the Arabidopsis transcriptome. Exposure of plants with 20 nm and 80 nm AgNPs, on the other hand, caused the differential expression of 226 and 212 genes, respectively, indicative of cell wall reorganization and response to oxidative and biotic stress. The size of the AgNPs had little influence on gene expression patterns. Root length measurements were taken to quantify phytotoxicity of various NPs. While AgNO3 increased root elongation, the NPs, irrespective of metal composition and size, did not cause significant differences in root length. Taken together, my data suggest that the chemical nature of the metal core is the major determinant of AgNP phytotoxicity in chronically exposed plants