OF THESIS

The Effects of Leucine Supplementation on Lean Mass and Strength in Young and Midlife Adults Leucine is well known as a supplement that has the ability to augment lean mass and strength. Multiple studies on the benefits of leucine supplementation in older age groups have been published. Thus, this review focuses on examining articles studying the effects of leucine supplementation in younger and middle-aged subjects. In such studies, strength and body composition were assessed and comparisons made between those subjects taking placebo versus those taking the actual supplement. Fat mass, lean tissue mass, and maximum strength measurements are key variables used to assess the success of the supplementation as they indicate body composition changes as well as strength gains. Furthermore, the effects of leucine supplementation during periods of inactivity or bed rest were also examined. In this review, the CINHAL and Pubmed databases were used to choose a total of ten articles with young adult (18-35) and middle-aged (36-55) subjects and then analyzed on the categorical basis of gender, age group, training program length, and leucine dose. Common limitations of studies were discussed as well as implications of the use of leucine supplementation in the younger population. This thesis explores the intersection of Deaf/disability identity and the practice of audiology, and has three aims: first, to establish broad background information about the common cultures, identities, and models that relate to disability; second, to connect this background information to the personal and social domains of the lives of people with hearing loss; and finally, to establish current problems and provide direction in training future audiologists in order to ensure clinicians provide care that is above and beyond minimum ethical standards. The first aim will be accomplished by outlining the history and development of Deaf culture and its key features, framing the parallel history and development of disability culture and identity, and comparing and contrasting Deaf culture and identity with disability culture and identity. The second aim of this work will be accomplished by revisiting the definition of disability models, introducing the models that might have bearing on the lives of people with disabilities, and applying these models to the social experience of a person with hearing loss. The final aim of this work will be accomplished by establishing a brief history of the field of audiology, examining the ethics that guide audiology practice, defining and describing audiological counseling, and introducing a new approach to training clinicians that incorporates the humanities. Neural Circuit Implementations Showing Stochastic Resonance Using Custom Integrated Circuits the of better than in Using infant mortality data as a measure of community health, this examines how labor and economic factors, political structures, and stability directly influenced health in these developing countries. Ultimately, health development in was by ethnic and class conflict, economic isolation, and ineffective governance. Meanwhile, as Barbados adopted democratic values and leaned on education, international partnerships, gender inclusivity, and economic diversification, its health went from “worst to first. ” Overall, this thesis identifies factors that directly influenced the development of healthcare in Guyana and Barbados. By doing so, it argues that developing countries ought to utilize a holistic approach to sustainably improve health outcomes. This thesis examines Postpartum Depression and Perinatal Mental Health through a cross-disciplinary examination of the current care models and overall provider perspectives in McLennan County, Texas. It looks to examine current practices and provider insights in relation to the prevalent current research discussion in the Perinatal Mental Health community. This thesis includes perspectives from four different disciplines and analyzes their individualized perspectives and opinions on the current processes for the identification, diagnosis, and treatment options for women in McLennan County who are diagnosed with Postpartum Depression. humility and reducing neocolonial stereotypes in the discourse. These criteria are evidence of self-reflection, recognition of historical relationships, appreciation for mutual learning, building of partnerships, exhibiting respect for others, rejecting stereotypes of the “other,” and reducing praise of the volunteer. Six organizations were rated on these seven criteria on a scale of 1-5. Several organizations were concluded to communicate a value for partnership building but appeared to demonstrate a lack of respect for the host community. Goals for necessary improvement are to highlight the mutual benefit of the host-volunteer relationship and to challenge volunteers to reflect on their own expectations. Promise and Peril: Genetic Screening Technologies; Their Use Today and Potential Consequences Tomorrow Knowledge is power. Through tireless research in the lab, new genetic technologies utilized for human treatments are coming to the American marketplace. Of these new technologies, those involved in genetic screening and testing are of particular interest to this thesis because of the subtle tensions that exist within these new tools of medicine. These technologies have great potential in identifying diseases so that they can be properly addressed through medical treatment. They reveal the genetic predispositions and history of individuals found in their very genetic code. However, these screening and testing technologies also present potential challenges to the American healthcare system. Questions concerning the implementation of such technology through traditional healthcare channels and access to these technologies remain unanswered. Such powerful pieces of technology, like those used in genetic screening, may also exacerbate societal divisions among the population. The potential, and unequal, use of these technologies coming to market is a crucial aspect to consider as those with more resources may become the sole, and repetitive, benefactors at the expense of those with less resources. Thus, this thesis serves as a vehicle to consider such key questions and hopefully inspire the necessary deliberation required to use these new technologies in a way beneficial to all. This thesis examines college students’ mental health service utilization journeys. Analyzing data collected from a survey given to students at Baylor University in the spring of 2021, this study looks for connections between informal and formal mental health service utilization as well as past support and peer networks. This research examines the data from perspective of the network-episode model of mental health utilization. This thesis tries to better understand the illness career and the social support systems that best correlate to mental health service utilization. The findings suggest that current and past social support provided by friends and family are associated with higher rates of utilization. Analysis of religious support indicate that there is little association between utilization rates for those receiving informal support from their religious community. The stress associated with the COVID-19 pandemic correlates with utilization rates and perceived need of help. The pathways to utilization are diverse. This thesis provides a closer understanding of utilization among students. in scientific research, an understanding of as a diagnosis and of in Traditional the potential for of medical western medicine of traditional perspective. Rich theoretical and empirical literature link early childhood factors to adult health outcomes, providing evidence that health disparities start early in life and propagate throughout the life course, with non-cognitive skills being increasingly implicated in this relationship. Model preschool experiments such as Perry Preschool and Abecedarian give further support to this claim in addition to highlighting an important and perhaps more promising feature of the life course view of health – that interventions in early childhood might be leveraged to reduce the effects of early disadvantage on adult health. Despite this hopeful preliminary evidence, concerns remain over whether such experimental findings can be implemented on a broader scale. This thesis examines the role of Head Start, the United States’ largest federally funded comprehensive early childhood program, in supporting the earlier findings from model preschool programs. I address the limitations and gaps in existing Head Start literature that prevent comprehensive analysis of long-term health outcomes and give recommendations for utilizing existing longitudinal data in the Children of the NLSY79 study, which includes rich information on health behaviors, self-rated health status, and non-cognitive factors that can further our understanding of Head Start’s impact on long-term health outcomes and the pathways through which early childhood interventions might act to influence adult health. gaps of care, while in contrast, their integration serves to narrow health disparities. In rural communities, these health inequities are far more substantial. This thesis serves to focus on Kearny County Hospital, located in rural southwest Kansas, as a case study analyzing the hospital’s local impact through its identification of needs and initiation of relationships with potential community partners. Then based on the evidence gathered from the literature review, this thesis will examine KCH’s incorporation of the practices and values discussed and their effectiveness in improving general local health. It will explore the potential of implementing similar care throughout other rural communities by generalizing the scope of the findings. Medical Students and Money: Investigating Medical Students’ Perceptions of Money, Debt